Islam and Terrorism
My intention when starting a blog was to keep my posts largely science-related, but following the recent terror attacks which have sadly become a frequent occurrence, I felt obliged to share my thoughts on the matter. It took me some time to gather my thoughts and overcome the feelings of shock and grief that hit in the aftermath of such tragic demonstrations of hatred- especially when the demonstrators claim to be followers of Islam.
We live in a society where twisted psychopaths decide to blow themselves up and take the lives of innocent civilians following the ideologies of extremist groups, where the media effectively maximises sensation through the way it delivers terrorism-related news, where the association of terror and Islam has become the norm. Following the recent events in London and Manchester, perhaps this reaction is not unusual. Although terror attacks were becoming increasingly frequent in Europe, its effects hit me most following the acts which happened so close to my home. The killing of innocent people has increased to a worrying level, and now everybody is vulnerable to a terrorist attack. Understandably, many go about their daily lives in a state of continual fear. There is no explanation for the motives of those who were barbaric enough to slash and stab the people on London Bridge, or for the ignorant suicide bomber who ended the lives of so many young people in Manchester. I refuse to call these monsters muslims, for a true muslim cannot be a terrorist, and a terrorist cannot be a true muslim.
I cannot think of a more strikingly opposed pair of concepts than 'terrorism' and 'Islam', yet sadly their association comes without thought to almost anyone who watches the news. When reading the Qur'an thoroughly, one can see that there is no relationship between Islamic values and terror. Surah Al-An'am verse 151 commands us to '...Slay not unjustly the life which Allah has made sacred'. Similarly, Surah Al-Maidah verse 32 asserts that whoever kills a person who has not murdered or caused corruption on earth, 'it shall be as if he had killed all mankind', and whoever saves the life of another, 'it shall be as if he had saved the life of all mankind'. This demonstrates the value and honour given to the lives of not just muslims but all humans in the Qur'an, and considers taking the life of one innocent person equal to killing the whole of humanity. From these two snippets alone, it is clear that Allah emphasises killing to be a most grievous sin whose 'reward is hell forever' (Surah Nisa 4:93). In fact, I do not think there is any religion in the world which excuses terror. A person carrying out an act of terror might claim to be muslim, Christian, or Jewish, but the act is not an Islamic, Christian, or Jewish act.
The term 'jihad' also causes great confusion. Many simplify its meaning to a 'holy war', when the word 'jihad' is repeated 34 times in the Qur'an and only 4 of those are linked to any notion of war. In fact, Prophet Muhammad said that 'the greatest jihad is a jihad made against one's self', meaning that jihad is a form of worship, a purification of the mind and soul in order to please God. In other words, jihad is an individual's inner struggle against temptation. One who wishes to win this inner war must work on purifying their heart by seeking God's forgiveness, by cleansing their mind from hatred and evil, and by gaining wisdom. War forms only a small part of jihad, and is limited to the external struggle. The Qur'an extensively explains the situations in which war is permitted, and war against people based on their disbelief is not one of those! Peace is one of the key elements in Islam, and war is only justified to prevent chaos and anarchy. There is no claim in the Book to make the whole world muslim, and states 'Not all people will believe' (Surah Tawba, 9:41).
No one may touch an innocent person, let alone be a suicide bomber who ties bombs to his or her body and rushes into crowds of innocent civilians. Those who carry out such acts of evil lose their salvation in the afterlife. There is no place for violence and terror in Islam; faith cannot be attained by force. Heaven cannot be reached by murdering unarmed, vulnerable people.
As humans we are all responsible for the instability and corruption of the world today. The ongoing problems of poverty, lack of good education and democracy, and the neglect of spirituality have made it easier for evil powers to target the vulnerable. Young people are often the target, as they are easier to brain-wash into believing the sickening ideologies of terrorist groups. Police and military forces can only stop these attacks from occurring in the short-term. We must strive to educate our youth in every way possible, and give them a sense of purpose- goals to achieve and dreams to strive for. We should be in dialogue with members of different communities so that people develop lasting relationships and tolerance towards one another, to love everyone that God has created. Both muslims and non-muslims should, and must work to heal the world and make it a better place. What better sense of existence than to endeavour world peace?
