No terrorism in Islam
By Zafarul-Islam Khan
Terrorism
and resistance are two different things. Resistance by the people of an
occupied country like Palestine, Golan and Iraq today and South Lebanon
yesterday, is a sacred and fundamental right and duty in all cultures,
old and new, and enjoys sanction even in international law laid down by
western countries although this right will be invoked only when a
western country will fall under occupation. Palestinians have every
right to take recourse to all forms of resistance against the
West-backed zionist zealots who have stolen their lands and do not let
them live in peace in even the remaining 22 per cent of their historic
homeland.
Apart from this there is senseless violence by some Muslims which is justified in various ways, political, religious and historical. This violence has received moral and material support from some wealthy and influential people in Muslim majority societies, especially the Gulf and Pakistan. Insurgencies in places like the Philippines, Pattani, Valley of Kashmir, have no meaning and have no hope of success either. These senseless movements have only succeeded in butchering their own youth and offering local governments a handle to unleash a reign of terror against their innocent Muslim populations.
It is a matter of shame for people in Muslim majority states that when sons of Muslim minorities approach them for help to build modern institutions like colleges, universities, research and media houses and the like, there is no response except for funds meant to build mosques and madrasahs. But if a few insane hotheads form a guerrilla organisation and go begging for funds with concocted tales of persecution they would not be disappointed until very recently. The correct approach should have been to tell these youth to go back to their homelands and make adjustment with their majority communities and governments, join civil society groups working for non-violent change, and live as useful and law-abiding citizens and try to earn respect and rights through hard work and dedicated service to their societies and countries. But, alas, this did not happen.
The Muslim press all over the world was and continues to be agog with stories of Muslim persecution, some purely concocted. When I personally checked some of these cases, including the Valley of Kashmir, they turned out to be incorrect and grossly exaggerated. I do not deny that there is persecution and human rights violation. But rights are denied to Muslims not just because of their religion but because they are the weak, uneducated and poor in their societies. They need to wage a long-term "greater jihad" against their illiteracy and poverty. But this is a long and tiring Jihad which is practiced only by healthy societies like Japan and Germany after the Second World War. Bereft of a long-term vision, some disgruntled Muslim youths take the shorter and easier path of "lesser jihad" and in turn bring ruin and disrepute to their religion and co-religionists and only add new problems. This is not the Islamic path. Indeed this is imitation of leftist movements led by Mao and Che Guevara in the 1950s and '60s which were lapped up first by Arab communists in the 1970s, a decade later tiny groups of "Islamists" in places like Egypt and Algeria emulated them bringing disrepute to Islam by killing foreign tourists and even slaughtering their own co-relgionists. Algerian terrorists freely, literally, slaughter Muslims who do not share their ideology. Organisations like Takfir wa'l-Hijra which killed the Egyptian Awqaf Minister Shaikh Dahabi in 1977 and Jihad Organisation which killed President Anwar Sadat in 1981 have only brought shame to Islam and pain to millions of law-abiding Egyptian Muslims who are not free now to offer even their basic Islamic duties as a result of this lunacy. Today all mosques in Egypt have been nationalised and imams receive official khutbas (sermons) to deliver, rather recite, on Fridays. Harmless Islamic activities, including freedom of expression, have been severely restricted.
At the present time this lunacy has been hijacked by Osama bin Laden’s Al-Qaidah outfit and tiny scattered groups allied to him. Very recently, Abu Mus'ab Al-Zarqawi [real name: Fadeel Nizar Al-Khalayleh of Jordan], said to be one of Osama group's ideologues, has issued a statement which justifies killing Shias [who in Salafi belief are not "Muslims", indeed most Muslims around the world are not "Muslims" in the eyes of these lunatics] and condones killing even innocent Muslims since killing will hasten their entry into Paradise [text in Al-Hayat Arabic newspaper, 12 Feb. 2004]. This perverted and insane logic which justifies murder is behind the senseless criminal acts of mass murder seen last Ashura in Karbala, Baghdad and Quetta.
It is high time Muslim leaders and scholars around the world take a clear and strong stand that these insane elements are galaxies away from the Islamic message of universal peace, compassion and tolerance, that anyone fanning Shia-Sunni hatred is an enemy of Islam and friend of the enemies of Muslims. We totally disown these fanatics, condemn their ideology and their supporters whoever and wherever they may be.
A word is also necessary here about the role of Pakistan in all this since General Ziaul Haque suddenly discovered Islam as a tool of his foreign policy. The general, having hanged a popular and elected leader, was in need of supporters at home and abroad. And just as Sadat had used "Islamists" in Egypt to counter the leftists after his palace coup against Sabri faction in 1971, General Zia used Islamists at home and abroad to legitimise his usurpation of power. Pakistan overnight became the "Chowdhury," or champion, of Islam all over the world. In a live interview on Aljazeera television on 9 June 1999, I had confronted the Pakistani participant (Abdul Ghaffar Aziz) if Pakistan was the “Chowdhury of Islam”? He tried to dodge the question repeatedly but at the end had to concede that Pakistan is not and cannot be a Chowdhury of Islam.
Slowly "Jihad" became a cottage industry and Pakistan became the home and shelter of Jihadis of all colours from all over the world. The West too for some time played an active role in helping and financing this new industry as long as it was directed against the Soviet Union (Reagan’s "Evil Empire") in Afghanistan. A lot of planning and petrodollars were involved in this enterprise. Within this congenial atmosphere, where even the state through ISI became a partner in the Jihad industry, a plethora of fanatic armed gangs started operating within Pakistan killing its own Sunnis, Shias, Muhajirs, Pathans and so on. A lot of violent outfits in neighbouring countries were encouraged, financed, armed and trained to operate in Central Asia, in friendly China's Sinkiang, in enemy India's Kashmir. This enterprise has brought only shame and disrepute to Islam and Pakistani rulers. After causing the murder of hundreds of thousands of people, Pakistan has now thrown out Arab revolutionaries or surrendered them to the US, abandoned Kashmiris and is shamelessly surrendering Sinkiang rebels to certain death at Chinese hands. This change took place not because Pakistan suddenly realised the futility and un-Islamic nature of this deceitful enterprise but because the world scenario suddenly changed as a result of the American resolve after 9-11, for Pax Americana's own reasons, not to allow whatever it considers "terrorism" around the world.
Despite Advani's unfounded claims about “Islamic terrorism” in our own country, Indian Muslims were mature and wise enough not to be lured or provoked into terrorism. Shameful events like the martyrdom of Babri mosque and pogroms in Gujarat did influence some angry Muslim youth but this was so rare that even foreign observers like America’s Mr Haas have confirmed that there was no terrorist trend among Indian Muslims. We have a clear example to offer: father of the Indian nuclear bomb is president of India today while the father of the Pakistani bomb is discredited and disowned by his own masters. World’s largest Muslim minority, which is bigger than the population of Pakistan, has a lesson for all Muslim minorities: shun the suicidal path of violence, adjust with your native societies, learn to live as loyal minorities and try to reach high positions through hard work and sincere service to your home countries and the humanity at large. This will be a great service to Islam which teaches us that "love of homelands is part of faith" as the Prophet, peace be upon him, had said. (The Milli Gazette, 16-31 March 2004).
Apart from this there is senseless violence by some Muslims which is justified in various ways, political, religious and historical. This violence has received moral and material support from some wealthy and influential people in Muslim majority societies, especially the Gulf and Pakistan. Insurgencies in places like the Philippines, Pattani, Valley of Kashmir, have no meaning and have no hope of success either. These senseless movements have only succeeded in butchering their own youth and offering local governments a handle to unleash a reign of terror against their innocent Muslim populations.
It is a matter of shame for people in Muslim majority states that when sons of Muslim minorities approach them for help to build modern institutions like colleges, universities, research and media houses and the like, there is no response except for funds meant to build mosques and madrasahs. But if a few insane hotheads form a guerrilla organisation and go begging for funds with concocted tales of persecution they would not be disappointed until very recently. The correct approach should have been to tell these youth to go back to their homelands and make adjustment with their majority communities and governments, join civil society groups working for non-violent change, and live as useful and law-abiding citizens and try to earn respect and rights through hard work and dedicated service to their societies and countries. But, alas, this did not happen.
The Muslim press all over the world was and continues to be agog with stories of Muslim persecution, some purely concocted. When I personally checked some of these cases, including the Valley of Kashmir, they turned out to be incorrect and grossly exaggerated. I do not deny that there is persecution and human rights violation. But rights are denied to Muslims not just because of their religion but because they are the weak, uneducated and poor in their societies. They need to wage a long-term "greater jihad" against their illiteracy and poverty. But this is a long and tiring Jihad which is practiced only by healthy societies like Japan and Germany after the Second World War. Bereft of a long-term vision, some disgruntled Muslim youths take the shorter and easier path of "lesser jihad" and in turn bring ruin and disrepute to their religion and co-religionists and only add new problems. This is not the Islamic path. Indeed this is imitation of leftist movements led by Mao and Che Guevara in the 1950s and '60s which were lapped up first by Arab communists in the 1970s, a decade later tiny groups of "Islamists" in places like Egypt and Algeria emulated them bringing disrepute to Islam by killing foreign tourists and even slaughtering their own co-relgionists. Algerian terrorists freely, literally, slaughter Muslims who do not share their ideology. Organisations like Takfir wa'l-Hijra which killed the Egyptian Awqaf Minister Shaikh Dahabi in 1977 and Jihad Organisation which killed President Anwar Sadat in 1981 have only brought shame to Islam and pain to millions of law-abiding Egyptian Muslims who are not free now to offer even their basic Islamic duties as a result of this lunacy. Today all mosques in Egypt have been nationalised and imams receive official khutbas (sermons) to deliver, rather recite, on Fridays. Harmless Islamic activities, including freedom of expression, have been severely restricted.
At the present time this lunacy has been hijacked by Osama bin Laden’s Al-Qaidah outfit and tiny scattered groups allied to him. Very recently, Abu Mus'ab Al-Zarqawi [real name: Fadeel Nizar Al-Khalayleh of Jordan], said to be one of Osama group's ideologues, has issued a statement which justifies killing Shias [who in Salafi belief are not "Muslims", indeed most Muslims around the world are not "Muslims" in the eyes of these lunatics] and condones killing even innocent Muslims since killing will hasten their entry into Paradise [text in Al-Hayat Arabic newspaper, 12 Feb. 2004]. This perverted and insane logic which justifies murder is behind the senseless criminal acts of mass murder seen last Ashura in Karbala, Baghdad and Quetta.
It is high time Muslim leaders and scholars around the world take a clear and strong stand that these insane elements are galaxies away from the Islamic message of universal peace, compassion and tolerance, that anyone fanning Shia-Sunni hatred is an enemy of Islam and friend of the enemies of Muslims. We totally disown these fanatics, condemn their ideology and their supporters whoever and wherever they may be.
A word is also necessary here about the role of Pakistan in all this since General Ziaul Haque suddenly discovered Islam as a tool of his foreign policy. The general, having hanged a popular and elected leader, was in need of supporters at home and abroad. And just as Sadat had used "Islamists" in Egypt to counter the leftists after his palace coup against Sabri faction in 1971, General Zia used Islamists at home and abroad to legitimise his usurpation of power. Pakistan overnight became the "Chowdhury," or champion, of Islam all over the world. In a live interview on Aljazeera television on 9 June 1999, I had confronted the Pakistani participant (Abdul Ghaffar Aziz) if Pakistan was the “Chowdhury of Islam”? He tried to dodge the question repeatedly but at the end had to concede that Pakistan is not and cannot be a Chowdhury of Islam.
Slowly "Jihad" became a cottage industry and Pakistan became the home and shelter of Jihadis of all colours from all over the world. The West too for some time played an active role in helping and financing this new industry as long as it was directed against the Soviet Union (Reagan’s "Evil Empire") in Afghanistan. A lot of planning and petrodollars were involved in this enterprise. Within this congenial atmosphere, where even the state through ISI became a partner in the Jihad industry, a plethora of fanatic armed gangs started operating within Pakistan killing its own Sunnis, Shias, Muhajirs, Pathans and so on. A lot of violent outfits in neighbouring countries were encouraged, financed, armed and trained to operate in Central Asia, in friendly China's Sinkiang, in enemy India's Kashmir. This enterprise has brought only shame and disrepute to Islam and Pakistani rulers. After causing the murder of hundreds of thousands of people, Pakistan has now thrown out Arab revolutionaries or surrendered them to the US, abandoned Kashmiris and is shamelessly surrendering Sinkiang rebels to certain death at Chinese hands. This change took place not because Pakistan suddenly realised the futility and un-Islamic nature of this deceitful enterprise but because the world scenario suddenly changed as a result of the American resolve after 9-11, for Pax Americana's own reasons, not to allow whatever it considers "terrorism" around the world.
Despite Advani's unfounded claims about “Islamic terrorism” in our own country, Indian Muslims were mature and wise enough not to be lured or provoked into terrorism. Shameful events like the martyrdom of Babri mosque and pogroms in Gujarat did influence some angry Muslim youth but this was so rare that even foreign observers like America’s Mr Haas have confirmed that there was no terrorist trend among Indian Muslims. We have a clear example to offer: father of the Indian nuclear bomb is president of India today while the father of the Pakistani bomb is discredited and disowned by his own masters. World’s largest Muslim minority, which is bigger than the population of Pakistan, has a lesson for all Muslim minorities: shun the suicidal path of violence, adjust with your native societies, learn to live as loyal minorities and try to reach high positions through hard work and sincere service to your home countries and the humanity at large. This will be a great service to Islam which teaches us that "love of homelands is part of faith" as the Prophet, peace be upon him, had said. (The Milli Gazette, 16-31 March 2004).
Dr Zafarul-Islam Khan
is Director of The Institute of Islamic & Arab Studies, New Delhi
and is editor of The
Milli Gazette (Fortnightly Newspaper), Muslim
India (Monthly Journal) & Muslim & Arab
Perspectives journal. He may be contacted at zik@VSNL.COM
Terrorism in Islam
Islam and Terrorism
It is unfortunate that Islam, the religion of peace, hope, harmony, goodwill and Brotherhood had been badly tarnished by the perpetrators of various terrorists acts and barbarism as seen in recent years.
The purpose of this presentation is to set forth the teachings of Islam
so that manifestations of various terrorist acts are fully exposed in
the light of Islamic teachings under whose shelter these activities are
being committed.
- Diplomatic immunity and ethics of war in Islam
- Islamic Jihad
- Peace and international relations in Islam
DIPLOMATIC IMMUNITY AND ETHICS OF WAR
According to the Islamic Holy Book - the Quran, God has bestowed honour on every individual irrespective of skin colour, race, nationality, etc. Freedom is one of the great favours of God and its deprivation is a great misery. Under the Islamic dispensation, no one can be made a captive without a just cause. Prisoners can only be taken in the event of a regular declared war or battle and not for any other reason or under any other pretext. The Holy Quran specifically states:It does not behove a Prophet that he should have captives until he engages in regular fighting in the land. If you take captives, except in regular fighting, you will be regarded as desiring the goods of this world, while ALLAH desires for you the Hereafter. And ALLAH is Mighty, Wise (8:68)This verse cuts at the root of not only slavery practice in years gone by but also demolishes any supposed justification of modern day hostage-taking and hijacking of innocent people not involved in actual combat.
In his farewell address the Holy Prophet of Islam gave special instructions
regarding good treatment which should be meted out to prisoners. The Holy
Prophet said:
O men, you still have in your possession some prisoners of war. I advise you, therefore, to feed them and to clothe them in the same way and style as you feed and clothe yourselves ..... To give them pain or trouble can never be tolerated.More specific commandments on the ethics of war and treatment of prisoners are contained in the fifth verse of the forty-seventh chapter of the Quran. This comprehensive verse can be paraphrased as follows:
"When engaged in a regular battle, it should be fought bravely and relentlessly. War can be continued till peace and freedom of conscience are established. Prisoners are to be taken judiciously. Free men cannot be deprived of their liberty without a just and reasonable cause. When war is over, prisoners should be released as an act of favour or on taking ransom or by negotiating a mutual exchange."
In the history of Islam all these methods have been used for releasing
prisoners. A novel method to get release was that the educated prisoners
could teach reading and writing to those who were illiterate, in lieu
of ransom.
This verse further strikes at the roots of those who would justify modern
day terrorism in the name and under the banner of Islam.
Envoys are privileged people in the Islamic system. They enjoy full
personal immunity. They are not subject to political ransom, no matter
how worthy the cause may be, and to kidnap them is a heinous crime. They
must not be killed, molested or maltreated. There are numerous instances
from the Holy Prophet's life which illustrate the application of these
principles.
Thus Islamic scriptural commandments and the precepts of the Holy Prophet
of Islam concerning diplomatic immunity are free from ambiguities. In
a nutshell, taking hostages and maltreating envoys and private citizens
in any shape and form is totally foreign to the teachings and doctrines
of Islam. In other words, the philosophy of Islam totally rejects terrorism.
CONCEPT OF JIHAD IN ISLAM
Through the actions of some elements, the western world visualizes a wrong concept of Jihad (Holy War). The word Jihad conjures up the vision of a marching band of religious fanatics with savage beards and fiery eyes, brandishing swords and attacking the infidels.
Jihad in Islamic terminology means to make an effort, to endeavour
and to strive in a noble way. Over the centuries this meaning of Jihad
has been obliterated or at least diluted. The critical juncture in the
Islamic world requires reviving and recapturing the true and pristine
meaning of Jihad.
Jihad can be divided into two broad categories. First is Jihad-e-akbar.
This is Jihad against one's own person to curb sinful inclinations,
i.e., purification of self. This is the most difficult Jihad and
hence in terms of rewards and blessings is the highest category of Jihad.
The second is Jihad-e-asghar. This is Jihad of the sword.
This is communal Jihad and presupposes certain specific conditions.
The Quran speaks of fighting only against those who first attack Muslims
and this is the very condition laid down in other verses of the Holy Quran
as well. The so-called verse of the sword in the Islamic scripture
is often taken out of context as if it inculcates an indiscriminate massacre
of all unbelievers. The Quranic words such as kill whatever you find
them apply only in cases where the enemy has first attacked Muslims
and apply to those unbelievers and enemies who break their oaths and firm
agreements. They do not apply to unprovoked wars and battles. To interpret
these verses in any other manner would be a travesty of the lofty ideals
of Islam. There is not a single instance in the life of the Holy Prophet
where he offered the alternative of the sword or Islam to anyone.
The Western media and even some scholars sometimes ignore the distinction
between these two aspects of Jihad. It must be remembered that
the Holy Quran does not make Jihad, the holy war, in context
of an article of faith. The sayings and traditions of the Holy Prophet
render it into a formula for active struggle that invariably and incorrectly
tended towards a militant expression. Modern day terrorism is contrary
to the purview of the real spirit of the Islamic Jihad.
The presentation of Islam as a crude and barbaric religion which gives
itself the right to cause unwarranted human and material suffering and
destruction under the guise of Divine authority, is not the kind of
Islam we find in the Holy Quran and in the precepts of the Holy Prophet
Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him!)
PEACE AND INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS IN ISLAM
Among the attributes of God, the Holy Quran mentions that He is the Source of peace and the Bestower of security (59:23). The establishment of peace and maintenance of security must, therefore, be the constant objective of all Muslims and non-Muslims alike. Every pursuit and activity which disturbs peace is severely condemned in Islam. We find specific injunctions in the Holy Quran:And create not disorder in the earth after it has been set in order.... (7:57; 11:86; 29:37)Mischief and wickedness are condemned in several other verses and Muslims are commanded to work wholly for peace.
Islam draws attention to factors which tend to disturb or destroy peace
and order, and deprecates them. Domination of one group by another in
the domestic sphere, or of one people by another in the international
sphere is a potent cause of disturbance of peace and is therefore strongly
condemned. Economic exploitation of one people or country by another inevitably
leads to domination by the exploiters, and develops into a potential threat
to peace. The Holy Quran prohibits such exploitation and an economy based
on exploitation cannot be beneficial in its consequences, nor can it endure.
Islam visualizes an association of strong and stable states allied together
in the pursuance of peace, freedom of conscience and the promotion of
human welfare. Treaties or covenants between nations may have to be drawn
up which should be done in a straightforward language and should not be
evaded or repudiated under the temptation of securing some advantage.
In case of difficulties and disputes, it is the duty of Muslims to bring
about a peaceful settlement and adjustment.
The Holy Quran teaches that God has sent His revelation to all people
from time to time. Many of prophets of the Old Testament are mentioned
by name and so is Jesus who with other prophets is honoured and revered
by all Muslims. Indeed, the Quran requires belief in the truth of all
these prophets. Islam is thus unique and distinct in requiring an affirmation
in all prophets wherever they appeared and therefore it seeks to bring
about reconciliation between the followers of different faiths and to
establish a basis of respect and honour among them. The Quran says:
Surely, those who believe and the Jews and the Christians and the Sabians - whichever party from among these truly believes in ALLAH and the Last Day and does good deeds, shall have their reward with their Lord, and no fear shall come upon then nor shall they grieve (2:63)The same message is repeated in 5:70. The basic unity of the followers of all faiths is emphatically stressed in the Holy Quran and the creation of discord and disunity by terrorism or otherwise has no place in Islam.
In the domain of international relations, religion and inter-religious
relations occupy an important position. Unfortunately, comparatively little
attention is paid to this aspect of human relations. It is assumed that
religion is a private matter for each individual and should, therefore,
have no direct connection with the political, social aspects of life.
This assumption is not justified. Islam being an egalitarian religion,
is not just a personal faith, but an all-encompassing codes of values
and conduct. Islam is and will be a vital factor in human relations and
there is a good ground of hope that it might progressively become more
effective in promoting unity and accord rather than continue to be required
on the part of religious and political leaders to achieve that goal.
I must conclude by saying that whether peace or war, acts of terrorism
are not only condemned in Islam but are also pointedly declared alien
to the teachings of Islam which in fact means peace through the submission
to the Will of God, the Lord of all human beings. Only through conformity
to Divine laws can we hope to achieve the ideal of a secure world free
of terrorism.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Abbot, Freeland. (1968) Islam and Pakistan. Ithaca: Cornell University Press.Ahmad, Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmud. (1980). Invitation to Ahmadiyyat, London: Routledge & Kegan Paul.
Khan, Sir Muhammad Zafrullah (1989). Islam: Its Meaning for Modern Man. New York & Evanston: Harper & Row.
The Holy Quran (Arabic Text with the English Translation by the late Sir Muhammad Zafrullah Khan: President of the 17th Session of U.N. General Assembly and later Judge and President of the International Court of Justice at the Hague, London; Curzon Press
Palastine Update
Removing Barriers to ‘Normal Life’
by Jihan Twemeh Nazzal
It started at the very early moments of her birth. Lack of oxygen
during birth caused the life of Raneem* to be a different one, a life
with a permanent disability: Paralysis.
Raneem spent her early childhood, within the four walls of her house.
Isolation, fear of the future, hopelessness and loneliness were her
companions. For 12 continuous years, Raneem and her family faced a
constant struggle to obtain what the majority of the families in her
community consider to be an ordinary life.
Going to school, accessing education, playing with peers, enjoying
her childhood–the very simple things most children take for granted were
the unattainable dream of Raneem. For so long, her parents held on to
the belief that disability is a big impediment, and from this belief,
Raneem was not given the chance to be part of the community.
When she became nine years old and entered school, the mockery of her
peers at school emphasized this belief and only led Raneem to be a
shut-in, a hidden and isolated young girl whose place is nowhere but her
house.
Reintegrating Raneem into community was the most significant goal
which the YMCA Rehabilitation Program planned to achieve. Working with
her family, raising awareness of those surrounding her, and enhancing
Raneem’s acceptance at school were the first steps that helped Raneem
gain motivation, persistence, and drive to change her life and
compensate for the years of childhood wasted in isolation.
With the support of MCC, the entrance of Raneem’s house was adapted
thereby enabling her to move freely in and out of her home. The barriers
that used to shut Raneem in are now removed so that she can get on with
living.
Today, Raneem has begun to feel better about herself. She came to
know herself as respected, accepted and loved. Today, she is healed from
the feeling of being unworthy and undesirable. Out of her new positive
feelings, great things may flourish. That’s what she and her parents
have realized.
Raneem said: “Today, I have friends at school, and I can learn and I know how to write and read.”
And her father said: “In the past, we didn’t know what to do with
Raneem, but today she is living a normal life like others, she is
learning and continuing her life. You are the only organization that was
able to change our life and the life of my daughter and you let us feel
capable of dealing with the problem.”
Today, Raneem who used to be shut-in is shut-out to a new and better life to live.
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