Courageous and much-needed observations from Kamal Nawash, the fearless spokesman of an organization that deserves wide attention: the Free Muslim Coalition Against Terrorism.
The world watched in horror as Kim Sun-il cried and begged not to be killed. Nevertheless, he met the same fate as Paul M. Johnson Jr., and Nicholas Berg as his head was cut off in the most brutal and inhumane way. Unfortunately, this will not be the end of the beheadings. The amount of media coverage the beheadings attract
guarantees there will be many more.These days, not a day goes by without news of terrorism in the name of Islam. Islamist terrorism represents one of the most lethal treats to the stability of the civilized world. With this in mind, the war against terrorism will not be won unless the world understands that terrorism is a symptom of a bigger problem and not the problem in itself.
The root cause of terrorism is an ideology called “political Islam.” Political Islam is a desire by extremist Muslims to create a fundamentalist Muslim empire made up of every Muslim nation. This desire to create a Muslim empire is based on the delusion that modernity is a threat to Islam and the idea that the Muslim community has strayed from God and if they were to return to a strict interpretation of Islam based on Sharia (Islamic Law) that the problems in the Muslim world would be solved. It is this exact mentality spurned of paranoia, ignorance, fear, and a rejection of secularism that inspired the beheading of Kim Sun-il, Paul M. Johnson Jr., and Nicholas Berg.
Political Islam has been growing at turbo speed since the 1980s.
Similar to the spread of communism, the call for Islamic states has gained substantial following among the poor, unemployed, enfranchised
and those who are disillusioned in believing that the creation of
Islamic states and the implementation of Sharia will solve all their
problems. In fact, every modern example of an Islamic state, whether in Afghanistan, Iran, Sudan, or Nigeria has resulted in war, terrorism, inequality for women and non-Muslims, poverty and a slippery slope into the dark ages.Terrorism is a natural result of political Islam because those who seek Islamic states believe that they are trying to implement the wishes of God and that no matter how barbaric their tactics are, God will be pleased with them because their goal is “noble.”
Thus, the war on terrorism will not be won unless the world also engages in an ideological battle with Muslim extremists and those who call for the creation of Muslim states. No one is better suited in challenging the use of terror and Muslim extremism than moderate Muslims and Muslim organizations. Unfortunately, there is no unconditional opposition to political Islam or to extremism from Muslim organizations.
Muslim organizations in the United States and elsewhere have refused to take a Zero tolerance approach against terrorism. Although most Muslims organizations claim to be against terrorism, they only do so as long as they don’t have to give details. For example, most American Muslim organizations refuse to call HAMAS or Hezbollah terrorist organizations. This is because they share their ideology and their call for the creation of “Islamic States.” Until the day comes when Muslim organizations and leaders take a zero tolerance approach toward terrorism, the war against terrorism will not be won and we will continue to hear of more beheadings.