Al Haqeeqa
A recent statement by Sheikh Mohammad bin Abdul Karim al Issa, Secretary General of Muslim World League, branding the extremist Muslim organisations as enemies of Islam, who have harmed the image of Islam due to their radical and extremist ideas that result in violence and terrorism, deserves due attention of the Muslims in general and youth in particular. Al Issa commented that such elements did not represent Islam and the Muslims who defend them were exactly like them. Al Issa is one of the few sane voices in the Arab World from where the extremist and radical ideology originated and spread in most part of the world. While the extremist elements preached violence as a means of eradicating injustice and oppression against the Muslims, in reality they harmed Muslim community by giving the Governments excuses to crack down on them and in the process thousands of Muslims are killed and displaced. To name a few, Al-Qaida, Pakistani Taliban, Yemeni extremist group, ISIS and Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army, who at different times claimed to have fought for the rights of the Muslims, have caused irreparable damage by destroying Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria and also large-scale anti-Rohingya riots in Myanmar leading to their mass-exodus and death.
Muslim youth should hold steadfast to the advices of sane voices such as that of Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Karim al Issa that we are presently in. While we should fight for our rights legally and democratically, we should also ensure that we do not hand over the readership of this fight to communal and radical organisations among our community. That will only provide more fodder to right wing organisations among other religious communities to spread their hate. What is ultimately required is moderates among all communities, who are the silent majority, should sideline all right wing voices among their own communities and join hands with moderates of other religions to spread the values of justice, love and peace.
