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“In the eyes of many Muslims, the world is already at war,” conceded Fabian Reverend Alan Wood, speaking at the West Wales Fabians at Swansea in January.  “Noone can ignore the explicit declarations of war made by Islamic extremists both in the UK and abroad.  And there is very limited understanding, in Europe and the United States, of Muslim perceptions of that war."

Resources of Moderation  But there is also a huge moderate Muslim world, of millions upon millions of people who habitually show moderation and tolerance.  We must find new ways of tapping those resources of moderation, tolerance and goodwill.  We must get “the War”, and growing perceptions of war, into a proper perspective”. 

Medical Missionary  Alan Wood is General Manager of the Leprosy Mission, an international medical charity, and founder-member of the Newport Fabian Society.   A para-medic in the blood transfusion field, his work has taken him all over Africa and Asia.  He returned most recently in December, from a tour-or-duty in Delhi.  And his academic background is one of study in the Christian religion and Islam, as well as wider comparative religions.

Character of War  “The challenge is first to understand the scope and character of this war,” said Alan Wood.  “It a war without rules or boundaries.  And it engages a small number of the 120 different “traditions” which go to make up Islam, worldwide.  The overwhelming majority of those traditions are moderate, and tolerant.  But in certain contexts, extremist elements have developed, whose adherents

(cont...) are responsible for prosecuting the war.  For example, Indonesia has a remarkable record of tolerance within its myriad Muslim communities and traditions.  The Bali bombing was a dramatic exception to that record of communal moderation, and UK foreign policy should have recognised that fact – yet we did not.”

Extremism more Extreme  "In terms of terror tactics, these have become more extreme.  For example, twenty years ago it was unthinkable that dissident factions, whether in Africa or Asia, should attack hospitals or medical facilities – yet that has now become more common.  It is a way of communicating the extremist message: the attackers are saying “If this can happen to a hospital, so much the more should ordinary citizens fear our next attack.”   

Many Dead, More Watching  Civilian terror and public example are truly the foundation of this strategy.  At every point, the tactic is a brutal one, to deliver “Many dead, More watching” – that is extremists’ objective.  And it is significant that the war is being carried to countries which have not traditionally engaged – this enhances the destabilising effect.  It is perhaps understandable that there should be attacks in the Middle East itself – Yemen, Saudi Arabia, even Israel.  But what about Kenya, Mombasa?  These moves are evidence of the global reach of this growing conflict.” 

Fundamentalism, Extremism  Alan Wood warned against confusing fundamentalism and extremism.  Within many religious traditions, there were “fundamentalist” elements, those who held firmly to authoritative texts and teachings.  Fundamentalist communities commonly display very high levels of tolerance and civic moderation.  Indeed, for many Muslim communities, even the adoption
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