Authors
Abstract
Tolerance is an important Islamic principle deeply rooted in the Holy Quran and the noble Prophet Sunnah. However, opponents of Islam continuously try to defile this noble principle and expel it from its practical domain. This would result in alienating people from the true nature of Islamic teachings to embrace, instead, preplanned principles and ethics to defile Islam. Ideological extremism is considered the most dangerous type of extremism due to its reflections on the life of people. Hence, it has been deemed forbidden according to religious texts. Moreover, it blocks the dissemination of the culture of tolerance and moderation which are among the main characteristics of our noble religion. Based on this, the study attempts to answer the following questions; (1) what is the extent of the relationship between tolerance and ideological moderation? (2) what is the mechanism of dealing with ideological extremism and intellectually and behaviorally confronting it? To address these questions, the study adopts the inductive approach based on data collection and the analytical approach based on inferring suitable judgments from religious texts. The study aims to identify the status of tolerance and moderation in the life of the nation and explore threats that block the dissemination of the culture of tolerance, namely ideological extremism. It also aims to identify the mechanisms of disseminating the culture of social tolerance at the individual and group levels. The findings of the study include;-Tolerance is an intellectual terminology and an Islamic principle with expressions similar in meaning but different in structure. It has social indications that might enhance this principle. -Ideological extremism carries the meanings of fanaticism and extremism represented by the image of excommunication (Takfir) which is the main threat to social tolerance due to the traces it leaves on the social behavior on the intellectual, educational and social levels. -Means to achieve social tolerance are represented by measures that guarantee confronting its threats. These means include highlighting the role of the mosque and the school in disseminating the culture of tolerance among the people in the community.-Mechanisms of disseminating social tolerance mentioned in the study can be adopted as an agenda applicable in our time.
Keywords
)