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8/5/2007 11:16:43 AM
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Related Articles/blogs on: Militant Islam | Islamic Jihad
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A vast majority of 57 Muslim-majority nations of OIC (Organization of Islamic Conference) have autocratic rulers. In a ranking of 177 nations on the Failed State Index (2007), 20 of top 40 failing states are members of OIC. Muslim-majority countries top 24 most corrupt countries of the world.
Islamic Asharite philosophy of submission to authority of scriptures as interpreted by muftis (lawyers-clerics) and feudal warlords advocates reliance on authority as the sole route to truth, which benefits states and strengthens hierarchy to serve interests of the powerful by legitimizing unequal distribution of credits and resources of the nation. For example, 9 billion of 10 billion dollars aid to Pakistan from USA since 2002 has been used for benefit of the Pakistani army. The muftis and ruling elites are determined to hold on to power and leadership.
Submitting to will of the people – democracy that separates state and mosque - in free and fair elections conducted by following a constitution of, by and for the people is likely to neutralize power of muftis and feudal warlords. The Muslim mind appears to be unwilling to update itself. It is basically a part-time mind; a staccato fit of thinking drives Muslims nowadays. The rest is just hypocrisy, obscurantism and loud talking about past Muslim achievements.
Militant Islam is dominated by Salafists seeking through moral or violent actions to return to purer Islamic past, which is largely mythical. Salafists have transnational ties to military centers such as that in Peshawar. Jihadists consider themselves not governed by a nationalist universe.
Salafist originated in the Sunni Saudi Arabia; its ideology is endeared by both Sunni and Shia autocrats. The ideological commitment of Islamists in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq and Iran is intense. Sunni Pakistan-Taliban tried and failed to gain a strategic depth against imaginary threat from east by occupying Afghanistan and win a proxy war for Indian Kashmir. Shia Iran seeks nuclear weapons to dominate Iraq and Sunni Mideast.
Salafists maintains and promotes what was good in the 7th century remains good in the 21st century! Sunnis - Salafist, Wahhabist, and Deobandi Pakistanis - and Shia Iran and Iraq are followers of radical Islam. Together at estimated 300+ million they are a powerful jihadi force. About 15 to 30-million radical Muslim men are in age group of late teens and below 30 and they are prime candidates to take to terrorism. Only a tiny fraction, say several thousand men, at any given time are active terrorists and a group of few terrorist can cause considerable damage to life and property, as was the case for the 9/11 attacks on America and that in London, Madrid and India bombings.
The learning behavior – rote and regurgitate - of today”s Muslim youth does not prepare student for critical thinking, which require a background in math, sciences, philosophy and logic. The rote and regurgitate method of learning exposes students to Quran and other Islamic scriptures. The access to latest scientific discoveries and modern tools of critical thinking are limited as cleric-teachers lack necessary academic background.
In the field of morality, as per Islamic dogma, nothing can be good or bad Sui generic; it becomes good or bad by fiat, by declaring it to be good or bad as coming from God. Law making also remains dependent on this logic; laws can only be deduced from what is given and nothing new can be entertained which is not already subsumed in Islamic scriptures of Quran (that to be read and recited), Sunnah (traditions), Hadith (collections of sayings and acts of Muhammad and the first Muslims) and Shariah (code of personal laws). Both morality and law are thus seen to be based on an irrefutable given proposition and rejection of this logic is seen as tantamount to heresy.
This paradigm is very conducive to autocracy. Muslim Um”mah of the 17th century refused to appreciate the significance of the European Renaissance. They closed their minds totally and remained mired in the paradigm they had developed earlier - from seventh to 13th century.
From amongst all major religions of East and West only Islam has largely remained as it was more than five hundred years ago in its moral, legal and social precepts. Muslims seemingly know the language of modern thought; it does not mean the same for them. To suggest ways and means of opening Muslim mind is a multifaceted task.
Inputs have to come from sociology, psychology, philosophy and religion for working out a reasonable criteria and norms for developing a balanced mind. Social policies of Muslims have to be redesigned or reformed accordingly. It is a tremendous task.
Are any influential Muslims in civil society, the non-”fatwa-foisters” prepared to undertake the process of explaining all this to Jihadists and the clerical fraternity known for a propensity for issuing a fatwa or launch a suicide bomber to undertake a lightning reform of their mindset? The same process of explaining also should be extended to the thousands of madressahs in the Islamic Um”mah (OIC), to the illiterate, to the semi-educated and even to the educated whose minds remain firmly shut against logic, common sense and progress. Muslim civil society has to start the process of attempting to reverse the mental decay and usher the youth within its portals into the 21st century.
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