This article is from New Civilisation Magazine. The word ‘extreme’ only takes on meaning when defined against some benchmark. ‘Extreme’ weather is a serious departure from a normal, expected climate; extremely hot or cold water is defined as such when compared against, say, lukewarm. The word is relative and defined in relation to some ‘norm’. Ideas are not different.

Abdul Waheed Majeed’s martyrdom operation where he freed hundreds of Muslim prisoners in Aleppo is condemned by Britain as ‘terrorism’. Yet there are many examples of British soldiers who undertook suicidal missions during WWII and they are labelled as heroes and receive the highest praise. One such example is James Conway, a British marine who undertook a suicide mission against the Nazis in WWII.

In 1275 the King of England Edward I issued a law called “The Statute of the Jewry” which placed a number of restrictions on Jews living in England. These included:

In the wake of the Woolwich killing, attacks on Muslims in the UK have soared and the media has gone in to overdrive in generating hatred against Islam. The British government which worked tirelessly to destroy the last Caliphate in the 19th and 20th centuries, will no doubt bring out more measures to label Islamic thoughts as extreme.

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:  أَفْضَلُ الْجِهَادِ كَلِمَةُ عَدْلٍ عِنْدَ سُلْطَانٍ جَائِرٍ  “The best Jihad is the word of Justice in front of the oppressive Sultan.”  (Abu Dawud, Tirmidhi, ibn Maja) In 1993, Sheikh Ali al-Qattan was praying at the Prophet’s ﷺ mosque in Medina, when he was surprised to find Hosni Mubarak entering the prayer hall.

Allah Most High describes the harmful nature of alcohol in the Holy Qur’an: يَسْأَلُونَكَ عَنِ الْخَمْرِ وَالْمَيْسِرِ ۖ قُلْ فِيهِمَا إِثْمٌ كَبِيرٌ وَمَنَافِعُ لِلنَّاسِ وَإِثْمُهُمَا أَكْبَرُ مِنْ نَفْعِهِمَا “They will ask you about alcoholic drinks and gambling. Say, ‘There is great wrong in both of them and also certain benefits for mankind. But the wrong in them is greater than the benefit.’” (Al-Baqarah, 2:219)

The Prophet Muhammad (Allah bless him and give him peace) said: “The best Jihad is the word of Justice in front of the oppressive ruler.” (Abu Dawud, Tirmidhi, ibn Maja) Hundreds of thousands of people are on the streets of Egypt tonight calling for the removal of the tyrant Hosni Mubarak. Inspired by the protests in Tunisia which forced another tyrant Ben Ali from power the Muslims of Egypt are losing their fear of the regime and its security forces. They bravely face the tanks, guns and water cannons demanding an end to the decades of tyranny under Mubarak, the close friend of Obama.

Halal meat has become the latest battleground in the clash of civilisations between Islam and the west. There was a media frenzy recently over reports that halal meat was unknowingly being served to the British public with the Daily Mail claiming ‘Britain goes halal’.

When the volcanic ash cloud hit Europe last week I along with thousands of other Muslims was caught stranded in Saudi Arabia after performing the umra (minor pilgrimage). As we set off for Jeddah Airport we were obviously concerned since our flight had been cancelled and we were unsure what assistance would be provided to us by the Saudi government’s Hajj ministry and Saudi Airlines.