The Role of Islam and Terrorism in Society - Report Example

Islam and Terrorism

Islam is the religion of an estimated 1.6 billion persons worldwide, including the majority of the population in at least 57 countries (Miller 2009). In 2010, countries with the most Muslims were Indonesia (205 million or 13 % of all Muslims), Pakistan (178 million), India (177 million), Bangladesh (148 million), Egypt (80 million), Turkey (75 million), and Iran (75 million). This means that only 20 % of the world’s Muslim population lives in the Middle East proper. For comparison, there are only 2.6 million Muslims in the USA and 2.9 million in the UK (Pew Forum 2011).

The word Islam means “Submission, or “surrender”, “however. So Islam is the path of submission, and Muslims are “submitters” who seek peace in this life and the next by surrendering themselves to the one true God. They do this first and foremost by prostrating themselves in prayer. Masjid, the Arabic term for Mosque literally means “place of prostration” And some who surrender to this practice develop a mark on their foreheads that the Quran refers to as a “trace of prostration” (48:29) (Prothero P.27)

Islam is divided into two major branches, Sunni (80–90 %) and Shia (10–15 %).A third branch; Sufism (5 % of Muslims today) arose in the twelfth-thirteenth centuries. Sufis may be either Sunni or Shia. Sufism represents the mystical arm of Islam, and emphasizes reliance on the will of God and focusing attention on the inner self. It is known as one of the Islamic groups most tolerant of other religions (Rahman 1998, p. 31). The Sunni branch of Islam has four major schools of religious jurisprudence or law: Hanafi, Maliki, Shafii, and Hanbali. The Hanafi School (representing reason) is the largest, and most adherents live in southern Asia. Hanbali represents the most conservative school, whose adherents live primarily in Saudi Arabia and Qatar. Wahhabi, considered the most conservative Muslims, is a small branch of the Hanbali School. The more moderate Maliki School is widespread in northern and western Africa, while the Shafii School is more dominant in Malaysia and East Africa.

The Islamic creed of belief (confession of faith) in Arabic is lā ilāha illā l - Lāh, Muhammad rasūlu l - Lāh. Translating, this means "There is no god but God; Muhammad is the messenger of God.” This statement emphasizes belief in the oneness (tawhid) of God and the acceptance of Muhammad as God’s messenger and final prophet. A sincere declaration of this statement is required for anyone to be considered a Muslim. Islam’s most frequently cited articles of faith are; belief in one God, angels, scriptures, prophets, Judgment day and destiny (Prothero P.26).

Islamic practices center around (1) daily prayers; The first prayer is said at dawn, the second at midday around noon, the third around 4:00 PM, the fourth at sunset, and the last prayer 90 min after sunset. Muslims must first wash (feet, hands, forearms, and sometimes head), put on a long white robe (when able), take off their shoes, and prepare their prayer rug. (2) Giving to the poor (zakat); Honor and courage are highly valued by Muslims and are expressed in part by compassion for those in need. Rahman (1998) notes that the Qur’an is so intent on emphasizing good works and giving of one’s wealth to support the poor (i.e., active rather than passive acts of worship) that in two places it even promises God’s favor and salvation to whoever “believe in God and the Last Day and do good” (Muslims, Christians, and Jews) (2:62; see also 5:69) (3) Fasting during the month of Ramadan; The reason is “so that you may be mindful of God” (2:183).Muslims are obligated ( fard ) to fast during the month of Ramadan from dawn till sunset (2:183–185). Fasting during the day as a community during the month of Ramadan, and doing so in the same way and at the same time, influences feelings of unity and helps to bond people together and helps people to remember that there are poor people who cannot afford food. (4) Participating in the Hajj at least once during one’s lifetime; The Hajj (pilgrimage) to the Kaaba in Mecca is one of the five pillars of Islam. Being in an isolated place with a feeling of oneness and a chance to rethink issues provides an opportunity for self-examination and restructuring of attitudes and goals. The Hajj also involves physical exercise with much walking (and some running). These practices could influence health by helping people to relax and by decreasing materialistic thinking.

Individuals in Islam are valued by their ethical behaviors in preference to what they produce. People are judged by their relationships to those who are close to them. It does not matter how much a person owns or who their father’s tribe, language, or country is. Islam teaches that people are judged only on things they have control over. Islam encourages “downward” comparisons with regard to possessions, but “upward” comparisons with regard to values. In other words, Muslims are taught to compare themselves to those who are less fortunate in terms of material possessions but to look up to and try to emulate those who live virtuous lives. Muslims believe in having a positive attitude, and are encouraged by their faith to be optimistic even in their darkest moments: “Who is it that answers the distressed when they call upon Him? Who removes their suffering? Who makes you successors in the earth? Is it another god besides God?" (27:62). The Qur'an in many places discourages sadness, since this life on earth is only a test period and not long enough to feel sad about small things. Also, family and kinship are the cornerstones of Muslim life. Islam stresses that caring for family members is a primary responsibility of both the individual and the community (2:83, 2:215, 4:36, and 6:151). Marriage is strongly encouraged, as is the raising of children in the proper way. Muslims believe that God will reward individuals who do this.

However, there has been a controversy about whether Islam is a religion of peace or linked to terrorism. Islam has been an on-again, off-again obsession of Westerners for centuries, and not only in the imagination. Muslims took Jerusalem from Christians in 637 C.E; crusaders took it back in 1099, Saladin seized it on behalf of Islam in 1187, and the British recaptured it on behalf of Christianity in 1917. But Islam first burst into modern Western consciousness with the rise of the Ayatollah Khomeini during the Iranian Revolution in 1979 and the capture in Tehran of fifty-two U.S diplomats who were held hostage for 444 days before being released in 1981. Since 9/11, Islam has been highly debated worldwide. What role did Islamic piety play in motivating terrorists to hijack four jets and kill close to three thousand people? Is Islam a religion of terror? (Prothero P.25)

Muslims are taught from an early age that they are superior to non-Muslims morally, ethically, physically and intellectually. Five times each day they pray that Allah will keep them on the straight path (Islam) and not the path of those who angered Allah (Jews) or the path of those who have gone astray (Christians). They learn that their only sure way to Paradise is to kill or be killed while fighting in the Cause of Allah. Many Arabic-speaking Muslims also believe they should emulate Muhammad as the perfect man; they study his behavior and strive to follow his example. Muhammad laid down the guiding principles for jihad: fight for world domination by any means, terrorize target populations, take no prisoners, murder or enslave males who refuse to convert to Islam, and do whatever they wish with captive females and children. Dr. Moorthy Muthuswamy notes, The Qur'an tells us: "not to make friendship with Jews and Christians" (5:51), "kill the disbelievers wherever we find them" (2:191), "murder them and treat them harshly" (9:123), "fight and slay the Pagans, seize them, beleaguer them, and lie in wait for them in every stratagem" (9:5). The Qur'an demands that we fight the unbelievers, and promises "If there are twenty amongst you, you will vanquish two hundred: if a hundred, you will vanquish a thousand of them" (8:65). (Murdock)

While terrorism — even in the form of suicide attacks — is not an Islamic phenomenon by definition, it cannot be ignored that the lion’s share of terrorist acts and the most devastating of them in recent years have been perpetrated in the name of Islam. This fact has sparked a fundamental debate both in the West and within the Muslim world regarding the link between these acts and the teachings of Islam. Most Western analysts are hesitant to identify such acts with the bona fide teachings of one of the world’s great religions and prefer to view them as a perversion of a religion that is essentially peace-loving and tolerant. Western leaders such as George W. Bush and Tony Blair have reiterated time and again that the war against terrorism has nothing to do with Islam. It is a war against evil (Shmuel 2004).

Like the leaders of other Western countries targeted by Islamist terrorists, French President François Hollande has insisted that the recent attacks in Paris are not a product of Islam. At the same time, terrorists operating against Western targets themselves believe and insist that their acts of brutal violence against non-Muslim targets are indeed inspired, even required by Islam. Given that the debate about the “truth” of the Muslim-terrorism nexus is ultimately inconclusive, Western political leaders would be better advised, at least in the name of intellectual integrity, to stay out of this theological/ideological minefield. Political prudence, however, dictates that whatever the elusive “truth” about a link between Islam and terrorism may be, the public denial of its existence is the correct response for Western leaders (Heller 2015)