OPEN CONDEMNATION IS ESSENTIAL
One of the commandments given to believers in the Quran and Hadith is to forbid what is wrong. This means that when something wrong occurs, remaining silent after witnessing it is a serious offense. It’s not enough for someone to simply avoid participating in the wrongdoing. If they see it and choose to stay silent, they are considered indirectly responsible.
For example, today, in many places, Muslims are engaging in actions in the name of jihad that the global media reports as acts of terrorism. It wouldn’t be wrong to say that, in this matter, almost all Muslims worldwide are, in God’s eyes, guilty. The reason is that, as far as I know, there isn’t a single well-known Muslim who openly condemns this violent behavior.
One group of Muslims sees this kind of violence as true Islamic jihad. Some even call suicide bombing an act of seeking martyrdom and support it fully. Another group uses words that sound like condemnation, but in reality, they are not. For example, they might say, “There is no terrorism in Islam,” or “Islam does not allow terrorism.” But they won’t clearly state that in specific places, Muslims are carrying out violent campaigns that are acts of terrorism and go against Islam. In such cases, their condemnation is nothing more than self-deception.
There is also a group of Muslims who seem to clearly condemn such actions by naming them, but then they also use defensive language that shifts the blame to the enemies of Muslims instead of the Muslims themselves.
These methods of condemnation do not align with Islamic teachings. The proper way to condemn is not only to state that terrorism is un-Islamic but also to openly and clearly reject the violent acts carried out in the name of jihad in various locations. It should be clearly stated that this is not jihad—it’s corruption and chaos.
It is the guilty silence of Muslim writers and speakers that has allowed this violence in the name of jihad to continue. In this criminal violence, while the self-proclaimed mujahideen are directly involved, the rest of the Muslim community is indirectly involved. And from an Islamic perspective, there is only a difference in degree between direct and indirect involvement—not in the nature of the act itself.
