Abdel-Aziz Al-Bukhari

Zia Sardar writes:

At the launch of the foundation this week, Sheikh Abdul-Aziz al-Bukhari, a "master" of the Naqshbandi Sufi order in Palestine, rightly pointed out that Islam is not an ideology. He went on to say Muslims should love, obey and respect the government. It's exactly what I would expect of a neocon Sufi order that supported Bush and his war on Iraq. Islam is not an ideology, but it is no more devoid of politics than Christianity. Far from "obeying" this government, Muslims are duty-bound to challenge it. Extremism is not only a religious issue; it is also a product of our politics. And tackling extremism requires changing politics as much as changing religious outlook.

Affiliations

• Quilliam Foundation