Category: English

Diversity, English, Extremism

History of persecution of Shia Muslims in Kashmir

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The Plunder of Shias, known in Kashmir’s history as Taaraj-e Shia, refers to the ten campaigns of terror against Shias of Kashmir in the years 1548, 1585, 1636, 1686, 1719, 1741, 1762, 1801, 1831 and 1872 CE, carried out by Sunni clergy and fanatic militias of the area and abroad; during which the Shia neighborhoods were plundered, Shia people including women and children were slaughtered, raped or burnt alive, books were burnt, corpses mutilated and sacred sites were destroyed[1][2][3]. In the medieval period, the Middle East saw bloody clashes between both sects but the Indian subcontinent remained safe and peaceful … Continue reading History of persecution of Shia Muslims in Kashmir

English, Extremism

Nationalist Muslim leaders in India provided oxygen to Takfiri extremism – Aamir Hussaini

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Ashraf Lone, Researcher of Urdu literature from JNU says: “There are still Indian people, mostly Muslims who hold Pakistan and Jinnah responsible for Delhi riots, as Congress has told them so, for last 70 years. But they forget that Jinnah had no hand in formation of RSS and BJP.” My observation is those ‘mostly Muslims’ are those who are either under influenced of Jamiat Ulma Hind-JUH (we can say they have made their opinion after reading and hearing the Nationalist pro-Congress Deobandi Muslim clergy) or that are influenced by Jamat-i-Islami Hind-JIH, or they are influenced by those history which was … Continue reading Nationalist Muslim leaders in India provided oxygen to Takfiri extremism – Aamir Hussaini

English, Extremism, Sufism, Understanding Islam

Modernistic fundamentalist approaches to Quran are a real threat to social fabric of Muslim societies – Aamir Hussaini

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Nowadays I am studying ‘The Study Quran, a new translation and commentary’ compiled by five religious scholars in 10 years. This new translation and commentary was published in 2017 by Harper Collins Publishers. Renowned Islamic Philosopher Seyyed Hossein Nasar was Editor-in-Chief of this project and Caner K.Dagi , Maria Massi, Joseph E. B. Lumbard were general editors. Mohammad Rustom worked as Assistant Editor in the project of new translation and commentary of the holy Quran. In February 2020, Abbas Zaidi, fiction writer and teacher of media studies came to Lahore from Australia. He brought two books specially for me, one … Continue reading Modernistic fundamentalist approaches to Quran are a real threat to social fabric of Muslim societies – Aamir Hussaini

Diversity, English, Extremism

Shia as Internal Others: A Salafi Rejection of the ‘Rejecters’ – Susanne Olsson

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Conflict and polemic between Sunni Muslims and Shia Muslims (or Shiites) have a long history. In the contemporary era, this polemic has been accentuated by the conflictual situation in the Middle East, and it is also colouring the minority Muslim situation. This article is concerned with Islamic interpretations related to ‘othering’, taking as its main focus an analysis of publications on a Swedish Sunni website, ‘Maktabah Dâr-ul-Hadîth’, which has clear Salafi leanings. Reports show that Shiites currently feel threatened by Salafis in minority contexts and the material cited in this article ‘others’ Shiite Islam and Shiites (amongst others), creating a … Continue reading Shia as Internal Others: A Salafi Rejection of the ‘Rejecters’ – Susanne Olsson

Diversity, English, Extremism

Making sense of sectarianism without sects: Quietist Salafi anti-Shia discourse in Jordan -Joas Wagemakers

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Salafis do not view Shias very favourably. In general, this has to do with their ideological objections to Shias’ beliefs and, perhaps secondarily, the political conflicts with Shia powers like Iran, Syria and the Lebanese Hizballah (Haykel, 2010; Steinberg, 2009). Given the fact that Jordan has virtually no Shias, the kingdom may differ from other countries in that the sectarian issue is less urgent there. Yet Jordanian Salafis also use sectarianism to vilify other Sunnis in a competition for their own regime’s favour. This article shows that Jordanian Salafis contribute to the sectarianization of the kingdom with their own anti-Shiism by relying … Continue reading Making sense of sectarianism without sects: Quietist Salafi anti-Shia discourse in Jordan -Joas Wagemakers

Diversity, English, Extremism

A Pyramid of Hate Perspective on Religious Bias, Discrimination and Violence

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Jawad Syed and Faiza Ali Abstract This study provides a ‘pyramid of hate’ perspective on issues and challenges facing minority religious communities in social and political climates that bestow permission to hate. Previous research shows that adverse social stereotypes and biases, together with non-inclusive policies and practices at the level of the state, create an enabling environment that signals the legitimacy of public hostility towards a minority community. This paper argues that such climates of hate within and outside the workplace may be better understood by paying attention to the multiple levels of hate, i.e., biased attitudes, biased actions, discrimination … Continue reading A Pyramid of Hate Perspective on Religious Bias, Discrimination and Violence

English, Extremism

Global Extremism Monitor: Takfiri Islamist Violence after ISIS

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Executive Summary Physical victory does not equate to ideological defeat. Despite the eradication of ISIS’s caliphate across Syria and Iraq in 2017, the Takfiri Islamist group remains active, while 96 other Islamist extremist groups were tracked in 2018 by the Tony Blair Institute’s annual Global Extremism Monitor (GEM). Our research exposes how these groups pursue a campaign of violence to undermine and weaken institutional capacity. As with ISIS, they seek to enhance political vacuums and social fractures which can be exploited to create their own “state.” Unless global decision-makers comprehend the true vision of Islamist extremist groups, the violence will … Continue reading Global Extremism Monitor: Takfiri Islamist Violence after ISIS

English, Extremism

Takfiri Islamist Extremism in 2017: The Ten Deadliest Countries

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Violent Takfiri Islamist extremism struck 66 countries in eight regions in 2017. It claimed the lives of at least 84,023 people. Its grip reached every corner of the world. Islamist violence inspired people in countries from Russia and the United States to Mozambique, Austria and Gabon. Because this extremist violence did not affect all geographies equally, it is necessary to explore the distinct ways in which extremism manifested itself in different environments. Extremist ideology is the key driver of this violence, but unique social, political and economic contexts also affect the directions extremists take.1 Factoring in all these elements, the … Continue reading Takfiri Islamist Extremism in 2017: The Ten Deadliest Countries

English, Extremism

Who are the Taliban? – Thomas Ruttig

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The Taliban (meaning ‘students’ in Pashtun) is a jihadi movement based in Afghanistan, which ruled the country as ‘the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan’ between 1996 and 2001. The movement mainly emanated from Deobandi Islamist madrassas in Pakistan and received significant financial support from Saudi Arabia, UAE and Qatar. Localised “Taliban fronts” emerged within different mujahedin tanzim from the early 1980s onwards, particularly in Afghanistan’s south. They were organised by ulema or mullahs who mobilised their students into mujahedin fronts, and mainly fought autonomously. One of those petty commanders was Mullah Muhammad Omar who ran a sharia court and a small front just … Continue reading Who are the Taliban? – Thomas Ruttig

Diversity, English, Extremism

How Takfiri Islamist Extremists Target Civilians

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The Global Extremism Monitor (GEM) in 2017 recorded 6,310 civilian deaths deliberately caused by 47 violent Islamist militant groups in 1,510 attacks across 28 countries. In a manifestation of a brutal and warped ideology, these militant groups used calculated violence with varying objectives to target areas where members of the public can be reached and harmed. Using various statistical measures, the GEM has revealed significant differences between violent Islamist extremist groups operating in today’s fiercest conflicts. This chapter focuses on the violence administered by the most organised and distinct violent Takfiri Islamist organisations. The violence used by the Takfiri Islamist … Continue reading How Takfiri Islamist Extremists Target Civilians