In 1967, Dr. Israr Ahmad diagnosed the disease plaguing the Muslim world not as a result of outside treachery, but as a direct result of the state of our Iman.  It is our lack of true belief in Allah, said our founder in his groundbreaking treatise "Islamic Renaissance, the Real Task Ahead," that has caused Allah (SWT) to leave us in a state of disgrace in the world.  We left Allah, thus Allah left us. 

In order to remedy the problem, we must first look at the cause of our leaving Allah (SWT).  Dr. Israr explained that as the western powers conquered the Muslim world in the 19th and 20th centuries, they brought with them a way of thought that is categorized as ‘modern’.  The ‘modern’ mind of western society chose to view the world through purely scientific (materialistic) lenses.  They reasoned that the only thing that they could completely accept and discuss at a scholarly level was what could be proven scientifically. 

Religion was to be only a personal fancy, much like a hobby that remained in the home and should not be brought into the public sphere.  This way of thinking spread like wildfire amongst the oppressed Muslims who wished to impress those who were controlling them.  This thought persists today as Muslims, consciously or unconsciously; view Allah and His world through their understanding of science.  Although this can lead one to believe in the existence of Allah (SWT), it can never give one a burning Iman (conviction) and a desire to establish His Deen.  The problem so diagnosed, we must now turn to the solution.

An enlightened Muslim in our times must work to create a collective ‘turning away’ from the lures and deceptions of the created world, and create a ‘turning toward’ Allah (SWT) and the Truth that He has given us in the Qur’an.  In order to do this, Dr. Israr Ahmad has stated that we must confront the source of western ideology at its root, that is, the pillars of western society i.e., their intelligentsia and/or academia. 

It is academia, those who sit in the university chairs, those who are members of think tanks, and the entire intellectual society, that provide the west with its ideas and justifications for those ideas. And so the Muslim Ummah must work to counteract those ideas on three fronts.  First, we must understand their arguments through and through, and then point out the fallacies by using the guidance of the Qur’an.  This will, InshaAllah, put doubt in the Muslim/non-Muslim mind as to the superiority of western thought. 

Secondly, using the western knowledge in the fields of philosophy, ethics, theology, and humanities, we will better understand the wisdom of the Quran.  This will allow us to better reconstruct the framework of life given to us in the Qur’an and demonstrate its superiority to the western system.  This will give the Muslim a reason to return to the Qur’an with confidence, thus bringing a resurgence of true Iman. 

Finally, we must then demand the establishment of the Qur’anic way of life, mobilizing the now revitalized Muslims into a mass movement. 

To this end, IONA has started a Higher Studies Project (HSP). This will bring together those within IONA who are working to learn from and then ultimately deconstruct western thought, reconstruct Islamic thought, and change the society as a whole.  This task requires that the HSP members be extremely well versed in the studies of social sciences, humanities and Islamic studies, and that the west recognize them as experts in their fields. 

All members of IONA are encouraged to pursue graduate studies and become part of the HSP.  The group meets periodically to discuss and review papers, books and formulate policies to recruit members to higher studies and disseminate their knowledge to members of IONA primarily through its quarterly publication of SIGNS magazine.