In response to this threat, the world’s Muslims can and should help intelligence and security communities ward off future attacks and eliminate the lifelines of this menace.

From its founding amid the ashes of Al Qaeda in Iraq, ISIS has dealt in deception as well as death. Despite its name, ISIS represents a perversion of Islam. The group’s dress, flags and slogans cannot hide their abhorrent betrayal of the spirit of this major world faith.

Denying this barbaric group a geographical base that emboldens them to claim statehood — an essential element of their propaganda to potential recruits — is a worthwhile goal that all Muslims should support. But the challenge isn’t only military.

ISIS, and other groups like it, recruits alienated Muslim youth by offering them a false sense of purpose and belonging in the service of a totalitarian ideology.

Countering that appeal will include religious, political, psycho-social and economic efforts. It will require that local communities and government institutions address structural issues such as discrimination and exclusion.

“Self-examination is an Islamic ethic. There are actions we can take, as Muslim parents, teachers, community leaders and imams, to help our youth protect themselves.”

International organizations must protect citizens against violent persecution of the kind we witnessed in Syria and assist with transitions to democratic governance. Western governments, too, have a responsibility to adopt a more ethical and consistent foreign policy.

Muslim citizens and organizations can and should be part of these broader efforts, but we also have a unique role and responsibility in this fight.

Across the world, Muslims need to strengthen the immune system of our communities, especially our youth, against violent extremism. We must ask: How did our communities become grounds for terrorist recruitment? Yes, external factors must be addressed, but we must also look within.

“Self-examination is an Islamic ethic. There are actions we can take, as Muslim parents, teachers, community leaders and imams, to help our youth protect themselves. We must defeat these murderous extremists in the battlefield of ideas.”

A common fallacy of violent extremist ideologues is to decontextualize the teachings of the Quran and the Prophet (peace be upon him) and misinterpret them to serve their pre-determined goals. These ideologues turn snapshots from his or his companions’ lives into instruments to justify a criminal act.

The antidote is a religious education program that teaches the tradition in a holistic and contextualized way. To be able to resist the deceits of radical ideologues, young Muslims must understand the spirit of their scripture and the overarching principles of their Prophet’s life. We need to teach our youth the full story of how the Prophet moved his society from savagery into ethical norms shared by Abrahamic faiths.

A holistic religious education should start with a commitment to the dignity of every person as a unique creation of God, regardless of faith. When God says “We have honored the children of Adam” (Quran, 17:70), all humanity is honored. The Quran describes taking the life of even one innocent person as a crime against all humanity (Quran, 5:32). Even in a legitimate defensive war, the Prophet’s teachings specifically prohibit violence against any noncombatants, especially women, children and clergy. The belief that one can enter paradise by killing others is a delusion.

Violent extremists also commit another major fallacy: transplanting into the 21st century religious verdicts from the Middle Ages, in which political rivalries were often confused with religious differences. Today, Muslims have the freedom to practice their religion in democratic, secular countries.

The values of participatory governments align with core Muslim ideals of social justice, the rule of law, collective decision-making and equality. Muslims can and do live as contributing citizens of democracies around the world.

Proactively, we must develop positive ways to satisfy the social needs of our youth. Youth groups should be encouraged to volunteer in humanitarian relief projects to help victims of disasters and violent conflicts. In teaching them to help others, we will give them the tools to empower themselves and feel that they are part of something meaningful. We also have a duty to help the youth engage in dialogue with members of other faiths to help nurture mutual understanding and respect. As Muslims, we are not just members of a faith community, but of the human family.

“Being part of the worldwide effort to help stop violent religious radicals from repeating the London and Manchester cruelties elsewhere is both a human and religious responsibility.”

Since the 1970s, the participants in the social movement Hizmet — the Turkish word for service — have founded more than 1,000 modern secular schools, free tutoring centers, colleges, hospitals and humanitarian relief organizations in more than 150 countries. By facilitating the involvement of young students and professionals as service providers, mentors, tutors and helpers, these institutions and their social networks foster a sense of identity, belonging, meaning and empowerment that constitute an antidote to the false promises of violent extremists.

Indeed, the best way to proactively protect our youth is to provide them with a positive counter-narrative. By offering opportunities for language learning and cultural exchanges, these kinds of institutions nurture a pluralistic outlook, critical thinking and empathy.

As part of their daily rituals, practising Muslims pray for God to keep them “on the straight path.” Today, the straight path means examining our understanding of the core values of our faith, how we embody those values in our daily lives and strengthening our youth’s resistance to influences that contradict those values.

Being part of the worldwide effort to help stop violent religious radicals from repeating the London and Manchester cruelties elsewhere is both a human and religious responsibility.

The writer, Fethullah Gülen, is an Islamic scholar, preacher and social advocate.
–
Source:politico.eu

The post Fethullah Gülen writes: Muslims’ unique responsibility to fight terror appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

The organisers of Rock am Ring said intensive searches had been carried out by police and that performances would resume early on Saturday afternoon.

About 90,000 people are expected to attend the event near the Nürburgring race track, which ends on Sunday.
Last month, a suicide bomb attack at a concert in Manchester killed 22 people.

Former Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher, who played his first-ever solo gig on Tuesday in aid of the victims of the attack in his native Manchester, was among the performers due to play Rock am Ring on Friday.

German police said the bombing had led to changes in planning for Rock am Ring, with the number of security officials increased substantially to 1,200.

Fans had been hoping to see German rock giants Rammstein at the Nürburg Arena on Friday when they were asked to leave in a “calm and controlled” way.

Police in the nearby city of Koblenz said they had ordered a temporary halt to the festival as a precaution after receiving “a concrete warning that made it impossible to rule out a terror threat”, but provided no details.

On Saturday morning, the festival’s organisers announced it would “go on”.

“After intensive searches and sweeps of the complete festival site by the police, the suspicion of a potential terrorist threat has not been confirmed,” a statement said.

“Set-up for day 2 of Rock am Ring has commenced and the programme is going to be resumed in the early afternoon. The incredibly disciplined fans deserve all our respect and gratitude.”

Besides Rammstein and Liam Gallagher, British acts Bastille and Rag’n’Bone Man had also been due to perform on the main stage on Friday evening.

Saturday’s headliner is the German punk band Die Toten Hosen, while Sunday’s is the Armenian-American heavy metal band System of a Down.

Last year, Rock am Ring’s final day was cancelled after lightning strikes injured dozens of people.

–

Source: BBC

The post Festival resumes after ‘terror’ scare appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

Garba Shehu said the release was “the outcome of negotiations between the administration and Islamist militants”.

The freed students are currently with the security forces.

Boko Haram kidnapped more than 270 students from a school in Chibok, north-east Nigeria – an act that provoked international condemnation.

It also sparked one of the biggest global social media campaigns, with tweeters using the hashtag #BringBackOurGirls.

Up to now there had only been one confirmed release of a student kidnapped from Chibok.

In May, a 19-year-old woman was found by an army-backed vigilante group.

After that it was believed that 218 students were still missing. More than 50 managed to escape on the day they were captured.

Boko Haram has also kidnapped thousands of other people during its seven-year insurgency in north-east Nigeria.

–

Source: BBC

The post Group of Chibok girls freed in Nigeria appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.