Islam and Terrorism

Funny how people love to jump into conclusions, ain't it? And even funnier, they like to jump into conclusions other made. They just agree and use that idea for the rest of their lives without questioning.

The issue today is terrorism and how people resembles it a lot with Islam. And I believe many Muslims would get the idea of Arabic men who yelled Allahu Akbar with bombs wrapped around his abdomen when they heard the word Terrorist. So, you get it, terrorism has been the image of Islamic Extremists since the 9/11 event. Because we have got so many movies and shows that bringing propaganda to the image of the religion.

I am trying to separate the image of the two and get to the root. Because you know, I am surrounded by Muslims all my life. I am raised in a Muslim family. So I think I get a say about the topic.

Before we get to the Muslims who are terrorizing the western countries, I would like to start the discussion with the religion that people believe is responsible in driving these people into violence, Islam. For those who are not born in a religious family, you may find it hard to grasp the concept of major religions and their role to the lives of their followers. Especially Islam.

I have had many dialogues with people with various religious background about religion in their lives. The answer varies, even from people who believe in the same religion. I am not talking about their application of their religions, but simply the roles. Most of them told me how religions are limiting their lives, they took some and leave some of their teachings. So, many people perceive religions as another set of rules in their lives, or choices of lifestyle, or isms for them to be a better human. When the rules are no longer making sense to them, they would simply leave them. While the focus of some other people on religions is about believing in God, and for them, religions are the tools for them to choose to be closer to God. And then there are other perspectives and attitudes toward religions which are not that too different than the ones I mentioned. Just tiny modifications here and there.

And for Islam believers (and many Christians that I had some talks with), they have a tiny bit different understanding to what religions are. They believe that God is absolute. You do not negotiate with God. You follow God’s rules or you get punished. God is the reason you were born, and he should be the reason for your life and your death. By the time you are awake, you are under the mercy of God and in each breath you took, there are blessings from God. The universe was made to pray upon Him (I know I tried to avoid using gender referral for God but I need variations and “Him” has been vastly approved). So yes, in Islam, everything you do, you have to do it for the blessing of God. And before this statement got taken out of context, you cannot do things merely with good intentions, the procedures and methods must be legal and ethical too. In a way, the ism of Islamic teachings is about doing things legally and ethically. And also that your whole lives are about doing things in God’s ways and be rewarded in the afterlife.

As you can see the distinction between the followers of Islam and other religions, it is that all the things that they do, they are doing them in the name of God. Even in marriage and the physical relationship between husband and wife (which is encouraged a lot), they have to do them in the name of God.

Now, let’s ask this question: When you are in a war/battle against a group of human who are Muslims, who are you in a war with? The people or the religion? The answer is both. Muslims cannot be separated from their religions. And in Islamic teaching, brotherhood is shared just by following the same religion. And this complexes things even more. At this point, I am sure you can explore  about the topic furthermore and find why. If not, let’s hop on my next train of thoughts on the topic about humanity.

Let us imagine this perspective. Do not close your eyes since I am not recording an article. So keep your eyes open to do the reading :P. You are seven years old, you heard banging on the front door of your house. It was dark at night. You are in the house just with your mother. She then ran to the door. It was your uncle, he grabbed your mother and brought her to the next room. Away from you. Not ten seconds later, you heard your mother held her scream, you heard a bit of her voice, crying. No, she is not getting raped by your father’s brother, you sick bastard! You are curious, you are going to the room, peeking to see what is happening. Your uncle saw you. He held your mother in his arms. He whispered something to your mother and she then sat down while holding not to show you that she cried. Your uncle approached you. You are scared. Your uncle is very temperamental. You witnessed him once beating his teenage son because he caught him drinking beer. His calm is very eerie to you. But you saw anger in his eyes. He crouched and hold you in his arms. He cried. (So far I’m not going anywhere, the guy who likes cheap soap operas in me is running my fingers on the keyboard). You are very scared. You then asked them what is going on. Your mom then looking at you and she cried. Okay, enough with the drama… I will just make a big line: your dad died when you are a child, your uncle then took you and your mother to his house. The incident that killed your father was a car crash. The driver was a drunk teenager. Basically he is a spoilt brat. He got away with it because his parents are super influential and he is too young for prison. The media did not cover the case and when they did, they were not objective, and the police is not very helpful to you. For few times you overheard some people that your father was at fault because he worked in a shady corner of the town. He was working the cashier of a convenient store and he was walking home when he got in the accident. Remember that you are still a child. Not a couple of month after the incident, your uncle was home with bruises all over his face and body. He was beaten up when he went to the house of the drunken teenager. Asking for justice. You and your cousin has gotten very close and you swore to each other that justice will be served. Your mother is telling you to learn letting go but you… Okay… Forget this… I went too far with the fiction.

Let’s just imagine living in a place of conflict where death surround us. And so many times you were told how the world is divided into two. Your side and the side of the enemy. You have seen so many planes, painted with a particular flag on their wings, bombed the city you lived in. Your relatives, your families, your friends, so many of them died. And you do not know why they are killing them. You only learn hatred. To that flag that represent a group of people, a community, a society, a nation. Which has so many friends eventhough these friendships are not based to the killings that are happening around you. Eventhough these friends were innocent to the act behind the deaths of your beloved ones. But you have no idea. Your head is full with anger, hatred, and desperation.

Who is innocent people anyway? Your 5 years old sister was killed in a bomb dropped by a plane with a flag painted on its wings. Your mother got killed in your own home while holding you, protecting you. (Wow, I just depressed myself). How are you going to pay your revenge? To a flag? Burning a piece of cloth that you painted so it look like the flag painted on those planes does not satisfy you. For all you know, those planes that killed your beloved are representing a country. A country full of people. And this country full of people has country friends too. And for you, nobody is innocent. Every person related to that flag has become a target to you. They killed your beloved ones. Oh, but when you do, you are terrorize to the whole world. Because you have seen the whole world as your enemy. In your eyes, they are all against you. (I went dark, don’t I?)

Image belongs to tovima.gr

This, people. Is a product of wars. Easy to blame a single action, is not it? But what if we go deeper? What motivates them, what driven them, and how did they get to be that way?

Islam taught them, you said? I am living surrounded by Muslims. I was raised with Islamic teachings all my life. When first I was told how non-believers will spend their afterlife in hell, I felt pity and sorry. But it did not drive me violence. When I heard the story of battles from Quran told by my religion teacher, I did not grab a weapon to fight people who believe in different things. I did not hate them. I was scared that I would get the influences and got attracted to believe in other things my parents and my religion teachers told me not to believe in. Despite all the things that may sound violence in Quran (because they were stories about battles), they do not make the believer to do them. Because we are not at war, we did not experience war, and everyone wants to live in peace. Compare that to people in the Middle East. How different kids grew up. So, it is not Islam that declares war against the western world, it is a group of people who were raised in hatred and do not know any other way to demand justice.

But maybe ignorance is easier. To follow conclusions from others ways of thinking is easier. Not using your own brain is easier.

Last statements I want to make, what Islam taught to their followers are not about fighting. They are asked to pray to their God in ways that will not harm any human, they are asked to be nice and see other humans equally (Muslims or not), they are asked to maintain and conserve their environment (eventhough in their beliefs, Earth and what is on it are for the well beings of humanity).