Kerby Anderson

A phrase often used to describe the ideology of Muslim terrorists is the phrase “Islamist extremism.” British Prime Minister Theresa May, for example, used it after the terrorist attacks in London. Andrew McCarthy says the phrase illustrates “the Western schizophrenia about radical Islam.” He argues in a recent column that, “If you are an Islamist in the West, you are, by definition, an extremist. An Islamist is a Muslim who believes Islam requires the imposition of sharia, Islam’s ancient, totalitarian society system and legal code.” You don’t need to take his word for it. He also quotes from the president of Turkey who refers to the West’s attempt to soften Muslim convictions by referring to “moderate Islam.” The president calls the term “ugly” and counters that, “Islam is Islam, and that’s it.” Andrew McCarthy acknowledges that there are gradations of extremism. Some Islamists are violent jihadists. Others may support jihad but are not violent themselves. Still others may reject violence altogether but still want to impose sharia through peaceful means. The point he is making that any Muslim who wants British law or the American constitution supplanted by Islamic law is not a moderate. They may not try to kill people in an Orlando nightclub or drive a van into pedestrians in London. But they aren’t moderate if they want to implement sharia in your country. He also reminds us that fifty Muslim governments ratified the Cairo Declaration of Human Rights in Islam. Article 24 states: “All the rights and freedoms stipulated in this Declaration are subject to Islamic Shariah.” Article 25 adds: “The Islamic Sharia is the only source of reference for the explanation or clarification of any of the articles of this Declaration.” This is what Muslims say about their ideology.