Effect on the Audience

CONSEQUENCES OF MISINTERPRETATION any sense of responsibility in their minds. Instead, they perceive it as a kind of “raw material” from which they can extract individuals to become “members” of their movement. Such people naturally do not consider it appropriate to design any reform program specifically aimed at Muslims, as they view this as contrary to Islam’s global revolutionary character. In their view, this would cast doubt on Islam’s “universal ideology” in the eyes of the people. This mindset can reach such an extent that even in the most severe conditions, if some among them—those with softer hearts—feel compassion for the deteriorating state of the Muslim Ummah and wish to add “community issues” to the organization’s policy, others in the group will immediately perceive a hint of nationalism in this approach. They will strongly object, arguing that it is against Islam’s foundational principles to develop a program focused on a specific group. A similar situation applies in relation to people of other faith. The Quranic conception describes believers as witnesses to the truth among them, bearing testimony to ultimate accountability in the Hereafter. The function of this testimony is to serve as a reminder of human responsibility and the transience of worldly power. Yet, when the pursuit of political dominance began to be viewed as the primary goal of Islam, this deeper moral and Hereafter concern were pushed into the