Behavioral Extremism of the Ignorants and Neo-Liberal Islamists

In the sense of keeping political, religious and social opinions and activities away from going to any extreme no other religion have the teachings better than Islam. Our Holy Prophet, be peace an blessings upon him, has made it clear that may they be the worldly matters or religious practices, avoiding any extreme and taking the middle course is the best policy. Extremism is, anyhow, a fatal mistake causing irreparable destruction for an individual and a society. Phenomenon of extremism observed in religious groups has nothing to do with the genuine teachings of Islam.

It was a get together limited to close related families. For making the event memorable some young focused his camera to take photos of the gathering. Not only the man with camera but whole the gathering was surprised when mother of a young below teen age girl refused to let the photo of her girl and the reason was that after reaching the puberty age the girl would observe ‘pardah’ (covering the face in veil). Here the issue was not unlawfulness (hurmat) of the photos. With just a supposition that the young girl was going to start covering her face about ten years after this function, not allowing the photograph was nothing but a type of extremism wrongly attributed to religion.

Only the other day going for Asr prayer I took my grand-daughter of only one and half year old with me to Masjid. She was innocently reluctant to put her clean shoes out of the door while entering the Masjid. Almost every person there seemed to be greatly impressed to see a very little girl in the Masjid and showered their fondling look on her and caressed her. Only one man with his uneven and harsh appearance started shouting that bringing the tiny child with her shoes was ‘Haraam’ (unlawful). The men gathered there on his shouting tried to make him understand that it was the matter of a little child whose shoes were not contaminated of dirt. In the time of the Holy Prophet, SAW, the people generally used to pray wearing their shoed. But all efforts failed to cool the man angry in the name of religion. Such inordinately silly sentimentalism can be found in sectarian groups as well as in the political parties.

The above mentioned examples are the result of ignorance of the true spirit of Islam and are one side of extremism. The silly sentimentalism reflecting from the examples given above has nothing to do with the Wise teachings of Islam. As half knowledge of medicine is alleged to be dangerous for lives, half knowledge of Deen transforming the behavioral attitudes is misrepresentation of Islam.

Perfection is the attribute of only Allah, the Most Glorified and His Messengers whom He blessed with perfection in their lives. Just making mistakes is a different thing. Erring is a common thing not special to the unlettered and illiterates. Highly learned men and distinguished scholars are probable to make mistakes sometimes bigger than a layman. Erring is in man’s nature. None of us is pure of mistakes. But mistakes arising from nature are much different and less risky than the errors coming up from half-knowledge or complete unawareness of religion.

A neo-liberal Islamists intellectual group has emerged in our ranks with a negative trend of disapproving and denouncing only religious community, particularly the religious leaders and activists. They have developed an attitude beautifully named ‘moderation’ and ‘enlightenment’. If critically analyzed, we find their attitude smacked of double standards. They have a hidden likening for the Westerners and their social traits. They judge everything of us in light of the West’s criterions. It may be deemed to be a special color of extremism.

As there used to be the hardliner revolutionists in the leftist intellectual comrades, the neo-liberal Islamists in the Muslims have a unique extremism. If under some circumstances they feel compelled to admit any good in the religious people, taking shelter behind any ‘lekin’ (but) they hurriedly make amends in their stance and start looking for reasons to disparage the good qualities of the religious people. When it is matter of the Westerners they loudly sing praises for their values but in case of the Muslims they let not go a moment to find faults in them.

Condescension, justice and freedom enjoyed in the West impress them greatly but when the matter of the Westerners’ disdain, unjust policies towards the Muslims and their exploitation is pointed out they go behind their ‘buts’ to make some justifications. Any news causing defamation of the religious people proves reviving their hopes of condemnation. Where there are double entendre they pick for the Muslim religious people only that has a dark aspect. This is a Behavioral Extremism.