Tag: Islamism

Former-Muslim: Apostates Should Not Be Afraid To Speak Out Against Rise Of Islamism

If you had ask me this question, even five or eight years after the tragic events of 9/11, I would have said “It means nothing, there’s really no difference between being a Muslim and a Ex-Muslim” but lately, this isn’t the case anymore, being apathetic to current events especially those pertaining to Muslims and Islamic affairs is a luxury an Ex-Muslim can no longer enjoy.

There’s no denying it, Islamism is on the rise.
Islamism is the ideology of instating Sharia through political means, using democracy to defeat itself, like in the case of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt.
This politicization of Islam has ignited a war of identity politics with Muslims around the world.
Where a majority of Muslims see themselves as Muslims first as evident here in Singapore, the last General Elections where all but 2 political parties had their Malay candidates flaunt their piousness, and their ethnic cultures second and this drive and passion to be the best Muslim one can be is destroying communities and splitting apart families. Making it even more of a taboo for apostates to go public, as one does not simply leave Islam, you could say because doing so in certain countries warrants social suicide, jail time or even death.

I, myself, was found out to be an atheist early this year by a nosy relative who read one of my replies to a friend on facebook.
This was a shocker to many in my family, so I took it upon myself to come out publicly to my relatives and up to this day, some of them are still upset that I’ve left Islam for a whole 16 years, urging me to return to the faith, to reeducate (be indoctrinated again) myself, which I respectfully declined.
As an Ex-Muslim, there’s absolutely no reason for me to go back to Islam, why would I?
I view Islam as I do other religions, ancient fairy tales to police morality, and often these outdated moral codex are often out of touch with the present, condoning genital mutilation, wife beating, slavery and sex slavery.

And before someone tells me that I have to respect Islam and the Quranic verses, don’t you think if I had respected them, I would have remained a Muslim? I respect the right of Muslims to believe in what they chose to believe in, even if it means that they cherry pick parts of Quran that advocate peace and only peace. Religions do not have rights, religions have rites, these rites end where human rights begin and I have the right to disagree, oppose and challenge Islamic teaching, Muslim beliefs and leave the religion.

And this is what has changed in the last decade, this idea that Islam is deserving of respect and immune from scrutiny.
This is what happens when an ideology gets politicized, we have prominent figures like the Pope victim blaming the cartoonists at Charlie Hebdo saying they shouldn’t be making fun of other people’s religions. We lose sight of our priorities treating a Muslim boy who was held in remand for a day after making a bomb hoax with more regard than focusing on the young Shiite Muslim man, Ali Mohamed Baqir Al-Nimr, (and his uncle) who are sentenced to death by beheading then having their headless bodies crucified by the Saudi government for being apart of a pro democracy protest.

Muslims are not a minority in the same way an ethnic group can be considered a minority.
You do not become a minority for choosing to be apart of a religious ideology that is not popular in a certain part of the world.
The more you treat Muslims as a minority the harder it is for Ex-Muslims to leave Islam without repercussion because you’re enforcing the idea that religion and ethnicity are one and this is dangerous as it is already supported the identity politics of Islamism.
Islam is a choice, do not forget that.
This choice apparently has been forgotten by a lot of Muslims who condemn apostates to death and chase them out of their home countries.

The plight of Ex-Muslims also not helped by the rise of “Political Correctness” either.
Recently 2 ex-Muslim women were barred from speaking at university campuses so Muslim students won’t be offended, Maryam Namazie from Warwick and Ayaan Hirsi Ali from Brandeis.
Warwick later overturned it’s decision after an online petition had garnered thousands of support and Ayaan Hirsi Ali was invited by secular Muslims from another University campus to speak but the fact remains that we’re treating Muslims like children who cannot handle an opposing view point and that we must protect their delicate sensibilities as they’re a minority group and evil Ex-Muslims are oppressing them.

When in reality, it’s the reverse, that the ex-Muslims are the minority and the Muslims are oppressing people like us.
People like Raif Badawi who has been sentenced to 1000 lashes and 10 years imprisonment for “insulting” Islam when the only thing hes been guilty of is promoting secularism.
Niloy Neel, and other Bangladeshi apostates who have been murdered by mobs of vigilante Muslims.
Taslima Nasrin an author from Bangladesh who now lives in exile because a fatwa was issued against her for literary works, one of which speaks out against Islamic philosophy.
Salman Rushdie another author who has a fatwa on him for his literary work.
Meriam Yehya Ibrahim Ishag who apostatized from Islam into Christianity who was sentenced to death in 2014 but had escaped from Sudan.
And all the ridiculous laws inspired by Sharia in Muslim majority countries like Saudi Arabia, Malaysia and Brunei to protect the sanctity of Islam that seeks to silence any and all dissent.

Silencing dissenting voices like the people I’ve mentioned, mine and anyone who criticizes Islam and Muslim practices that violate human rights, like the amputation of the hand of a thief or genital mutilation, by calling us Islamophobic in the name of Political Correctness so you can appear to be an uber liberal is more damaging to Secular Muslims than anyone else. Throughout my writing of this article, I have not mentioned the term “Moderate Muslim” once because to me that is an insulting term to call someone a moderate, an average person, as though the radicalized Muslims are the true representation of Muslims, something no Ex-Muslim or prominent critic of Islam has ever said.

If they’re not a secular Muslim, they’re just a Muslim.
One of the many silent “majority”, we don’t know the real number of Muslims who do oppose Islamism so in good faith, lets assume the majority is just apathetic to Islamism. Secular muslims are unique in this equation because I believe the reformation of Islam into a personal belief instead of a political tool is in their hands and it serves no purpose to other secular Muslims who want their voices heard when they know it will just be drowned out by accusations of Islamophobia and bigotry. I don’t know how a Muslim be called islamophobic and bigoted to their own group but it does happen to people like Maajid Nawaz and Irshad Manji, practicing Muslims who uphold secular values and speak out about Islamism while advocating a more personal non politically motivated Islam.

The reformation of this religion cannot happen through an external influence, non muslim critics and ex-Muslims alike.
We’ve seen what happens when an Islamic regime in Iraq was overthrown, ISIS took power and the ideology of Islamism flourished.
So where does this leave ex-Muslims like us?
We’re not responsible and cannot be the force behind its reformation but we still have a role to play.

If you’re an ex-Muslim and you feel safe enough to be open about your apostasy, make yourself heard, share your stories. (with us if you’d like)
Engage would be Muslim Apologists who play hide the ball from the media by calling Islam a “religion of peace” when it clearly isn’t.
It’s a religion like others from the Abrahamic religions, containing warlike parts, More so than the predecessors.
Stand up for your rights when the “politically correct” attempts to play the oppressed minority card when they try to silence any criticism Islam.
Help those on the fence realize that leaving Islam is a choice and there others out there like them.
And most importantly, if you’re from a country that registers you as a Muslim, get yourself unregistered (Assuming no harm would come to your person) so the media stops saying that Islam is the fastest growing religion in the world and realize that apostasy from Islam is on the rise.

This is what it means to be an ex-Muslim, for me.
And I hope more ex-Muslims join me in Speaking out against Islamism for the sake of those who can’t.

Peace!
Riz Rashid

Source: Council Of Ex-Muslims of Singapore – CEMS

October 7, 2015
Are We Falling In To Religious Fundamentalism?

“Muslim fundamentalism is an ideology which stands against choice, hope, change, and humanity. Islamism is a danger for the Muslim population. It is a danger for us.”

So what is Islamism and Muslim fundamentalism? These two terms are often interchangeable and most times mean the same thing. We see it being used a lot, but what does it really mean?

Marieme Hélie-Lucas, Algerian sociologist and founder of Women Living Under Muslim Laws, described fundamentalisms generally as “political movements of the extreme right which in a context of globalisation… manipulate religion… in order to achieve political aims.”

Now that we have established the meaning of fundamentalism, it is important to now understand that Islamist movements are primarily political, not spiritual. So if you think that their aim is to guide you to the “right path”, think again.

Islamism is a type of Islam that uses religion as an ideology to create a totalitarian political platform, which means creating a centralised government that does not tolerate parties of differing opinion. This kind of rule exercises dictatorial control over many aspects of life, including the will or thought of the people of its nation.

To fundamentalists, their social model is the only one that can exist, it is the “absolute truth”.

The most common line you’d hear from a fundamentalist would be, “This is Islam, and you cannot question it!”

They deny the possibility of interpretation and reinterpretation, even though their adherents have been a part of it for centuries. I mean, how else could you explain the emergence of the different schools of thought?

Fundamentalists embrace absolutism and refuse to accept questioning, insisting on a monolithic system of Islam based on their beliefs, and prosecuting you for thinking against their conventional thoughts.

Islamists denounce secularists, often painting those who support secularism as anti-religion. They are against an ideology that promotes religious harmony because they wish to govern the state under their own rules, in this case, “Islamic rules”.

In a Muslim-majority country, what easier way to make people succumb to you than by using religion as a tool to garner support?

Fundamentalists aim to bring political religion into all spheres of life. They will police, judge and change anyone that is Muslim into their monolithic system. Sometimes even going overboard and demanding non-Muslims to conform.

A lot of times, they aim sharply at women’s rights, policing and restricting our clothes, speech, and career, but this is usually bolstered with the soothing language of respect and protection. No doubt, there are women fundamentalists who advocate for these movements, but usually they don’t realise that they do so at the expense of other women as well.

Most people associate Islamism and Muslim fundamentalism with violence, advances that are physical. But there is one type of fundamentalism that is just as deadly, and that fundamentalism is given the term “diffused fundamentalism.” This kind of fundamentalism is naturalised into your daily lives, and most times we don’t even realise it.

They are absorbed and then spread through Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, the internet, television, radio, sermons and word of mouth.

A lot of times, they are being spread as forms of entertainment. Shows on who is a good Muslim or who is not, talk shows in which you can enquire about what kind of sex you can have with your spouse and still “be a good Muslim”, pronouncements (with a little bit of humour added in) on how to talk, walk, dress, eat, sleep and all the little things you do in your daily lives.

This fundamentalism is invisible in its pervasiveness and that’s what makes it so dangerous. Once absorbed and socially accepted, they become hard to combat and overturned. Diffused fundamentalism has essentially taken the beautiful and aesthetic religion that I grew up with, and turned it into a series of bodily functions.

Diffused Muslim fundamentalism is dangerous because it is the seed that supports the growth of a society that condones violence and discrimination. It is the seed that sprouts the mentality that excuses the actions of Islamist groups such as ISIS, the Taliban, Al-Qaeda and Boko Haram. It is the seed where it all begins.

Any kind of fundamentalism creates an oppressive environment. That, we all know. It’s not rocket science. After everything that we have seen so far, in the news and media, are we falling into religious fundamentalism?

You be the judge.

Just always remember: Go into politics with Islamic values, but never politicise Islam.

* This is the personal opinion of the columnist.

Source: www.themalaymailonline.com

June 18, 2015
Islamic State Millitants and the Unmistakable London Accent

It is the now familiar nightmare image. A kneeling prisoner, and behind him a black-hooded man speaking to camera. The standing man denounces the West and claims that his form of Islam is under attack. He then saws off the head of the hostage. Why did Wednesday morning’s video stand out? Because this time the captive was an American journalist — James Foley — and his murderer is speaking in an unmistakable London accent.

The revulsion with which this latest Islamist atrocity has been greeted is of course understandable. But it is also surprising. This is no one-off, certainly no anomaly. Rather it is the continuation of an entirely foreseeable trend. Britain has long been a global hub of terror export, so much so that senior US government officials have suggested the next attack on US soil is likely to come from UK citizens. All countries — from Australia to Scandinavia — now have a problem with Islamic extremists. But the world could be forgiven for suspecting that Britain has become the weak link in the international fight against jihadism. And they would be right. This is not even the first beheading of an American journalist to have been arranged by a British man from London.

In 2002, 27-year-old Omar Sheikh was in Pakistan. A north London-born graduate of a private school and the London School of Economics, he had gone to fight in the Balkans and Kashmir in the 1990s. In 1994 he was arrested and jailed for his involvement in the kidnapping of three Britons and an American in India. Released in 1999 in exchange for the passengers and crew of the hijacked Air India flight IC-814, he was subsequently connected to the bombing of an American cultural centre in Calcutta in January 2002 and that same month organised the kidnapping and beheading of the Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl.

Back then it was possible to dismiss Omar Sheikh as a one-off — a macabre fluke. His alma mater shrugged off concerns about the number of London-based students who had got involved in Islamic extremism or the radical preachers touring the country. The shrug became a little harder to maintain — though maintained it was — the next year when two British men — Asif Hanif, 21, from -Hounslow in west London and Omar Khan Sharif, 27 — carried out a suicide bombing in a bar on the waterfront in Tel Aviv. Omar Sharif had been a student of King’s College London, just across the road from LSE. That time the glory of killing three Israelis and wounding over 50 was claimed by the terrorist group Hamas.

As the list of British-born jihadists grew, their activities also got closer to home. On 7 July 2005, British-born Muslims carried out the first suicide bombings on British soil, with four more attempted a fortnight later. On Christmas Day 2009, the former head of the Islamic Society at University College London attempted to explode a bomb on a plane as it landed in Detroit. Last year, two converts decapitated Drummer Lee Rigby in broad daylight in south London. It is important to keep in mind that these are just the most high-profile cases. But the list of cases which were thwarted by good security work or sheer luck is astonishing. As well as the constant stream of convictions, at least one large-scale mass atrocity attempt on the lives of the British public was thwarted each year. As were smaller attempts. Everybody still remembers the killing of Lee Rigby, but how many people recall the case of Parviz Khan’s Birmingham terrorist cell? Khan was convicted in 2008 for a plot the previous year to kidnap and behead a British Muslim soldier on video.

All the while, as the list of jihadists grew, so did the number of places where they could train. Perhaps as many as 4,000 people from Britain are thought to have gone to train or fight in Afghanistan. Estimates of the number of British citizens who have gone to fight in Syria and Iraq range from just over 500 to 1,500 (a figure from Khalid Mahmood, a Birmingham Labour MP). If the larger figure is correct, it would be significantly higher than the number of Muslims currently serving in Britain’s armed forces. Some of these jihadists have returned; some have been killed fighting. But it is now obvious that whether we like it or not, this is Britain’s problem.

Involvement in Syria spreads across Britain. As with other conflicts, a large proportion of the Brits going to fight in Syria appear to be — like the murderer of James Foley — from London. This is in line with other work, including a list of all terrorism convictions in the UK to date, which shows that almost half of Islamism-inspired terrorism offences and attacks on UK soil over the last decade were perpetrated by individuals living in London at the time of their arrest.

But involvement in the Syrian conflict has also spread to Birmingham and other places with large Muslim populations, as well as some places that will have surprised the wider public. In February of this year it transpired that the 41-year-old Abdul Waheed Majid from Crawley, West Sussex, had become a suicide bomber. On 6 February the non-Arabic-speaking Brit carried out a truck-bombing against a jail in Aleppo, Syria.

In May, the Instagram account of a British man believed to be from London shows other jihadist war crimes from Syria, including the killing of a prisoner believed to be a loyalist of President Bashar al-Assad. One of the people shooting bullets into their captive is identified as a British man who in another video berates British Muslims for not providing enough support to the jihad. ‘You know who you are,’ he says, ‘from the capital, the Midlands, up north, wherever you may be… it’s a disgrace, that brothers know where these wives are, where these families are, and yet you are buying your nephew or your child a PlayStation 4 or taking them out to Nando’s.’

The list goes on. A cell of young men from Cardiff. Others from Portsmouth. Earlier this month, Abdel-Majed Abdel Bary from west London appeared in a photo he himself posted on Twitter. He is pictured holding a severed head with the caption ‘chillin’ with my homie, or what’s left of him’. This is all part of the strange juncture that Syria has become for British jihadis — a meld of street cool, Islamic extremism and ultra-violence. Even the register in which these men communicate on social media is familiar. For instance Madhi Hassan, 19, from Portsmouth, sent out a media image of himself holding a jar of Nutella, to reassure Brits coming over that they would not lack all comforts.

Of course, one line of argument claims that if we just left all these places alone then none of this would come to us. But we left the Balkans alone and created one generation of jihadists. Then we didn’t leave Afghanistan and Iraq alone — and created another generation of jihadists. Now we have very much left Syria alone — and lo and behold, we seem to have created another jihadist generation. Damned if you do, damned if you don’t, apparently. Yet remarkably few people seem to realise that this isn’t really about us.

Nevertheless, it comes ever closer to home. In recent weeks the black flag of jihad as used by Isis has been flown openly in London — supporters of Isis have appeared on Oxford Street — and elsewhere. Just this week, the imam of a leading Welsh mosque resigned after a pro-Isis guest preacher was invited to speak at his mosque.

This battle is going on in households and mosques up and down this country. We fear joining up these dots. And we fear giving offence more than we fear the international opprobrium that is coming our way.

The country that brought liberty to much of the world is now exporting terrorism to large parts of it. Britain needs to look to itself, and address this problem, if there are not to be many more videos like this week’s.

Source: http://www.spectator.co.uk/features/9293762/the-british-beheaders/

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August 21, 2014