Terrorists within IS in Syria give Islamic reasons for why they are fighting to dominate land and people and it can seriously mess with the mind of a Muslim in the West trying to work out what they think. Especially a young Muslim, especially a new revert and especially when the topic is so difficult to discuss openly and honestly.
It would be beneficial for everyone to talk about what's going on in Syria, what is going on in the group calling themself IS and what Islam is really about but with Muslims and non-Muslims alike, it's simply not possible. This inability to be able to have transparent discussions only serves to feed the beast that many people fear.
There's nothing wrong with being radical (guardian article); nothing wrong with being a fundementalist and wanting to stick to the core tenents of a thing; nothing wrong with Jihad which has a wider deeper and more personal meaning than simply 'Holy War'; nothing wrong with the possibility of an Islamic State.
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When you're in a room full of non-Muslims you learn not to think, you just have to react with the 'right' words when the topic of IS comes up. You learn what people want to hear and you have to react quickly. As a Muslim in a room full of non-Muslims, every second you don't speak, the silence, even when others are chatting away, grows louder and louder in the room until you leave that room and then others feel they can express their concerns to each other. Or they just raise their eyebrows and blow their cheeks. I've been in several situations and seen this happen because others didn't realise I was Muslim as I wasn't wearing hijab.
If a non-Muslim actually asks you what you think, don't stumble over your words omg. Say the right words and say them confidently. This isn't the time for a discussion, no one wants to know what you think, they just want you to say the words they want to hear.
This happened to me recently @LBC with @ShelaghFogarty talk show. A previous caller was saying how recorded testimonies of people who have gone out to join ISIS and come back regretting it would help stop others from going. I called in to say why that wouldn't work. After listening to my point, Shelagh asked me some questions of her own and I didn't say what she needed to hear. Several people on afterwards expressed their concerns about me personally, including Shelagh herself, because of what I hadn't said (clearly none of them listened to what I did actual say), it mean't that I had to send a text in 15 minutes later saying what everyone wanted to hear.
Non-Muslims need to stop being so alarm and encourage people to express their views without jumping on their head at the first sign of opinions and views they don't understand or don't like.
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When you're a Muslim, in a room with only Muslims, the same thing happens. The topics of Iraq, Syria or IS comes up and the learned response is silence because it's improper to say anything bad about another Muslim. The correct thing to say when another Muslim seems to do something bad is that they are weak and we should make du'a (prayer) for them.
As a Muslim, you would be wrong for judging another Muslim when you are not in their situation and you didn't see what they did or know why they did it. You would be wrong for expressing that person isn't a true Muslim. You would be wrong for criticising another Muslim for taking action when those voicing the criticism do so from the comfort of their sofas.
All wars are messy and every nation that has been birthed has had victors who subjugated those in the land they conquered. They say that the men and women committing heinous crimes in Syria are not terrorists but freedom-fighters who are willing to do what is necessary to achieve something good for Islam. They mix up truth with opinion and tell you that Shari'a Law is the ideal for every Muslim and a land where true Islam can be followed is an increasing possibility, instead of seeing Muslim-majority countries sell out to the West.
Some people say that the IS group is so large and mixed, it's made up of sincere Muslims who are fighting for an Islamic State and treat those they capture with kindness as the Qur'an demands, while others in the group are sadistic and cruel terrorists who are along for the ride and don't even follow Islam at all, preferring to live out their sick fantasies without an ounce of humanity.
Do you think certain types of people are attracted to certain religions?
Do you think that evil is simply someone who is so switched off and so far gone that they have little or no humanity inside themself to be able to extend it to even another person?
Do you think that the group can be so large and out of control that the cruel sadistic ones are the only ones we get to hear about in the media?
Do you think terrorists will use any reason as a vehicle to be who and what they are, living out their sick ways for the cause of Islam today but really, it could have been any reason.
Unfortunately I have more questions than I have answers.
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