Islam and Terrorism: Public Platform

Posted by kunalbangalore on 29 Dec 2008. 0 Comments

In wake of Mumbai Terror Attacks, a lot of discussion has been happening on “Terrorism”. Most people today consider terrorism as a “Religious Problem”. A majority of people today thinks that only agenda of “Islam” as a religion is to preach violence and to carry out butchering. This kind of sentiments also get some fuel from the history of our sub-continent. We have had a dreadful past which starts from “mass conversion & killings” during “Mughal Invasion” but does not end at the “religious atrocities” during the partition days. It rather continues to haunt us in form of “Hindu-Muslim Riots” in the post-independence era.

The religion has been used in politics as a tool to unite & divide people. The kings during the non-democratic India, and Politicians in the democratic-India have over and again used religion as a tool to protect their misdeeds. Certain religious institutes & religious scholars have also colluded with them to mis-guide the people of their faiths. Even till date, religion is the most sensitive and contentious issue in India.

I read and watch a lot of debate about “Terror & Islam”. Many people believe that religious constitution of Islam is inherently violent and hence it is natural for any Muslim to be a terrorist. I am personally “not for” this argument. It is unlikely that Prophet Mohamed created a new sect, for its people to fight, kill and die. It is more likely that certain powers have hijacked a section of Islamic people (which forms a very small part of entire Islamic world) and they are using them as terrorists.

While discussing this issue on a public forum recently, I raised a few questions. I thought I will post them here too for the readers. I will request the readers to do some thinking over these questions.

(1) Indian has two Muslim dominated neighbors - Pakistan & Bangladesh. Why is that the ”inherent violence of Islam” is more evident in Pakistan but no so much in Bangladesh? Of course, there is some extent of violence in Bangladesh too, but such violence is there in non-Islamic countries too. Even in India we observe violence by non-Islamic groups. But I would like a comparison between the extent of organized terrorism in these two countries? Don’t you see a big difference? What makes the Pakistan & Bangladesh so different, despite their Islamic origins?

(2) Is it really true that the terrorism in Pakistan is funded (funded is the key word here) by Religious Powers? Though it is true that terrorism in Pakistan is being preached as some of the “Islamic Religious Schools”, but do these schools represent the true face of Islamic world? Pakistan’s economy is in shatters to be able to support its civilian base, but yet is is able to run its military programs. These military programs include development of inter-continental missiles, development of nuclear weapons, and running cost of maintaining CIA & Taliban Terrorist camps, in addition to its armed forces. If the Pakistan-born terrorism represents the true face of Islam, will not all the Muslim countries be eager to provide financially fundings to Pakistan and thus support the true spirit of their religion? But fact is that Pakistan is surviving based on funding from USA and USA backed IMF.

(3) Have we ever heard of any terrorist camps being run in Saudi Arabia? If terrorism was inherent in Islam, would we not be seeing most advanced terrorist training camps in Saudi Arabia, since it is the riches Islamic country in the world? But the fact is that (Islamic) terrorism is being preached in those parts of world, where poverty, unemployment & illeteracy is at its highest.

(4) Is USA a Muslim country? If it is not, why does it fund a Muslim country like Pakistan, whose only agenda is to preach “Islamic Terrorism”? Also, if world Muslim community is pro-terrorism, why they do not contribute to the international funding to Pakistan, in steps similar to what USA is doing.

(5) Is it not true that USA keeps funding the terrorist agenda in Pakistan and at the same time keeps carrying out a propaganda about “Islamic Terrorism” aimed at maligning the international Islamic community?

(6) We can find glimpses of “violence” in the Islamic Texts. But it is important to look at the circumstance amidst which the Islam was born. Was the Christian community at that time (800AD) as diplomatic and as peaceful as it has become today? Which was the religion to first invent the idea of Jihad? Were these not the Christian Crusader - who killed innocent people under religious umbrella? Did those crusader not enjoy the support of Church? Islam was a religion born to defend itself against a Crusading Religion, so it is only natural that its initial texts would have some thoughts and provisions about war & violence.

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Today both the religions have come a far way forward. Christianity has become much more refined, and so has becomes Islam. It is wrong to implicate the founders of Islam as war mongers & terrorists.

America is too afraid of Arab countries wealth. These countries have become wealthy after the ”Oil-Boom” which started in 1970s. As the oil market has boomed, so had boomed the American Propaganda about ”Islamic Terror”. Before ”Islamic Terror”, American propaganda was about ”Communist Evil”. Once America succeeds in destroying the wealth of Arab Nations, their next propaganda will be against the next prosperous country.

The views expressed in this post are those of the writer and are not necessarily endorsed by Mutiny.in