(Guardian-UK) Brian Whitaker - Compulsion in religion is the ideological foundation stone of ISIS and Islamist movements in general. Believing they have superior knowledge of God's wishes for mankind, such groups feel required to punish those who fail to comply with the divine will. Bombing ISIS and banning Islamist movements may suppress such movements for a while, but it does nothing to address the ideological problem. Unless the question of compulsion in religion is tackled head-on, they will resurface later or similar groups will emerge to replace them. As far as many of the Arab public are concerned, discriminating against members of the "wrong" faith is not only acceptable, but the right thing to do. Most Arab states share ISIS's approach to compulsion in religion. ISIS may be more brutal in practice but, basically, they are on the same ground - asserting the superiority of Islam and the legitimacy of religious discrimination.
2014-10-30 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive