Ex-Muslim Radical: Muslims Need to Be More Vocal About Condemning Violence

Daily Beast contributor Maajid Nawaz is a former radical Muslim speaking out against that element of the Muslim faith, and on CNN tonight, in reaction to the Sydney siege, said that Muslims need to step up and be better in condemning Islamic violence. He told Anderson Cooper that it’s more accurate to call the radical hostage-taker a “self-starter” as opposed to a “lone wolf.”

He brought up the #IllRideWithYou trend started by Australians to show support for Muslims living in their communities, and while Nawaz said that was nice, he asked, “How many times do we see Muslims starting such hashtags to say ‘Actually, we condemn Islamist and jihadist terrorism’?”

Nawaz argued that when a radical ideology “inspires multiple one-offs,” it might be worth examining these cases as a phenomenon. He did tell Cooper that people “use this ideology as an excuse” to carry out whatever violence they feel like.

Watch the video below, via CNN:

[image via screengrab]

— —

Follow Josh Feldman on Twitter: @feldmaniac

New: The Mediaite One-Sheet "Newsletter of Newsletters"
Your daily summary and analysis of what the many, many media newsletters are saying and reporting. Subscribe now!