Everywhere today Muslims are subject to both suspicion and discrimination, whether it is having to go through higher security checks at airports or even being refused a visa simply because your name is Osama. For many Muslims are simply too dangerous a lot to be trusted.
Ironically it is from this same much victimized west that has put the label of terrorism on Muslims, extremist organizations like Klu Klux Klan or even mass murderers like Adolf Hitler or Joseph Stalin rose whose crimes are no match for even Osama Bin Laden.
Just like Hitler does not represent Germany or even the Catholic faith to which he belonged, similarly Osama Bin Laden or ISIS chief Baghdadi too do not represent Islam and the world must understand this.
ISIS and Al-Qaeda have killed more Muslims than non-Muslims. Today the whole Muslim world is in turmoil due to these notorious groups. ISIS has started a civil war in Syria and Iraq while Al-Qaeda has done it in Yemen. Pakistan too unfortunately has become entangled in the fight and lost over fifty thousand lives so far in the war against terrorism.
There is nothing Islamic about beheading foreign journalists, indiscriminately targeting religious minorities and instilling wanton terror within the general civilian population where your terrorist thugs operate. This week ISIS burned alive a Jordanian pilot. Can anybody find anything in Islam or Sharia that allows such barbarity?
ISIS re-introduced slavery. There is a general consensus among all Muslim scholars that the re-introduction of slavery is forbidden in Islam. It was abolished by universal consensus and Islam has always condemned the institution of slavery. What ISIS is doing here is completely against the teachings of Islam.
Organizations such as ISIS and Al-Qaeda have benefitted greatly from anti-Americanism prevalent in a few Muslim countries. In fact these came into existence due to Muslims being victimized by others.
Countries such as Iraq and Libya have anti-Americanism prevalent in them not because of Islam but because US has in the past bombed and destroyed these countries. All these countries were victims of American aggression and desire for twenty first century imperialism.
It is largely due to this reason that we don’t see Al-Qaeda or ISIS having a Malaysian or Indonesian leader even though both are predominantly Muslim countries. These organizations draw the bulk of their recruits from those Middle Eastern countries that Americans have harmed in the past. West must understand that Muslims have genuine grievances against them.
Pre-emptive war is categorically un-Islamic while ISIS and Al- Qaeda on the other hand indulge in taking over sovereign land and humiliating innocent and unarmed civilians. By such acts these people openly mock the teachings of Islam which have always propagated peace and allow aggression only in defense.
Al-Qaeda came into being largely due to US and its allies wanting to use it as a tool against Soviet Union at the height of the cold war. Throughout the 80’s Osama Bin Laden received US patronage, a fact which has been revealed by many of the former US and other western officials including John Coleman, a former MI-6 officer.
Even ISIS is widely believed to be a product of US policies to de-stabilize Middle East for oil and some like American investigation journalist Webster Tarpley have even presented evidence on this! Who’s fuelling terrorism here?
The world must understand that terrorist organizations are always born out of tragedy and they must address the genuine grievances of Muslim world. US desire for twenty first century colonialism has failed in the past and will continue to do so.
Using the word Islam in any way to describe ISIS or al Qaeda is exactly what the terrorists want. It helps them recruit and raise funds. Let’s call ISIS—as well as al Qaeda—what they are. They are terrorists with a political agenda who are using the Islamic faith as a tool and not acting in accordance with it. That is our enemy. Now let’s defeat them.
