By Nur Athirah Hamizah and Shazatu Akma
œTerrorism has nothing to do with religion, Islam or otherwise. Terrorism is born of fundamentalism not of religion. – Abhijit NaskarÂ
How does a religion cope with the issue of terrorism? And what does the phrase terrorist mean? Dictionaries outline a terrorist as one that systematically uses violence and intimidation to acquire political ends or one who controls or force others to do something by using violence, worry or threats.
Since the horrific event of September 11, 2001, Muslims across the world were immediately looked down upon and caused the rise of Islamophobia. Many people blamed the whole religion of Islam without even considering that these hijackers (terrorists) were extreme radicals. The religion of Islam is often unfairly presented as hateful and violent, which led to a lot of prejudices and hatreds towards the Muslims.
However in Islam, Quran already stated that Islam is against terrorism.The Quran addresses the issue of terrorism by teaching Muslims never to become terrorists in the first place. Islam prohibits the likes of these things. Islam is at war with those forms of treacherous acts.
In fact, Allah says in the Quran that a heavy punishment to the individuals who participate in those acts and will be punished in the same manner of death in this world and the hereafter on the day of judgment.
Clearly they are individuals who spread corruption in society. This is why Allah commanded that the people who do that kind of acts be killed. In addition, if they no longer repent from these sorts of acts then inside the hereafter, excessive torment awaits them.
Surah Al-Anam verse 151 states: “And do not kill those souls whom Allah has prohibited unless justified by a legal right and those souls that Allah has prohibited.” This verse is referring to criminal action such as bombing which is absolutely forbidden because it is not permissible in Islam for anyone to take the law into their own hands. The Quran warns believers not to transgress or become oppressors.
In the meantime, why should everybody kill the innocent people who are in a country of protection? And what right do human beings have to kill harmless women who agree they are in a nation of safety? And why should human beings kill harmless youngsters who are in a nation of protection? If an individual Muslim were to commit an act of terrorism, this person would be guilty of violating the laws of Islam.
In the fight where Islam is against terrorism including against suicide bombers, it is important for society nowadays to understand who or what is the enemy. Misconceptions about Islam creep in because people learn about the faith from headline news rather than from the Quran and the Prophet.
Thus, by reading the Quran, reading a biography of Muhammad, seeking out for the True Islam education campaign are the death blow to terrorism and upholding human rights. In the light of these, Muslims should make every effort to stop this wrong perception from continuing. Islam is a religion of peace, mercy, and the majority have nothing to do with the horrific events some have associated with Muslims. ***
Photo credit to Middle East Eye