أسباب الراديكالية والتطرف العنيف وطرق مكافحتهما: رؤية شرعية

Abstract

This paper focuses on a topical religious and socio-political issue: religious extremism and its attendant consequences of violence and the destruction of lives and properties. It consists of three major components to wit: Radicalism and extremism as concepts and the Islamic position on them, causes and motives for the proliferation of extremism in the contemporary societies, as well as the approaches for combating religious extremism in particular. The methodology adopted in the study is both descriptive and analytical, with reliance on the existing literature supported by necessary inferences and modifications wherever necessary.  The key findings of the work include: i) extremism represents going beyond the limit as set by the Shariah and therefore any strict compliance with the Shariah itself cannot be an act of extremism; ii) extremism is a universal phenomenon abhorred by all religions, and the fact that some followers of any religion are extremists should never be a basis for castigating the religion itself; and iii) as far as Islamic position on extremism is concerned it is clear and unequivocal condemnation and disapproval, with various authorities on that from both the Qur’an and Sunnah. The study concludes by recommending that necessary reforms be introduced to educational curricula at various levels with a view to promoting a culture of diversity and peaceful co-existence. Similarly, giving individual fatwas on crucial issues of public interest should be discouraged and substituted with collective and institutional approach.