Dr. Rita Faraj, a Lebanese sociologist and author, was interviewed on Abu Dhabi's Sky News Arabia TV. Faraj criticized extremist Islamist groups for embracing religious discourse that calls people to violence and martyrdom against the "other." She said that these groups develop out of crises, poverty, and ignorance of culture, religion and history. Faraj also predicted that the world is heading towards more violent extremism that is even worse than ISIS, and she said that the Arab form of Islam is susceptible to these ideologies because it does not resolve its crises. She stated that Islam is "undergoing a strong clash with modernity," and that governments should undertake serious and far-reaching reform. She suggested that the best way to start is by "filtering our heritage," injecting rationality into the religious rhetoric, and monitoring the religious and educational curricula to establish a tolerant and open religious culture.
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