By Ayesha Ahmad, IOL Washington Correspondent

WASHINGTON, September 10 (IslamOnline) - Religious extremism is a product of hate and helplessness, as well as arrogance and ignorance, a group of interfaith speakers said in Washington on Monday, in an attempt to understand and counter extremism as a tribute to the victims of September 11.

Panelists addressed a small group in the National Press Club, in a forum sponsored by the Washington-based Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC).

“Religious extremism is not an isolated phenomenon,” said Dr. Partha Banerjee, a South Asian scholar, activist and author. “It is associated with other forms of extremism… whose manifestation is in human rights violations.”

Banerjee spoke from his experience with Hindu extremists in India, where he said the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party relies on ultra-patriotism - with help from media and politicians - laws that damage civil rights, especially those of minorities, and a projected illusion of a wealthy, progressive nation in order to secure their power over a poverty-stricken, often strife-torn country.

Another speaker, Dr. Azizah al-Hibri, a law professor from Richmond’s T.C. Williams School of Law, described extremists as using “Satanic logic” to arrive at their arrogance in claiming to speak for God: Satan, in Islamic belief, refused to bow before the first man when God ordered him to, believing himself to be above the order he was given.

A Muslim and the founder of the organization KARAMAH: Muslim Women Lawyers for Human Rights, she denounced extremist methods of enforcing Islam, saying “Islam believes in gradual change, not the use of force.”

A third panelist, Rachel Feldman, a member of the Jewish Beth Chai congregation in nearby Bethesda, Md., described the difference between religious fundamentalism - in which she said people come sincerely to a deep understanding of a narrow and authoritative path - and extremism, which is often a product of issues other than religion.

People come to hate, she said, usually by hearing about, or experiencing a series of abuses they are powerless to stop; while some may develop a victim mentality, other personalities build up a lot of resentment and anger.

“Fundamentalist religion is vulnerable to being invaded by people who sort of have that personality or spirit,” she said.

Feldman encouraged different religious groups to “keep house in their own community,” and to stress the importance of conflict resolution, even if it is only in an individual’s home.

In response to a question about what the media and the government can do to take these issues into consideration, al-Hibri suggested that the government should consider more mediation and conflict resolution options.

Partha called for more honesty within the media and the government, especially in terms of dialoguing between religious groups and in terms of condemning all extremism - not only that belonging to a specific group.

And Feldman cautioned against the use of rhetoric that only serves to build fear rather than encourage understanding.

“Leaders of a nation like this should know better” than to whip up hysteria, she said.

At the close of the session, MPAC executive director Salam al-Marayati suggested that the term “moderate Islam” should be reclaimed by the mainstream voice of Muslims in America , rather than relegated to “groups who have a blanket endorsement of U.S. policy.”

“Mainstream religion teaches us that there has to be more than one truth,” he said, referring to incidents in the life of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) where he accepted two different interpretations of a ruling.

Al-Marayati said that Osama bin Laden was a product of processes that exacerbate extremism - suppression of people under corrupt governments, attempts to control expression of thought, and other problems. He echoed the sentiments of the speakers in calling for integrity and honesty from government policy in supporting or rejecting allies.

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