Rupert (a former Atheism UK Vice-President) recently sent this letter about ISIS to his MP. Feel free to copy it and send to your MP:-
“It has come to my attention that religious leaders in local mosques are promoting an ideology similar to that of ISIS.
Within Islam the prophet Mohammed is regarded as a perfect being and someone that all Muslim men should emulate. Mohammed, though, was responsible for many military campaigns in order to conquer non-believers and those who refused to accept Islam. Some of those campaigns resulted in the beheadings of the captured. The members of ISIS are doing no different than that done by their revered prophet.
By promoting Mohammed as an ideal to follow, religious leaders in Islamic communities are condoning the actions that are now being carried out by ISIS, and it should be of no surprise to anyone that young British Muslim men want to follow in his footsteps.
I have no doubt that many Muslims are peaceful, but David Cameron is misguided when he states that the ISIS ideology is a perversion of Islam, whereas it is, in fact, very similar to its historical origins.
I welcome the condemnation of ISIS which comes from the Islamic community, but until they go further and denounce, or distance themselves from, the actions of Mohammed, or at least make it clear his actions are no longer acceptable in modern society the problem of religious extremism will never be resolved.
I would be grateful if you would let me know what efforts are being made in government to counter the ideology of Mohammed that is being supported in mosques throughout the country.”
