Are Muslims not speaking out against Muslim extremists, or are we not hearing them.
Once again, if this forum is any indicator for society as a whole, why would Muslims speak out against Muslim extremists. When they do they are either ignored or, more often the case, are labeled as “not serious Muslims,” “Westernized Muslims,” “secular Muslims,” or “they don’t know what their faith really teaches.”
I wasn’t sure which thread you were referring to, but I did find this one that was very enlightening. I couldn’t include the whole article, but if you read the whole thing, it gives a very good outline of the situation:
» 09/26/2013 13:35
ISLAM - CHRISTIANITY
The Arab Spring , which united Christians and Muslims , had raised hopes for a better future and a partnership for human rights , democracy , religious freedom . Instead it seems we have been propelled back to the past of a few years ago, during the American occupation in Iraq and internationally, with executions, beheadings, car bombs even during religious services.
It is also worth evaluating the reaction of Muslims. In some cases, they say: This is unacceptable! But what does this mean? What is being done to stop these groups? To answer this question we need to understand where the violence comes from. In fact, it is the mental formation , the education received, which drives the terrorists to violence.
In fact, they claim to be the true Muslims, who faithfully apply Shari’a . Unfortunately, moderate Muslims, almost manically, attempt to water down all criticism of Islam , saying that terrorists “have no religion”, or "are not true Muslims, because Islam is a peaceful religion , the ’ Islam is the religion of the middle ground ( dīn al- wasat ) and can not be extremist . " I would also like to believe them, but I would like to ask: What are you doing to combat this false Islam ?
The Muslim world is in deep existential crisis of civilization
The real issue is that Islam is in deep existential crisis of civilization. The Muslim today presents itself as a block, like a Umma that knows no geographical or political boundaries, but moves from one border to another to spread their ideas , their vision of Islam and to fight in accordance with this vision. This is not the case for the Christian world , divided by national, cultural character, etc. …
Muslims feel politically weak, militarily weak, culturally poor, scientifically weak or reduced to a flicker . This malaise is even heavier when they think about their past, in the VII - XIII centuries. It was a powerful empire, open to so many cultures, the most advanced of Europe. It was the great period of the Renaissance, our Enlightenment!
To explain this large step backwards by Muslim fundamentalists there is a simple and convincing explanation. It can be summarized as follows: as long as we faithfully followed everything that was prescribed in the Koran and tradition of our prophet, we were the best in everything, the more we strayed from this tradition, the weaker we became. Therefore, the solution is clear: let’s return to the seventh century ! This simple analysis has convinced many Muslims.
And since the Koran says of Muhammad : “There has certainly been for you in the Messenger of Allah an excellent pattern for anyone whose hope is in Allah and the Last Day and [who] remembers Allah often” ( Sura 33, Faction allies , Al - Ahzab , v . 21) , imitation of the Prophet of Islam becomes an obligation. Now, he has fought against unbelievers by all means, including war (according to tradition , he made more than sixty raids ( ghazawāt ) in less than ten years). The return to the origins raises therefore the ideal of jihad (the struggle in the way of God).
asianews.it/news-en/The-resurgence-of-Islamic-terrorism-after-the-Arab-Spring-29116.html