"Islamic Terrorism" and the Media
London’s "9/11" has once again brought the danger that terrorism presents to world peace, to the forefront of academic and media debates. Once again Islam, its teachings and the demeanour of Muslims have become few of the most sought after themes for debate and discussion in academic congregations and editorials. Quite dismayingly, Islam despite being one of the fastest growing religions of the world is being seen as suffering from an image problem. The demonisation of Islam has acquired such proportions that the world today sees it as ‘dogmatic, intolerant and confrontational’. It is being perceived as providing the ideological and intellectual foundation for the perpetrators of violence in the garb of jihad across the world, setting up stage for a “clash of civilisations”. As things stand today, there is no religion more misunderstood and misinterpreted than Islam. And the most distressing part is that some groups of Muslims themselves have contributed to this distorted understanding of Islam.
The word ‘Islam’ is derived from the root ‘salaam’, which means 'peace'. However, the greatest paradox in the Islamic world today is that Muslims are committing acts of violence by invoking the name of Islam. To make matters worse writers like Daniel Pipes and Samuel Huntington, to validate their claims of Islam being a bellicose religion, are resorting to selective quoting from the Holy Quran and a prejudiced understanding of jihad has become their favourite alibi in this exploit. The truth is that Islam strictly prohibits all forms of aggression. The Holy Quran says: ‘If you do stretch your hand against me to slay me, it is not for me to stretch my hand against you to slay you: for I do fear Allah, the Cherisher of the Worlds.’ (Chapter 5, verse 28)
There can be no two ways about the fact that those indulging in violence in the name of Islam are totally ignorant of the injunctions of the Holy Quran. Such people do justice neither to the word nor spirit of the Book. The Holy Quran explicitly proscribes acts of suicide and self-destruction (Holy Quran, Chapter 4, verse 29). It also forbids the killing of any innocent person. According to the Holy Quran killing one innocent person is tantamount to killing the whole humanity and saving the life of one innocent person amounted to saving the life of the whole humanity (Holy Quran, Chapter 5, verse 32). The only time a Muslim is permitted to resort to violence is when the same is foisted on him and even this aggression has to be within limits. The Holy Quran says: 'Fight in the cause of Allah (with) those who fight you, but do not transgress limits; for Allah loveth not transgressors' (Chapter 2, verse 190). Such are the commandments of Allah to His people.
Every community has its share of radicals who indulge in violence for a cause, imagined or real, that they believe in. However the terror attacks of the Irish Republican Army were never called Catholic or Christian terrorism; the sarin gas attack of Aum Shinrikyo, which derives inspiration from Hinduism and Buddhism, was never associated with its mother religion. Why isn’t the mindless violence unleashed by supporters of the Sangh Parivar in Gujarat called Hindu terrorism? Violence by the Palestinian Hamas is called Islamic terrorism. By the same logic, the bombings of Gaza by Israeli army that kills and maims innocents everyday should be called Jewish terrorism. Together these groups have been responsible for the killings of thousands of innocent people. Why then has only Islam been singled out for this indignity? Everyone talks of the ‘Islamic bomb’. Ever heard of a ‘Christian bomb’, ‘Hindu bomb’ or a ‘Buddhist/Shinto bomb’?
The truth is that subversive acts committed by recalcitrant elements of a community or faith cannot be held against the entire community. Muslims today are facing the same unsavoury situation, which the Sikhs faced in the decade of violence in Punjab. It is imperative that the media around the world endorses the fact that no faith encourages violence and that acts of radical or extremist groups do not represent their true faith but stem from a misinterpretation of their respective religions. An overdose of rhetoric can only worsen matters and do no good.
The bottom line is that neither does Islam or its teachings have anything to do with violence and killing of innocents nor does it in any way bar Muslims from living pacifically with non-Muslims.
The word ‘Islam’ is derived from the root ‘salaam’, which means 'peace'. However, the greatest paradox in the Islamic world today is that Muslims are committing acts of violence by invoking the name of Islam. To make matters worse writers like Daniel Pipes and Samuel Huntington, to validate their claims of Islam being a bellicose religion, are resorting to selective quoting from the Holy Quran and a prejudiced understanding of jihad has become their favourite alibi in this exploit. The truth is that Islam strictly prohibits all forms of aggression. The Holy Quran says: ‘If you do stretch your hand against me to slay me, it is not for me to stretch my hand against you to slay you: for I do fear Allah, the Cherisher of the Worlds.’ (Chapter 5, verse 28)
There can be no two ways about the fact that those indulging in violence in the name of Islam are totally ignorant of the injunctions of the Holy Quran. Such people do justice neither to the word nor spirit of the Book. The Holy Quran explicitly proscribes acts of suicide and self-destruction (Holy Quran, Chapter 4, verse 29). It also forbids the killing of any innocent person. According to the Holy Quran killing one innocent person is tantamount to killing the whole humanity and saving the life of one innocent person amounted to saving the life of the whole humanity (Holy Quran, Chapter 5, verse 32). The only time a Muslim is permitted to resort to violence is when the same is foisted on him and even this aggression has to be within limits. The Holy Quran says: 'Fight in the cause of Allah (with) those who fight you, but do not transgress limits; for Allah loveth not transgressors' (Chapter 2, verse 190). Such are the commandments of Allah to His people.
Every community has its share of radicals who indulge in violence for a cause, imagined or real, that they believe in. However the terror attacks of the Irish Republican Army were never called Catholic or Christian terrorism; the sarin gas attack of Aum Shinrikyo, which derives inspiration from Hinduism and Buddhism, was never associated with its mother religion. Why isn’t the mindless violence unleashed by supporters of the Sangh Parivar in Gujarat called Hindu terrorism? Violence by the Palestinian Hamas is called Islamic terrorism. By the same logic, the bombings of Gaza by Israeli army that kills and maims innocents everyday should be called Jewish terrorism. Together these groups have been responsible for the killings of thousands of innocent people. Why then has only Islam been singled out for this indignity? Everyone talks of the ‘Islamic bomb’. Ever heard of a ‘Christian bomb’, ‘Hindu bomb’ or a ‘Buddhist/Shinto bomb’?
The truth is that subversive acts committed by recalcitrant elements of a community or faith cannot be held against the entire community. Muslims today are facing the same unsavoury situation, which the Sikhs faced in the decade of violence in Punjab. It is imperative that the media around the world endorses the fact that no faith encourages violence and that acts of radical or extremist groups do not represent their true faith but stem from a misinterpretation of their respective religions. An overdose of rhetoric can only worsen matters and do no good.
The bottom line is that neither does Islam or its teachings have anything to do with violence and killing of innocents nor does it in any way bar Muslims from living pacifically with non-Muslims.
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