Judge Islam by what its believers do and not by what academics, liberal and commentators say

Islam and Terrorism [Michael Rubin]

While it’s fashionable to argue that terrorists in Mumbai do not act out of religion, but are simply misguided, the fact of the matter is that they justify their actions in Islam. For the purposes of policy and security, religion should be what its practitioners believe it to be rather than what academics or outside commentators say it is. It is much more important to determine how terrorists are brainwashed in madrasas, then passing judgment on whether what they believe conforms to what academics believe Muslims should believe.

Along these lines, a few articles from the Middle East Quarterly archives looking at how radicals and terrorists justify their actions in Islam.

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