A COUNTER-IDEOLOGY IS REQUIRED

A COUNTER-IDEOLOGY IS REQUIRED Islamization of Individual, Not State R ECENTLY some Muslims perpetrated acts of violence in France and Denmark. As usual, these acts were performed in the name of Islam. After these incidents the US administration organized a three-day conference in Washington during February 17-19, 2015. The theme of the meeting was: Countering Violent Extremism. Sixty nations participated in the conference. A number of Muslim organizations were also among the participants. Speaking on this occasion President Barack Obama said that Islam as a religion was not responsible for the recent violence. It was rather an external ideology—not based on Islamic teachings—that was behind these acts. Those who commit violence draw inspiration from this external ideology. What is this ideology? President Obama did not mention this. It is the political interpretation of Islam, devised in the twentieth century. There were two champions of this ideology: Sayyid Qutb (1906-1966) in the Arab world and Syed Abul Ala Maududi (1903-1979) in the Indian subcontinent. For various reasons, this ideology spread widely amongst Muslims. It is important to understand why the political interpretation of Islam foisted an ideology that promoted violence. It made Islam a subject of imposition, whereas earlier Islam was regarded as a subject of adherence or following. If Islam is the subject to be followed, then the goal is to focus on oneself—one must discover God, lead a God-oriented life and try to spiritually elevate oneself. With such a goal, there can be no question of violence. But when Islam is considered a subject of imposition, the goal then becomes the external political system. The aim now is to dethrone the political rulers so that the political system of choice may be imposed on all. Here lies the root of violence. The political ideology is inherently violent. It is imperative to come up with a counter ideology to eradicate violence—one that is sound and robust. The wrong notion that Islam is a political system must be The political interpretation of Islam has become an ideology that promotes violence.