Generation Jihad: a chillingly telling pair of words. One that encapsulates the gravity and menace of the disease of global jihad spread via the internet, mobile phones and open preaching today.
Generation jihad is here in Dhivehi Raaje as it is elsewhere and its subscribers are growing in numbers, recruited right in our homes, behind closed doors, via internet chat-rooms and forums and in secret meetings. Jihad is not, and never was, that beautiful and spiritual state of struggle for good that some people claim it to be. That has always been the excuse. Jihad, the word itself gained prominence through the menace of violence; never through the charity or humanitarian work of a person or organisations. One does not hear about the personal jihad of a Muslim man and his struggle helping victims of natural disaster. That is not jihad. It never was.
That is because the concept of organized violence has replaced what little spiritual essence the idea of jihad signified. To Muslims and others alike the word now conjures the image of destruction, anger, apathy and madness in the name of God and religion.
If the concept of jihad was a force for good (good as we know it) then religious organisations such as Adhaalath and the Salaf would advocate the jihad of social coherence, harmony, philanthropy and benevolence. They would actively find ways of putting food on the table of impoverished people in their community in addition to Muslims. They would educate them about integration and understanding. They would extend an open and caring arm to those they feel are diverting from being good, productive and contributing citizens.
One may argue that it is not in the interest of religious organisations to operate in the sphere of humanitarian work; that they exist to protect and further the message of Allah. To me this is a lousy excuse – the calling card of people whose self-interest is put before others’. God and religion command and demand the massive numbers of followers. How much effort would it take to make followers engage in activities beneficial for the society at large?
Instead, Islamic organisations are dedicated to the propagation of the concept of preparation for the Day of Judgment and the idea of the suffering Muslim ummah. Hour after hour of TV and radio programs, week after week of Friday sermons and sermons given in mosques and stadiums are about preparation for the afterlife. This is the very basis, the core fundamentals of violent jihad: putting the self before the society – paving one’s own road to heaven should the end of days arrive unannounced. These organisations lead the regiments of footsoldiers that then become easy pickings for terrorist organizations such as al-Qaeda.
For a person in a state of constant preparation for judgment day any short cuts soon become enticing. After all, what is the point of wasting days in waiting when one can commit to jihad and possibly fast-forward to martyrdom – as many have done?
Scholars of Islam would proclaim in public that violent jihad is un-Islamic. Well then, why waste time talking? Where is the good jihad? If building homes for the homeless is jihad then say it is so. If caring for orphaned children is a jihad then put that into the young Muslim minds. For everyone’s sake market the good jihad. Where are the videos of good jihad?
When people like sheikh Ilyas give sermons on the tired old subject of gaining entry into paradise and reiterating the supposed inferiority of women, and spend thousands on setup and make as much on after-sales, one must surely feel suspicious. When Jamiyatul Salaf flexes its holy muscles at homosexuals one must shake one’s head in disbelief and ask, what is the point of all this? When they target lovers celebrating a lovers day one must surely be worried about their true intent because the conclusion and the point they drive home every time is that life is unimportant. That it is a mere stage on which we are waiting in transit to the Day of Judgment. In so doing, they deceivingly plant the dangerous seed of jihad.
I am not advocating lawlessness or indulgence in acts that would be considered immoral. I know belief in the afterlife is important to Muslims. But it should not be reason to abandon life as we know it or harbor hatred towards those who think otherwise or remove one’s self from society and disturb social harmony.
Generation jihad is readying. It is preparing as you read this – radicalizing more and more in our society. And sowing the seeds of violent jihad are those socially irresponsible, economically unsound and spiritually empty organisations such as Adhaalathu and Salaf. They pretend to do good and they are good at it. They have shut down all venues of debate and critique and opinion. And forget about the government; it is still in a daze from the time it was in bed with Adhaalathu a year ago. They are hopeless.
But as parents and guardians it is our duty to be vigilant and keep our eyes open to signs of radicalization within our family members. We must understand that rejecting radicalism is not rejecting Islam.
We must know that jihad, in theory and in practice, is like a walking-cane with the concealed razor-sharp blade inside we often see in movies. In the hands of the young Muslim man, it can kill as well as it can help the needy. How they use it depends on our understanding of the seriousness of the matter at hand and our willingness to face it.
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The BBC documentary “Generation Jihad”, presented by Peter Taylor, must be broadcast on public TV in Dhivehi Raaje. I am linking it here for your viewing.
As you have very rightly said the “jihad of social coherence, harmony, philanthropy and benevolence” is what this country needs. It’s unfortunate that the organizations founded in the name of Islam are pursuing some other covert agenda.
great article, makes sense and fits into the maldivian mindset.
I wish more of these kind of articles are written in Dhivehi, get published in newspapers and magazines were the a wider Maldivian audience would read it. The key is changing the ideology by education.
I do not completely agree with your opinion. Jihad by itself means to “strive” or “struggle”. And as you have mentioned it does mean to Strive for good. I know you are a rational person, and I believe that you too would agree that not all abide to what has been preached. There would always be a faction of people who pull the wrong strings in any religion. And it upsets me to know that you have “never” heard a Muslim organization preaching about Zakaath or charity. I surely have heard of, and people do too. It is wrong to blame a religion just because there are “some” who exploits it. When you strive to be a good person, when you strive to do good for one an other too is a concept of Jihad. Its a struggle to be a good Muslim.
I am not a great scholar, but with my limited knowlege I truely believe that concept of Jihad has been misunderstood by a mass of whole and is wrong to blame a religion for a matter of it.
Regards
A regular reader and a fan of your blog too! :) I greatly appreciate your knowledge.
Seventh,
It is not that I have not heard of a Islamic organisation preaching Zakaath. It is just that struggle for good has been paled by violent jihad.
Thanks for being a fan. :)
You didn’t hear anything good about Islam? Do you?
Google “Haiti Muslim Donation” even last night I’ve received an email from Australian Muslim Association for pledging more help for Haitians. They are on the ground and you will find the pictures in their website. This is where the extreme media is lacking but you’re so fond of these channels!
You are just revealing one sided story for your chosen agenda! People like you have been challenged the Religion of Islam; more powerful than you, more rich and collectively they came but still it is standing in the fore-front with all your challenges.
The question is not about Islam…Islam does not advocate hatred but I believe there are people who have chosen that path in the name of Islam as they think it is right. However, today, the forces of negative campaign against Islam is very much normal in the extreme media whilst, you have selected a video from such media for your readers!
There are no two sided stories as like your stories. This is the biggest problem – the extreme media and individual like you fuel these individual/groups. When you lend your hand with a sword or a gun (words are more powerful than a gun/sword) they will act upon it in the similar attitude! But rather filling the gaps with peaceful means would help and understand others. You still have the century old Roman style attitude!
For Muslim preparing for the judgement day is very crucial for them and it’s like a student preparing for an exam, but the way they conduct their studies should be within the syllabus but not out of the core curriculum. If someone goes against Islam and its fundamental teachings then, they will fail but it’s not you who will fail. However, you can lend them a helping hand if you have knowledge and understanding of the subject just for them to pass through their exam!
RanXXX
So any criticism of Adhaalat and Salaf is a criticism against Islam now? Are they the supreme representatives of the Muslin faith here on earth?
The extent of adhaalat and salaf’s indoctrination into the minds of Maldivians as the bearers of the ultimate truth is scary…
Insightful article Simon. Seventh is right to an extent, there are instances where these preachers call for giving charity and doing good. But my issue there is, like you said, it is preached within a very selfish context of scoring points for yourself so you could go to heaven, rather than to promote values of empathy, equality and social harmony. Everything you do, even putting aside a stone in the road, should be done because you get savaab for it, and not in consideration of the other person who might trip and hurt herself. And preaching that this life is temporary and meaningless reduces the ties and emotions that you would attach to the people and things around you, especially towards those who are not Muslims. Its a pity that this is the way these scholars choose to spread Islam, and the opportunity for a better and deeper understanding is wasted.
people are inherently selfish. if you tell them to cast aside the stone in the road for the good of society, they wont do it. if its for their own selfish gain or personal savaabu which ever the case, the deed will get done. so i think its a clever way of getting things done. i dont think we have evolved to the state of selfless benevolence for all and maybe we never will.
RanXXX,
Oh Islam’s got good. But this essay wasn’t about Islam or some Islamic charities around the world. So your entire comment is irrelevant and does not contribute anything to the points highlighted in this essay.
You get an “F-” for that.
It is sad that these organizations claiming to work “in the path of Allah” have lost sight of the original, simple message of Islam. They deify the Prophet and cause more social problems than they are supposed to fix. How many families have broken apart when one or the other fell to their lies?.
And despite the fact that they call themselves Islamic organizations, they have the nerve to skim off zakaat funds (2 million rf) and then use it to produce a “religious information channel…. which never turned up.
Adhaalth has all letters of Allah and have the beginning and ending in same letters as of Allah. This is not a coincidence a well researched one to confuse the unsuspecting person. Now every one sees Allah in everything Adhaalath-ish..