Author: Ahmad Al-Romoh

Introduction

The presence of contradictions—the “thing and its opposite”—within religious texts has made humanity’s relationship with its faith subject to varying calculations and interpretations led by “believing” elites. Consequently, we face a sacred text that is often diverted from its supreme goal of virtue, interpreted instead according to human desire and self-interest. This complex relationship between religiosity and extremism has made the weaponization of religion in mechanisms of violence highly accessible. This is further reinforced by authoritarian political structures that redirect religious texts toward worldly goals entirely detached from their original essence. Ultimately, extremism is committed for mundane reasons that merely lean on religion as a sanctified cover.

Did Divine Books Incite Extremism?

Heavenly religions were never inherently calls for extremism. Verses referencing violence are consistently contradicted by calls for tolerance within the same faiths. In Judaism, Moses’ anger and calls to the sword are countered by the Lord’s Commandments (“Thou shalt not kill”). In Christianity, the sword as an alternative to peace is offset by absolute tolerance in “Love your enemies.” In Islam, verses of combat are historical in nature, counterbalanced by the absolute mercy emphasized in: “And We have not sent you, [O Muhammad], except as a mercy to the worlds.” The existence of these dualities provides extremists with a cover to legitimize violence.

Sacred History and the Monopoly of Truth

The absence of “historical awareness” turns the present into a mere regurgitation of the past, where the early eras of faith are viewed as sacred times that must be strictly replicated. Furthermore, the claim of each religion to possess the “absolute truth” has birthed an exclusionary and eradicative tendency. This has led to bloody conflicts not only between different religions but also within the same faith (e.g., Sunni and Shia; Catholic and Protestant), forming the fundamental root of religious extremism.

Demarcating Boundaries: The Religious and the Political

Historically, temporal and spiritual authorities allied to subjugate societies; politics spearheaded violence, while religion justified it. Judaism historically maintained this integration, which Zionism later utilized to establish a political entity. Christianity initially established a separation of powers, but this dissolved during the era of Constantine and the Crusades. In Islam, this connection manifested through the concept of “Hakimiyyah” (divine governance). Although original Islam did not legitimize extremism, radical groups exploited Hadiths on Jihad as a political tool, deliberately ignoring verses advocating forgiveness.

Extremism: Between Religiosity and the Clash of Fundamentalisms

Extremism has morphed into material violence intended to impose authoritarian political visions using religious instruments. It has shifted from the illusion of a “sacred past” to a “sacred future” (such as a global Caliphate), using human beings as ideological sacrifices. This predicament encompasses all ideologies in the era of globalization. The Evangelical right in America supported wars driven by “apocalyptic” motives (Armageddon), while nationalist movements in Europe escalate their rhetoric against Islam. We exist in a closed loop of extremism: terrorist operations heighten Western exclusionism, and extremists in both the East and West inadvertently exchange roles and services.

Conclusion

Modern extremism, in all its forms, relies on the politicization of the sacred. Breaking this vicious cycle requires deconstructing these mythologized narratives and liberating religious texts from the monopoly of political authorities and violent groups, thereby restoring the true essence of religion: ethics, virtue, and human tolerance.

Sources and References

The Myth of the Eternal Return, Mircea Eliade, translated by Nihad Khayata, Tlass House, Damascus, 1st Edition 1987 (pp. 192-194).

Religion within the Bounds of Bare Reason, Immanuel Kant, translated by Fathi Al-Meskini, Jadawel Publishing, Kuwait, 1st Edition 2012 (p. 37).

Book of Exodus (32:19).

Book of Exodus (32:27).

Book of Exodus (20:13-16).

Gospel of Matthew (10:34).

Gospel of John (2:13-16).

Gospel of Matthew (5:44-47).

Philosopher Michel Onfray and Islam Tailored for France, Mohsen Al-Mohammadi, Asharq Al-Awsat.

Symbolic Violence, Pierre Bourdieu, translated by Nazir Jahil, Arab Cultural Center, Beirut, 1st Edition 1994 (pp. 6-25-36).

A Rescue System from the Past, Hawazen Khaddaj, Tahawolat Magazine, Issue 21, 2015.

Ibid., The Myth of the Eternal Return (pp. 185-187).

1 Samuel (10:12).

Wikipedia, Donatism.

Theological Hermeneutics of History According to Augustine, Prof. Amer Abdul Zaid Al-Waeli, Al-Mothaqaf Newspaper.

Sacred Violence and Sex in Islamic Mythology, Turki Ali Rabieou, Arab Cultural Center, 2nd Edition 1995 (p. 11).

The Quest for History and Meaning in Religion, Mircea Eliade, translated by Dr. Saud Al-Mawla, Arab Organization for Translation, 1st Edition 2007 (p. 35).

Ancient and Contemporary Jewish Religious Sects, Abdul Wahab Mohammed Al-Jubouri, Al-Bidaya Website.

Wikipedia, Jesus (Trial of Jesus).

Gospel of Mark (12:12-17).

Ibid., Fields of Blood: Religion and the History of Violence (pp. 241-261).

The Religious and the Political in Judaism and Islam, Samira Bouchlouh, Al Jazeera Net.

Ibid., Fields of Blood and the History of Violence (pp. 285-290).

Hermeneutics Theory: Discourse and the Surplus of Meaning, Paul Ricoeur, translated by Saeed Al-Ghanmi, Arab Cultural Center, Casablanca, 2006 (p. 103).

Religious Debate on Violence and Terrorism, Abdel Azim Hammad, Al-Shorouk Newspaper.

Fundamentalist Identities in the Era of Clash, Prof. Ali Asaad Watfa, Al-Nabaa Network.

Extremism: The All-Consuming Fireball, Hawazen Khaddaj, Al-Arab Newspaper.