The article itself is not worth fisking. It is essentially an Iranian polemic against much of Sunni Islam, regarding it as "takfirism" and not true Islam.
He gives an eight point strategy to fight "violent extremism" that just so happens to align with the Iranian strategy of global dominance. For example:
Religious leaders from around the world should be at the forefront of efforts to denounce the false precepts of violent extremism and unequivocally reject sectarianism and attacks against religious and ethnic minorities. In this context, the recent message of Ayatollah Khamenei to European and North American Youth is a serious endeavor to initiate such enlightened cultural and ideological discourse.Or this way of blaming Israel for "violent extremism:"
The continued occupation of Palestine and the plight of the Palestinian people and their tragic predicament have been another effective recruitment tool for extremist groups like Da’esh, which require attention and action.Or this interesting piece:
It should contain measures to counter Islamophobia, which conflates violent extremists and true Muslims, thus playing right into the hands of Da’esh and similar Takfiri groups and directly lending credence to the extremists’ messaging. While we should rightly condemn racism and anti-Semitism, and we indeed do, we should at the same time condemn and criminalize Islamophobia and blatant disregard for the values, beliefs and sanctities of Muslims.Antisemites and racists should get a scolding. Islamophobes must get jailed. (And, if they are guilty of blasphemy, executed.)
Finally, we see the hypocrisy in its purest form:
Iranians of all ages and affiliation, particularly the youth, have been consistent in rejecting and fighting violent extremism from the Taliban and Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan to AQAP, Da’esh and others similar forces in Yemen, Iraq and Syria.
Just two weeks ago, an admitted Hezbollah terrorist was discovered with bomb-making materials in Cyprus, almost certainly targeting Jews.
A similar plot was foiled also in Cyprus in 2012. The terrorist told police, "I was just collecting information about the Jews. This is what my organization is doing, everywhere in the world."
Hezbollah (or at least its "military wing") is recognized by most of the West as a terrorist organization. And Hezbollah is loyal only to Iran's Supreme Leader, the one who is supposedly in the forefront against terror. Hezbollah's manifesto says
"Hizbullah considers Iran as a central state in the Muslim world...Since the declaration of the victory of the Islamic Revolution under the leadership of Wali Al Faqih Imam Khomeini (May Allah honour his soul), and since the replacement of the “Israeli” embassy with a Palestinian one, this support has been ongoing in the different shapes and forms until our day under the leadership of Imam Khamenei (may he live long)."
Do I have to list the many Hezbollah terror attacks? The father of the coach of the world champion Golden State Warriors was murdered by the "Islamic Jihad Organization" in Lebanon - which is just another name Hezbollah uses.
It isn't only Hezbollah. the Iranian Quds Force has been implicated in many terror attacks worldwide.
The director of the National Counterterrorism Center declared in 2012 that “Iran remains the foremost state-sponsor of terrorism in the world. "
And Shiite terrorism as practiced by Iran is no less fundamentalist or radical in its adherence to Islam than ISIS is:
Iran is a constitutional, Islamic theocracy. Its official religion is the doctrine of the Twelver Jaafari School. Iran's law against blasphemy derives from Sharia. Blasphemers are usually charged with "spreading corruption on earth", or mofsed-e-filarz, which can also be applied to criminal or political crimes. The law against blasphemy complements laws against criticizing the Islamic regime, insulting Islam, and publishing materials that deviate from Islamic standards. The regime uses these laws to persecute religious minorities such as the Sunni, Bahai, Sufi, and Christians and to persecute dissidents and journalists. Persecuted individuals are subject to surveillance by the "religious police," harassment, prolonged detention, mistreatment, torture, and execution. The courts have acquitted vigilantes who killed in the belief that their victims were engaged in un-Islamic activities.
Harvard should be ashamed for publishing such a self-serving, hypocritical piece of garbage without context or rebuttal.
(h/t EBoZ)