I often advocate for a reformed, self-reflective Islam that confronts its history and extremism head-on, enabling true equality and harmony in a diverse world—without excusing past wrongs but also without burdening the present. My clarion call has always been for accountability, openness, and mutual respect as the foundation for progress. It comes from the experiences of having survived the Pakistan-sponsored Kashmir Jihad, which took the lives of two of our generations – Kashmiri Pandits, Muslims, Sikhs and tore the social fabric of our close-knit communities living in an uneasy peace for decades. I often catch myself thinking introspective arguments about Islam’s historical context, modern challenges with extremism, and a proposed path forward for peaceful coexistence.
So here’s the thing – Islam originated outside India (e.g., via Arab expansions, Turkic-Mongol invasions, Timurid conquests) and involved violence, subjugation, and conversions—some voluntary through proselytisation, others forced. The current generation of Muslims cannot be held responsible for these events and the “historical baggage” they have inherited. It takes time (in my case, decades, and I am quite open to truths and deconditioning) to process and understand that the Muslim heritage we were born in had a malevolent past besides the peaceful stories of proselytising that we grew up with. But this slow deconditioning shouldn’t define or be used to blame individuals today who just want a peaceful coexistence with their neighbours.
The deconditioning was possible due to the advent of technology and the rise of social media users, which enabled the cross-referencing, confirming, and putting queries to our elders, parents, and extended family, demanding answers to what had not been told to us while nurturing us in the faith. For many Muslims, lapsed or otherwise, 9/11 was the trigger. For my generation, it was the 1990s Kashmir, which saw the indigenous Kashmiri Pandit population ethnically cleansed by 17 to 18-year-olds with AK-47s (punks, as I like to call them; Amnesty International and the UN records call them child soldiers).
Today, it is easy to identify and map extremist ideologies by countries, attacks and groups from the late 20th century onwards. My entire study room wall is filled from top to bottom with names of terror groups continent-wise, except for Antarctica. It needs to be acknowledged that Islam has a problem. Scores of writers, thinkers, intellectuals and activists have written reams about this problem. My personal favourites are Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Tarek Fateh, Anouar Majid and more than 150 reformers’ biographies I have collected over the past few years. Their work constantly throws light on the areas of Sharia law and the subculture within Islam, which needs addressing on an urgent basis. Be it ISIS, Boko Haram in Nigeria, Africa, Hamas in Palestine, the Muslim Brotherhood (banned in Egypt and its founder, Syed Qutb, executed by the authorities), the Hizbul Mujahideen or TRF in Kashmir, the Taliban in Afghanistan, the Hezbollah in Lebanon and Iran, the Syrian factions or al-Qaeda; they all have a common thread of supremacist ideology calling for the annihilation of non-Muslims. Even their moderate factions, such as the Jamat-e-Islami, Pakistani or Indian chapter, serve as “intellectual arms” supporting the armed extremists of these groups, giving their terror acts cover fire.
I see a lot of Muslims of my generation using the fact-checking brigade, or the vulture activists, like the trio of Arfa-Rana-Sayeema, to demand that they not be subjected to anti-Muslim bigotry (or the Muslim Brotherhood coined term Islamophobia to shut down criticism of regressive practices in Islam). It would be fair to demand that we not be discriminated against, or prejudiced or held accountable for the past, but only after a significant number of us, especially the ‘silent majority’, publicly denounce violent acts and extremism. Moderates do the lip-service after every terror attack, but we from the inside know it is not sincere, and the outsiders feel that not much is being done practically. Especially when there is enough proof that every single terror organisation quotes the Islamic Scripture and invokes Allah and the Prophet.
It is high time for practical action, which means going beyond words by addressing the root causes, one of them challenging the idea of scriptural infallibility – acknowledging that the Quran and texts were compiled by humans, potentially with errors and violent verses (unlike other religions that admit this). The other thing is learning from our compatriots, the Hindus and their fascinating Carvaka traditions, which normalise unbelief and scepticism. The current generation of Muslims, whether believers or lapsed, needs to develop “thick skin” to handle fair or unfair critiques without responding violently (e.g., no knife attacks, beheadings, murders, or killing of bloggers and cartoonists). That would also mean normalising apostasy, supporting dissent and securing the safety of dissidents and advocating for secular laws over Sharia for personal matters like marriage, divorce, inheritance, and child custody.
If we are demanding the far right of any hue not subject us to accountability or accusation for the “historical baggage” or that the far left not mollycoddle our extremists in their war against society/capitalism, then we need to build the interfaith bridges with the ropes of truth, reconciliation of past wrongs, including acknowledging the historical subjugation of non-Muslim cultures and peoples. If these reforms happen (acknowledging problems, reforming internally, and promoting tolerance), Islam could cease being a “global problem” tied to extremism. It is the only way forward.
