Moderate Muslim

Last updated

Moderate Muslim and Moderate Islam are terms that are used within religious and political discourse to describe the obverse of Islamic extremism and imply that supporting Islamic terrorism is the characteristic of extremist groups within Islam, and the moderate groups of Muslims denounce extremist violence such as Islamic terrorism, Jihadism and radical Islamism. [1]

Contents

Moderation in Islam and moderate Islam are also terms that occur as interpretation of the Islamic concept of moderation as well as Iqtisad (Arabic : اقتصاد, lit.  'Frugality') and Wasat (Arabic : وسط, lit.  'Centre'). The Islamic concept of moderation are mentioned in the Quran, and is used to describe the Muslim community: [2] [3] [4]

And thus we have made you a moderate community that you will be witnesses over the people.

—  Al-Baqara, 2: 143

Moderate views, in the first sense, are widespread according to opinion polls. A majority in eleven Sunni Muslim countries is very negative towards the Islamic State. [5] Moderate perceptions are especially common among Muslims in the Western world, such as Islam in Europe. Among American Muslims, 82 percent (2017) are concerned about Muslim global extremism, [6] 81 percent believe that suicide bombing can never be justified, and 48 percent believe Muslim leaders have not done enough to prevent extremism (2011). [7]

Moderate Islamism

Moderate Islam should not be confused with moderate Islamism. Before the 2008 Egypt election, the fundamentalist Muslim Brotherhood was described as moderate Islamists in comparison to the radical Islamists in the country's Salafist party. [8]

The Ennahdha Party of Tunisia has been described as a moderate Islamist party since the 1980s, when it advocated a "Tunisian" strain of Islamism recognizing democracy, political pluralism and a "dialogue" with the West. [9] In 2011, a spokesman for the party described it as moderate Islamic rather than Islamist, since it does not want a theocracy. [10]

Terminological objections

Several Muslim scholars and leaders have made objections to the term "moderate Islam", and argued harm is caused by its usage.

The writer Shireen Younus explains, "The qualifier of “moderate” suggests that there is something innately violent about Islam. It leads to the false conclusion that a small group of “moderates” is standing in opposition to a giant swathe of violent, ISIS-supporting radicals and this is simply not true because the reality is the complete opposite. [11] When the media talks about “moderate Muslims”, they are perpetuating a dangerous narrative of Islam as a violent religion that is at odds with American society." [11]

The Doctor of Law Lorenzo G. Vidino describes the term as "inherently controversial, vague and subjective" [12] and Muslim scholars such as Dr Debbie Almontaser have argued that Muslim populations predictably find the "moderate Muslim" label offensive. [13]

Adrian Cherney and Kristina Murphy argue that the categorisations of moderate/extremist are not neutral, and that their widespread deployment "deprives Muslims of the agency to define the parameters of the debate around counterterrorism and also the terms of reference through which they are labelled as either for or against terrorism." [14] Although some Muslims do employ the use of such language, it is seen by others as further stigmatising Muslim communities and Islam. [15]

The Pakistani born journalist Sarfraz Manzoor also argues that the "moderate Muslim" label is offensive, as he believes that it implies ordinary Islam is not inherently peaceful. [16] Others believe that it implies that "moderate Muslims" are not "fully Muslim", [16] or that the term equivalates "progressive" or "secular" with "moderate". [16] [11] Others, such as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (in response to the Saudi Crown Prince's ‘moderate Islam’ pledge [17] ) reject the term as a Western notion stating that there is only one Islam. [18]

The general criticism of this term is that it implies that the "Islam" and "Muslim" refer to something inherently violent, giving the impression that they need an adjective ("moderate") to assure otherwise.

French researcher of religious extremism Olivier Roy also points out the difficulties of focusing on "moderate" Islam or Islamic reformation as a means of fighting terrorism. In an interview in with Qantara he stated:

Radicals are not "mainstream" Muslims who went astray after studying the Koran and Islamic theology. You donʹt become a terrorist because you listen to a Salafist preacher ... (radicalisation occurs less in mosques than in jail). They donʹt choose radicalism (either religious or political) because of their theological studies: they want radicalism. Even if other people succeed in reforming Islam, it wonʹt change the mind of the radicals.

... no revealed religion is moderate: all religions state that, as Pope Benedict said, there is a non-negotiable truth. And the idea that any reform is "liberal" is nonsense: Luther and Calvin were not liberal (indeed, the former showed anti-Semitic tendencies). Of course Protestantism provided the theological basis for political reform, but also for racism (apartheid is strongly entrenched in Calvinist theology).

Secularists tend to consider that a moderate believer is somebody who believes moderately: but that is not the definition of moderation for believers; moderation for them is not about beliefs, but about accepting life in a secular society, even if they stick to conservative values. That is exactly what Muslims are learning to do. [19]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Islamism</span> Politico-religious ideology

Islamism refers to religious and political ideological movements that believe that Islam should influence political systems. Its proponents believe Islam is innately political, and that Islam as a political system is superior to communism, liberal democracy, capitalism, and other alternatives in achieving a just, successful society.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moderation</span> Process of eliminating or lessening extremes

Moderation is the process or trait of eliminating, lessening, or avoiding extremes. It is used to ensure normality throughout the medium on which it is being conducted. Common uses of moderation include:

Extremism is "the quality or state of being extreme" or "the advocacy of extreme measures or views". The term is primarily used in a political or religious sense to refer to an ideology that is considered to be far outside the mainstream attitudes of society. It can also be used in an economic context. The term may be used pejoratively by opposing groups, but is also used in academic and journalistic circles in a purely descriptive and non-condemning sense.

Qutbism is an exonym that refers to the Sunni Islamist beliefs and ideology of Sayyid Qutb, a leading Islamist revolutionary of the Muslim Brotherhood who was executed by the Egyptian government of Gamal Abdel Nasser in 1966. Influenced by the doctrines of earlier Islamists like Hasan al-Banna and Maududi, Qutbism advocates Islamic extremist violence in order to establish an Islamic government, in addition to promoting offensive Jihad. Qutbism has been characterized as an Islamofascist and Islamic terrorist ideology.

Religious fanaticism is a pejorative designation used to indicate uncritical zeal or obsessive enthusiasm that is related to one's own, or one's group's, devotion to a religion – a form of human fanaticism that could otherwise be expressed in one's other involvements and participation, including employment, role, and partisan affinities. In psychiatry, the term hyperreligiosity is used. Historically, the term was applied in Christian antiquity to denigrate non-Christian religions, and subsequently acquired its current usage with the Age of Enlightenment.

In Islam, wasat (moderation) is one of the most basic terms and deliberately used topics. In the sense of shariah, it is a central characteristic of Islamic creed and has been used from the very beginning of Islam. It refers to a justly balanced way of life, avoiding extremes and experiencing things in moderation.

There is a wide range of Muslim attitudes towards terrorism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jihadism</span> Islamist movements for jihad

Jihadism is a neologism for militant Islamic movements that seek to base the state on Islamic principles. In a narrower sense, it refers to the belief held by some Muslims that armed confrontation with political rivals is an efficient and theologically legitimate method of socio-political change. It is a form of religious violence and has been applied to various insurgent Islamic extremist, militant Islamist, and terrorist individuals and organizations whose ideologies are based on the Islamic notion of lesser jihad from the classical interpretation of Islam. It has also been applied to various Islamic empires in history, such as the Rashidun and Umayyad caliphates of the early Muslim conquests, and the Ottoman Empire. There were also the Fula jihads in West Africa in the 18th and 19th centuries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Islamic extremism</span> Extreme or radical form of Islam

Islamic extremism, Islamist extremism or radical Islam refers to a set of extremist beliefs, behaviors and ideologies within Islam. These terms remain contentious, encompassing a spectrum of definitions, ranging from academic interpretations of Islamic supremacy to the notion that all ideologies other than Islam have failed and are inferior.

The term Talibanization refers to a type of Islamist practice that emerged following the rise of the Taliban movement in Afghanistan, where other religious groups or movements come to follow or imitate the strict practices of the Taliban.

Radicalization is the process by which an individual or a group comes to adopt increasingly radical views in opposition to a political, social, or religious status quo. The ideas of society at large shape the outcomes of radicalization. Radicalization can result in both violent and nonviolent action – academic literature focuses on radicalization into violent extremism (RVE) or radicalisation leading to acts of terrorism. Multiple separate pathways can promote the process of radicalization, which can be independent but are usually mutually reinforcing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maajid Nawaz</span> British activist and radio presenter (born 1977)

Maajid Usman Nawaz is a British activist and former radio presenter. He was the founding chairman of the think tank Quilliam. Until January 2022, he was the host of an LBC radio show on Saturdays and Sundays. Born in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, to a British Pakistani family, Nawaz is a former member of the Islamist group Hizb ut-Tahrir. His membership led to his December 2001 arrest in Egypt, where he remained imprisoned until 2006. While there, he read books about human rights and made contact with Amnesty International who adopted him as a prisoner of conscience. He left Hizb-ut-Tahrir in 2007, renounced his Islamist past, and called for a secular Islam. Later, Nawaz co-founded Quilliam with former Islamists, including Ed Husain.

Quilliam was a British think tank co-founded in 2008 by Maajid Nawaz that focused on counter-extremism, specifically against Islamism, which it argued represents a desire to impose a given interpretation of Islam on society. Founded as The Quilliam Foundation and based in London, it claimed to lobby government and public institutions for more nuanced policies regarding Islam and on the need for greater democracy in the Muslim world whilst empowering "moderate Muslim" voices. The organisation opposed any Islamist ideology and championed freedom of expression. The critique of Islamist ideology by its founders―Nawaz, Rashad Zaman Ali and Ed Husain―was based, in part, on their personal experiences. Quilliam went into liquidation in 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Terrorism in the United Kingdom</span>

Terrorism in the United Kingdom, according to the Home Office, poses a significant threat to the state. There have been various causes of terrorism in the UK. Before the 2000s, most attacks were linked to the Northern Ireland conflict. In the late 20th century there were also attacks by Islamic terrorist groups. Since 1970, there have been at least 3,395 terrorist-related deaths in the UK, the highest in western Europe. The vast majority of the deaths were linked to the Northern Ireland conflict and happened in Northern Ireland. In mainland Great Britain, there were 430 terrorist-related deaths between 1971 and 2001. Of these, 125 deaths were linked to the Northern Ireland conflict, and 305 deaths were linked to other causes, including 270 in the Lockerbie bombing. Since 2001, there have been almost 100 terrorist-related deaths in Great Britain.

Moderation theory is a set of interrelated hypotheses that explain the process through which political groups eschew radical platforms in favour of more moderate policies and prefer electoral, compromising and non-confrontational strategies over non-electoral, exclusive, and confrontational strategies. Moderation can take place at both ideological and behavioural levels that mutually reinforce each other.

Islamic extremism in the United States comprises all forms of Islamic extremism occurring within the United States. Islamic extremism is an adherence to fundamentalist interpretations of Islam, potentially including the promotion of violence to achieve political goals. In the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 terror attacks, Islamic extremism became a prioritized national security concern of the U.S. government and a focus of many subsidiary security and law enforcement entities. Initially, the focus of concern was on foreign Islamic terrorist organizations, particularly al-Qaeda, but in the course of the years since the September 11 terror attacks, the focus has shifted more towards Islamic extremist radicalized individuals and jihadist networks within the United States.

Islamic extremism in Egypt caused terrorism and controversy in the country in the 20th century and continues to be a main issue in the 21st century Egyptian society. Egypt has a long history of radical and extreme sects of Islam with roots dating back to around 660 CE. Islamic extremism opposes "democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance of different faiths and beliefs". These extreme beliefs led to radical actions across the Middle East. The main conflict between Islamic extremists and the government officials throughout history stems from two major issues: "the formation of the modern nation-state and the political and cultural debate over its ideological direction".

The Muslim Association of Britain (MAB) is a British Sunni Muslim organisation founded in 1997. MAB has been well known for its participation in the protests opposing the Iraq War. More recently, it has been known for promoting Muslim participation in Britain.

<i>Radical: My Journey out of Islamist Extremism</i> 2012 memoir by Maajid Nawaz

Radical: My Journey out of Islamist Extremism is a 2012 memoir by the British activist Maajid Nawaz, who is also a former Islamist. First published in the United Kingdom, the book describes Nawaz's journey "from Muslim extremist to taking tea at Number 10". The United States edition contains a preface for American readers and a new, updated epilogue.

<i>The Muslim Brotherhood: Evolution of an Islamist Movement</i> 2013 book

The Muslim Brotherhood: Evolution of an Islamist Movement is a book by American political scientist Carrie Rosefsky Wickham that delves into the history and evolution of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt. First published in 2013, then republished as an updated edition in 2015 following the Arab Spring, the book examines the organization's development from its founding in 1928 through its significant political involvement during the 2011-2012 elections, leading to the rise and subsequent fall of the Brotherhood's government under President Muhammad Morsi. Wickham's research is based on over one hundred in-depth interviews and previously inaccessible Arabic-language sources. The book offers insights into the broader implications of the Brotherhood's trajectory for democratic governance, peace, and stability in the Arab world, with a new afterword that discusses the events following Morsi's ouster.

References

  1. ↑ Khan, M. A. Muqtedar, ed. (2007). Debating Moderate Islam: The Geopolitics of Islam and the West. Salt Lake City, UT: University of Utah Press.
  2. ↑ Kamali, Mohammad Hashim (2015). The Middle Path of Moderation in Islam: The Qurʼānic Principle of Wasaṭiyyah. Oxford University Press. ISBN   978-0-19-022683-1.
  3. ↑ Moderation in Islam: In the Contex[t] of Muslim Community in Singapore : a Compilation of Working Papers Presented in the PERGAS Ulama Convention 2003, Held on 13th and 14th September 2003, which Carried the Theme of Moderation in Islam. PERGAS. 2004. ISBN   9789810510329.
  4. ↑ Hashem, Ahmad Omar (1999). Moderation in Islam. United Printing Publishing and Distributing. p. 177.
  5. ↑ "Views of ISIS Topline". Pew Research Center's Global Attitudes Project. 17 November 2015. Retrieved 22 August 2019.
  6. ↑ "U.S. Muslims are concerned about extremism in name of Islam". Pew Research Center. Retrieved 22 August 2019.
  7. ↑ "Muslim Americans: No Signs of Growth in Alienation or Support for Extremism". Pew Research Center for the People and the Press. 30 August 2011. Retrieved 22 August 2019.
  8. ↑ Robert S. Leiken, Steven Brooke, The moderate muslim brotherhood, Archived 15 February 2015 at the Wayback Machine , the thinktank Council on Foreign Relations March/April 2007
  9. ↑ Merley, Steven (13 October 2014). "Tunisian Muslim Brotherhood Leader Speaks In Washington; Rachid Ghannouchi Has Long History Of Extremism And Support For Terrorism". Global Muslim Brotherhood Daily Watch. Retrieved 18 October 2016.
  10. ↑ ""We do not want a theocracy" (Wir wollen keinen Gottesstaat)". Deutschlandradio Kultur (in German). 18 May 2011. Retrieved 21 June 2011.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  11. 1 2 3 Younus, Shireen. "I Am Not a Moderate Muslim". The Harvard Crimson. Retrieved 12 September 2017.
  12. ↑ Vidino, Lorenzo (2010). The New Muslim Brotherhood in the West. p. 12.
  13. ↑ Why Dr. Debbie Almontaser finds being called a "moderate Muslim" offensive , retrieved 22 August 2019
  14. ↑ Cherney, Adrian; Murphy, Kristina (3 May 2016). "What does it mean to be a moderate Muslim in the war on terror? Muslim interpretations and reactions". Critical Studies on Terrorism. 9 (2): 159–181. doi:10.1080/17539153.2015.1120105. ISSN   1753-9153. S2CID   147276791.
  15. ↑ Corbett, Rosemary R. (2016). Making Moderate Islam: Sufism, Service, and the "Ground Zero Mosque" Controversy. Stanford University Press. ISBN   9780804791281.
  16. 1 2 3 Manzoor, Sarfraz (16 March 2015). "Can we drop the term 'moderate Muslim'? It's meaningless". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 September 2017.
  17. ↑ Chulov, Martin (24 October 2017). "I will return Saudi Arabia to moderate Islam, says crown prince". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 22 August 2019.
  18. ↑ Erdoğan criticizes Saudi Crown Prince’s ‘moderate Islam’ pledge, Hurriyet, 10 Nov 2017
  19. ↑ Roy, Olivier; Güvercin, Eren (19 July 2018). "They love death as we love life: jihad and the roots of terror". qantara.de. Retrieved 11 April 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.