“Is Islam a religion of terror?” It is a question that many people ask. When people who claim to be doing the will of Allah by being the cause of terrible events such as the attacks of 9/11 or the Boston Marathon bombings, it is a question that is a fair question to ask. It was a question that I did not have a clear answer on before I started to research. When I asked some people, they adamantly replied that it was indeed a violent religion. Then when I asked other people such as a British Pakistani girl named Meezaab, they replied that it is a religion of peace. Why such a huge difference in opinion? I did not know what to think. However after researching, I came to the conclusion that although most Muslims are probably not violent, Islam itself leans towards being a violent religion. I came to this opinion by looking at the history of Islam, the spread of Islam, Qur’anic texts, the life of Muhammad, and current day practices and occurrences.
Right after the devastating September 11 attacks of 2001, President George W. Bush made a declaration of war on terrorism. In his speech he called “The terrorists practice a fringe form of Islamic extremism that has been rejected by Muslim scholars and the vast majority of Muslim clerics--a fringe movement that perverts the peaceful teachings of Islam.” It is something I would truly 0like to believe. I would like to believe that Islam is peaceful religion, not fundamentally a violent one. But I don’t think that view would be fully accurate.
A brief look at Islamic History makes my question the peacefulness of Islam. In Chapter 5 of Islam: An Historical Introduction the author Endress explains that during the time Muhammad was alive, he conquered the whole Arabian Peninsula. Then...
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...n Historical Introduction. Edinburgh: Edinburgh UP, 2002. Pa96. Print.
George W. Bush: Declaration of War on Terrorism, public domain document. Archived by Encyclopedia Britannica.
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Lewis clearly and entirely pointed out key events explaining the choices to be made by the people of the Islamic faith. This paper highlighted just a few of the many key events. Lewis says, “Most Muslims are not fundamentalists, and most fundamentalists are not terrorists, but most present-day terrorists are Muslims and proudly identify themselves as such.” He also expertly points out, “Terrorism requires only a few. Obviously the West must defend itself by whatever means will be effective. But in devising means to fight the terrorists, it would surely be useful to understand the forces that drive them.”(Lewis. Introduction) In the end, I agree with and commend Bernard Lewis on pointing out that a single religion cannot be blamed for the acts of small groups of radicals.
Many terrorists believe that their religion is the only true religion, and they use it to justify violence (“Islamic Terrorism”). Most Muslim terrorists follow Jihad. Jihad is an Islamic perception that the way to integrate their religion is by massive force (“Of True Muslims and Terrorists”). Jihad is considered the “sixth pillar” of faith in Islam because it is the constant fight towards good. It is the idea of focusing on God and turning away from those that oppose God (David E. Long, 91). The terrorists believe that their religion is what everyone should follow, so they would naturally require personnel in power in Muslim states to either convert to their religion or resign from their terms. They will first threaten a leader that if they do not change, the terrorists will use violence. Sometimes, violent acts come about without any warning or previous threats (“Of True Muslims and Terrorists”). Islam is a proselytizing religion, which means it uses violence to convert people to its faith. This is because, in the ...
Islam is portrayed and is commonly accepted as the most violent and largest direct threat to the West. This is a generalization made by most of the West, but it is not particularly the West or the Islamic people’s fault. There is constant turmoil in Islamic countries in the Middle East and these conflicts are what make the news in the West. The only representation in the media that the Islamic nation gets is that of war. Though most Islamic people are not violent, the select few that do participate in terrorist groups give the rest of the Islam nation a bad image.
According to Armstrong (2001), “The very word Islam, which means “surrender”, is related to the Arabic salam, or peace”(p. 48). Is Islam a violent religion? This is the issue that has been brought up by the class, and it will be debated towards the end of the semester. This question has been raised by many non-Muslims due to the numerous events that occurred throughout the years such as September 11, some managed to find the right answers while others are still doubting Islam and trying identify and understand how it is practiced and know it’s values in order to know whether it is violent or not.
The religion of Islam garners large amounts attention. Many believe it is a violent and backwards religion. Since 9/11, "Islamic reform" has become an all-purpose phrase: equally a western impulse to protect itself from Muslim violence and a humanist notion aimed at assisting voiceless Muslims (Eteraz1). Extreme displays of Islamic faith such as the attacks on the World Trade Center on 9/11 have generated negative stereotypes about Islam as a religion. These stereotypes of violence and backwards thinking have been further perpetuated by even more recent examples of extremism by Muslim terrorists. Although most Muslims are peaceful and do not endorse the violence of their Muslim brethren, there are some who believe it is their responsibility to punish those who do not adhere to Islam. This religion is no stranger to divinely motivated warfare. Islam was founded on the belief that it is excusable to harm others in the name of Allah. The terrorist group, Al-Qaeda, holds many of these beliefs. Al Qaeda's modern origins go back to Wahhabism, named after the revivalist movement founded by Muhammad Ibn'Abd al-Wahhab in 1744. Wahhab called for a return to a pure and unadulterated form of Islam closer to the ideals of the Prophet (Blond 3). Recently a movement is being made to reform and reinterpret Islam not just as a religion, but also as a culture. The reformation of Islam by its religious authorities and will yield a more passive interpretation of Islam, therefor deterring Islamic extremism and producing a more diplomatic faith.
September 11, 2001 America was hit by terrorist attacks. American citizens were shocked, outraged at the attack on our own soil. After initial hours of shock, grief, and anger it became apparent that the suspects in the attacks were Arab Muslims—American Muslims and Arab Americans. For American Muslims and Arab Americans the tragedy was doubly painful. The whole World watched in the horror that the twin towers of the World Trade Center and the Pentagon were attacked. There were a lot of calls, questions if any friends or loved ones were in these planes or inside these buildings. Muslim Imams gave a lot of speeches, articles, lectures that to prove that Islam is not evil religion, they say that “terrorists were Muslims, but these people do not belong to our community here; they used Islamic names and did evil”. In their lectures they cited in Qur’an to support their statements “Islam is a religion of tolerance and peace. In our sacred book, the Noble Qur’an, we are taught the value of innocent life in these words: ...
Is Islam a violent religion? Well, the Islamic holy book, the Quran, states “…if anyone killed a person, it would be as if he killed the whole of mankind; and if any one saved a life, it would be as if he saved the life of the whole of mankind…” (Qureshi). The Islamic Messenger Muhammad also states, “You do not do evil to those who do evil to you but you treat them with kindness and forgiveness” (Prophet Muhammad). These are statements by Islam’s 2 most reliable sources and they clearly show that Islam does not preach for violence, but peace. Now the other stereotype is that Muslim’s themselves are violent people. One fact that we cannot ignore is that there are over 1.5 billion Muslims in the world today, if Muslims were violent a big part of the world’s population would be dead today. Also according to FBI, 94% of terrorist attacks carried out in the United States from 1980 to 2005 have been by non-Muslims. This means that an American terrorist suspect is over nine times more likely to be non-Muslim than a Muslim (Alnatour). Another point is that there have also been 140,000 terror attacks committed worldwide since 1970. Even if Muslims carried out all of these attacks, which they have not, those terrorists would represent less than 0.00009 percent of all Muslims. To put things into perspective, this means that you are more likely to be
Robinson, B.A. (2002, October 14). Islam: Is it a religion of violence or of peace.
In both given articles, “The Roots of Muslim Rage” by Bernard Lewis, and “The Roots of Muslim Rage Revisited” by Nicolaas J.E. van der Zee, argue about the enhancement of the Muslim fundamentalism with different perspectives; however, I believe that Lewis’ view may be quiet misleading to the actual perception. Lewis indicates that Muslim fundamentalism is conceived through the Muslim community’s oppression and dissatisfaction with the West’s political involvement, as well as “Islam is a source of aggression” . In defiance of Lewis’ opinion, the word ‘Islam’ comes from the word peace as well as the will of submission to God. The notion of aggression and violence that Lewis conceptualizes to be the headline of Islam does not have any supporting
The various terrorist attacks performed by hijackers across America created a stigma around the Muslim religion. The events were categorized as terrorist attacks by the Islamic extremists who wish to overpower other governments. Islam is a religion founded upon peace and high morality as stated within the Quran. After the attacks on 9/11 the image of the Muslim religion became filled with violence and bloodshed. As statistics show from the FBI, “anti-Muslim hate crimes are approximately five times more frequent than they were before 2001” (Frumin). With the rise in discrimination against the religious group as a whole, extremists, radicals, and moderate everyday worshiping believers have been categorized together into one general group. In accordance to this assumption, the number of mosque vandalism has increased since the events of September 11th. There has also been a production of anti-Muslim rhetoric produced, fueling the discrimination against the religious group. The FBI has heightened surveillance around mosques and conducted ‘voluntary interviews of Arab and Muslim Americans (Frumin). The Muslim population within America has received many discriminatory actions against them from the government and the American population as a whole, all stemming from the events of 9/11 created by Islamic
In a book he wrote about Islam, Khan says “Islam is a religion which teaches non-violence. According to the Qur 'an, God does not love fasad, violence. What is meant here by fasad is clearly expressed in verse 205 of the second chapter. Basically, fasad is that action which results in disruption of the social system, causing huge losses in terms of lives and property.” (Source 10) There is no better quote to explain how Islam is a peaceful religion. In the Qu’ran, it states specifically that God does not love violence. Those who follow a non-violent life as an Islam are truly following the word of God. The radicals that choose to follow their own interpretations of the Qu’ran are the ones creating a poor reputation and fear of
A lot of people believe that Muslims, Islam, and/or the Holy Quran encourages killing, fighting, and terrorism. Events such as the 9/11 attack in the United States, the Boston Marathon Bombing, and conflicts in the Middle East causes the media to label Muslims as terrorists. When a specific group of people cause violence to another group it is categorized as ‘hate crime’, but if a Muslim does the same act, the media immediately labels it as ‘terrorism’ (Frater, 2009). As a matter of fact, regarding to the attacks of the mosques in Israel, the media did not use the acts to victimize or stereotype Judaism. Moreover, some extremist groups use Islam as a tactic to gain followers even though a lot of their practices go against the teachings of the Quran. A person would not be considered a Muslim if they spread fear or terrorize others. The Quran clearly states, “You shall not take life, which God has made sacred, except by way of justice and law.” (Quran, 6:151). Islam is against any force or violence towards another person. Often the word ‘Jihad’ is taken out of context by violent militants; it means to strive or struggle for the sake of ones’ self improvement with respect to their spirituality. Religious and political groups use Jihad to justify ...
After 9/11 has induced negative attitudes towards Muslim peoples who tend to be strongly associated with any act of terrorism. The media has played a colossal role in developing such negative association wherein it constantly portrays Muslim people in combination with violent terrorist acts. It does so in a way that they both go hand-and-hand. In other words, it has made it as though the Islamic religion is synonymous with terrorism. The media has perpetuated Muslim stereotypes over the years that followed the 9/11 incident. Because of this, society has developed, and still has developed, this prejudiced mindset about the Islamic religion and the Muslim communities around the world. People immediately assume that any violent act being depicted through the media is the direct result of Muslims. They automatically generate this idea that the act was performed by a Muslim terrorist even when they were not involved whatsoever. Regardless of whether it was true or not, Islamic religion and its Muslim adherents are at the top of societies’ agenda just waiting for the evidence to be generated so that they can then safely blame them for such world affairs. Again, this has led to the attack on the Islamic religion itself wherein people have come to postulate Islam as an act of oppression, violence and hatred towards non-Muslims. Anti-Muslim sentiments and campaigns have resulted from such misinformation the media has been generating and feeding its viewers.
In, conclusion, I would like to say that there have been many attacks caused by the Muslim terrorists, but Islam is not the reason behind it. The media says many things though they are not always 100% true. All human beings need to understand that all of us are different in our own unique way and we should not judge one another because of our
Islam, the religion of peace and harmony has unfortunately been corrupted by the deadly terrorist acts which have taken place around the world during these past couple of years. Today the people in this world view Islam as a threatening and terrorist religion. Often, the killing of innocent people, suicidal bombings and terrorist attacks are carried out people who tend to claim themselves as Muslims, though in reality, the dissident actions of these so called named Muslims have nothing to do with Islam. Among all the attributes of God, the Holy Book (Quran) mentions that: he is the source of peace and bestower of security (59:23) people must establish peace in their life. Terrorism what a complete disgrace, however people forget one thing that terrorism is not only found in Islam yet also continued in other religions and countries. But then why Islam? Is it because terrorism has been related to Islam just like peace is to war. The terrorist that claim they are Muslim with pride are oblivious, ignorant and it shows their lack of knowledge. The Holy Quran clearly states that: