A group of Muslim scholars in Great Britain want to fight the internet power of radical extremist groups such as ISIS. To do so, they have started an internet magazine called Haqiqah, which translates to “the truth” or “the reality.”
More than 100 Imams gathered in London to launch the magazine, which has been started on the website “Imams Online.” Imams Online senior editor Qari Asim said,
“Someone has to reclaim that territory from ISIS, and that can only be imams: religious leaders who guide and nourish their community…But now that we live in a digital mobile world, some young people are not coming to the mosque so we must reach out to them – and this is the Muslims’ contribution to combat radicalisation on the net.”
The experts writing for the magazine want to counter the radicalized, perverted version of Islam that is advertized by ISIS. In Haqiqah, Muslim scholars provide clear explanations of verses of the Koran that are often used by extremists to urge young people from across Europe, America, and the Islamic world to leave their homes to fight – and often to die – in Syria and Iraq.
Shaukat Warraich, the chief editor of Imams Online, said,
“We’re turning the tide…Though we still have a way to go, we know that by taking efforts to support and mobilise the huge online Muslim population, we will eventually drown out the violent voices.”
The magazine itself certainly takes a tough stance against extremist violence. The very first paragraph of the magazine is the beginning of an editorial by Warraich, which reads,
“For many years now, the Muslim world has been at a crossroads. The voices of Justice are being drowned out by the sounds of gunfire. We are blinded to the beauty of Islam by images of death and destruction. All the while, the evil we see being carried out takes the guise of our religion. The justifications are drawn from words we hold most dear. We cannot stand idly by and allow violence and extremism to dictate the terms. Our Imams and Scholars have a responsibility to the youth ? to educate, inform and guide them on the right path.”
To battle the propaganda machine that is ISIS, these Muslim scholars hope that bringing their message about truth and the reality of Islam to the internet will help them gain ground. As the world still sits and wonders how exactly to combat ISIS, these brave Imams have taken the first step to help stop young people from being sucked into radicalization. Let’s all hope that those seeking God through Islam will seek the truth that is offered by Haqiqah, not the gun that is offered by ISIS.
