Will the Darul Uloom now declare war on “Islamism”?
As the Darul Uloom maintains that its fight against terrorism will continue, read this thought-provoking essay by M. Zuhdi Jasser* on what are the ideological standards required to confront militant Islam.
In view of the points made by Lt Commander Jasser, are the scholars of Darul Uloom at Deoband prepared to take the next step and declare/accept:
1. The rejection of Islamism as a political ideology.
2. A rejection of the concept of the “Islamic state” …or (the) vision of a Muslim majority society led by theologians (imams and clerics) who run government through their interpretation and enactment of Islamic law (sharia).
3. Identification of radical Islamist organizations by name …that utilize terrorism as a tactic for political change…While these organizations may at times “condemn terrorism,” they often offer apologies (if not justifications) for terrorism and seek the establishment of both individual Islamic states and a global or regional caliphate of them.
4. The acceptance that the root cause of terrorism is political Islam.
5. …the toxic role that Wahhabism (a radical Saudi Arabian interpretation of Islam) has had upon the radicalization of some members of the Muslim community.
6. To unequivocally recognize the state of Israel and its right to exist.
7. (the) separation (of) faith (spirituality) and nationalism.
8. …individual freedom and liberty.
9. To advocate for the rights of dissidents and liberty-minded Muslims in Muslim majority nations against the dictatorships and monarchies which oppress them
10. To acknowledge that much of current Islamic jurisprudence (sharia) is in dire need of ijtihad (reform)
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* M. Zuhdi Jasser is a former U.S. Navy Lieutenant Commander and founder/Chairman of the Board of the American Islamic Forum for Democracy based in Phoenix, Arizona.
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Islam’s “uncomfortable truths”
Other voices of reason: “We Muslims Have Work To Do” - Salim Mansur
and my inferences are based on...
