Extremist Propaganda Can Be Dangerously Appealing

Across the world, thousands of individuals, especially youth, are falling into the trap of radicalization, having been exposed to the indoctrination of extremist demagogues. This is exactly why the need for a discussion on Islamic Reform is so, so pressing.

By Ariffin Sha

Here you have Mr Zulfikar Shariff, a Muslim who is well versed in Islamic Theology and pretty eloquent. Some may even say, from his posts and personal experiences, that he is someone who can be very convincing.

In these 3 posts below, you will be able to read how he calls upon ‘moderate’ Muslims, presumably those who live amongst us in Singapore and the region, and cites hadiths, verses and events in Islamic history in an effort to convince them that ‘Jihad’ and ‘Offensive Wars’ are not only necessary but an essential and fundamental part of Islam.

He has the temerity to go as far as to ask Muslims to take up arms for causes which a significant proportion of Muslims in Singapore are sympathetic towards like the plight of the Palestinians and the Rohingya. Both the persecution of the Rohingya and the Israeli oppression of Palestinians have garnered widespread support worldwide, even among non-Muslims. These issues are now being exploited by Islamists to further their personal agendas. However, it doesn’t change the fact that Rohingyas are still being persecuted or that Israel is still continuing its oppressive Apartheid policy.

The problem arises when Muslims reading the posts start pondering about the legitimacy of these verses, hadiths and stories. And when they are actually found in the Quran and/or other reputable texts, they face a dilemma. They know that these acts do not sit well with them inherently, but they are conflicted as to what to do to reconcile their beliefs and what the religion advocates.

This is how the seeds of Islamic Terror are planted amongst seemingly peaceful and moderate Muslims. And unfortunately, 2 have already been radicalised as a result of Mr Shariff’s posts. Amongst those who may not take up arms per se, a number of them may stay silent too if and when such atrocities occur, especially against groups of people like the LGBT Community (as seen in Orlando) or the Israelis.

When faced with verses, hadiths and anecdotes like these, it is all the more important that questioning their relevance shouldn’t be equated to apostasy.

If the Christian Church can choose to disregard verses which justify slavery, Islam can and must do the same for anochronistic and barabric verses and practices. It is of utmost importance that we have this conversation.

I would expect to see a considerable number of comments from Muslims who perceive the very act of questioning the faith as blasphemy. I would be the first to admit that this conversation isn’t one that is easy. After all, we were always taught that the Quran is the final word of god and to question it or be selective in which verses we choose to heed would be illogical. Nevertheless, so many different sects of Islam still exsist. And for us to begin and adopt a more liberal and tolerant strand of Islam, would do no one any harm. In fact, it would do the world a great good. No doubt, discrimination against Muslims does happen from time to time. Singapore is by no means free from it. But we cannot allow demagogues who exploit these issues to promote their radical agenda to be the face of Muslim rights in Singapore. It will only legitimize their cause and compel others to offer their sympathy and support.

I don’t think all loving gods would punish someone for being too peaceful, too tolerant and too liberal. And on the use of the Internal Security Act to deal with terrorist threats: Ideally, a separate law specifically dealing with terrorist threats should be introduced. Something like the UK’s Terrorism Act; One which incorporates a limited period of preventive dentention (4 weeks?) w renewal subject to the approval of an ombudsman, afterwhich the accused must be brought to trial. I think it provide sufficient time to gather evidence for a trial in open court.