What does Islam say about acts of terrorism and war?

Introduction
- Negative association of Muslims to acts of terrorism, hated, etc. => stereotypes
- One of the fastest growing religions in the world
- How could a religion actually advocate the killing and maiming of innocent people?
- Islam stands for “peace” and “submission to God”
- Impressions formed from media sources, Hollywood films – focus on negative aspects, sometimes misunderstood or biased
- Read excerpt from page 37 of book
- I will examine the sources of Islam to determine whether Islam does indeed advocate violence. Emphasis will be made on the ultimate source of knowledge and guidance for Muslims everywhere, the Holy Qur’an. I may also refer to the teachings of the last messenger, Prophet Mohammed.

CAIR Posters (2)
- Over the course of history, many religions have fallen victim to violent interpretations …
- We’re all Americans … but, which one of us is Muslim?

What is the meaning of Islam?

- Islam is derived from the Arabic root “Salema”- peace, purity, submission and obedience.
- In the religious sense, Islam means “submission to and acceptance to the will of God”.
- At the same time, it has the meaning PEACE, derived from the Arabic word “salaam”.
- Based on its linguistic origin, the Arabic word, “ISLAM” means to achieve peace – peace with God, peace within oneself, and peace with the creations of God through submission to God and commitment to His guidance.
- Terminologically speaking, Islam is a religion that carries the word “peace” and is not named after a certain prophet, god or philosopher.
- Islam is not a new religion but is considered to be the final culmination and fulfillment of the same basic truth that God revealed through all His prophets, beginning with Adam, and including Noah, Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Job, Moses, Aaron, David, Solomon, Elias, Jonah, John the Baptist, and Jesus, peace be upon them all.
- Muslims believe that God’s final message to humanity, a reconfirmation of the eternal message and a summing up of all that has gone before, was revealed to the Last Prophet Mohammed through the Archangel Gabriel.
- Additionally, I would like to point out that “Allah” is the Arabic word for God, and is used by Arabic-speaking Christians, Jews, and all Muslims.

- The message of the Qur’an calls to peace and to the elements that guarantee it by laying a foundation of four cornerstones that are respectively:
o Justice
o Tolerance
o Respect
o Dialogue
- Islam advocates peace at different levels:
o Islam is a psychological and spiritual peace.
o Islam is a social and political peace
 Because submission to Allah means for a society: a total rejection of corruption, wrongdoing, and deviant and harmful behaviours.
 Commitment to peace with God and his creation leads to unity, love, harmony, dialogue and respect for others.
 A true Muslim, or a submitter, is the one who promotes peace rather than enmity, violence, disrespect and hatred.
 Prophet Mohammed said: “The Muslim is the one who avoids harming others with his hand and his tongue”. In another narration, he added, “and the believer is the one that people are safe from him in regards to their lives and properties”
 This means that any verbal or physical action, which results in harm, offence, or violence, is contradictory to true submission, unless it is a matter of necessary self-defence in reaction to outside aggression (to be discussed further later)
o Peace is the general principle, even in war.
o The Qur’an states: “But, if the enemy inclines towards peace, you have to incline towards peace and trust in Allah, for Allah is the One who hears and knows” (8:61)
o The Qur’an teaches that while Muslims must always be ready to fight intellectually or even physically for a just cause if it was forced upon them, even in the midst of the fight, they must always be ready for peace if there is any inclination towards peace by the other side. It should be a goal to establish the reign of peace, justice and righteousness.
o To spread the message of peace is the role and mission of every Muslim. Even when Muslims won battles and wars, they did not execute and torture the captives, nor rape the women or molest the children. Muslims were required to be peaceful towards them and treat them in a humanitarian manner, granting them rights ordained in the Islamic law.
o History witnesses that Muslims under genuine Islamic leadership always treated their prisoners and captives kindly, even before the famous Geneva Convention Act was introduced.
o Every human being deserves dignity, respect, and the right to live in God’s world. No one deserves to be killed unjustly. All humans are equal in terms of their rights and obligations that are related to their necessities of life.

Islam as the Religion of Justice

- Peace cannot be maintained without justice. The latter is the cornerstone of peace and prosperity along with respect, dialogue and tolerance. Without justice, rights are denied, victims are created, anger gives way to anarchy, and extremism in its different faces gains more ground. Justice is a moral and absolute rightness. It is the upholding of what is just and fair.
- Justice is the quality of being right and fair and to conduct all affairs in a just manner. In the name of justice, all human beings should be equal. Justice encompasses righteousness, goodness, probabity, rightness, uprightness, fairness, justness, equity, honour, truth, honesty and virtue.
- In Islam, JUSTICE (al-Adl or al-Qistt) is to give everyone their rights and what is deserved and to create an atmosphere of peace, prosperity, respect and harmony for everyone.
- Justice is considered a moral and religious duty in Islam.
o In His book, Allah has commanded us to stick to justice and to be on its side in all cases without exception. It is because of justice, that peace, harmony, and the welfare and well-being of everyone can be maintained. Justice is not a mere civil matter, but in Islam, it is a religious obligation, an act of worship, and a great proof of sincere submission and commitment to peace. - evident in Verse 16:90 in the Qur’an

The life, honour and property of all citizens in a Muslim society are considered sacred, whether the person is Muslim or not. Racism and sexism are incomprehensible to Muslims. I would like to point out a verse in the Qur’an that speaks of human equality: “O Mankind! We created you from a single soul, male and female, and made you into peoples and tribes, so that you may come to know one another. Truly, the most honoured of you in God’s sight is the greatest of you in piety. God is All-Knowing, All-Aware.” (Qur’an 49:13)

JIHAD: What does it mean and imply?

- While Islam in general is often misunderstood in the western world, perhaps no other Islamic term evokes such strong reactions as the word “jihad”. The term “jihad” has been much abused, to conjure up bizarre images of violent Muslims, forcing people to submit at the point of the sword. This myth was perpetuated during the centuries of mistrust during and after the Crusades. Unfortunately, it survives to this day.
- What is Jihad?
o “Jihad” does not mean “holy war”. Literally, jihad means to strive, struggle and exert effort. It is a central and broad concept that includes:
 Struggle against evil inclinations within oneself (on personal level)
 Struggle to improve the quality of life in society; struggle for decency and goodness (on the social level)
 Struggle in the battlefield for self-defence (i.e.- having a standing army for national defence) – if and when necessary
o The definition of Jihad in Islam is “to strive in defending oneself, one’s family, one’s faith, one’s property, and one’s honour – when they are attacked by a transgressor, or an enemy”. We can also define Jihad as “a defensive reaction or measure against an outside aggression that attacks directly the main necessities of life in Islam: one’s faith, one’s life or health, one’s mind, one’s progeny, and one’s property/country/land.”
o There are different levels of meaning for Jihad, which is literally an act of struggling. The Prophet Mohammed said that the greatest jihad is to struggle with the insidious suggestions of one’s own soul. Thus, jihad refers to the inner struggle of being a person with virtue and submission to God in all aspects of life.
o Primarily, it is seen as an inner personal struggle. An example of this could be - striving to become a better person or – quitting smoking or gambling.
o Secondarily, jihad refers to struggle against injustice. Islam, like many other religions, allows for armed self-defence, or retribution against tyranny, exploitation, and oppression. This form of jihad strives to establish peace and justice in society.
o However, regardless of how legitimate the cause may be, the Glorious Qur’an never condones the killing of innocent people. Terrorizing the civilian population can never be termed as “jihad” and can never be reconciled with the teachings of Islam.
o Many people think that Jihad tells Muslims to go and kill innocent people and civilians as the “Holy War” of the Crusades did. In Islamic history, people did not go to fight just for the sake of fighting, shedding blood and slaying – but they fought only to defend themselves and fend off corruption on earth and to establish righteousness, law and order on different levels.
o Therefore, Jihad is a defensive measure in all cases, not an offensive one. It defends all the necessities of life that if lacked, life cannot continue to exist.

Jihad and Terrorism

o If we compare examples of Jihad at the time of Prophet Mohammed which was in accordance to the Islam law (Shari’ah) – with what is now called terrorism in general – we find fundamental differences in terms of the motives, the reasons and in the manner in which each are conducted. I will emphasize why many acts of terrorism actually contradict the teachings of Islam.
 First, it must be emphasized that the system of Islam is anti-terrorist and anti-extremist. This conclusion can be drawn after looking at the Qur’an and the teachings of Prophet Mohammed (Hadith) – if the whole context of the words is taken into consideration.
 For example, in one of the passages of the Qur’an, Allah instructs Muslims to be kinds to other who are not Muslim and do not fight or oppress them. “God does not forbid you, with regard to those who do not fight you for (your) Faith nor drive you out of your homes, from dealing kindly and justly with them: for Allah loves those who are just.” (Qur’an 60:8) This implies the protection of the rights of non-Muslims to worship, as an intrinsic part of Islamic law. Islamic law also permits non-Muslims to set up their own courts and implement family and personal laws administered by their chosen religious authorities.
 Second, Islam does not condone or tolerate any terrorist acts including the killing of innocent people no matter what their faith is.
 Third, Allah showed explicitly in the Qur’an and Prophet Mohammed explained clearly in authentic Hadiths that one cannot kill children, women, old or innocent people, and civilians who are not combatants. It is also forbidden to use fire to kill or punish, to destroy crops and cut down trees or kill animals, except for substinence. As far as Islam is concerned, being righteous, even in times of war, is a cornerstone of faith.
 Fourth, Allah has set limits for Jihad, or self defence, and Muslims have no other choices but to stick with these rules. For example, if some people use the Machiavellian rule, which states: Goals justify the means. – to interpret Jihad in the Qur’an, they are indeed wrong. This completely contradicts the teachings of Islam. In fact, according to Islamic law, Jihad in terms of going on a defensive war can be declared only by the highest authority of the Muslim governance. After exhausting every other peaceful solution and in consultation with the council of scholars and representatives of the people, a decision is made and then, the commands are to be obeyed accordingly.

- War, Violence and Peace
o In conclusion, the idea of war is an act of last resort and is only permitted to defend Islam, its people, peace and those who ask for help to establish justice.
o Even in a state of war, Islam enjoins that one deals with the enemy nobly on the battlefield. Islam has first drawn a clear line of distinction between the combatants and the non-combatants of the enemy country. As far as the non-comb
o When observing the practices of the Prophet Mohammed, it should be noted that when he was faced by using the act of last resort, namely use of force, it was done with certain conditions. He used to pre-warn the opponents; he didn’t surprise them, he faced them, didn’t kill them from the back, and he never started a war until the enemy started it.
o If solutions could not be reached, he offered them to pay a special tax – “Jizyah” - to be paid by people living in the land controlled by the Muslim state in order to be eligible for protection and citizenship. Muslims had to pay another form tax called “Zakat” (charity, almsgiving), one of the pillars of Islam. (This special tax for non-Muslims was often a lesser amount than the amount paid by Muslims.)
o Otherwise, if they refused this option, and insisted on fighting, the war was the last resort and solution.
o Allah states in the Qur’an: “And fight in the cause of God against those who fight you, but do not transgress the limits. Verily, Allah does not love the transgressors” (Verse 2:190)
o “If they seek peace, then you seek peace. And trust in God for He is the One who hears and knows all things.” (Qur’an 8:61)
o If a war does happen, Islam teaches not to kill children, women, old people, priests and monks who are praying or on retreat, not to destroy places of worship, crops, not to ruin water sources, and not to cut trees or kill animals.
o If the soldier must kill, it should not be for the sake of killing, but rather for the sake of stopping aggression (i.e.- self-defence).
o Mutilation and burning is not allowed.
o In Islam, using weapons of mass destruction (such as bombs, chemical and biological weapons) is not even permissible no matter what the cause is.
o Based on the principles of the Islamic law, bombs should not even be allowed or tolerated because they cause unnecessary damages for targeted person and great damages to unintended victims. They are indeed worse than mutilation, which is forbidden in Islam.
o Therefore, war is the last resort and is subject to rigorous conditions laid down by sacred law. Islam lays down strict rules of combat that include prohibitions against harming civilians and against destroying crops, trees and livestock (unless it is for the purpose of substinence). As mentioned previously, the Islamic law does not allow the Muslim soldiers to kill women, children, the elderly, monks or people in places of worship. The Prophet Mohammed and his companions reiterated these points in several statements.
o ETHICS OF WAR
Even in a state of war, Islam enjoins that one deals with the enemy nobly on the battlefield. Islam has drawn a clear line of distinction between the combatants and the non-combatants of the enemy country. As far as the non-combatant population is concerned such as women, children, the old and the infirm, etc., the instructions of the Prophet are as follows: "Do not kill any old person, any child or any woman"[1]. "Do not kill the monks in monasteries" or "Do not kill the people who are sitting in places of worship."[2] During a war, the Prophet saw the corpse of a woman lying on the ground and observed: "She was not fighting. How then she came to be killed?" Thus non-combatants are guaranteed security of life even if their state is at war with an Islamic state.
o Muslims do not enjoy taking revenge, but they enjoy establishing justice and peace.
o Even if their enemies opted to use the rule “goals justify the means”, it would not be permitted. Human life is given honour, protection and full dignity in Islamic teachings. In Islam, human life is so valuable that it cannot have a price.

SANCTITY OF HUMAN LIFE
The Glorious Qur’an says:
“…take not life, which God hath made sacred, except by way of justice and law: thus doth He command you, that ye may learn wisdom.” [Al-Qur’an 6:151]

Islam considers all life forms as sacred. However, the sanctity of human life is accorded a special place. The first and the foremost basic right of a human being is the right to live. The Glorious Qur’an says:
“Whosever kills a human being (unless it be for retaliation or for causing corruption in the earth), it shall be as if he had murdered all mankind: and whosever saves the life of one, it shall be as if he saved the life of all mankind.” [Qur’an 5:32]

Such is the value of a single human life, that the Qur’an equates the taking of even one human life unjustly, with killing all of humanity. Thus, the Qur’an prohibits homicide in clear terms. The taking of a criminal’s life by the state in order to administer justice is required to uphold the rule of law, and the peace and security of the society. Only a proper and competent court can decide whether an individual has forfeited his right to life by disregarding the right to life and peace of other human beings.

Killing oneself (committing suicide) is forbidden in the Qur’an. Some people who are ill-informed on Islam have made utterly erroneous statement to the effect that this religion condones suicide attacks, whereas in Islam, killing oneself and other people are both prohibited. The Qur’an clearly states, “Do not kill yourselves.” (Qur’an, 4:29). God has declared suicide to be a sin. In Islam, it is forbidden for anyone to kill him/herself, no matter what reason.

As I have attempted to demonstrate, Islam is a religion which speads peace, respect, tolerance and justice. Muslims may differ in their beliefs from other fellow humans, but this does not mean they would disrespect them and treat them with injustice. Muslims are encouraged to interact with other people from different faiths, exchange with them many positive things, and get to know them. The life, honour and property of all citizens in a Muslim society are considered sacred, whether the person is Muslim or not. Racism and sexism are incomprehensible to Muslims. I would like to point out a verse in the Qur’an that speaks of human equality: “O Mankind! We created you from a single soul, male and female, and made you into peoples and tribes, so that you may come to know one another (not despise each other). Truly, the most honoured of you in God’s sight is the greatest of you in piety. God is All-Knowing, All-Aware.” (Qur’an 49:13)

- Terrorism is what brings terror to innocent people. This is a violation of the laws and principles of the laws and principles of Islam. This includes any illegitimate action or violence meant to cause disorder and to threaten the necessities of life.
- As Muslims and human beings, we are obliged to show to the world that Islam honours human life. Islam categorically says NO to terrorism, guns in the hands of children, uncontrolled access to guns, nuclear, chemical, or biological weapons. Islam says NO to sanctions where innocent people, especially children, pay the price.
- Injustice, bigotry, treachery, tyranny, and persecution are wrong. Enmity, ignorance and disrespect are wrong. The right things humans should do and focus more on for their prosperity are peace, justice, respect, honesty and tolerance.
- Conclude by showing online petition, which seeks to disassociate Islam from terrorism.


Written By Saud Riaz
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A soft copy of this essay is available in ms-word .doc format and can be provided through email only upon request