This madness can and must stop…

Once again some self-styled warriors of Islam are in the news. The insane attack on a Paris magazine's office will be condemned by all sane Muslim scholars and leaders and rightly so. No faith or culture sanctions such violence, let alone Islam which itself means "peace". There is no precedent in the Prophet's own life or during the long centuries, when Islam held sway over large parts of the old world, of anyone being punished only for insulting Islam or the Prophet. What we see these days is a modern phenomenon.

No amount of condemnations is going to stamp out this scourge. Out there, there are thousands of angry young men who see Muslim countries occupied, devastated, bombed, Muslim women raped in Abu Ghreib kind of prisons in many parts of the world. They see how prosperous countries like Iraq and Libya were smashed for no reason or rhyme. They see Palestine occupied and Palestinians caged, attacked and humiliated with total impunity. They see how besieged Gaza is periodically raped and wrecked with full American and European support. They see the US and its European allies making a second comeback to Afghanistan and Iraq. On top of this they see senseless cartoons, articles and books making fun of their faith and heritage. This boiling anger comes out in bursts of futile violence.

We condemn this violence with all our force and without reservation. We pray for the victims' souls and seek their families' forgiveness. But will this stop another mad group from repeating it somewhere else in its deranged perception that it is avenging the insults heaped on the Prophet, Islam and Muslims?

West alone can stop this. It has to reconsider its insane policies, stop its wars against Islam and Muslims to demoralise Muslims and thereby control their societies and plunder their resources. West should stop its insane crusade against Islam and Muslim societies which is described as "Islamophobia". West has to withdraw its forces from Muslim countries. It has to stop its slander and coups against legitimately elected governments. West has to honour democracy in Muslim countries just as it honours it in its own lands. West has to stop supporting the Israeli occupation, humiliation and illegal settlements. This is the only key to achieve lasting peace and this is the only way to douse the fires burning in the hearts of thousands of Muslim youth across the world. Aircraft, missile and drone attacks only spread this fire. In short, the message to the Western powers is: be our "friends, not masters" as Ayub Khan had said half a century ago.

(The writer is an Islamic scholar and Indian Muslim community leader)