Recently, I’ve been observing the situation in Syria and have been startled by the number of Canadians who are going there to fight in the name of “jihad” and Islam, for terrorist groups such as ISIS. They are even active on social media, while being in Syria, propagating their extremist views to other Muslim youth online and inviting them to come to Syria to join in their fight.
I want my fellow Canadians to know that Muslims aren’t a monolithic community, and that the overwhelming majority are utterly against this type of radical and violent approach.
I cannot emphasize how blessed I am to be an Ahmadi Muslim. We have a history of rejecting violent jihad and favouring jihad of the pen, with jihad literally meaning “struggle.”
Radicalization is a growing threat from some Muslims in the West, but as a member of the Ahmadiyya Muslim community, I can tell you that in many communities, such as mine, it is non-existent. I only hope that those Muslim youth who have been radicalized, come to realize that such teachings do not represent Islam at all.
