Dr. Raja Muhammad Khan
According to famous Roman historian Josephus; terrorism has existed in one or the other form, ever since the origin of human being. However the act was formally known to be called as, ‘Reign of Terror’ (terrorism) during the French Revolution (1789–1799), in the Christen and Jewish dominated Country, as cited by Jacobins. At that time it was neither labeled as Christen nor Jewish terrorism.
However, in the ensuing history of mankind, this act of violence has been committed by people from various religions, areas, communities and casts/ creeds, but never ever, it was linked with a religion to call it either; Jewish, Islamic or Christen terrorism. Unfortunately it was only after the incident of 9/11, that the term was dubbed as the ‘Islamic Terrorism’.
While analyzing the Islamic dictate on the subject, it is very clear that; Mischief comprises all forms of anarchy and terror that remove security, comfort and peace. Whereas Islam teaches peace and tolerance and orders its believers to compassion and justice; thus “Islam and terrorism cannot stand side by side”. Islam forbids terrorism and aims to bring peace and security to the world. Indeed, no divine religion permits terrorism and violence. As Holy Quran says, “If someone kills another person - unless it is in retaliation for someone else or for causing corruption in the earth - it is as if he had killed all mankind”. Thus, the teaching of Islam is that, ‘a person who kills even a single man indeed commits a crime as if he had murdered all mankind on earth and such people will have a painful punishment’. In no part of the Quran does God command believers to "respond to violence with violence", but commands Muslims to "respond to evil with goodness".
These directives from the Holy Quran are enlightening for a better understanding of the Western disinformation in the name of, “Islamic Terrorism”. In reality those conduct and harbor these acts of terrorism in the name of Islam cannot be regarded as Muslims, as Islam do not allow such inhuman acts. In fact, whether a conspiracy or otherwise, against the essence of Islam, these militants try to make Islam, a tool of barbarism. In fact the beginning of this barbarism, which may well be called, “third world fanaticism” is the benighted initiatives of people who are devoid of love for human being. In 11th century, the way Crusaders distorted and misconstrued the Christianity as a teaching of brutality, some tainted groups might have budded in the Islamic world to get the wrong impression about Islam through brutal acts of terrorism. The commonalities of Crusaders and these so called Islamic terrorists are their "Bedouin" nature, that; “they were ignorant, unrefined, uncultivated, vulgar, and isolated people”. The violence they resorted resulted from this social structure, rather than the religion to which they claimed to adhere. The true message of a religion or another system of belief can be at times exposed to distortion by its pseudo-adherents. The Crusaders, who constitute a dark episode of Christian history, set a good example of this.
Created on the ideology of Islam, the terms like; extremism, violence, terrorism and suicide attacks were alien for the peace loving society of Pakistan. It was never the panorama of nonsensical violence and unpitying massacres even until 2003. Ever since the start of global war on terror in the post 9/11 scenario, this peaceful nation has lost innumerable innocent civilians and security forces personnel while acting as a frontline state. These losses have been caused by so called Islamic militants; the Taliban, Al-Qaeda and their accomplices, during their terror attacks either on security forces, innocent masses or else due to collateral damages caused in the process of combating the militancy. In fact the number of causalities Pakistan has suffered during this so called war on terror is much more than what we afforded during combat operations in all wars with India. The inopportune incident of 9/11 was a milestone in our current history and has caused inconceivable domestic turbulence in Pakistan. In reality, the incident was fallout of Western sponsored Jihad against the invasion of former Soviet Union in Afghanistan (1979 -1989). After disintegration of Soviet Union, the Western backed former Jihadis were left out of work, as US lead West left the region in haste. A majority of them kept itinerant along Pak- Afghan border until 9/11. Thereafter their presence in tribal areas was mulled over as a budding risk; therefore security forces launched operations to flush them out, to which they resorted to terrorist attacks on innocent civilians and security forces. Starting from Waziristan in 2004, they successfully made inroads into our major cities and carried out terrorist attacks across the length and breadth of the country. Over the years these militants were strengthened by acquisition of latest weaponry and equipments and an unending financial support by forces operating from outside the Pakistani borders, having historical rancor against us. In 2008 alone, over 5000 innocent Pakistani have lost their lives in the ongoing wave of terrorism.
The question arises who caused this all? Essentially these are those elements, fighting under the wrong pretext of promoting their version of Islamic ideology which is contrary to true spirit of Islam. It is worth mentioning here that Islam preaches peace and tranquility not violence and killings. These militants kill the innocent people indiscriminately, basing on which one can safely say that they are pursuing a philosophy contrary to Islamic one. Infact the militants fighting against the world in general and Pakistan in particular are sloppily damaging the Islamic ideology and impression of Islam, which cannot be done by a Muslim. All tangible evidences and analysis are indeed leading to the coherent conclusions that; camouflaged like Muslims, these militants are operating against Islam. It will be impulsive to say that who’s cause they are promoting? But indubitably none is follower of Islam or well wisher of Muslims in general and Pakistan in particular.
It is beyond doubt that, Pakistan is suffering, mainly because of its historical alliance with US and West whose policies and actions against Muslims have created the so called Islamic militants in Pakistan and elsewhere in the Muslim world. Time has come where Pakistani nation has to understand these so called Islamic militants, damaging the very basis of existence of the only ideological Muslim country in the world by promoting terrorism and extremism. Their uninterrupted flow of finances and munitions and secured hideouts has to be questioned and ceased consequently. It was unimaginable until a few years ago to target mosques that were known to be place of protection for every Muslim, but recent attacks on religious congregations in mosques/imam bargahs etc. have become a routine. These terrorist and immoral acts, violence and armed assaults on national, social and religious congregations are seriously leading towards their long term out of sight un-Islamic intentions. Their activities have made everyone and any one insecure in Pakistan. They have seriously hampered the economic progress of the country by encumbering the foreign investment through acts like; kidnapping and terrorizing the foreigners. They are openly torching the educational institutions specially girls schools and colleges, the very basis of our intellectual growth and quintessence of Islam. They are publicly butchering and beating the innocents including women and all those who question their true motives and ideology. They are promoting sectarianism, ethnicity and factional divide among the nation. In short, these militants are at war with all the peace loving people of Pakistan for motives better known to them or their abettors.
As in Islam, every divine religion, commands love, justice, mercy and peace. Violence turned into terrorism on the other hand is divergent to the religion and promotes; brutality, carnage, misery and unscrupulousness. This being the case, the origins of a terrorist act should be sought in disbelief rather than in any religion. Irrespective of their native religion, people with fascist, racist or materialist ideologies should be alleged as possible perpetrators. The name or the identity of the triggerman is not important. If he can kill innocent people without blinking an eye, then he is a nonbeliever, not a believer. Therefore, the misinformation that Islam promotes terrorism is rather a flawed concept which contradicts its basic teaching as referred above. The religion of Islam can by no means countenance terrorism, rather, terror in Islam is a great sin, and Muslims are responsible for preventing these acts and bringing peace and justice to the world. And this is what Pakistani as a nation is doing to save itself and the world from terrorists.
Terrorist are carrying out attacks in all corners of the world. Sadly, the fact that the perpetrators of various terrorist acts carry Christian, Muslim or Jewish identities cause some people to put forward claims which do not concur with divine religions. The truth is that even if terrorists have Muslim origin, the terror they perpetrate cannot be labeled "Islamic terror", just as it could not be called "Jewish terror" if the perpetrators were Jews or "Christian terror" if they were Christians. Therefore, it is felt that media, think tanks and intellectual should report to the real motives and un-Islamic practices of the terrorists. As terrorists attacking the Mosques (House of Allah) cannot be considered Muslims. Their motive is not supremacy of Islam rather they are actually playing in the hands of anti-Islamic and anti Pakistan elements.
The writer is a South Asian analyst. Email; drmk_edu@yahoo.com
