ISLAM & TERRORISM

Mohammad Shafi 


Terror = Control by intimidation.
Terrorism = The use of violence and intimidation for political purposes.

From the above dictionary meanings, it is clear that both 'terror' and 'terrorism' are not nice things. Both are based on perpetration of injustices. Any group or party, whether political or otherwise, or any nation for that matter, that unjustly tries to gain control over anything by intimidation & violence, indulges in terrorism.

However, the terrorism that is most decried and condemned nowadays is only the one that is apparently perpetrated by those who are themselves subjected to injustices by powerful nations. The terrorism resorted to by, or on behalf of, the Palestinian people is one such example.

And the most conspicuous act of such terrorism has been the one popularly known as 9/11. On 9th September, a few years ago, some young men hijacked commercially run planes and flew them into two huge Trade Center buidings in New York and into the high-security defence establishment of the Pentagon in Washington. The thousands of people who died in this attack included innocent civilians, working at the Trade Center buildings or travelling in the planes hijacked. The materials destroyed were worth millions and millions of dollars.

The persons actually involved in a number of such recent attacks, around the world, happen to be Muslims. Such attacks have therefore come to be categorised as 'Islamic Terrorism'. The terrorist attacks being suicidal in nature, the attackers themselves, in most cases, died during the course of the attacks.

It is pertinent here to reflect on the possible motivation of such attackers. Why do they undertake missions wherein they are almost certain to be killed? They being Muslims, we may surmise that they had been strongly brainwashed to believe that their acts would gain them Allah's pleasure and a sure place in Jannah, in the Hereafter.

Now, my question is: are they right? Would Allah be pleased with their suicidal acts that cause anarchy and widespread destruction of life & property on earth?

In order to get the Qur'aanic answer to any query, we have to understand properly the genesis of that query.

As we all know, the 9/11 attack has its origin in the Arab-Israeli conflict. This conflict arose because of a desire among a section of the Jews, scattered all around the world, to have an exclusive homeland of their own. They had their eyes on Palestine, which area was inhabited, late in the 19th century, overwhelmingly by Arab Muslims. Jews living there then were a minuscule minority.

A series of international political intrigues coupled with pogroms and holocausts brought about an exodus of the Jewish people from around the world into Palestine. So their ratio, with the ethnic Arab Muslims there, increased from 4:100 in 1878 to 48:100 in 1946. Although the Muslims were still more than double the number of Jews, the United Nations partitioned the area into Israel and Palestine, giving more space to Israel! In 1948, the Jews unilaterally proclaimed an independent state of Israel, and in subsequent wars against Arab states around, gained control not only of Arab Palestine but also of areas beyond. And they started establishing Jewish settlements in those occupied areas too!

These developments naturally generated immense resentment among the massively displaced Arabs, who had become refugees in their own country! And their resentment extended to the Western Nations, and particularly to the USA, because of these nations' moral and active military support to Israel. And the resentment culminated in 9/11!

From the above brief extract from recent history, it is apparent that the Arabs have been the victims of gross injustice and oppression. In the circumstances, some Muslims may wonder whether the Arabs were not justified in doing what they did. "What could they otherwise do? They didn't have the strength for an open military engagement with Israel and its ally, the mighty USA!"

What could the Arabs do, indeed, in the circumstances? Let us see what Allah says. "And, certainly, We shall test you with something of fear and hunger, and with loss of wealth, life and production. And gladden those who are patient, with prophecy of a good future. Those who, when any adversiity confronts them, say, 'We do indeed belong to Allah; and indeed are we to return to Him.' Those are the ones upon whom are the blessings from their Lord and His grace; and those are the ones that are rightly guided." [Verses 2.155 to 2.157] But the perpetrators of 9/11, and their mentors, had no patience. Seeing that they did not have the means at all to fight their oppressers openly, they sought soft targets: commercial aeroplanes, innocent passengers of those planes, huge Trade Center buildings and innocent officials, of all nationalities and religions, working in those buildings. They did not have the patience to wait for Allah to provide them with the right opportunity to hit back at the oppressers themselves and not at defenceless civilians. They did not follow the divine advice above and were therefore not rightly guided. Their deeds did not only fail to make any dent in their oppressers' armour and strength, but induced them to further oppressions. Remember what happened to Afghanistan, to Iraq and to Palestinians themselves living on the West Bank.
A school of thought, among Muslims, may argue that the terrorist attacks, like 9/11, are justified under the 'quisaas' law (the law of equality in punishment) sanctioned by Islam. Let us see what the Qur'aan says: "And if you should punish, then punish with the like of that with which you were afflicted. And if you exercise patience, then, certainly, that's better for the ones that are patient. And exercise patience! And your patience is not, but with Allah. And grieve not for them, and be not distressed because of what they conspire! Allah is indeed with those who fear Him and who do good deeds." [16.126 to 128]
Yes, Allah does permit retaliation - but only to the extent of the injury or hurt or loss etc. inflicted by the other party. And as regards the particular case under our study here, a section of Muslims may argue that since the USA has blatantly helped Israel in the latter's continued transgression and aggression, the Palestinians and the Arabs get the divine right to retaliate against the USA. To understand the divine right of retaliation properly, let us take one particular item of aggression. Israel has, with moral and material support from the USA, imputently occupied Arab territory. The Arabs therefore get the divine right to inflict a like punishment upon the USA. The like punishment would be to go and occupy USA territory! Could the Arabs do that!? They couldn't. They therefore ought to have exercised patience, and to have trust in Allah. The perpetrators of 9/11 didn't do that, but, instead, made illegal use of civilian property to destroy civilian property and to kill thousands of non-combatant civilians cruelly. They thus committed blatant disobedience of Allah's commandments contained in the above-quoted verses.

Some Muslims may yet argue that the USA had aided and abetted Israeli destruction of Arab property and cruel killings of thousands of Arab civilians, during the course of the illegal occupation of Arab land. 9/11 was just a retaliation of that destruction and killing.

But it is a fundamental principle of Islamic justice that 'no bearer of burdens shall bear another's burden' [Verses 35.18, 39.7, 53.38]. Under this principle, if A kills B's son, B can kill A, but not A's son. Likewise, if the USA Government has helped Israeli Government destroy Arab property and kill Arab civilians, the Arabs are theoretically entitled to the right to destroy equivalent USA/Israeli Government property and kill Government personnel responsible for the Arab losses. The Arabs are not entitled to destroy - as the perpetrators of 9/11 in fact did - civilian property and kill civilians of USA, and also of other nations, which were not involved at all in perpetrating the Arab losses.

Instead of resorting to the self-destructive terrorism, the Arabs, and the Muslims in general, would do well to heed divine advice: "And follow what has been revealed unto you, and be patient till Allah decrees. And He is the best of those who issue decrees." [10.109]

Mohammad Shafi
12th August, 2005