International Journal on Criminology Volume 4, Number 2, Winter 2016 | Page 32

International Journal on Criminology
and rejected any dialogue. The Society of Muslim Brothers became the matrix for
dozens of organizations, the most extreme of which embraced the fundamentalism
of Sayyd Qotb. This matrix also generated fanatical groups like El Hidjra Oua Takfir
(excommunication and exile) and the “victorious sect” of the GIA. The common traits
of these different groups are
• establishment of an Islamic state without national borders;
• “de-clericalization” authorizing everyone to take inspiration from the life and
practices of the pious ancestors (salaf) who experienced the pure Islam of its
origins. This was in defiance of the teachings of the four traditional schools, which
were criticized for their opposition to change and anachronism;
• Manicheism: for all of these Islamists, the only truth that exists is the one they
preach. Any other variant is heresy.
Yet these modern and contemporary Islamist ideologues are far from possessing
the knowledge and the class of the masters of the Muslim schools of philosophy,
especially those of the medieval period, such as Ibn Roshd, Ibn Sina (Avicenna in
its Latinized form), Ibn Badja (Avempace), Ibn Tofayl (Abubakar), and El Farabi.
For the first two of these philosophers, the use of Hellenic philosophy is justified by
the teachings of the Quran. 12 They are the undisputed masters of a rationalist Islamic
thought that, at its time, influenced European and Jewish thought. 13
Terror, Individual and Group Psychology
Clinical Aspects
Feelings of injustice and guilt, the desire to belong to a group, and victimization
by society profoundly mark the minds of extremists and push the naïve to enlist and
then act, believing themselves invested with a divine mission. The most frequent bait
used to convince human bombers wracked with guilt is to absolve their major sins
through adherence to the extremist cause and to grant them the status of martyrs. Of
course, digging up trauma and painful experiences and transposing them on current
12
For Arab philosophers, demonstration by syllogism, dialectic, and oratory are the main intellectual
means to interpret anything, including divine law in its overt expression.
13
Enjoying universal renown, the first two philosophers, the pioneers of Islamic rationalism, strongly
influenced European and Jewish philosophy. Combining the teachings of the Quran with the Hellenic
syllogism and logic, Averroes demonstrated that Islam did not contradict the demonstrative, oratorical,
or dialectical methods of the Greek philosophers. He worked his entire life to demonstrate that
divine teachings recommend and approve of the use of reason and demonstrative methods. Far from
being Manichean, Islam, according to this philosopher, encourages the reference to ancestors, with
the word ancestor referring to scholars of a variety of nationalities and time periods. Maimonides,
whose praise of Averroes is well-known, exhorted his successors to translate his works into Hebrew.
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