Islam, West, Violence and Islamophobia
By Kaniz Fatma, New Age Islam
6 January 2024
Islamophobes portray Islam as
a threat by portraying radicalization of religious Muslims, disregarding
peaceful Islamic teachings and human values, and diverting attention from
West's crimes against the Islamic world. They receive a lot of help in this venture
from Islamists and Takfiri Muslims who present Islam as an ideology of
political domination rather than a spiritual path to salvation, one of the many
that Allah Subhan Ahu Ta'ala has bequeathed to humanity through thousands of
prophets appointed in different lands in all the times that humanity has been
here on earth since Prophet Adam Alaih Is Salam.
----
In this article, we are focused on the nefarious activities
of Islamophobes in denigrating Islam and portraying it as a religion of terror.
Taking their cue from the traditional Islamist theology and its modern
propagators in the ISIS and Al-Qaeda, Islamophobes have worked hard to create
the impression that Islam and extremism go hand in hand. They employ every
tactic to demonstrate that the radicalization of religious Muslims is a result
of Islamic teachings. Their objective is merely to show their enmity against
Islam and defame it across the world. They ignore the noble teachings of Islam
and the values of Muslims, focusing only on narratives that show the early
Muslims brandishing their swords in defence of themselves and against
injustice. They do not, however, want the general people to be aware of Islam's
admirable principles. They don't want to consider that Islam permitted the
early Muslims to brandish swords because of religious persecution. Their only
goal is to portray Islam as a threat to the broader public. What drives
Islamophobes to repeatedly engage in such labour? An Urdu writer said,
"This is a cleverly thought-out plan that attempts to divert attention
from the crimes the West has perpetrated upon the Islamic world".
Think back to Afghanistan and Iraq following 9/11.
Islamophobes emerged, claiming that the troops of the US and Europe had invaded
Muslim countries to establish peace and portraying “Muslims as barbarians from
every aspect”. They just put effort into fanning the fire. But they repeatedly
assert that Muslims are to blame for the breakdown of international harmony, as
if 9/11 had happened in a vacuum. Even in Muslim societies today, things like
beards, veils, Jihad, and madrasahs are derided and associated with extremism
or terrorism because of the blame put on them by this potent propaganda.
Is violence and extremism the legacy of Muslims? Sinc ancient times, the world has been divided into two parts by Western nations: Romans and Barbarians. The Chronology of warfare between the Romans and Germanic peoples can also be read.
Later on, when the church gets involved, the dispute turns
into a two-way fight. Records of the destruction of human life, as those
battles did, are rare. Some "violence" is simply too terrible to
think about. When human endurance runs out, "European man" runs away
from churches and clergies—far enough away to avoid the ideas of
"religion" and "God." It is common knowledge that Western
cultures, driven by severe persecution, violence, and oppression, fled from
"religion" and sought safety in "secularism."
The chronicle of seemingly inflicted wounds and strange
aberrations is the interior history of the West. This is a story of such
gravity that it takes a long time for an outsider to understand. For example, Muslims have harboured internal
rivalries and hatred at various points in Islamic history. There have even been
murderous and antagonistic sects and groups in the history of Islam, but they
have only existed in certain places and during certain periods.
That was not the case with them; battles between certain
Muslim factions are insignificant when compared to the history of European and
religious civilization. We cannot imagine the widespread burning of synagogues
or the wholesale death of monks and nuns during Europe's "religious"
periods. Hearing about the human wars that have taken place makes people
tremble.
This is the "violence" that Europe has experienced
for millennia. Numerous factors lead to the animosity that exists between
Catholics and Protestants. An oppressed man frequently adopts a worldview that,
if given the opportunity, makes him a more formidable oppressor than the one
who came before him. Protestants endured tremendous suffering at the hands of
the Aquisition Courts of the Catholic Church and Catholic persecution. But
later on, wherever they could, the Protestants used the Catholics! Protestants
entered the scene intending to revive "faith," and the mentalities of
eradicating "opponents" and rejecting "diversity" had long
been ingrained in these nations.
After that comes the French Revolution. Historians who write
about the history of "violence" and "horror" frequently
address this violent sequence of events. The French Revolution's Jacobian Club
served as the model for today's understanding of terrorism. This is the start
of the official history of "horror" in the modern era. Sociologists
studying the relationship between "crime" and "horror" in
the political context of the French Revolution will find this chapter to be a
useful place to start.
It is also impossible to forget world wars. Hitler's
holocaust is only another example of historical cruelty. Another aspect of
major historical violence is the destruction of Palestinians.
However, Islamophobes do not see these wars. All they think
is that Islam sparks hatred, promotes terrorism, and breeds disdain for
people. However, there is a conflict
between Islam and violence. Islam and violence are incompatible. Islam forbids
even the suggestion of violence. Islam is a religion that, according to the Quran,
is a source of peace and harmony as well as human goodwill.
The Almighty Allah says,
“O you who have believed,
enter into peace [Silm/Islam] completely [and perfectly] and do not follow the
footsteps of Satan. Indeed, he is to you a clear enemy.” (2:208)
“And cause not corruption upon
the earth after its reformation. And invoke Him in fear and aspiration. Indeed,
the mercy of Allah is near to the doers of good.” (7:56)
All of the world's religions and faiths have valued the
right of human life to be treated with respect and dignity, as well as to live
in peace and contentment. Praise be to Allah! Islam is the best in this sense.
Allah Almighty says, “And do not kill the soul which
Allah has forbidden [to be killed] except by [legal] right. This has He
instructed you that you may use reason.” (6:151)
The world saw an amazing display of human life protection
because of these unambiguous Islamic principles. With the advent of Islam, the
terrible incidents involving horrifying human life, fear, and carnage across
the world's great empires vanished. In a comparatively short amount of time,
humanity was spared because of Islamic teachings. Global human respect, peace,
and security expanded, and a bloodthirsty country like Arabia was moulded into
the image of nobility and civilization. This reality is mentioned in the Holy
Qur'an as follows:
“And you were on the edge of a
pit of the Fire, and He saved you from it. Thus does Allah make clear to you
His verses that you may be guided.” (3:103)
Sadly, there are currently attempts to denigrate Islamic
principles from all directions. Islam has always supported peace and security
while opposing terrorism and acts of violence. Islam forbids both persecution
and terrorism. According to Islamic teachings, persecution can be retaliated
against, but if the oppressed commits a transgression, he will join the
oppressor's ranks.
The divine command is as follows: “...Allah does not like
transgressors” (2:190)
The position of Islam on terrorism and violence is
unequivocal: Islam opposes unjust killing, as stated in the Holy Qur'an:
“Because of that, We decreed upon the Children of Israel
that whoever kills a soul unless for a soul or for corruption [done] in the
land - it is as if he had slain mankind entirely. And whoever saves one - it is
as if he had saved mankind entirely. And our messengers had certainly come to
them with clear proofs. Then indeed many of them, [even] after that, throughout
the land, were transgressors.” (5:32)
“Associating partners with Allah or killing someone
[unjustly] and disrespecting one's parents are among the worst sins in Allah's
sight,” the Holy Prophet is purported to have remarked. (Bukhari)
Today, Islam and Muslims are accused of attempting to
propagate Islam throughout the universe by terrorism and coercion, even though
the Qur'an explicitly prohibits this.
“There is no compulsion in the religion; the straight
path has been diverted from the wrong path” (2:256)
Similarly, Allah Almighty forbids believers from insulting
people of other faiths, saying, “And do not insult those they invoke other than
Allah, lest they insult Allah in enmity without knowledge. Thus, We have made
pleasing to every community their deeds. Then to their Lord is their return,
and He will inform them about what they used to do.”
Islam is a very tolerant and humane religion in terms of
doctrine and propagation. It prohibits anyone from putting pressure or coercion
on another person. The most horrible abuse of Islamic Shariah is when someone
commits acts of terrorism or violence in the name of Islam. In this case, the perpetrator
is not a Muslim; rather, he is a man who has turned away from Islam.
-----
Kaniz Fatma is a classic Islamic scholar and a regular
columnist for New Age Islam.
URL: ://newageislam.com/muslims-islamophobia/islam-west-violence-islamophobia/d/131461
New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism