Muslims Themselves Should Lead the Struggle against Islamic Extremism

Interfax

Interfax – Muslims should oppose religious extremists with the authentic teaching of Islam. This is a pledge of the effective struggle against terrorism, Russian diplomat Mikhail Kamynin thinks. ‘This is apparent, and we must say it straightforward: the struggle against terrorism shall not be successful until the Islamic states, authoritative Islamic leaders and rank-and-file Muslims come to the forefront of this struggle,’ Kamynin writes in an article published by Gudok daily on Wednesday. He thinks that terrorism cannot be identified with Islam, especially in ‘a multiethnic and multiconfessional Russia ’ and that ‘the religious hatred must not be allowed to flare up…In a situation of globalization, it is senseless and even fatal to isolate and oppose religions and civilizations. Extremists can be isolated, while the problem of international terrorism as well as the problem of other major threats and challenges of the 21st century must be resolved on the basis of international law, rather than by military force alone’, the diplomat said. Otherwise, he added, we shall not avoid a tragic scenario of the conflict of civilizations, ‘which is precisely the scenario that extremists have in mind.’ Kamynin referred to Beslan as an example of such tactics of terrorists, where the militants, who seized the school, ‘were going to use ethnic and religious factors to sow hatred between the Ossetians and the Ingush.’ He underscores that terrorists respect no faith, but often use it as a cover: ‘There are many proofs that Islam as a religion is nor a foe, but an ally in the struggle against terrorism.’