We must not become weary from stating unequivocally that acts of wanton violence and barbarism are contrary to the teachings of Islam. In Islamic ethics, the end does not justify the means. Religious extremism has no virtue in Islam and has been unequivocally condemned by the Prophet of Islam. He is reported in a tradition to have declared thrice, “The extremists shall perish.” For contemporary Muslims this means to acknowledge, no matter how painful it is, that we do have extremists (mutatarrifin) within our ranks. This is off course not unique to Islam. What is peculiar to Islam is that extremists appear to have a disproportionate influence within the house of Islam, not least because of the proclivity of the media for sensationalization.