The Trouble With Islam: It's Still--It's ALWAYS--the Jihad, Stupid

Some time ago I heard Irshad Manji explain to an interviewer that "the trouble with Islam today" (the title of one of her books) is, in a word, Muslims. And I remember thinking at the time: wrong, Irshad. The trouble with Islam is--are--the triumphalism and the jihad imperative embedded in sacred Islamic texts. They're the reason why a supposedly "moderate," non-violent imam can end up inspiring a young man to kill the "kuffar."

Here's an example of what I mean:

Michael Adebowale, one of the two British jihadists found guilty of murdering soldier Lee Rigby near London's Woolwich barracks in May 2013, has recently attributed his radicalization to Islamic preacher Sheikh Khalid Yasin. 

According to the Daily Mirror newspaper, Adebowale, who refused to give evidence during his trial, stated that he converted to Islam after listening to cleric Sheikh Khalid Yasin's lectures, which he said taught him "the purpose of life." 

Yasin, an American-born Islamic preacher, claims Christians and Jews are "kuffar" [infidels] and their beliefs are "filth." Yasin has called for the killing of homosexuals and claims that "Christian groups" have deliberately infected Africans with the AIDS virus. He further adds that the Koran gives men permission to beat women. 

Adebowale is not the first violent extremist to name Yasin as his muse. In 2011, Khalid Yasin was invited by three men, later convicted of inciting terrorism, to address a meeting of young Muslims in Manchester. 

While Yasin's views are rejected by many, he is by no means a pariah figure. In February 2011, the BBC interviewed Yasin for a documentary on Dutch politician Geert Wilders. The program introduced the Sheikh as a "moderate" preacher "engaged in de-radicalising youth." 

It seems to be self-proclaimed "moderate" organizations and mosques that are involved in the radicalization of young Muslim men...

That's a huge problem, and it's why government efforts (like this one and this one) that aim to curb the creation of jihadis are bound to fail.