by Shoaib ChoudhuryEditor & Publisher, Weekly Blitz
Fundamentalists are men who emulate the looks and actions of the Prophet Mohammed. They claim to be speaking in the name of Allah and acting like the Prophet, yet, they give the Prophet and Islam a bad name.
They perpetuate, and even add to, the Western perception that Islam was won by force or the sword - - not by conviction.
They try to thwart any positive action for peace, not only by undermining it, but by trying to kill those who oppose them, the better to create their vision of a totalitarian theocracy that will allow no free exchange of ideas, no development of thinking such as ijtihad [critical questioning], and no free speech.
They try to thwart any positive action for peace, not only by undermining it, but by trying to kill those who oppose them, the better to create their vision of a totalitarian theocracy that will allow no free exchange of ideas, no development of thinking such as ijtihad [critical questioning], and no free speech.
The golden age of Islam was built on an efflorescence of ideas that helped it prosper and give so much to the world -- it even kept and preserved philosophy. But under new forces, the Islamic world is being led into the Dark Ages instead of the Renaissance and beyond, where discovery, science and even technology have flourished.
Among the strengths of the Muslim world have been two types of shared power: one secular, led by the governing Caliph or Sultan, and the other religious, led by the Ulama or the religious faction. The two balanced each other out: one cared for the body, the other for the soul. In a fully secular world, whether socialist, communist or capitalist, there can an absence of religious principles or of God; it is believed that man knows best.
In a theocracy, however, men speak in the name of God; people become ruled over by men who believe they have all the answers, or by men who believe they speak for God -- without any constraints. A despotic type of governance results and the people suffer. The despotic types of governance hinder those who know the difference between personal faith and politics.
Radical movements, whether religious or secular, have a trend: over time, their intensity increases. Their adherents demand equal time. You cannot say this or that on the air. You are not allowed to speak of us in a bad way. You are a racist. You fear my religion. We are the religion of peace.
When these tactics do not work, they go after one person and start harassing him. They go over the head of the person and complain. They meet with his bosses, demand an apology. They use pressure tactics to get their way. They are after power and control, so the media and journalists are not safe.
The radicals flood inboxes, telephone lines and faxes with letters of demand. They order their people to write, to call, to make their demands heard. But the majority of these callers are uninformed; they never heard of or read the offensive article. They react blindly to an order that comes from above, from the earthly leader who claims to speak in the name of God. The aim of the radicals is to get the person fired.
If this fails, they go the Human Rights Commission, or start lawsuits to try to get money. For they are not just after power and control, but above all money, the mighty dollar. All of this is done in the name of God.
Let me ask you, since when does God ask for money? Since when does God ask people to harass, lie, and control others into doing His way?
God gives us Freedom of Choice; those radicals, in the name of God, take this freedom away.
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