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Alex Kvartalny @ flamedragon27.blogspot.com

Group 501

Islam and Terrorism: Highway to Hell or Hike to Heaven?

Terrorists groups motivated by religious concerns are becoming more common [3]. Of 11 identified by the Rand Corporation in 1968, none were classified as religiously motivated. By 1994, a third of the 49 international groups identified were classified as religious [4]. Terrorism, violent acts which are intended to create fear (terror) and which are perpetrated for an ideological goal, has long been an instrument of repression by governments as well as a tool of revolutionaries trying to overthrow governments. Although many believe that Islam is the religion of peace, dogmatic view of the world may be the main root of systematic use of violence.

Muslims have now come into conflict with the world inhabited largely by non-Muslims. Some of the most vivid examples that illustrate the point are: Afghanistan Extreme radical Fundamentalist Muslim terrorist groups & non-Muslim Osama bin Laden’s terrorist group called Al Quada, Kashmir Conflict [2], Israeli–Palestinian conflict and Russia’s Chechnya muslim war. Ibn Warraq, an author of Pakistani origin, said, ‘to pretend that Islam has nothing to do with [September 11] is to wilfully ignore the obvious and to forever misinterpret events’. It is claimed that Islam which is not only religion but also a way of life and a unique world view is not to blame for the fact that fanatics, or “black sheep” exist. The idea is backed by the Muslim authorities who do not support terrorism, or “unholy war”. However, the evidence suggests the situation is different: the fact that Muslims are unwilling to integrate themselves into the Western society while actually living in democratic states and that people of other religions are converted into Islam and become members of terroristic organizations implies that there is more to the problem under the skin. Some of the causes for such an attitude can be the wish to preserve one’s identity in the face of globalism, to find the real way to spirituality that only the Muslim religion can offer and others. At the same time the basic principles of spirituality and the way to live purposefully are not the only things Christianity and Islam disagree about.

Making of the laws and laws themselves is what the two sides argue about. This demonstrates that perhaps Islam the faith is not the answer to the question of the reason to the conflict but the history, sociology and politics of Islam are part of it. Democracy is based on the idea that men make laws. Islam contains, in the Koran, a set of God-given laws, dictated directly to Muhammad and therefore not open to revision. But if one thinks about this view it becomes evident that societies have been able to coexist peacefully throughout the history. If we take the present situation the relations between Asia and Africa [1] can be cited as an example, the interaction between Senegal and India for instance. The answer to this point is found in the fact that the western world violates one of the principles of peaceful coexistence [5], namely, mutual non-interference in each other's internal affairs, which provokes a negative response from the victims who are, in this particular case, Muslims. America, currently being the world’s only superpower, should beware of stepping into somebody else's argument about the true meaning of Islam, and of assuming that democracy must be Islam's opposite. These are arguments for Muslims to resolve, in their own way, experts suggest. And trying to solve the problem for the Islamic world will only add fuel to the fire. In addition to that, modern states also require many more laws than are inscribed in the unalterable Koran. In fact only about 80 of the Koran’s 6,000 verses lay down rules of public law, and not many of those have much application in the modern world. Much of what is loosely called sharia derives from other sources: the sunna (the teachings of the prophet); the ijma (the consensus of religious scholars); and the qiyas (legal reasoning). So here is ample room for interpretation (ijtihad).

The notion of Jihad, or holy war, is often misinterpreted. Many account Jihad, the war with the infidels, for the ongoing terrorism around the world. In fact Ibn Warraq thinks that despite the claims of Islam’s apologists, jihad is not a defensive measure but instead is defined in Islamic law as an armed struggle against unbelievers, with the ultimate goal being the establishment of a wholly Muslim world. Though the concept exists, not just anybody is supposed to be able to declare a jihad; and not for just any reason. In fact terrorism has nothing to do with jihad because it’s an “unholy war”, or hiraba. Muslim clerics who denounce Mr. bin Laden’s jihad against “Jews and Crusaders” say he had neither proper authority to declare war, nor just cause. Osama bin Laden has not succeeded in mobilizing Muslims everywhere for his jihad and kill Americans vigorously partly because of the many divisions within Islam that interpret the notion of the holy war in different ways.

The cause of contemporary Muslim wars lies in politics, not seventh-century religious doctrines. The experts are saying that one of the most significant social, cultural and political developments in the past several decades has been the resurgence of Islamic consciousness, movements and identity among Muslim peoples almost everywhere. This Islamic resurgence is in large part a response to modernization and globalization and is highly constructive in many ways. Throughout the Muslim world, and particularly among Arabs, there exists a great sense of grievance, resentment, envy and hostility toward the West and its wealth, power and culture. However, one might argue that the traditional way of life that is passed from generation to generation reinforces violence, the Islamic culture being an excellent mediator of this and the reason for resurgence of Islamic consciousness. The truth is that tribal, religious, ethnic, political and cultural divisions within the Muslim world stimulate violence between Muslims and they also promote violence between Muslims and non-Muslims. It is not the religion itself that promotes violence. And one must also bear in mind that the Islamic resurgence has coincided with and been invigorated by birthrates in most Muslim societies, which have produced a “youth bulge” with large numbers of people between the ages of 16 and 30. Young males are thought to be the principal perpetrators of violence in all societies; they exist in overabundant numbers in Muslim societies. The age of Muslim wars will end when its causes change or are changed.

There are many things the Muslims and the Christians and in fact Muslims and Muslims disagree about, but the fact that the representatives of the Islamic culture have now come into conflict with the world inhabited largely by non-Muslims may have to do with the politics, not seventh-century religious doctrines. At the same time, faith can be catalyst for the wars since, as primatologist Robert Sapolsky once said, ‘… faith requires that faith persists in the face of the impossible, and that humans have the capacity to simultaneously believe in two contradictory things”, and “the less it is possible that something can be, the more it must be”. It does not seem likely that those who commit terroristic attacks and kill innocent people will go straight to heaven. But martyrs do not wait for Judgement Day and blow themselves up, perhaps acting out of powerlessness and despair, but believing that the less it is possible for them to hitch a ride to heaven, the more it must be. However, Muslims are not alone here, since this is common for all faiths to pave highways to hell with good intentions.

Works Cited

  1. (n.d.). “Africa and Asia forge stronger alliances. 4 April 2010. <http://www.un.org/ecosocdev/geninfo/afrec/vol18no1/181asia.htm>

  2. (n.d.). “Kashmir may be Tougher to Resolve than Palestine.” 4 April 2010. <http://www.glocaleye.org/kashmir2.htm>

  3. (n.d.). “Of The 22 World Conflicts Around The World, 21 are Muslim.” 4 April 2010. <http://www.unsolvedmysteries.com/usm307784.html>

  4. (2001). “Terrorism in America / Facts about Terrorism.” 4 April 2010. <http://www.hks.harvard.edu/ksgpress/bulletin/autumn2001/feature_terror_facts.html>

  5. (2005). “Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.” 4 April 2010. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five_Principles_of_Peaceful_Coexistence>

  6. (2008). “Israeli practices affecting the human rights of the Palestinian people in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem : report of the Secretary-General.” 4 April 2010. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israeli-Palestinian_conflict>

  7. Fukuyama, F. (2002). “Their Target: The Modern World. Newsweek Special”.

  8. Pipes, D. (n.d.). “Economic Problems Do Not Cause Terrorism.” 4 April 2010. <http://www.enotes.com/terrorism-article/economic-problems-do-cause-terrorism>

  9. Shiva, V. (n.d.). “Economic Problems Cause Terrorism.” <http://www.enotes.com/terrorism-article/economic-problems-cause-terrorism>

  10. Sullivan, A. T. (n.d.). “Islam Does Not Encourage Terrorism.” 4 April 2010. <http://www.enotes.com/terrorism-article/islam-does-encourage-terrorism>

  11. Warraq, I. (n.d.). “Islam Encourages Terrorism.” 4 April 2010. <http://www.enotes.com/terrorism-article/islam-encourages-terrorism>

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