Misguided Militancy

I came across this article the other day: http://www.reuters.com/article/featuredCrisis/idUSISL476198

Here are a few select quotes:
"If infidels occupy a Muslim land then it's obligatory for all Muslims to do jihad ... Preaching jihad is my duty," [Noor Muhammad] said.

"We spread the message that the Taliban and Osama (bin Laden) have adopted the right path and that's the solution of all problems," Muhammad said.

"The protection of Koranic teachings is only possible through arms .... those who make weapons, make them available and use them will go to heaven," said Muhammad

"The love and affection for jihad have developed among the youth to the extent that neither their relatives nor the government can control them," [Muhammad] said.

So according to Noor Muhammad, the protection of Koranic teachings should be accomplished by a cadre of militant weapons dealers who cannot be controlled by the very social and political institutions which they ostensibly support. That's wonderfully coherent... either he's looking to create anarchy or he's using support for the Taliban and Osama bin Laden as a vehicle to advance his own political agenda. Since Muhammad claims to have a particular ideological outcome in mind (protection of Koranic teachings), he cannot be seeking anarchy. Which means that he's intent on advancing his own political agenda.

Al-Farabi had something to say about this kind of thing. He described the perfect society as one which is ordered towards "true happiness" (philosophical/spiritual enlightenment). The perfect society is virtuous while all others are vicious. Al-Farabi describes three types of vicious society: errant, wicked, and ignorant. Both wicked and errant societies understand the true human end to be "true happiness," but fail to achieve it. Errant societies are those which have been deceived and misled by their leaders. Wicked societies are those which have willfully abandoned the pursuit of happiness. And ignorant societies are those which do not recognize the proper end of life and instead substitute something lesser, such as sensual pleasure or power.

Now, I don't know whether Muhammad understands the proper end of life or not, but he at least is willfully misleading his followers to achieve militant conquest rather than enlightenment.

Al-Farabi tells us that the role of the philosopher in society is to act as a kind of physician, seeking to "balance the humours" by communicating abstract truths to ordinary people, leading them toward virtue. There are also "weeds," individuals who are like anti-philosophers, attempting to undermine the progress of society towards virtue.

The virtuous society can never be established through such unvirtuous means as militant conquest unchecked by social or legal mores, and Noor Muhammad is one of Al-Farabi's "weeds."

Now where are my garden shears...