NO Bilal, you are confusing political religious nationalists/internationalists which is the problem ideology that should be tackled with Salafism which is a school of thought.
You misunderstand me. I never said political religion/political religion nationalists aren't a problem. I am also contesting your claim that Salafism, which is a school of thought, isn't a problem. I am arguing that Salafism as a school of thought is a problem as well.
I never meant to imply that Boko Haram or al-Qaeda are the examples of groups that practice the Salafi school of thought. And I agree with you when you said Salafi scholars condemned suicide bombings, as they are un-Islamic. That is not the issue.
The issue is that Salafism as the school of thought is reformist. It believes the world has deviated so much from the true meaning of Islam, that they need to reform everything. They believe women should have a limited role in society, they believe education that goes against their understanding of Islam is haram. They think Shias & Sunni Barelvis, & Muslims around the world do biddat & shirk. They have a general belief that everything that did not happen in the Prophet(S)'s life is impermissible. So to summarize, yes, they are the problem.
I was specifying the IDEOLOGY that leads to militant groups in the name of Islam.
I'm not talking about militancy in war torn regions. I am talking about the
extremism (not militancy) of Islamists that threatens to destabilize societies in developed countries, & ruin their 'balance'.
Similarly, when the governor of Punjab was assassinated by a Barelvi and all Barelvi religious groups felicitated the killer, it was really a political assassination trying to assert a political Barelvi power through this show of strength.
In Pakistan, even Barelvis & Shias, traditionally peaceful are coming under the influence of Deobandis/Salafis. The incident you have highlighted reflects that. But Shias, non-Muslims have lived peacefully under the banner of the majority Barelvi population for centuries, it is only through the increasing influence of the Deobandis post 1947 that these groups are under threat of getting radicalized as well. But Pakistan is not the topic here, neither is my topic about militancy in war torn regions. I am more interested in the developments in the West, where the Muslim youth are becoming more radicalized and ruining the balance of secular societies in developed nations. Just the Burqa debates show that there needs to be inner reform within Muslim society.
The social aspects of a school of thought is something that is a cause of social concern but not a security concern.
Now you're coming to the crux of the problem I've been wanting to discuss on this thread. For example, in Central Asia, which have traditionally been secular under the Soviet regime, are becoming more radicalized, and are threatening to ruin the balance of society there. It might not be a security concern yet, but it might be in a few years, with powers exploiting the situation. That's not the point though. The point is that Muslim societies governed by Islamists are backward, uneducated, repressive, chauvinistic, opposed to change, intolerant, unprogressive etc. It might not be a security concern, but in a civilized society where Muslims are in huge numbers, they can also be a threat to the balance of society. You might not think it should be combated, but in my opinion, it definitely needs to be, and it is not something I would want Islam or Muslims to be associated with.