Using the Koran to Fight Terrorism

I was quite happy to come across the following article which proves not only what many of us have been saying all along, but confirms the traditional Islamic position as well: that the best way to fight militant and extremist Islam is to educate Muslims about what Islam really teaches. Even though we can't fully comprehend what's going on in these dialogues without knowing all of the details, even a cursory look shows that they seem to be a step in the right direction. As usual amongst journalists, however, the author offers a rather simplistic view of Islam, since he seems to assume that the Koran is the only source of Islamic Law. The problem with this is that without tying the Koran to the Sunnah and anchoring both of these sources to the consensus ('ijma) of qualified Sunni scholars, it's open to the far-fetched and one-sided interpretations that the militants often use. The ironic thing is that many "Western antiterrorism experts" have been duped by these unqualified Koranic interpretations as well. This is why, based on their erstwhile assumption that the Koran is the problem and Islam is inherently violent, they thought that trying to refute the militant ideology would "end in disaster". Insha'llah, this dialogue program will make more people, both Muslims and non-Muslims, realize that if they want to defeat extremist Muslim militants, then the best way to do it is through a proper classical Islamic education—not by droppings bombs. Not only would this be beneficial to the Muslim World as a whole, but it would probably save a lot of lives on both sides as well. As someone once said, "Jihad, properly understood, is really a war against terrorism".

Koranic Duels Ease Terror
By James Brandon
The Christian Science Monitor - February 04, 2005

When Judge Hamoud al-Hitar announced that he and four other Islamic scholars would challenge Yemen's Al Qaeda prisoners to a theological contest, Western antiterrorism experts warned that this high-stakes gamble would end in disaster.

"If you can convince us that your ideas are justified by the Koran, then we will join you in your struggle," Hitar told the militants.

Now, two years later, not only have those prisoners been released, but a relative peace reigns in Yemen.

"Since December 2002, when the first round of the dialogues ended, there have been no terrorist attacks here, even though many people thought that Yemen would become terror's capital," says Hitar, eyes glinting shrewdly from beneath his emerald-green turban. "Three hundred and sixty-four young men have been released after going through the dialogues and none of these have left Yemen to fight anywhere else."

He says that most militants are ordinary people who have been led astray.