Islam Identity Crisis at the Core of Radicalisation
Abridged article by Hussain Nadim, doctoral candidate, University of Sydney
The tendency amongst the Muslim community leaders to remain in denial about the problem with religion is what is driving the identity crisis. Muslim community leaders in Australia are rarely on the same page - except for when it comes to criticising the government's counter-radicalisation efforts. All stand united against the government for its lack of understanding the issue of radicalisation and not "consulting" them with important policy decisions on the subject. Yet, when you talk to most of these Muslim community leaders on identifying the problem and proposing tangible solutions one can't help but notice their rudimentary understanding of the subject offering little beyond textbook prescription to focus more on "socio-economic" issues and conducting "true consultations" with the Muslim community leaders.
For a start, the overwhelming claim by Muslim community leaders
that "research" suggests socio-economic and political issues
drive radicalisation is not only erroneous but reveals a primitive
understanding of the debate on the subject... Most of the notorious
terrorists including Ayman al-Zawahiri, Osama bin Laden and
Khalid Sheikh Mohammed come from educated, middle-class or
upper-class backgrounds.......
Moreover, the idea that the "problem lies not with Islam, nor
even with some of the Muslims but with the environment Muslims
are currently in" has no legs, since Sikhs and numerous other migrant
communities are in equal if not lower socio-economic and
political conditions than Muslims all over the world but without
the radicalisation and terrorism prevalent in their communities.
This tendency amongst the Muslim community leaders to remain
in denial about the problem with religion is what is driving the
identity crisis which is leading to radicalisation among Muslim
youth. Why is it so hard to accept that there is in fact a problem
with Islam - the way it is being used? Especially, when the trend
of abusing and misusing Islam is nothing new, nor is radicalisation.
Almost a thousand years back al-Ma'arri (circa 1010), a Muslim
poet, criticised what he then saw as hate and radicalisation preached
at mosques, arguing that nearer to God are those people that keep
a distance from such preaching.......
The uneasy fact is that Islam is in desperate need of internal
reforms that have been delayed to this point where the religion is
being damaged from within causing serious identity crisis amongst
the Muslim youth. And it is this very identity crisis that is at the
core of radicalisation problem leading young Muslims to fall prey
to terrorist propaganda joining Islamic State and other militant
groups. As long as those at the helms of power in the Muslim
community remain in constant denial blaming the government,
the "environment" and anything else while ignoring the real issues,
deradicalisation will not prove easy. 