Radical Islam Analysis

The first article that I read in regard to the question on whether radical Islam is or is not an ideology was Liberal Islam: Prospects and Challenges by Charles Kurzman. In the first paragraph Kurzman talks about Muslims firmly believing in “Liberal Islam” which refers to interpretations of Islam that are concerning issues such as democracy, separating religion from political involvement, women’s rights, freedom of thought, and promoting human progress. Kurzman feels that changes to religion for Muslims will help them progress in society. He then proceeds to talk about how liberalism in the west and liberalism in the Islamic world are similar, but not identical. In Islamic culture, co-existence of different religious groups within a religion …show more content…
radical Islam turns into an ideology when it’s members cannot accept that any other forms of their religion exist other than their own. It crosses from a spiritual to a political realm by the radical Islamic interpretations of the Quran. This radical ideology aims to give its followers a collective identity that can give a sense of belonging. It gives them a clear distinction on who the enemy is, and who your friends are by clearly drawing a line between believers and non-believers. Another function of this ideology is to create a collective harmony that is achieved through social justice. radical Islamists believed that man should be stripped of individuality to serve god in any way possible. They believe that the western ideals put humans first rather than god. For example, radical Islam believes that God created the physical differences between man and woman to create a distinction between who should be ruled and who should be rulers. Sexual Equality is a foreign idea that promotes individualism rather than putting god first. All of these beliefs is molded into the sociopolitical system called Jihad. This is an all out war against anyone who is an enemy of their own interpretation of Islam. The war against anything non-Islamic allows for random acts of violence to try and deter the western way of living. The terrorists are seen as martyrs who are performing these acts to fight the nonbelievers and pleasing god. These radical groups not only attack western culture, but they also attack Muslim countries’ governments if they see that their system is corrupt. Of course this view of corruption is seen through the distorted view of radical Islam. They justify assassinations of political leaders through their teaching of the Quran. Radical Islam thrives through threats of violence to world