CSS 2019 Solved Islamiyat Past Papers | Challenges of Extremism for Muslim Ummah
The following question of Islamiat is solved by Miss Ayesha Irfan, the highest scorer in CSS Islamiat. Moreover, the question is attempted on the same pattern taught by Sir Syed Kazim Ali to his students, scoring the highest marks in compulsory subjects for years. This solved past paper question is uploaded to help aspirants understand how to crack a topic or question, how to write relevantly, what coherence is, and how to include and connect ideas, opinions, and suggestions to score the maximum.
Question Breakdown
The examiner questioned a suitable response to the obstacles posed by extremism to the Islamic community. However, you should give a thorough explanation of extremism in Islam if you wish to do well in Islamic studies. Additionally, learning about the modern extremist issues that the Muslim Ummah faces would improve one’s reaction level.
Outline
1-Introduction
2- Historical background of extremism
3- How extremism is a challenge to Islam
- ✓Extremism leads towards Sectarianism and division of Muslim Ummah
- ✓Extremism incites hatred and terrorism
- ✓Extremism portrays a negative image of Islam
4- How contemporary challenges of Muslim Ummah are exacerbating extremism in the world
- ✓Poor education system engendering extremism
- ✓Bad economic situation fostering extremism
- ✓Political instability promoting extremism
5- Critical analysis
6- Conclusion
Answer to the Question
Introduction
Extremism is the most prominent issue among the many theological, socio-political, and economic difficulties that the Muslim world has faced. Thus, extremism poses a serious threat to the Muslim Ummah. Even while Islam promotes harmony, moderation, tolerance, and peaceful coexistence, it is tragic that the leaders of the de-facto Muslim leaders and scholars were unable to bring about peace and harmony throughout the Ummah. Islam vehemently opposes radicalism in all of its manifestations, including social, political, and theological. The Quran and the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) both provide Muslims the mandate to strive for moderation and refrain from extremism in their actions and beliefs. Aside from this, contemporary challenges of the Muslim Ummah are substantially aggravating the condition of extremism in the world. Lack of education, weak economic conditions, and persistent political instability in most of the Islamic countries have exacerbated extremism in the world. Therefore, the problem of extremism can be handled by taking decisive action by the whole Ummah.
Historical background of extremism
Religious Extremism is the quality of being extreme in advocating a religious matter. Its root lies deep in history, even before the period of the Holy Prophet (SAW). As mentioned in the Holy Quran, Jews and Christians have a conflict about the son of Allah (SWT); Jews claimed Hazrat Uzair (R.A) as the son of Allah, and Christians acknowledged Hazrat Musa (R.A). However, in Pakistan, religious extremism has proliferated because of the absolutist ideas of Abu al Madudi. Later on, the war between the USSR and Afghanistan became the catalyst for intensifying extremism in the country.
How extremism is a challenge to Islam
- Extremism leads towards Sectarianism and division of Muslim Ummah
The extreme beliefs regarding religious matters have divided the Muslim Ummah into multiple sects. People of one sect are unwilling to listen to or understand the perspectives of others, thereby fostering intolerance in society. Each sect considers itself on the right path and views others as wrong. Furthermore, in their efforts to uphold the supremacy of their sect, they have been spreading extremist views by misinterpreting the religion. For example, one of the major reasons for the rivalry between Saudi Arabia and Iran is the desire to assert its superiority over the other. Consequently, extremism has become an obstacle to the unification of the Muslim Ummah.
- Extremism incites hatred and terrorism.
Extremism gives birth to hatred and terrorism in society. The absolutist views of a person regarding Islam create conflict with others, thereby fostering resentment in society. As a result of resentment, a person adopts the path of violence to enforce his beliefs. AG Noorani writes in his book Islam and Jihad that fundamentalist views erode a person’s rational capability and intensify compassion for the religion. As evident from the statement, an irrational person can be easily utilized to achieve violent objectives. Thus, the prevailing extremism has been paving the path for increasing hatred and terrorism in society.
- Extremism portrays a negative image of Islam.
Islam, a peace-loving religion, has been portrayed by extremist groups as a violence-loving religion to the international community. The Western world has associated Islam with terrorism and extremism. As a result of this association, Islamophobia is prevailing worldwide, fueling hatred and marginalization towards Muslims. The prevailing negative image against Islam due to a few extremist people has raised multifaceted challenges for the Muslim community, encompassing social, political, and economic. Therefore, extremism has not only affected one country but poses a challenge for the entire Muslim world.
How contemporary challenges of Muslim Ummah are exacerbating extremism in the world
- Poor education system engendering extremism
There are multiple challenges of Muslim Ummah that are contributing to aggravating extremism in the world. The poor education system is one of the most significant problems in the Muslim world. Traditional ways of learning, such as rote learning and memorization, hinder students from developing critical thinking abilities. According to a report by UNESCO, poor education systems in a majority of Muslim countries have substantially contributed to prevailing extremism. When students are not getting quality education, it often leads to unemployment and poverty, thereby making students more susceptible to radical ideas. Thus, the lack of quality education has worsened the situation of extremism in the world.
- Bad economic situation fostering extremism
Poor economic condition ignites the flames of extremism in a country. Poverty and unemployment facilitate a person towards fascinating Islamic teaching, engendering extremist beliefs in the people. According to reports, the total economy of OIC countries represents only 4% of the total GDP of the world. The statistic clearly reflects that most of the Muslim countries are grappling with economic turmoil. Thus, the weak economy of the Muslim world is breeding the extremism in the Muslim communities.
- Political instability promoting extremism
Extremism has also been exacerbated in Muslim countries because of the long-standing issues of political instability. Lack of political stability often leads to bad governance, poor economy, weak social cohesion, and deteriorated security conditions, thereby fueling frustration in a country. Amid growing frustration, people find solace in extremism and adopt violent ways to uphold their beliefs. For instance, political instability and civil wars in most Muslim countries, such as Lebanon, South Sudan, Libya, and Afghanistan, have made them hot spots for fueling extremism in the world. Therefore, political turmoil in the Muslim countries has made it difficult for them to cope with the evil of extremism.
Critical analysis
To evaluate critically, the extremists have inflicted great losses to the reputation of the religion by projecting a negative image, particularly for the non-Muslims. Islam spread across the world because of its peaceful nature and has now been perceived as a sign of danger for the West. The cases of extremism have been increasing rapidly around the world. For instance, recently, the lynching of a Srilankan factory manager in Pakistan is a glaring example reflecting the radicalized concept of Islam. Thus, immediate, decisive actions are required by the Islamic Ummah to deal with the menace of extremism.
Conclusion
In summary, extremism has become a serious challenge, severely impacting the growth and prosperity of the Muslim Ummah. It has rapidly proliferated in Muslim countries, turning them into hotpots for multifaceted challenges. The disunity among Muslims, driven by sectarian divides and ethnicity, has torn apart the social fabric of society, fostering mutual hatred. Due to this social divide and a lack of trust, Muslim leaders have been unable to find effective solutions to tackle the menace of extremism. Therefore, immediate and pragmatic measures are required to address this problem sagaciously.
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