.... Anti-Muslim bigotry has the same effect, as former CIA director David Petraeus acknowledged when he said such hatred ‘directly undermines our ability to defeat Islamist extremists by alienating [those] whose help we most need: namely, Muslims.’
Instead we need to challenge head-on the worldview and ideology of the extremists.
Muslim theologians need to provide an alternative to the toxic narrative propagated by Islamists and clarify theological issues such as jihad, sharia, the caliphate and the global Muslim community (ummah).
ISIS and its allies have been hugely successful in using the internet to spread their propaganda of hate.
Now those same techniques should be urgently used to powerfully articulate an Islam which embraces equality, human rights, freedom and democracy while exposing the incompatibility of Salafi-Islamism with Islamic teachings.
Similarly, counter-terrorism initiatives need to recognise this existential battle for the soul of Islam and support those Muslims who are on the frontline. It is a battle we must win.
[TOP RATED COMMENT 649 votes] Lost cause when muslims detest western values and don't want to integrate.
[2ND 538] All these deaths because people believing in fairy tales, I don't need religion to enable me to be a decent human being.
[3RD 458] Watch yerself Corbyn voters will hunt you down, you cant be seen offending their main voter base
[4TH 420] How about some organised and vocal prorests by the muslim community against ISIS then?
[5TH 399] You don't need religion. Use your brain and think. It was invented thousands of years ago to control people before they even thought the world was flat.
[6TH 390] "Why I know that ISIS is a problem of MY religion" ...... no chance as the majority are sympathisers with them. [Daily Mail] Read more
