are u open to communication? what do u think of Christianity? what do u
know about Christianity?
do let me know?..
your in Christ....
tq./
>>> Harun Aminurrashid
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]> 09/24/01 06:03PM >>>
Islam - A
Religion of Terror ?
http://www.thetruereligion.org/terror.htmA
bomb goes off in a marketplace in Jerusalem. A
suicide bomber launches
himself into a bus full of
women and children in Tel Aviv. Foreign tourists
get
massacred at a holiday resort in Luxor, Egypt.
Villages upon villages
get annihilated in Algeria. The
list of events worldwide which have come to
symbolise
the 'Islamic terror' are endless. From the times in
the 70's and
80's when Pan Am and TWA aeroplanes would
be highjacked, to the mid 80's in
war torn Lebanon
where Americans and Europeans would be held as
hostages
for years; all such incidents have come to be
identified with the religion of
Islam. Such incidents
from past and present have undoubtedly
affected
Muslims worldwide and more so in the West. Any Muslim,
who wants
to practice his/her religion and expresses
the pious desire to live under the
banner of Islam, is
labelled a fundamentalist or extremist. Any Muslim
man
who walks down a busy street in London or Paris (and
Paris moreso)
with a beard and a scarf on his head, is
looked upon as being a terrorist
who's probably got an
AK47 stashed somewhere on his person. Muslim women
who
are veiled can't go anywhere in the Western world
without being
taunted as being oppressed or being mad
(for covering up). However, are such
beliefs and
opinions about Islam really justified?
Exploding the myth
One of the many short comings which has arisen in the
West, is
judging Islam by the conduct of a minority of
its people. By doing this,
segments of Western society
have deliberately played off the desperate
actions of
many Muslims, and have given it the name of Islam.
Such
behaviour is clearly not objective and seeks to
distort the reality of Islam.
For if such a thing was
done Judge a religion by the conduct of its
people)
then we too could say that all Christianity is about
is child
molesting and homosexuality [1] whilst
Hinduism was all about looting and
breaking up mosques
[2]. Generalising in such a manner is not seen
as
being objective, yet we find that the Western world is
foremost in
propagating this outlook on Islam. So what
is the reality of Islam? How does
one dispel the myths
which have been created and spread so viciously?
The
only way to examine Islam is to simply examine its
belief system. Look
at its sources, the Qur'an and
Sunna, and see what they have to say. This is
the way
to find the truth about what Islam says about terror,
terrorism
and terrorists. One who is sincerely
searching for the truth, will do it no
other way. The
very name Islam comes from the Arabic root word
'salama'
which means peace. Islam is a religion which
is based upon achieving peace
through the submission
to the will of Allah. Thus, by this very
simple
linguistic definition, one can ascertain as to what
the nature of
this religion is. If such a religion is
based on the notion of peace, then
how is it that so
many acts done by its adherents are contrary to
peace?
The answer is simple. Such actions, if not sanctioned
by the
religion, have no place with it. They are not
Islamic and should not be
thought of as Islamic.
Jihad
The word jihad sends shivers down
the spines of many
Westerners. They readily equate this term with
violence
and oppression. However, it must be said that
the meaning of jihad, as a
'holy war', is something
which is totally foreign and not from Islam.
If
anything, such a description belongs more so to
Christianity and its
adherents. It was terms like this
which were used to justify the slaughter
and pillage
of towns and cities during the crusades by the
Christians. By
simply looking into the sources of
Islam, one is able to know that the true
meaning of
jihad is to strive/make effort in the way of Allah.
Thus
striving in the way of Allah can be both peaceful
and physical. The Prophet
Muhammed (saws) said:
"The best jihad is (by) the one who strives
against
his own self for Allah, The Mighty and Majestic" [3]
In the
Qur'an, Allah also says:
"So obey not the disbelievers, but make a great
jihad
(effort) against them (by preaching) with it (the
Qur'an)"
(Surah Al-Furqan 25:52)
By controlling and fighting against ones
desires, the
Muslims can then also physically exert themselves in
the path
of Allah. It is this physical or combative
jihad which receives so much
criticism. Because of the
sheer ignorance of this type of jihad Islam
is
regarded as terror, and Muslims are regarded as
terrorists. However,
the very purpose of this physical
jihad is to raise the word of Allah
uppermost. By
doing this, it liberates and emancipates all those who
are
crying out for freedom all over the world. If the
likes of the pacifists of
this world had their way,
then the world would indeed be full of anarchy
and
mischief. The combative jihad seeks to correct this as
Allah says in
the Qur'an:
"And if Allah did not check one set of people by means
of
another, the Earth would be full of mischief. But
Allah is full of bounty to
the worlds"
(Surah Al-Baqarah 2:251)
Such would be the corruption
on this Earth if there
had never been a combative jihad that Allah says:
"For had it not been that Allah checks one set of
people by means of
another, monasteries, churches,
synagogues and mosques, wherein the name of
Allah is
mentioned much, would surely have been pulled down.
Indeed Allah
will help those who help His (cause).
Truly Allah is All strong, All mighty"
(Surah Al-Hajj 22:40)
This combative jihad being both defensive
and
offensive, is something which is commanded by Allah
upon the Muslims.
Through this command the oppressed
and weak are rescued from the tyranny of
the world:
"And what is the matter with you that you do not
fight
in the cause of Allah and for those weak, ill treated
and oppressed
among men, women and children whose only
cry is; 'Our Lord, rescue us from
this town whose
people are oppressors and raise for us from you one
who
will protect and raise for us from you one who
will help"
(Surah An-Nisa
4:75)
Anyone who knows the early history of Islam, will know
that
all those nations and empires which came under
the fold of Islam were indeed
previously oppressed.
When the companions of the Prophet Muhammed
(saws)
went out for the offensive jihad against the
Egyptians, the
Persians and the Romans, we find that
the people did not resist against them
at all. Rather,
they accepted Islam on such a scale, that it
is
inconceivable that the jihad of Islam could be
anything other then a
liberation for these people; a
liberation from centuries of tyranny. In fact,
with
the Byzantine Egyptians and the people of Spain, the
Muslims were
even beckoned to come and liberate these
lands from the oppression of their
kings. This is the
glorious track record of the Muslim jihad. Compare
this
with the brutal track record of warfare in the
Western world over the
centuries. From the crusades
against the Muslims to the days of colonial
warfare,
the Western world has killed, destroyed and plundered
everything
which has come in its way. Even today this
merciless killing goes on by the
Western nations.
While claiming to be about world peace and
security,
Western nations are ready to bomb innocent civilians
at the drop
of a hat. The classic example of this is
the recent bombings of Sudan and
Afghanistan. Whilst
claiming that Sudan and Afghanistan were havens
for
Islamic terrorists, the bombings of these two nations
could not have
come at a better time for the American
president Bill Clinton. The
destruction of innocent
lives which were a result of these bombings
clearly
seem to have been an attempt by Clinton to avert
attention away
from his sexual misdemeanours; [4]
something which he so often gets caught up
in. Without
doubt this was the reason for such terror from the
American
military upon innocent people. This is the
same American military which
claims to enter the
worlds trouble spots under the guise of being
peace
keepers. But
"… when it is said to them; 'Make not mischief on
the
Earth', they say; 'We are only peace makers'. Indeed
they are the ones
who make mischief, but they perceive
it not"
(Surah Al-Baqarah
2:11-12)
The hypocrisy of the West is indeed astounding.
By
looking at the rules and regulations of this
combative jihad it will be clear
to any sincere person
that this is indeed the religion of truth.
When
fighting an unjust enemy, no matter how unjust they
are, it is
forbidden by Islam that their retreating
forces are mutilated, tortured or
slaughtered. The
treacherous violation of treaties and carrying
out
assassinations after a cease fire, are also
prohibited. Allah says in
the Qur'an:
"And fight in the way of Allah those who fight
you.
But do not transgress the limits. Truly Allah loves
not the
transgressors"
(Surah Al-Baqarah 2:190)
Not transgressing the limits
means not to kill women
and children, for the Messenger of Allah
(saws)
"forbade the killing of women and children" [5]. Not
transgressing
the limits means that the elderly, the
sick, monks, worshippers and hired
labourers are not
attacked. Not transgressing the limits means not
killing
animals wantonly, burning crops and
vegetation, polluting waters and
destroying homes,
monasteries, churches and synagogues:
"Allah does
not forbid you to deal justly and kindly
with those who fought not against
you on account of
religion, nor drove you out of your homes. Indeed,
Allah
loves those who deal with equity"
(Surah Al-Mumtahinah 60:8)
After
reading such passages from the Qur'an and
knowing about what Islam commands
and prohibits in
jihad, the rules of warfare are given a new meaning;
a
meaning of justice. How sad it is then, that whilst
Islam is condemned
for striking terror into the hearts
of the people, the likes of the Serbs,
the Indian army
in Kashmir and the Israeli soldiers in Palestine are
left
untarnished for the atrocities they have
committed in the name of warfare.
So what about suicide bombing, is this too a part of
jihad in Allah's
path? From what has already been
stated above, it can be deduced that this is
not from
the religion. However, unfortunately many Muslims have
taken
suicide bombing as being a virtuous act by which
one receives reward. This
could not be further from
the truth. The Prophet (saws) said: "Those who go
to
extremes are destroyed" [6]. Suicide bombing is
undoubtedly an
extremity which has reached the ranks
of the Muslims. In the rules of
warfare, we find no
sanction for such an act from the behaviour and
words
of the Prophet Muhammed (saws) and his companions.
Unfortunately,
today (some misguided) Muslims believe
that such acts are paving the way for
an Islamic
revival and a return to the rule of Islam's glorious
law.
However, we fail to bear in mind that the Prophet
(saws) said:
"Do
not be delighted by the action of anyone, until
you see how he ends up"
[7]
So, for example what is the end of a suicide bomber in
Palestine?,
a leg here, an arm there. Massive
retaliation by the Israeli's in the West
Bank and
Gaza. More Muslims killed and persecuted. How can we
be delighted
with such an end? What really hammers the
final nail in the coffin of this
act, is that it is
suicide; something which is clearly forbidden in
Islam.
The Messenger of Allah (saws) said:
"He who kills himself with anything,
Allah will
torment him with that in the fire of Hell" [8]
Some are
under the misconception that by killing
oneself for an Islamic cause, one
commits an act which
deserves Paradise. Once when a man killed himself,
the
Prophet (saws) said: "He is a dweller of the Fire".
When the people
were surprised at this, the Prophet
(saws) said:
"A person performs
the deeds which to the people
appears to be the deeds befitting the dweller
of
Paradise, but he is in fact one of the dwellers of the
Fire"
[9]
The taking of ones life which Allah has given as a
trust to the
human, is a great sin. Likewise the
taking of other lives (which is so often
the case with
suicide bombing) is also forbidden, as human life is
indeed
precious:
"...If anyone killed a person not in retaliation for
murder
or to spread mischief in the land, it would be
as if he killed the whole of
mankind. And (likewise)
if anyone saved a life, it would be as if he saved
the
whole of mankind"
(Surah Al-Maaida 5:32)
Thus, all other types
of extremities such as hostage
taking, hijacking and planting bombs in public
places,
are clearly forbidden in Islam.
The Media
By going
through the teachings of Islam, it is clear
that such a religion has only
come to benefit mankind
- not to destroy it. So why is there so much
hatred
for this noble religion in the West? The answer is
simple, the
media. It is the Jewish influenced media
of the West which has portrayed
Islam to be something
that it is not. During the 70's and 80's when the
PLO
(Palestine Liberation Organisation) were carrying out
daring highjacks
on the worlds airways, the media in
the West portrayed it as being Islamic.
When the
Shi'ite suicide bombers of the 80's were causing so
much havoc in
the Lebanon and in the Gulf region, the
media in the West portrayed it as a
part of Islam.
However, it is known by the heads of the media that
the
likes of the PLO were not an Islamic organisation,
and that according to
Islam, Shi'ites are outside the
fold of Islam [10]. Yet such facts are never
portrayed
by a media which seeks to cover the truth of this
religion. A
number of years ago, when the Oklahoma
City bomb went off, a headline in one
of the
newspapers, 'Today' [11], summed up this attitude.
With a picture
of a fire fighter holding a dead child
in his arms, the headline read: "In
The Name of Islam"
Time has of course proven that this bigoted
assumption
was incorrect, as Timothy McVeigh, a right wing
radical now
faces the death penalty for the crime
[12]. Likewise the bombs which went off
in the Paris
metro in 1995, were also blamed on Muslim fanatics. It
has
now emerged that the Algerian secret service who
having routinely bribed many
European journalists and
MPs, were actually behind it. The desire to throw
a
veil over Islam is immense by these people:
"They intend to put out
the light of Allah with their
mouths, but Allah will complete His light even
though
the disbelievers hate (it)"
(Surah As-Saff 61:8)
Whilst
trying to destroy Islam through this instrument
of the media, the Jews
clearly try to portray an image
of themselves as being the oppressed people.
Every
year, we are reminded as to how many Jews perished
under the Nazis
in World War II. We are made to feel
sorry for these same people who have
gone on to commit
so many crimes upon the Palestinian people. Some may
say
that this is a racist and biased viewpoint. But we
say; If this media was not
run and orchestrated by the
Jews and was truly neutral, then why are
Menachem
Begin and Yitzhak Shamir, two former Israeli prime
ministers, not
held aloft as being terrorists? Anyone
who knows about the history of the
Palestinian
occupation will tell you that these two men were
members of
the Stern Gang and Irgun, two notorious
Jewish terror groups who killed many
innocent people
[13]. If this media was truly impartial, then why does
it
not tell about the extent of the Israeli
bombardment and illegal occupation
of Southern Lebanon
and its people? [14] And if this media really
had
nothing against the religion of Allah, then why does
it not inform the
people that every day hundreds are
entering the religion of Islam? Such
things will never
be highlighted in the Western media, simply because
to
do so would be against their very interests.
With such immense
pressure against it, it is indeed a
blessing from Allah that Islam goes from
strength to
strength. It continues to grow faster then any other
religion
in the Western world, conquering the hearts
and minds of thousands. All this
should not even
surprise us though, for Allah has promised us that
this
religion will prevail:
"It is He who has sent His Messenger with the
guidance
and the religion of truth, so that He may make it
victorious over
all other religions, even though the
disbelievers detest it"
(Surah
As-Saff 61:9)
It is a must that humanity comes towards the religion
of
Islam. Without it, we will continue to slip down
the road of inequity and
darkness. With it we can
establish a society of justice and peace. Religion
of
terror? ... no. The way forward? ... yes.
"There is no compulsion
in religion. The right path
has indeed become distinct from the wrong. So
whoever
rejects false worship and believes in Allah, then he
has grasped
the most trustworthy handhold that will
never break. And Allah is All
Hearing, All Knowing"
(Surah Al-Baqarah 2:256)
Footnotes
1 By using the many cases of child abuse
and
homosexuality by priests, Such a generalisation about
Christianity
could be made
2 By using the incident of the destruction of the
Babri
mosque in Ayodya, India in December 1992 by
Hindu zealots, such
generalisations could be made
about Hinduism
3 Authentic - Reported by
At-Tabaranee
4 Years of sexual liaison with a White House aide,
Monica
Lewinski, has been proved against Mr Clinton.
Since this time, a number of
other women have also
claimed that they have had affairs with the
president.
And this is the same man who propagates family values
and to
whom millions look up to!
5 Reported by Bukhari - Eng. Trans, Vol.4, p. 160,
No.
258
6 Authentic - Reported by Ahmed
7 Authentic - Reported by
Ahmed
8 Reported by Muslim - Eng. Trans, Vol. 1, p.62,
No.203
9
Reported by Muslim - Eng. Trans, Vol. 1, p.64,
No.206
10 The beliefs
which are contained in the books of the
Shi'ites places them outside of the
fold of Islam
generally. However, upon the individual Shi'ite, the
proofs
need to be established before one can say that
he or she is a disbeliever
11 This newspaper no longer exists
12 It is strange indeed that whilst
the Western media
criticises Islamic law for being barbaric and harsh,
not
a word is said about the fact that McVeigh too
will be executed just as
someone would in an Islamic
state
13 These two groups killed Arabs, Jews
and the
British. They are accredited with the massacre at the
village of
Deir Yassin, in which many innocent people
were butchered
14 Despite the
fact that the UN has even made a
resolution against Israel for this illegal
occupation,
no 'democratic peace loving nation' (like the USA!!)
has
bothered to implement it
Related Articles:
ATTACK ON USA - THE
MUSLIM RESPONSE
The Islamic Verdict on Hijacking and Kidnapping
The Islamic Verdict on Suicide Bombings
Attacks are an
"injustice, oppression and tyranny" -
The Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia
"US Attacks a Terrible Crime in Islam" - The Chief
Justice of the
Supreme Judiciary Council of
Saudi
Arabia
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