Terrorism
The Free Muslims Coalition believes that there can NEVER be a
justification for terrorism.
The Coalition believes that fundamentalist Islamic terror
represents one of the most lethal threats to the stability of the
civilized world. The existence of Islamic terrorists is the
existence of threats to democracy. There is no room for terrorism
in the modern world and the United States should take a
no-tolerance stance on terrorism in order to avoid another tragedy,
along the lines of 9-11. With the added threat of biochemical
weapons, the call to defeat terrorism has never been so
urgent.
Among Islamic scholars, the concept of jihad ranges in definition
from the personal struggle against temptation to holy war. All
calls for jihad to create an Islamic state should be rejected as
heretic and a threat to modern society. The Coalition feels that
the concept of jihad should be reinterpreted for a modern day
context in which holy war is obsolete. No holy war needs to be
waged; there is no clear and present threat to Islam; the only war
that needs to be waged in the modern world is one against
terrorists and extremists. As militant Islamic fundamentalism
increases, the Coalition will wage a battle of minds as we bring
Islam into the 21st century and introduce a doctrine which is
compatible with democracy and modern living.
So far, the few Muslims who choose to speak up against militant
extremist Islam have faced threats of violence and accusations of
being anti-Islam. In effect, the message disseminated by radical
Muslims is that merely discussing Islamic terrorism is to be
construed as an attack on Islam.
More effectively, Muslim extremists have quelled criticism against
them from peaceful Muslims by adopting popular Muslim and Arab
causes. A case in point is the adoption of the Palestinian cause.
The issue of Palestine and the suffering of the Palestinians is the
single most important issue that unites the entire Muslim and Arab
world. No issue evokes the passion of Muslims and Arabs as much as
the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
The Palestinian-Israeli conflict is so important to Arabs and
Muslims that every extremist group from Morocco to Indonesia that
seeks legitimacy and a following, places the "liberation" of
Palestine at the forefront of their agenda. For example, recall
that Saddam Hussein responded to the world's request that he leave
Kuwait by insisting that Israel first evacuate the West Bank and
Gaza. Osama Bin Laden also invoked the Palestinian issue to justify
9-11. Iran has made the Palestinian issue its most important
foreign policy priority since the Islamic Revolution of 1979.
The clever adoption of the Palestinian cause has made it difficult
for peaceful Muslims to attack terrorist organizations such as
Al-Qaeda. The real aim of organizations such as Al-Qaeda is not
just the "liberation of Palestine" but the creation of a
fundamentalist Muslim empire made up of every Muslim nation. This
desire to create a Muslim empire is based on the delusion that
modernity is a threat to Islam and the idea that the Muslim
community has strayed from God and if they were to return to a
strict interpretation of Islam that the problems in the Muslim
world would be solved. It is this exact mentality spurned of
paranoia, ignorance and fear that inspired and supported the
Taliban and the creation of a medieval society in
Afghanistan.
The Coalition rejects the urgent desire by extremist groups to
create a strict Islamic empire as a justification for terrorism.
The coalition rejects the use of terrorism to help Palestinians.
The coalition rejects the use of terrorism under any circumstances
and will challenge the terrorists' propaganda machines head
on.
The Coalition will seek to raise the peaceful voices of Muslims
world wide. The terrorist and extremist Muslims will no longer go
unchallenged. Their days of sympathetic leaching off the Muslim
community are numbered.
