Extremism is spreading like wildfire, as if it is a true reflection of human nature. Its threat to humanity is clear.
If we want to secure a more peaceful social order, we need to address this social disease and identify its roots.
Extremism is not the monopoly of religion.
It could be the child of secular political ideologies. It could also be the product of religious political ideologies.
And, talking about religious extremism, it must be said that it is not to be associated with any religion.
We have seen extremism among the followers of Islam, Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism as well as in smaller religions.
This means that each religion needs to combat extremism in its own community.
Moreover, since extremism in one religious community may lead to inter-religious conflicts, it is recommended that a multifaith approach be adopted to address the roots of such extremism.
Not all forms of extremism end up in violence. But violent extremism is what concerns most people.
Ethically, however, extremism is viewed as undesirable regardless of whether it is accompanied by violence or not.
Since many contemporary Muslims are prone to embracing extremism and violence in the name of Islam, a few remarks on Islamic perspectives on extremism are called for.
It is important to understand that Islam as a religion emphasises two fundamental things.
Firstly, right belief, and secondly, right action.
In saying right belief, it does not mean accepting only one interpretation of the religion, or that only one view or belief is right.
Likewise, in saying right action, it does not mean only one kind of action is correct.
In Islamic tradition, there is such a thing as pluralism in the religion, that is, pluralism of beliefs as reflected in the existence of various theological schools, and pluralism of moral codes of conduct as reflected in the various legal schools of Islamic law.
We are not talking about inter-religious pluralism, but rather about intra-religious pluralism.
Muslims believe in pluralism, and they have dealt successfully in the past with issues of pluralism in their own tradition.
In the tradition established by Muslim scholars throughout the centuries, there is a broad domain of right beliefs, in which various schools of thought coexist and interact.
This domain defines Muslim orthodoxy, the meaning of being within the community of believers. What falls outside that circle of orthodoxy is what Islam considers as religious error.
Another word for this religious error is extremism.
Mainstream Islam may be identified with this circle of orthodoxy.
Islam claims it is the religion of the middle, or wasatiyyah way. By implication, there is no place for extremism in Islam.
As opposed to right belief and right action, there is error in belief and error in action.
In Islam, the syariah, its revealed law, is the primary source of knowledge of what is right and wrong.
Errors in beliefs may be harmless to others not sharing those beliefs, but some erroneous beliefs could be harmful to others even to the point of igniting violence. Similarly with errors in actions.
How Muslims understand and interpret the syariah can be consequential in many ways.
What would happen to Muslim society and to non-Muslims living in that society if some Muslims deem it permissible, for examples, to lie, commit corruption or kill leaders whom they dislike, because they think they are doing them for the sake of the syariah?
There would be chaos.
Fortunately, mainstream Islam does not believe in or does such things, because these would go against the very principles of the syariah itself.
The Prophet of Islam has reminded his followers of the various instances when a person could slip out of the circle of orthodoxy.
The Prophet used to say that "those who indulge in extremism are not members of my community".
Indeed, how Muslims understand and interpret the syariah is of paramount importance to society, because that is where we are likely to have misinterpretations.
And misinterpretations, deliberate or otherwise, can be very costly if these seek to legitimise violence.
There are abuses in interpretations by various groups, especially those placing excessive emphasis on political Islam.
True enough, in Islam, religion is inseparable from politics.
But nowadays, in relation to religion, the importance of politics may have been blown out of proportion.
The writer is emeritus professor and Al-Ghazali Chair of Epistemology and Civilizational Studies and Renewal at ISTAC-IIUM
The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of the New Straits Times