Fighting and conflict for reasons other than self-defence and repelling aggression are not Islamic values despite the attempts of some to dress it up as righteousness. These are values foreign to the Islamic ethos; in the Islamic tradition, destruction has never been seen as a foundation for advancement; rather, it is seen as a result of ignorance and fanaticism, the effect of suppression and feelings of frustration and vengeance. Our values are intended to install confidence and love in the hearts, to repel falsehood with truth without any enmity, and to respond to wrongs with patience, pardon, and forgiveness: “Fight in God’s cause against those who overstep the limits” (Qur’an, 2:190). “Repel evil with good” (Qur’an, 23:96). “They repel evil with good” (Qur’an, 28:54). (This is Not the Path to Paradise by Abdallah bin Bayyah)