Following the attack in Westminster, the media continues to ignore Muslim scholars.
Source: Sacred Knowledge
Amidst the polemical rush to blame Islam on the part of some, it should be noted that various Muslim scholars have condemned the recent attacks in London, having also empathised with the victims and their families. Being the most well versed in Islamic law and theology, Muslim scholars deserve the greatest degree of attention whenever Islam is discussed in the public sphere, yet they are often ignored by mainstream and alternative right-wing media. This can only be attributed to either negligence or political expediency.
Muslim scholars have made great efforts in attempting to refute extremist ideology and correct public misperceptions about the relationship between Islam and violence. Examples include Shaykh Muhammad Afifi al-Akiti's Defending the Transgressed, a fatwa against targeting civilians, Shaykh Muhammad al-Yaqoubi's Refuting ISIS: A Rebuttal of its Religious and Ideological Foundations, and Shaykh Muhammad Imdad Hussein Pirzada's ISIS: State of Ignorance: A Reflection on Islam and Moderation, Extremism and Terrorism, and the Fitnah of ISIS (Daesh), to name a few.
In addition to publications, Muslim scholars have developed institutions which aim to promote positive engagement with wider society. Examples here include the Cambridge Muslim College in the UK, and Zaytuna College in the US. These institutions are headed by British academic Abdal Hakim Murad and American scholar Hamza Yusuf respectively. Other establishments, such as Yasir Qadhi's Al-Maghrib Institute, have spread globally, educating thousands of students whilst seeking to produce leaders who would "serve their communities and humanity at large."
Various conferences have sought to promote peace within an Islamic framework. Examples include several conferences centred around A Common Word, a project involving both Muslim and Christian leaders, which sought to articulate the need for peace between different religions, in addition to cooperation on issues related to extremism. Other conferences have been organised around The Amman Message, an expression of Islamic orthodoxy, supported by numerous Muslim scholars, which also rejected extremism.
Despite these numerous efforts, there has been a frustrating lack of progress in achieving any significant recognition. As Shaykh Hamza Yusuf had once put it: “I’ve been to so many conferences condemning this stuff. The media ignores us. There are books written on this.”
In the place of more meaningful voices, we are obliged to suffer simplistic analysis provided by those without any knowledge of the subject. Examples include the British journalist Julia Hartley-Brewer, who stated: "As any scholar of Islam will tell you, the ideology behind Isil and al-Qaeda is as rooted in the Koran as are daily prayers and eating halal meat." Even more astounding, was Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe's view that "Muslim scholars have got to come up and be really challenging" extremism, a statement that Breitbart News did not fail to capitalise on.
In a similar manner to the attacks in Brussels last year, I have compiled a series of statements and messages from Muslim scholars on the attacks in London. Despite their following different religious understandings, they have all expressed messages of condemnation, sympathy for the victim's families, and the need to combat extremism.
Some have also rightly noted the killing of at least 30 civilians when a US air strike hit a school in IS held city of Raqqa. It is notable that no international condemnation was made of these latest civilian casualties caused by the US-led coalition, nor of the US government in particular. It is strange that, whilst a great deal of focus has been given to the recent murders in London, even more catastrophic crimes have not garnered the same degree of attention. This also applies to the catastrophe in Myanmar, where Rohingya have been subjected to rapes and killings since 2012. Only now has the UN finally committed to investigating the matter.
Al-Azhar University condemned the attacks, stating that "terrorizing and shedding the blood of innocent people are acts that all divinely-revealed laws, values, human principles and international laws have explicitly prohibited."
Wifaqul Ulama: "We are shocked by this horrendous attack on our city. Our thoughts are with all those affected by this tragedy, and we are immeasurable thankful to those who came forward (civilians, police and emergency responders) to lend their assistance in the aftermath."
