Maajid Nawaz: Roots of Violent Islamist Extremism and Efforts to Counter it - US Senate (HSGAC)

10th July 2008 - Read Submission

Maajid Nawaz delivered testimony before the Committee of Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs (HSGAC), in the Dirken Senate building. Maajid was invited to address the committee on the subject of Islamist extremism and the efforts of the Quiliam Foundation as a think tank. A specific request for explaining the causes, analysis and policy suggestions were requested in countering radicalization. Maajid spoke about the nature of radicalization and the role Islamist ideology plays in this. He explained there was a difference in religious expression and deep spirituality, and the Islamist ideology which was a thoroughly modern manipulation of Islamic theology, with modern ideological roots. Maajid explained the roots of violent movements in modern history within Islamist terrorist movements could be traced to Islamist ideology and Islamist movements that espouse this ideology.

Islamist ideology could be defined into four very core beliefs which they all shared: Islam was not a religion and a spiritual path to God but rather a political ideology; Shariah and state law were one and the same thing and should be one and the same thing; the Muslims are a single global political entity (like the workers in Communist ideology which could only be represented by the Workers State i.e. the USSR); the belief in the creation of an end Islamist expansionist super-state that encompassed all lands with a Muslim populous and had a Jihadist foreign policy. this was a thoroughly modern political ideology which had abused traditional Islam, and declared all those rejecting it's ideology as either "Kuffar" (infidels) or misguided.

These movements all share these ideals but differed tactically in how to bring them about ranging from revolutionary, militant Jihadist or entry level Islamist movements which would only use violence when politically expedient. Maajid also explained that it was Islamist ideology which justified the use of violence and terrorism by creating a world order which viewed the world in terms of Islamist states and "Kufr" (Disbelieving) states and therefore view the whole world as "Kufr" states which were in a state of actual or theoretical warfare. It is this ideology which lays the foundation for terrorism and in many instances these movements gave rise to many violent terrorist organizations in the name of Islamism or rather Islamist propaganda.

Whilst people, Muslim or otherwise have political concerns and problems which they face and see in the world, these grievances themselves were not the bridge to violence and terror. It is the separatist and extremist ideology which created and West versus Islam(ism) mindset that created the conflict paradigm and the religious-hatred discourse that is created that leads to conflict and justifies acts of terror, whether suicide bombing, and even mass murder in the form of 9/11 and 7/7.

Maajid urged that challenging the al-Qaeda narrative in terms of scripture and justification is key to achieving long terms success in the War on terror as the concepts which these organisations are built upon need to be deconstructed and proven to be illegitimate manipulations of Islamic texts. Only through dismantling the ideology of terrorism i.e. Islamism could the roots to terror be cut off.

His oral testimoney can be viewed here - Part I, Part II.