Does Islam Has Anything to Do with Terrorism?
Syed Kamran Mirza
New York City, USA
E Mail :
Syed_mirza@hotmail.com
"Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it from religious conviction." (Blaise Pascal, mathematician, 1670)
The recent terrorists attacks in America have shaken the world of 21st century. Peoples of every nation, every religions and creeds have been shaken altogether. What has happened in New York and Washington, D.C., on September 11, 2001 are undoubtedly unbelievable, unimaginable, and nightmares in proportion.
Everybody has just one big question and that is "WHY"? Well, we have been telling the reasons and logic of Islamic zealotry in this forum for the last two years. We have given plenty of valid reasons from the core of Islam, as to why, a terror mind may be evolved from this religion of ample hatreds and cruelty. The most cruel joke is that, Islamists readily call it" a religion of peace".
Immediately after this dastardly act of Islamic fanatics—American Muslim organizations (ICNA, ISNA, etc.) were denouncing this act of terrorism and were frantically begging for US govt. protection from the reprisals from the American patriots. Interestingly, no other religious groups had to do this begging! No other religions in the whole world needs to say, "ours is the religion of peace".
It is like the Bengali adage: "Thakur Ghore ke re? Ami kola khai nai" (Who is in the temple? I did not eat banana). On Friday the September 14, 2001, in the Washington National cathedral there was a prayer service by the President Bush and many dignitaries and other citizens. By the generosity and compassionateness of American democracy—religious leaders of all major religions were also invited.
There along with Christian, Jews, Hindus an Islamic Mullah by the name—Dr. Muzzamil Siddiqui (ISNA) was given chance to give sermons from Quran. Dr. Siddiqui has played the same broken record that, "Islam is the religion of peace". He narrated a rare verse from Quran which tells some good words, but surprisingly he kept all those hundreds of poisonous Quranic verses completely hidden.
On September 17, President Bush visited the Washington Islamic Center to admonish the nation not to avenge last week’s attacks on innocent American-Arabs and Muslims. Islamic clerics were able to bring the same common slogan from the mouth of American president that, "Islam is the religion of peace".
Well, is it really true that Islam is the religion of peace??? While I am sure the vast majority of Muslims living in America are innocent of this crime, but is it really true that Islam as the religion is innocent? Is it true that Islam has nothing to do, or have no influence whatsoever, in this horrific and dastardly deeds of those Muslim terrorists???
In the NFB feature section we have read an essay"The American Blood bath and Islamic Terror" by Taj I. Hashmi—in which the author claimed that, "Islam does not allow the killing of prisoners, let alone the killing of unarmed civilians". I shall request Mr. Hasmi to tell us what are these Quranic verses perhaps meant to him.
I will also give evidence below that he is dead wrong in his assertion. In the war of Banu kurayza—Prophet Muhammad slaughtered 900 hundreds surrendered unarmed Jews of Banu kurayza tribe, and enslaved all women and children. There are sahi hadiths about this historical happening which I have given below:
Sahi Buchari Hadiths #143, page-700 : Sulaiman Ibne Harb…Aannas Ibne Malek (ra) narrated, "in the war of Khaiber after the inhabitants of Khybar was surrendered, Allah’s apostle killed all the able/adult men, and he (prophet) took all women and children as captives (Ghani mateer maal).. Among the captives Safiyya Bint Huyy Akhtab was taken by Allah’s Apostle as booty whom He married after freeing her and her freedom was her Mohr."
Following Quranic verses were made during that period to justify this cruelty.
8:67—"It is not fitting for an Apostle that he should have prisoners of war until He thoroughly subdued the land…." (Allah insisting Prophet to kill all the prisoners, and should not keep any surrendered prisoners alive)
8:17—It is not ye who Slew them; it is God; when thou threwest a handful of dust, it was not Thy act, but God’s….." (Allah said, the killing of surrendered soldiers were done by the wish of Allah)
Questions are how long will we be lying and denying the truth of the real Islam? How long will we be deceiving other peoples? I do not deny that the verse which Dr. Siddiqui, or Hasmi narrated is there in Quran, but could I ask this same Mullah if he can deny that the following verses (mentioned below) are also in the same Quran?
Those Jihadi Muslims do not take teachings from this (one) rare verse, but they take their teaching from the hundreds of hateful verses and many more hateful sahi hadiths, likes of which are mentioned below. Unless we open the "box of Pandora" how can we achieve any solution to this giant problem of entire mankind. Why not we tell the truth? How can one cure a body by keeping the cancerous lesion inside the body? To substantiate my claim let me cite here some Quranic verses (translation by Maulana A. Yousf Ali):
Quranic Verses (These are only a fraction of hateful verses littered the whole Quran)
5:51
- "O ye who believe! Take not the Jews and the Christians for your friends and protectors. They are but friends and protectors to each other….."3:85, "If anyone desires a religion other than Islam (submission to Allah), never will it be accepted of him; and in the Hereafter He will be in the ranks of those who have lost (All spiritual good)."
8:39, And fight them on until there is no more tumult or oppression, and there prevail justice and faith in Allah altogether and everywhere.
9:29, Fight those who believe not in Allah nor the Last Day, nor hold that forbidden which hath been forbidden by Allah and His Messenger, nor acknowledge the religion of Truth, (even if they are) of the People of the Book (Christians and Jews), until they pay the Jizya with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued.
47:4: If you meet those who are infidels or non-believers, you cut their heads off and tie things around their necks, start a war and God will give victory and those who will die in the war fighting God will not forget their acts.
4:89 They long that ye should disbelieve even as they disbelieve, that ye may be upon a level (with them). So choose not friends from them till they forsake their homes in the way of Allah; if they turn back (to enmity) then take them and kill them wherever ye find them, and choose no friend nor helper from among them,"
9:111, Allah hath purchased of the believers their persons and their goods; for theirs (in return) is the garden (of Paradise): they fight in His cause, and slay and are slain: a promise binding on Him in truth, through the Law, the Gospel, and the Qur’an
2:191, And slay them wherever ye catch them
2:193, And fight them on until there is no more Tumult or oppression
2:216, Fighting is prescribed for you, and ye dislike it. But it is possible that ye dislike a thing which is good for you
5:33, The punishment of those who wage war against Allah and His Messenger, and strive with might and main for mischief through the land is: execution, or crucifixion, or the cutting off of hands and feet from opposite sides, or exile from the land: that is their disgrace in this world, and a heavy punishment is theirs in the Hereafter;
8:12, I will instill terror into the hearts of the unbelievers: smite ye above their necks and smite all their finger-tips off them
9:5, But when the forbidden months are past, then fight and slay the Pagans wherever ye find them, and seize them, beleaguer them, and lie in wait for them in every stratagem.
9:28, O ye who believe! Truly the Pagans are unclean; so let them not, after this year of theirs, approach the Sacred Mosque.
9:39, Unless ye go forth, (for Jihad) He will punish you with a grievous penalty, and put others in your place; but Him ye would not harm in the least.
9:73, O Prophet! strive hard against the unbelievers and the Hypocrites, and be firm against them. Their abode is Hell,- an evil refuge indeed.
Hadiths:
Sahi Bukhari# 35, page-102: Prophet Muhammad (sa) narrated, " He who is out at war Allah becomes the protector for him. Because, he only joins the fight when he put his solid belief upon Allah and his Apostle. Allah provides him wealth and much booty (Maal-e-goni-mat) with which he returns home. Or, place him in the paradise by making him a Shaheed (martyrdom).
Sahi Buchari #1246, page-1180: Hazrat Ali (ra) narrated, "Certainly I heard Prophet Muhammad saying, in the days of last era (before the end of the world) there will be some people evolved who will talk very nice and gentle, but they will never have faith upon Allah, and their faith will be expelled from their hearts like the way an arrow is expelled from a bow. Therefore, you would kill them where ever you find them, because whoever will kill them they will be rewarded by Allah at the Judgement day with heaven.
Conclusion:
Quite obviously, the cause of Islamic fanaticism and zealotry is rooted in the Qur’an and Sunnah. Terrorists like Osama bin Laden and others are the victims of Quranic scriptural teachings. They believe Quran by their hearts and try to follow the Quran in Toto! But the general born Muslims do not follow Quran at all, and that is why they believe in their own peaceful vision of Islam, which never existed in Quran!
I agree that this zeal and fanaticism of Islamists got energized by the Middle East Political situation of Palestine and Israel. But this has also much to do with their inherent hatred towards Jews which they acquired from the teachings of Quran and hadiths. Muslims hate Jews and Christians very much. We the Muslim intellectuals should unit together to have the courage to challenge this century old fallacy of Islam.
We should have the courage to tell the truth. Just by telling the lame excuse that, Osama has distorted the peaceful Islam is a blatant lie. WHAT IS THE MAIN SOURCE OF THIS JIHADI SPRIT? Osama bin Laden and his followers are the pure Muslims as per Quran and Sunnah. That is why Afghan Talibans have strong supports for Bin-Laden and declared holy war. That is why all those Madrassah educated Talibans, Mullahs and Maulanas of Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and other Muslim countries unanimously supported Bin-Laden. And that is why they declared Jihad against Americans. If I am wrong then let me ask a few genuine questions:
(a) If Bin-Laden is not a true Muslim then why all Talibans, Mullahs of Pakistan and Other Muslim countries call Jihad against the West? (b) Why all those well educated Mullahs (intellectuals of Islam) of Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and other countries do not declare simultaneously that Osama Bin laden is not a Muslim, rather he is a devil? (c) Why all Mullahs are ready to die for Osama whom we the western resident Muslims are calling a devil? Fact is, we even don’t know what is call a Muslim! We are deceiving ourselves!
By the time I was about to finish this essay, an anticipated news caught my eyes which worth mentioning here. British Islamic group has issued a fatwa or decree (during an interview with BBC) calling for the assassination of Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf for backing the US against Osama bin Laden. This group claim to recruit young Muslims in Britain to aid Jrhad against America. QUESTION COMES TO MIND—WHY THEY ARE ALSO CALLING "FATWA" AND "JIHAD" FOR A DISTORTER (BIN LADEN) OF PEACEFUL ISLAM?
Finally, let me close this essay by a famous quotation.
"Religion is an insult to human dignity. With or without it, you would have good people doing good things and evil people doing evil things. But for good people to do evil things, that takes religion
."-- by Nobel Laureate physicist Steven Weinberg:========================================
[ This article is originally published in NFB.