Ideologies of Islam | Peace and brotherhood

Ideologies of Islam Peace and br other(a)hoodIntroductionAll religion preaches placidity and brotherhood and Islam is no contrasting. However, how do you justify the killing of thousands of innocents by the Moslem t geological faultists. Moslem act of terrorist act is the common term for violence,1 rooted on Muslim fundamentalism, and aimed at defending, or til now off promoting, Muslim culture, club, and values in ambition to the g everywherenmental, allegedly imperialistic, and cultural influences of non-Muslims, and the Western world in fractureicular.1Today, it is global act of terrorism has come to fore of the world politics after terror attacks on World Trade Centre on 09 September 2001. While feeling at the globosity of the phenomenon of terrorism, it has to be appreciated that before terrorist groups attain their national, regional or global stature the first begin the same at local levels. A consideration of the origins of various terrorist groups would indic ate that the growth of the petty(a) groups into the national or supra national movements could consume been attributed to, if non long measure, to the frustration of the people, with the inability of their governments to provide with the elementary justice, security and welf ar. It is difficult to asseverate at which point local terror groups joins hands with the other groups operational in the region to form supra national entities that hindquarters put away trans national boundaries. If cover steps be non taken straightway with due foresight, terror menace can well turn over the the biggest little terror to mankind.2Varieties of TerrorismRadical fusty spiritual movements oblige become link to terrorism in places as diverse as the center(a) East, Ireland, Japan, and the U.S. It is prerequisite to examine terrorism before further exploring the link surrounded by organic religion and the embrace of violence. It is difficult to define terrorism. One souls terror ist is anothers freedom scrambleer. thither are various types of egregious governmental violence that are more(prenominal) or lesstimes conflated. Official documents on terrorism rarely define the term or differentiate it from other forms of violent political action, e.g., guerilla movements, ethno-nationalist conflicts or innovative movements that take direct action. Nations often brand opposition/resistance/demonstrations as terrorist to demonize and discredit those who might dissent Ahmad (1998) offered a typology of five varieties of terrorism-State terrorism.Religious terrorism.Criminal terrorism.Pathological terrorism.Secular oppositional, or political, terrorism. at that place are different motives for these. Some highly visible expressions of terrorism can be thought of as spectacles of violence, media events staged to dramatize an retort by gaining the attention of the world. Terrorism acts as both a emblematic marrow and supposed means of social change aiming at p olitical transformation. The terrorist act dramatically advertises the grievance to a larger community that whitethorn support their goals. Further, the pain and suffering inflicted is regardd, at least by the terrorists, to punish a prior injustice and/or attain the organizations goal.3JehadThe leger jihad links its origin to the Arabic word JHD, which means strive. Jihad in essence means the measures taken to practice religion even during the times of adversity in the face of oppression and persecution. In Arabic, the term Mujahid/Mujahideen and jihad, are Moslem-derived terms indicating salutaryeous struggle, and are commonly utilize to refer to what the Western world calls Islamic terrorists and Islamic terrorism. In the non-Muslim world, this outline is often considered to be inaccurate and giving religious glorification to murder, and Islamic terms worry hirabis and Muharib commit been promoted as alternatives when referring to terrorists.Islamic terrorism is itse lf a controversial phrase, although its usage is widespread throughout the English-speaking world. Ordinary Muslims who have nothing to do with terrorism find it reprehensible because it forces upon them a cross off simply because they, too, are believers of Islam. In fact, the common Muslim believes that you are qualification him a racial hate target by victimisation the word Islam with terrorism. Bernard Lewis believes that the phrase Islamic terrorism is apt, because although Islam, as a religion is not particularly conducive to terrorism or even tolerant of terrorism4. In his own words- Islam has had an essentially political character from its in true resignment foundation to the present day. An intimate association between religion and politics, between power and cult, marks a principal distinction between Islam and other religions. In traditional Islam and therefore also in resurgent fundamentalist Islam, God is the sole source of sove harnessty. God is the head of the state. The state is Gods state. The array is Gods army. The treasury is Gods treasury, and the enemy, of course, is Gods enemy.This argument is look toed by Jamal Nassar and Karim H. Karim, who contend that because there are over a billion adherents of the religion, the phenomenon is more precisely regarded as Islamist terrorism or, because describes political ideologies rooted in translations of Islam. In this vein, describing terrorism as Islamic whitethorn confirm a prejudicial perspective of all things Islamic.5Radicalisation of IslamAs has been noted, for state of ward-looking Islamic political fundamentalism is the product of a desire by more or less Muslims to pay to a pure opinion in order to counter and overcome growing pressure from an increasingly westernized world. Identifying and analyzing these pressure points is essential to brain the rationale behind the often violent expressions of Islamic political fundamentalism whose supreme purpose is to bring individ ual, country and world under the sovereign reign of Allah. As has been noted, Islamic political fundamentalist movements are a twentieth-century development. not surprisingly, the majority of these movements are of the Sunni variety. Of the 175 Islamic fundamentalist groups (mainly of the political variety) in the Arab world as identified by Dekmejian from 1970-1995, only 32 were Shiite fundamentalists (with an extra four having both Sunni and Shiite followers). The modern era radical clerics have sympathize the Koran to their advantage and have used it effectively to strengthen the armament wing of Islamic fundamentalists and use terrorism as a appliance against the non practiti starrs of Islam. Some clerics living the hard stand against non Islamic societies and nations are reflected in the subsequent paragraphs.Radical as part of his sermon one Friday in August 2004, the Palestinian Sheikh Abu Muhammad al Maqdisi told his followers,Cutting off heads is part of our religion. Indeed, by God, slaughtering Allahs enemies is part of our religion. It should be done in accordance with the touch of Islamic nations.In another article titled The Infidels willing be Obliterated, the cleric Seif al-Din al-Ansari issuesAllah made annihilating the infidels one of his steadfast decrees. According to (divine) inwrought law of alternating fortunes, Allah said (Allah will) obliterate the infidels.It inevitably follows that this wisdom.has become the way the life is to be do itd. The (Koran) mentions his decree frequently, to the point that it makes you feel that it is truth of supreme importance.In another consideration, Shiekh Nasser ibn Hameed, an al Quaeda affiliated Saudi cleric, considers the permissibility of using the weapons of mass destruction to bring about the will of Allah. The sheikh concludes that, considering what Americans have done-If a bomb was dropped on themthat would cancel out 10 zillion and burn their lands to the same extent that they bu rned the Muslim lands this is permissible with no need to mention any(prenominal) other proof. Yet if we want to annihilate a greater number, we need further proof6Creating an IdeologyA century ago, Islam had the same Koran, the same Prophet Muhammad, the same stories about founding of the faith, and the same religious and the legal traditions. Yet there were no suicides bombers like Salah Ghandour, no incendiary leaders like Hassan Nasrallah, no competitory sheikhs like Yousaf al-Qaradawi and no murderous conglomerates like Hamas and al Qaeda. And that there was not should give pause to all those who claim that Islam is, necessarily, a violent and ruinous faith. To attribute todays problems to the essence of the religion is to commit a grave error of oversimplification. Islam is a grand tradition that has proven itself cap up to(p) of sustaining some different cultures, philosophies, approaches to life and political arrangements. Since September 11, and to a lesser extent bef ore, many a(prenominal) authors have probed the history of Islam and the Arabs in search of the roots of extremism. One goodness place to start is the story from the recent past, the story of Sayyid Qutb, an Egyptian author who is described as the intellectual hero of every one of the groups that in the end went to Al Qaeda, their Karl Marx their guide.7Sayyid Qutb was born in Egypt in 1906. His early education was in the western system of education. After completing his studies, he took up the ponder of a teacher. He later became a novelist and a functionary in Ministry of Education, Egypt. In late 1940s he did his masters from Colorado. However, during 1930 to 1950, Qutb lost faith in the secular system and became a radical Islamist. On return from America, Qutb supported the Nassers secular revolution. Difference arose between Nasser and Qutb and later was imprisoned. It was during this time Qutb wrote some of his better(p) known and influential work Milestone (a thirty ru le book commentary on Koran) and In shade of Koran. Qutb was latter executed by Nasser in 1966, giving Islam its earliest and most revered martyr. Qutb was influenced by Mawdudis literary works but constructed a khariji-like revolutionary ideology. He stressed both Gods sovereignty and governance (hakimiyya) and the unity of God (tawhid) with the resulting unity in nature, religion, society, and state as the foundation of the integrated and comprehensive Islamic system. Qutb transformed the meaning of the Islamic term hijrah (emigration) from a simple description of the Prophets historic migration from Mecca to Medinah to signifying a distinct stage in the development of all true Muslim societies hijrah is the response of true Muslims to the state of jahiliyya prevalent in their society. They must withdraw from society in order to create a vanguard of committed activists able to take over society when the right time comes.8Some of Qutbs comment of Jahiliyyah in his own words are as follows-Islam cannot accept any mixing with Jahiliyyah, either in its concept or in the modes of musical accompaniment which which are derived from this concept. Either Islam will remain or Jahiliyyah Islam cannot accept or agree to a situation which is half Islamic and half Jahiliyyah.The maiden duty of Islam in this world is to depose Jahiliyyah from the lead of man, and to take the leadership into its own hand and enforce the particular (Islamic ) way of life.Indeed, people are not Muslims, as they proclaim to b, as long as they live the lier of Jahiliyyah. Today th task f the call is to return these animal people of Islam and make them into the Muslim all over again.A person who feels the need of defence, justification and apology is not capable of presenting Islam to people. Indeed, he is a person who lives the life of Jahiliyyah, hollow and full of contradictions, defects and evils, and intends to provide justification for the Jahiliyyah he is in. These are offende r against Islam.9Qutbs central mobilizing concept was a reinterpretation of Jahiliyya, and provided an ideology to military machine faction of Islamic leaders. Most terrorist Islamic groups today, derive their ideology from his writings.Interpretations of the playscriptThe role played by the account book, Islams sacred text, in opposing or in encouraging attacks on cultivatedians is disputed. Certain scholars such as Zakir Naik have said all Muslims should be terrorists in the context of war and combat evils of society. When he was asked about the verse.Against them make ready your strength to the utmost of your power, including steeds of war, to peach terror into (the hearts of) the enemies, of Allah and your enemies. Quran 860He replied. Every Muslim should be a terrorist. A terrorist is a person who causes terror. The moment a freebooter sees a policeman he is terrified. A policeman is a terrorist for the robber. A Muslim should be a terrorist for the Robber and all other anti-social elements. The Princeton University Middle Eastern scholar Bernard Lewis, states that Islamic jurisprudence does not allow terrorism. prof Lewis notes At no time did the (Muslim) jurist clear of terrorism. Nor indeed is there any evidence of the use of terrorism (in Islamic tradition). Muslims are commanded not to kill women, children, or the aged, not to scud or otherwise vilify prisoners, to give fair warning of the opening of hostilities, and to honor agreements.Similarly, the laws of Jihad categorically preclude wanton and indiscriminate slaughter. The warriors in the holy war are urged not to harm non-combatants, women and children, unless they attack you first. A point on which they insist is the need for a clear declaration of war before initiation hostilities, and for proper warning before resuming hostilities after a truce. What the classical jurists of Islam never remotely considered is the kind of unprovoked, unannounced mass slaughter of uninvolved civil populations that we saw in New York two weeks ago. For this there is no reason and no authority in Islam. Indeed it is difficult to find precedents even in the rich annals of human wickedness.In 2007, Osama bin Laden, best known for the September 11 attacks, used quotes from the Quran-and a militant Taliban clerics interpretation of those verses-to justify his declaration of war on Pervez Musharraf and the Pakistani army, such asO prophet Strive hard against the disbelievers and the hypocrites, and be harsh against them. Their place is hell, and an evil destination it is. Quran 973O you who believe Take not the Jews and Christians for your friends and protectors they are but friends and protectors to each other. And he amongst you that turns to them (for friendship) is of them. Verily Allah guides not a people unjust. Quran 551And fight them until theres no fitnah (polytheism) and religion is wholly for Allah. Quran 839However, the interpretation of Al-Qaeda and the Taliban has be en condemned by influential group of Pakistani scholars and religious leaders, who declared that suicide attacks and beheadings as un-Islamic in a unanimous resolution. Marmaduke Pickthall, a Western convert to Islam and an Islamic scholar notes that Nowhere does the Quran approve a spirit of revenge and situates verse 2194 in the context of a defensive war. Ibn Kathir stated that the Quran clearly commands believers to prefer forbearance over retaliation wherever possible.Michael Sells and Jane I. Smith (a Professor of Islamic Studies) write that barring some radicals like Al-Qaeda, most Muslims do not interpret Quranic verses as promoting warfare and that the phenomenon of radical interpretation of scripture by extremist groups is not unique to Islam. According to Sells, Most Muslims no more gestate to apply the verses at issue to their contemporary non-Muslim friends and neighbors than most Christians and Jews consider themselves commanded by God, like the Biblical Joshua, to e xterminate the infidels.10Root Cause of TerrorismThe Worldview of the Fundamentalist. It is taken for granted(predicate) to mention that Islamic fundamentalism is caused by the actions of the fundamentalist. What we can ask ourselves is what drives these individuals to advocate fundamentalism? several(prenominal) scholars have proposed that fundamentalists adopt a factual reading of the Quran. Consider the quest verses-And kill them wherever you find them, and turn them out from where they have cancelled you out. And Al-Fitnah is worst than killing. And fight not with them at Al-Masjid-al-Haram (the sanctuary at Makkah) unless they (first) fight you there. But if they attack you, then kill them. Such is the recompense of the unbelievers (Surah Al-Baqarah).If one takes a literal reading of the above passage, then it is quite straightforward that Muslims should kill non-Muslims where and whenever the former thinks that they are in a position to do so. Take for example Palestinia ns. Palestinians have been resettled to accommodate for the state of Israel, because displacing the former from their own homeland in the process. When seen within the light of the above verses, the perceived injustice suffered by the Palestinians would mean that Palestinians have every right to oppose the Israelis as well as their American benefactors. This is if a literal reading of the above verses is taken devoid of the context and historical quite a little that gave rise to such verses in the first place.11Islams Identity Crisis in Confronting Modernity. The historical inevitability and pain of transition to modernization/capitalism has been met with resistance and conservative religious leaders sees such forms as imperialism, colonialism, and the spread of neoliberal ideology. As conservative religious leaders struggled to deal with the advent of modernity, Islamic modernizers were more open. Indeed, these Islamic modernizers worked with secular nationalists and were better able to cope with modernity, using European models of fabianism and capitalism for nation building and national development (Hossein-Zadeh, 2005). However, when socialism and capitalism failed to deliver for example, instances of want were rife people were alienated from the system they were in materialism and decadence prevailed in the capitalist system the baffle masses of the Muslim world turned to the more radical message of Islam as Muslims especially those alienated and disaffected by socialist and capitalists models looked for an Islamic Alternative. This yearning signalled a desire to return to the state of Islam during its Golden Age. button-down religious leaders thereby became the sources of mobilization and self-respect as the foil masses sought to return to the Golden Age (Hossein-Zadeh, 2005).12Socio-Economic-Political Factors. Islam is not a monolithic entity how Muslim states/Muslims relate to the non-Muslim other depends a lot on their socio-economic-political factors. For example, poverty and undemocratic regimes are significant factors that can contribute to Islamic militancy. In Aceh (Indonesia) and Mindanao (Philippines), marginalized Muslim communities suffer acute deprivation and alienation vis-vis the post-colonial state dominated by the ethnic and religious minority (Rahim, 2003). Additionally, given the escape of democratic mechanisms in these regions, there are no means for accepted and sufficient political representation thereby making Islamists act subversively. monarchical and draconian measures adopted by oppressive regimes to contain the radical Islamists will also exacerbate the threat rather than effectively reducing it. Instances of poverty as well as undemocratic regimes and draconian legislation among many other factors can contribute to the conditions fuelling Islamic Militancy.13American Foreign Policy. American foreign policy is also a significant variable in the surge of Islamic Militancy. Many argue that Islam is a religion of tranquillity Islamic terrorism, however, is a product and response to American foreign policy. This horizon is reflected upon Americas unconditional support for Israel in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict the ubiquity of American troops in the Gulf historical legacy of European colonialism and terrorist attacks are a cumulative process of humiliating Arabs (for example, displacing Palestinians in their homelands the Abu Ghraib Prison scandal torture techniques used by the Bush administration). The rise of non-state actors such as Osama put in Laden represents the Muslim and Arab worlds rage against American hegemony or simply high-handedness/hubris (the so called Liberation Theology). Moreover, the double standards as exercised by the Americans in regards to supporting oppressive regimes so as to secure regional cooperation in the war against terrorism is seen as having veiled intent that the war against terrorism could be a war against Islam. American, it has been argued, should look into the causes and conditions that fuel Islamic rage that is, by reflecting upon its own foreign policies rather than blaming the other for the calamities that had happened thus far.14 medicate Trafficking. Drug trade entered the murky scene of terrorism, in a big way, in Afghanistan during the Taliban operations using Afghanistan Pak axis. Initially, they justified the use of drug business as it was for a sacred cause and even convinced the clergy. However, gradually it became a part and parcel of their activities and drug mafias became big players in the venture and terrorist became synonymic of drug trafficker. Equally, the wide network created by the drug mafia was victimised by the terrorist outfits for their operations. As big money was involved politicians in Afghanistan and Pakistan were intimately drawn into vicious circle. Drug trafficking provided the illegitimate money to fuel the consecrated War Jihad across the globe.ConclusionPerhaps mo re valuable than ideological debates over the nature of Islamic history is the future of domesticize in Islam. Kepel (2002) suggested that Islamist terrorism does not, nor can it produce its intended goals and has become consumed with a fantasy of a world-wide triumph of radical Islam. Understanding the reasons for rise in fundamentalism in Islam and factors contributing to global terrorism, it is neigh important to take concrete measures against terrorism, else, we are likely to inherit aworld without peace to the coming generations.Fight those who believe not in Allah nor the Last Day, nor hold that forbidden which hath been forbidden by Allah and His Messenger, nor acknowledge the religion of Truth, (even if they are) of the People of the Book, until they pay the Jizya with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued. 33.29. Quran