Confronting Religious Extremism in the New Silk Web

Abstract: The rise in religious extremism is highly documented, but not well understood. The most frequently cited explanations are economic and sociological. However, the specific role of religion has received far less attention and is often glossed within social-scientific analysis. The aim of this paper is to elucidate the rise of religious ideology in pre-modern Indian Muslim thought and to draw attention to the importance of religious narratives in causing and possibly resolving violent religious extremism in Southwest Asia. This historic setting, more than any other, informs the trajectory of competing religious expressions of Islam. Two positions are considered because of their polar responses to similar phenomenon. These proceed from the same school of thought, and overlap considerably in the use of interpretative methodologies, yet they articulate radically different visions for fidelity to Islam. One has been used to legitimize and mobilize extremist violence in order to establish a righteous society, the other to advocate for a pluralistic participation with the secular state. Their shared roots allow for a juxtaposition that allows for a cursory description of the challenges faced within the Muslim community to retain fidelity to some most cherished values. It is argued that within the Muslim religious intellectual tradition there are ample resources to support a dynamic and pluralistic society. The identification and promotion of these values is essential to halting the spread of violent extremism. Interventions need to promote proponents of this narrative and avoid practices that further alienate and limit the natural outworking of this dialogue within Muslim communities.