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With every passing day, groups like ISIS and al-Qaeda continue to spread chaos and violence under the banner of Islam. The West can denounce these campaigns of destruction all we like, but if we want to prevent these groups from growing in power and influence, we need the support of the Muslim world. Now more than ever, Muslims need to speak out against these dangerous radicals, and if that’s something they’re already doing, nice.
The millions of peaceful followers of Islam have a responsibility to reject these fringe groups. They need to shout down the voices of those who pervert the name of Islam. Of course, if they’ve already started on that, cool. That’s exactly what we need. Something must be done to marginalize these factions—and for all I know, they’re way ahead of me on this—but in case they’re not, the time to act is now.
…even if the Muslim community is taking action, is it enough? If it is, then good stuff.
Has someone started meeting with prominent scholars? Well, if they did, then awesome. There you go. If they can use their knowledge and influence to expose the lies of these extremists—and hey, maybe someone is already rolling up their sleeves and doing exactly that, so kudos to them—it could make a huge difference in winning over future generations.
Also, it’s hard to say without details of their current involvement, but even if the Muslim community is taking action, is it enough? If it is, then good stuff. But if Muslims aren’t doing everything in their power to rebuke extremists, then they need to start. Now. The Muslim world must denounce these zealots. But again, they could be doing all of this and more, and if so, I love it.
The stakes are higher than ever, and if we want to stem the tide of radicalization, these dangerous, perverse interpretations of the Quran cannot go unchallenged. It’s time to show the world what Islam truly stands for. I urge all Muslims to step up and condemn these radicals—unless they already are, in which case I think that’s pretty sweet.
