Dealing with Muslim extremism?

Question

What ways are best to deal with the ever increasing numbers of Muslim extremists and terrorists, what are your views in tackling this issue?

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Answer 1

I don't know many Muslims but the few that I do know are are far from "tolerant and full of peace". They act like they are better and above everyone els especially Americans.

Answer 2

The same as we would deal with ANY extremism.  First you have to identify the source and see what can be done to take away the impetus for people to sign on with these groups.  Often we see that people are recruited from impoverished areas with little opportunity.

Answer 3

Well, Barack - if that is your name - I'd suggest the underlying impetus behind the proliferation of terrorism is the sense of injustice in the West's historical and continued strategies of manipulation, coercion and oppression of countries where Islam is the main religion.  Deposing the democratically elected left-wing government of Iran, for example, then installing the tyrannical Shah in their place may have seemed like good politics to the CIA in the '50s, but the rise of extremist Islamic clerics can be pinpointed from that moment.  Supporting and arming Saddam and using him as a cypher for the war of revenge on Iran was an act of ruthless self-interest which, like most such, ended up backfiring with spectacularly bad results.

All the major Western powers have corrupted and distorted Middle Eastern politics in a series of typically cynical policies focused on securing oil supplies vital to their economies.  The consequences for the people of, say, Saudi Arabia are seldom discussed; they suffer a brutal, undemocratic and sinister regime supported by the West as a matter of course, despite their hideous treatment of women and any dissident voice and while the House of Saud advances its agenda of proselytising the vicious Wahabi version of Islam.

The West could begin by changing tack making a sincere effort to work with genuinely progressive, democratic forces in Islam and the Middle East generally.  They could also stop their collaboration with Israel's indefensible expansionism and quasi-apartheid system and, finally, stop this crass characterisation of Islam as an aggressive, backward religion.

None of this is to condone the actions of terrorists, but it behooves we in the West to at least acknowledge our long history of atrocities, illegal interventions and imperialist agendas.  The ordinary peoples throughout the Middle East - and their emigrant cousins now in the West - are well versed in this, while we remain ignorant.  A bit of education on our part would be a good first step, I'd say.

Massively reducing our reliance on oil would be a good second step.

Answer 4

I will ask Hillary