Download Purity, Honour, Contempt of Death

PURITY, HONOUR, CONTEMPT OF DEATH
Muslims should reform their religion. Moderate Islam bears too strong
a resemblance to radical interpretations of the faith
By Ahmad Mansour
They perform the act of killing as their triumph. A video on the Internet shows the
decapitation of an enemy of the Islamist fighters to the whole world. We see the victim’s
blood-stained hair stuck to his pale, grey forehead; eyes closed and mouth contorted. This is
what can happen, the scene suggests, to people who do not fit in with us. This is how you
produce terror, which of course means nothing other than fear. In the video, a young man
with a black beard, grinning proudly, poses beside the victim as if he were a hunter showing
off his prize. A perpetrator without an ounce of remorse, without any consciousness of doing
wrong.
With the terrorist group ‘Islamic State’ (IS), the horror caused by Islamists reaches a new
level. How have culprits like this monstrously disturbed young man emerged? How and
where do they grow up? These questions become yet more urgent in light of the large number
of young adults from Europe who have joined IS. Why does an extremely brutalised
fanaticism appeal to young people? And what is being said and done to stop it?
The vast majority of Muslims, not only in Europe, clearly distance themselves from the
terrorist group IS. These Muslims feel that their religion is being abused and discredited; they
appear helpless in the face of events they are unable to influence. There have been numerous
press releases from mosques and associations; Muslims do not tire of emphasising that this
barbarism has absolutely nothing to do with the real Islam, with their Islam. That is right; that
is how it should be. But is it enough? Have they been hitting the right note?
I think not. The dissociation has come too late – this cannot be helped now – and the
message has still not been expressed clearly enough. It is true that the Muslims who strongly
declare their dissociation have nothing to do with the horrors of ‘Islamic State’. But without
being aware of it, many of them have over the years been creating the breeding ground for
ideologies like that of the IS group. Because, essentially, the Islamists have not invented
anything new. They have simply exaggerated and radicalised the established interpretation of
Islam. When it comes to the ‘infidels’, or the Ummah -- the religious community of the
Muslims, or the roles of men and women, their attitudes differ in degrees but not in principle.
The basis is the same: the imam next door and the IS ideologist share many of the same
words, fears, taboos and defence strategies. It is these stale, outdated contents which collide
with enlightened modernity in such a way that the ensuing friction can produce a group like
IS.
It is important to ask why radical Islamic thinking is so attractive to many young men and
women. Failed integration and experiences of discrimination are by no means the only
reason, as is so often claimed. That argument serves only to relinquish responsibility and to
avoid serious debate.
We Muslims have to start looking for the causes amongst ourselves as well. Which concepts
and religious beliefs are taken and fundamentally exaggerated by the radicals? Unfortunately,
we are familiar with most of them. Even moderate Imams celebrate the victim role of
Muslims; they rigorously and mercilessly foster hostilities: evil are the West, democracy, the
Shiites, non-practising Muslims, critics of Islam and so forth. Good are their own followers,
true Islam, pure teachings, blind obedience to all commandments, taboos etc. Anything that
differs is devalued.
Claiming to be in possession of the absolute and sole truth (and other religious followers,
like evangelical fundamentalists, are no different here) goes hand in hand with the prohibition
of questioning statements and critical thinking. It is forbidden to read or even discuss new,
more contemporary interpretations of the Koran or scientific findings about the history of
Islam. Then there is the suppression, tabooing and denigration of sexuality, which can lead to
aimless aggression, particularly in young men. All of this contributes to an education based
on intimidation -- and education that is closely connected with the fear of hell, and can lead to
the glorification of death.
Purity, honour, contempt of death – these are aspects that go down well with many
confused adolescents. Radical Islamists offer them the ‘true’ cause, the ‘genuine’ cause. The
victim can become the victor, and this is presented to them visually and in concrete terms by
the image of the perpetrator posing next to person who has been beheaded. The Salafists and
similar radical groups in Europe, offer young men -- and also women -- the illusion of
complete security and of being completely in the right through their supposed crystal clear
system of distinguishing between right and wrong; good and evil.
Again: the radical currents owe their dangerousness not so much to their deviation from
‘normal’ Islam but rather to their resemblance. Already in childhood, Muslims are told about
‘unclean women’ and ‘sinful infidels’; adolescents, therefore, are very familiar with these
terms. Many are brought up in a climate of control, fear and punishment. Their ‘respect’ is to
be shown only to the clan, to the collective, and to authority figures. Fundamentalists see
themselves as purifying enforcers of such thinking. This is why young people are so
susceptible to the argumentation of radical Islamists. If I, the young person, adopt and
practise this radical behaviour, then can I show my own group, in a gesture of adolescent bigboy superiority, that I am the ‘better Muslim’ – in other words, I show my own group to be
guilty of hypocrisy. This means that aggression towards the parents and the family can be
acted out indirectly, without having to take the courageous step of looking critically at their
antiquated ways of thinking. In the same way, aggression towards mainstream society can be
acted out by my appearing -- or becoming -- dangerous to them, and I will finally gain the
respect that they seemingly refuse to pay me.
That is where the problem lies: in the untenable attitudes of many Muslims. In order to
bring about the change that will truly protect Islam, it needs to be reformed and opened up to
necessary debate. Young Muslim men need alternatives to hate preachers. They need role
models in the domain of moderate Islam, they need people in their immediate environment, in
their communities, who have nothing – any longer – in common with the radicals, and who
encourage them to think critically and independently. Only in this way can we effectively
counter the pull towards fundamentalism. Unfortunately, such impulses are still too few.
Instead of engaging in an inner-Islamic discussion about the radicals, some Muslims prefer
to spread conspiracy theories. Everything evil comes from the West, from the Jews, from
America. By simply maintaining that there is a worldwide oppressed Muslim community,
they shirk their responsibility and allow the IS ideology to go unopposed and therefore
confirmed. Even now, in the face of IS terror. You can read it all over the Internet in blogs,
chatrooms, and religious forums: that the IS terror is a product of American and Israeli secret
services, that it was them who trained these people and supported them in order to show
Islam in a bad light and destabilise the religion. Wild theories circulate which are meant to
shield us from the self-awareness that it is us, us Muslims, who need to change something
about ourselves and our understanding of Islam.
Very sadly, the most essential thing is still missing: deep emotional horror from the majority
of Muslims in view of the murders carried out by radical Muslims, like those we are currently
witnessing in Syria and Iraq. If we look back to the Gaza protests of recent weeks, the hatred,
the anti-Semitism and the ideological delusion, it is clear how far we have to go. There we
saw Muslim protestors show their horror – but mainly for the suffering that non-Muslims had
inflicted. However, where fellow Muslims are the culprits, such passion is often absent. The
blind spots in the Muslim construct of identity are to be blamed for this double standard: we
are the victims; it cannot and must not be that there are perpetrators amongst us. It cannot and
must not be that this has anything to do with ‘us’.
And so it can happen that a religious community in Germany publicly distances itself from
the IS terror, but continues to sell books by a radical Islamist like Jussuf-al-Karadawi, and to
present him to young people as a role model. This is a man who legitimises the killing of
Israeli children through suicide bombing, trivialises the Shoah and wishes that Muslims
complete Hitler’s ‘work’. And so it can also happen that many Muslims in Germany admire
the terrorist organisation Hamas who recently executed dozens of Palestinians in broad
daylight.
In order to curb radical currents, much more is required than mere lip service. Strong and
convincing voices are needed; voices that dare to engage in a debate about the compatibility
of Islam and democratic values. We need a new discourse away from victimhood and fear of
discrimination. Muslim self-reflection and self-critique are required. This can and must
succeed. We have the same ability to think and feel as everyone else in this world. We have
nothing to lose except fear. And the future of our children and young people is what we stand
to gain.
Translation from the German by Eike Hibbett