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?)
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| 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).
