10/12/2018: I need your help.
Dear friends,
I need your help.
We are witnessing a civil war within Islam, a battle of ideas, as various interpretations of the same faith pursue very different agendas. While Muslim reformers like myself are frequently referred to as moderate Muslims, there is nothing moderate about our faith or the manner in which we practice Islam. Moderate Muslims believe their faith is a choice, a personal relationship between God and the individual. Moderate Muslims stand for peace, universal human rights, and secular governance, and they reject the idea that it is their religious obligation to spread “Islam” in hopes of establishing global-based sharia law (an “Islamic” government ruled by the Qur’an).
The world is watching the struggle, as these moderate Muslims engage in ideological warfare with the Islamists; the theocrats (individuals who prefer a religious government) who believe it is their God-given duty to convert the world to “Islam” and establish a global caliphate (an area ruled by Muslims) by whatever means necessary. This ideology (system of beliefs) encompasses Islam not only as a faith but also as a set of political aspirations. This ideology referred to as “Islamism” or “political Islam,” is entirely incompatible with Western values, and we adamantly believe that there is no greater threat to humanity.
While society tends to focus on those Islamists who have been brainwashed (radicalized) to commit acts of violence (terrorism) against non-Muslims, terrorism is only one tactic implemented by Islamists. A majority of the strategies implemented in America, primarily by Islamist organizations like CAIR and ISNA, are non-violent and subtle. Such strategies include patient advocacy, slow societal change, and chronic self-victimization. Regardless of the approach, the end-goal is the same; a world ruled by Islamic law.
While it is ultimately up to Muslims to decide which interpretation of Islam will prevail, we wouldn’t be exposing ourselves to the dangers of Islamism if we didn’t unwaveringly believe that our interpretation of Islam has the potential to permanently defeat the threat of Islamist theocracy (Islamism). While much progress has been made, there is still much work to do, and there are an abundance of projects we would like to undertake in our efforts to counteract the influence of Islamism.
If you or someone you know is able to donate to our fight against Islamism, we would be incredibly grateful. We aspire to grow and share our message with an even larger audience, and any amount, large or small, helps us achieve our goals.
We have a vision that future generations may exist in a world without the lingering perils of Islamism, and we need your help making that vision a reality.
As always, thank you for your support.
Your’s faithfully,
M. Zuhdi Jasser, M.D.
President & Founder
October 5, 2018: AIFD Welcomes a New Era of Counterterrorism
AIFD PRESS RELEASE
American Islamic Forum for Democracy
Contact: Mischel Yosick
480-225-7473
mischel@zliberty.com
October 5, 2018
Phoenix, Arizona
The American Islamic Forum for Democracy (AIFD) today commended the Trump administration on the release of its new potent counterterrorism strategy. This long-overdue renewal of a White House counterterrorism strategy, last visited in 2011, addresses many of the issues that our Muslim Reform Movement(MRM) called out as problematic in the Obama administration’s 2011 strategy which avoided any mention of specifics regarding ideology, most notably, Islamism.
We are pleased to see that the generic, ineffective term “Countering Violent Extremism (CVE)” will no longer be used and are encouraged that it has been replaced with clearer verbiage that includes phrases like “terrorism prevention” and most significantly, the precise identification of the issue of radical Islamist ideology, or what we refer to as “Countering Islamism (CI).”
While some have attempted to minimize the significance of the changes to the strategy and portray it as a continuation of the strategy by previous administrations, we assert that with this new strategy this administration has demonstrated an unprecedented appreciation of the networks that are stemming from the Islamist ideology. The Trump administration seems to recognize that the Islamist ideology continues to loom globally and pervasively, sprouting new networks in response to the imminent decimation of ISIS. The new strategy appears to address the reality that Al Qaeda and other radical Islamist groups are on the rise, in that the new strategy calls for heightening technological, financing, and social media counterterrorism arms, to name a few.
We note that this 2018 report specifically states, “departments and agencies will investigate ties between domestic terrorists not motivated by radical Islamist ideology’s and their overseas counterpart to more fully understand them”.
Dr. Zuhdi Jasser, President of the American Islamic Forum for Democracy noted,
“We remain hopeful that in identifying the connection between the global Islamist ideology and radical violent terror networks, this White House counterterrorism strategy will begin to engage Muslim reformers against Islamism, and work with them to implement both short and long-term strategic programs. Such programs are the only solution to the radical Islamist ideology, and will ultimately be far more effective than the past administration’s whack-a-mole CVE program. While we would prefer to see a White House counterterrorism strategy place more emphasis on offense (i.e. the advancement into Muslim communities of ideas related to liberty) rather than simply defense, we believe this is a very healthy start and a much more realistic approach to counterterrorism than the empty bromides of the Obama administration last presented in the 2011 strategy”.
It is our sincerest hope that the administration will quickly advance towards engaging groups like the American Islamic Forum for Democracy and our coalition in the Muslim Reform Movement to effectuate solutions against radical Islamism and the conveyor belt of global political Islam (Islamism) in advancing ideas of freedom, liberty and universal human rights as long-term solutions.