Dealing with Extremists in Islam

Luder G. Whitlock, Jr.

The relationship between the West and Islam will be one of the most important issues during the first part of the twenty-first century. It has enormous implications not only for the Middle East, but for Europe with its growing Muslim population. The growth of a militant, violently ruthless Islam endangers not only the West, but the world.

A critical aspect of this issue is the outsized influence of Islamic extremists who have embraced terrorism as a primary method for destabilizing, then imposing themselves on and controlling selected populations by intimidation and violence. One root of this terrorism, according to various experts, is the Wahhabism nurtured in Saudi Arabia, which has expended vast financial resources and become a huge influence in the Muslim world. The fact that this extremist element may not be representative of historic and mainstream Islam seems beside the point because of its ability and determination to intimidate and seize power.

Unless it is reversed this trend will jeopardize the future of Western civilization, for these extremists see the West as the enemy to be defeated. The longer they continue, the more their influence grows, the more difficult they will be to contain or reverse. So what should be done? Conventional military responses have limited usefulness, for without some way to identify the enemy for sustained retaliation, military effectiveness is limited. Western citizens will not be—or, in the case of the U.S., remain—supportive of long drawn-out guerrilla warfare.

Can an analogy be drawn between dealing with terrorists and organized crime or drug traffickers? Or is it possible, by gaining the support of a majority of the indigenous population, to establish and maintain order locally and regionally? That is evidently the current strategy of the forces in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Unless there is a sustained, disciplined effort to identify and defeat this jihadist element, will the Middle East and Europe eventually bow to these would-be rulers? Will it mean the decline of Europe and the United States, as Soviet losses in Afghanistan contributed to the decline of the Soviet Union? Muslims driven by jihadist ideology think so and that motivates them.

Any effort to deal forcefully with extremists must endeavor to develop a strategy that courts and strengthens moderates who may be intimidated by them, and it must also reach out to other countries that see the danger of extremist Islam. If these extremists cannot be defeated, moderate Muslims will be subjugated and the extremists will ensure grave global consequences. Such consequences in their early stages are already apparent in Africa and elsewhere.

A withdrawal of Western troops from Iraq will not assure that conflict will end. That will require a thorough discrediting of this extremist ideology and its violent adherents among the majority of Muslims who can recognize it as the true enemy and emphatically reject it. They need encouragement, support, and hope of self-determination for the future. If Western societies do not care enough to provide it now, we will likely pay a bigger price later.

Finally, we need a widespread condemnation of militant Islamist extremism that, in its ruthless drive to destroy any obstructions to its presumed triumph, disregards the value of human life. People of faith, including Christian leaders, have voiced such condemnation. Unfortunately, the way in which they have done so has frequently pushed moderate Muslims to sympathize and align with the extremists. Such tactics must be avoided in the future. The pursuit of peace and an end to violence, a goal worthy of united support from all religious traditions, must be pursued with discernment in a manner compatible with a paramount concern for the safety and welfare of every human being.  

Dr. Luder G. Whitlock, Jr. is Executive Director of The Trinity Forum.

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