The Muslim's Duty Toward Destructive Ideas

Question:
What is your advice to your Muslim brothers regarding the intellectual invasion that is overwhelming us these days in magazines, newspapers, and corrupt video shops? What must we do? Is it a sin for us to remain silent about it? What should we do? May Allah reward you with good.

Answer:
It is obligatory for Muslims in every place and in every era to combat destructive ideas, destructive newspapers, destructive books, and destructive individuals in every place and in every era, in this era and before it and after it. This is how Allah has prescribed for His servants that they strive, and that they do not delay in striving in the cause of truth, and in supporting the religion and calling to Allah as He the Exalted said: [Al-Hajj:78], and He the Exalted said: [An-Nahl:125], and He the Exalted said: [Yusuf:108], and He the Exalted said: [Fussilat:33].
So it is upon the people of knowledge, and the people of good, and everyone who has the ability, to strive with their pen, their tongue, and their communications. They should contact the owners of newspapers, the officials, the Minister of Media, other officials, the Ministry of Interior, the rulers of the lands, the scholars, and the courts. Everyone should exert their utmost in what they are able to do in calling to Allah, enlightening people about good, and encouraging them to it, until evil decreases and good increases, whether from the side of the press, or the side of video, or the side of tapes. If bad tapes are found, they should warn about them. Everyone is on a frontier. It is narrated from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he said: And in the other wording: .

The Intended Meaning: That Muslims are on frontiers, each one on a frontier in any country, in any village, and in any tribe, until he fulfills what is required of him, especially those whose word is heard, such as the scholar, the ruler of the land, the Shaykh of the tribe, the judge, and the prominent people known in the land. Each of them has his share of calling to Allah, reminding people of Allah, and contacting the officials if he sees something that harms Muslims, whether that thing is published in a newspaper, on a tape, or in any other form of evil. He strives according to his capacity, but with wisdom, good speech, a good manner, and without haste in matters, or violence in matters; because violence and harshness may cause the benefit to be lost, and the opposite may occur.
But just as Allah said: [An-Nahl:125], and He the Exalted said: [Al-Imran:159], let him be gentle and strive to remove evil, and let the advice in this matter be on the straight path, such that the desired outcome is achieved without the speaker saying anything that harms him or makes him lazy about enjoining good and forbidding evil.