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Right Islam vs. Wrong Islam

(Wall Street Journal) Abdurrahman Wahid - News organizations report that Osama bin Laden has obtained a religious edict from a misguided Saudi cleric, justifying the use of nuclear weapons against America and the infliction of mass casualties. Can anyone doubt that those who joyfully incinerate the occupants of office buildings, commuter trains, hotels and nightclubs would leap at the chance to magnify their damage a thousandfold? The armed ghazis (Islamic warriors) raiding from New York to Jakarta, Istanbul, Baghdad, London and Madrid are only the tip of the iceberg, forerunners of a vast and growing population that shares their radical views and ultimate objectives. The formidable strengths of this world-wide fundamentalist movement include: 1) An aggressive program with clear ideological and political goals; 2) immense funding from oil-rich Wahhabi sponsors; 3) the ability to distribute funds in impoverished areas to buy loyalty and power; 4) a claim to and aura of religious authenticity and Arab prestige; 5) a well-oiled "machine" established to translate, publish, and distribute Wahhabi/Salafi propaganda and disseminate its ideology throughout the world; 6) scholarships for locals to study in Saudi Arabia and return with degrees and indoctrination, to serve as future leaders. We must employ effective strategies to counter each of these fundamentalist strengths. This can be accomplished only by bringing the combined weight of the vast majority of peace-loving Muslims, and the non-Muslim world, to bear in a coordinated global campaign whose goal is to resolve the crisis of misunderstanding that threatens to engulf our entire world. An effective counterstrategy must be based upon a realistic assessment of our own strengths: 1) nearly 1,400 years of Islamic traditions and spirituality, which are inimical to fundamentalist ideology; 2) appeals to local and national - as well as Islamic - culture/traditions/pride; 3) traditional and Sufi leadership and masses, who are not yet radicalized (strong numeric advantage: 85% to 90% of the world's 1.3 billion Muslims); 4) the ability to harness networks of Islamic schools to propagate a peaceful and tolerant Islam; 5) the existence of a counterideology, in the form of traditional, Sufi, and modern Islamic teachings, and the ability to translate such works into key languages. Only by recognizing the problem, putting an end to the bickering within and between nation-states, and adopting a coherent long-term plan (executed with international leadership and commitment) can we begin to apply the brakes to the rampant spread of extremist ideas and hope to resolve the world's crisis of misunderstanding before the global economy and modern civilization itself begin to crumble in the face of truly devastating attacks. Muslims themselves can and must propagate an understanding of the "right" Islam, and thereby discredit extremist ideology. Our goal must be to illuminate the hearts and minds of humanity, and offer a compelling alternate vision of Islam, one that banishes the fanatical ideology of hatred to the darkness from which it emerged.
2006-01-02 00:00:00
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