Treat terrorism

By sheikh Salah Al Badir

Dear Muslims! Misfortune and calamities are one of the natural phenomenons of this life. Allaah says: “And certainly, We shall test you with something of fear, hunger, loss of wealth, lives and fruits, but give glad tidings to the patient." (Al Baqarah: 155).

It is through afflictions and tests that the contents of people’s hearts become manifest. The faithful believer thanks Allaah in during times of peace and plenty and is firm and resolute in hardship. Allaah says: “Alif, Laam, Meem. Do the people think that they will not be tested?" (Al Ankaboot: 1-2).
Part of the wisdom behind tribulations is that hearts are awakened, people sincerely examine themselves and the patient and firm among men are distinguished from the weak ones.

Indeed standing firm on the truth and doing good deeds are some of the means that make men withstand crises. Allaah says: “If they had done as they were told, it would have been better for them and would have strengthened their faith, and indeed We would have bestowed upon them a great reward from Ourselves, and indeed We would have guided them to the Straight Path." (An Nisaa’: 66-68).

He also says: “Allaah will keep firm those who believe, with the word that stands firm in this world and in the Hereafter. And Allaah will cause to go astray those who are wrong-doers and Allaah does what He wills." (Ibrahiem: 27).

Fellow Muslims! Great nations in history used to make the times of calamities and tribulations occasions for self-examination, evaluating their policies and planning for the future. It is also reasonable for an afflicted country to listen to her friends and open her heart and ears for truth even if it is bitter and to accept their sincere advice even if it is painful.

Fellow Muslims! The world today is facing a disturbing a phenomenon which is terrorism, causing mischief in the land and destroying plants and animals. To start with, we must all agree that terrorism is an evil that we must join hands together to fight. Terrorists commit heinous crimes by killing innocent souls and destroying property. Terrorism is destruction, sorrow and mischief and the terrorist himself is a mentally perverted individual.

Terrorism is a problem that confronts all nations, races and faiths. Terrorist acts run against laws and reason and they are contrary to all religious teachings and customs. It knows no land, race, religion, sect, time or place. All people reject and condemn it and its perpetrators. This is the pattern of terrorism and its destructive effects which the whole world is putting up efforts to fight. It is therefore incumbent on everybody irrespective of his race, creed or class to wage war against it.

The Muslim, while condemning terrorism should only do so in the light of Islamic injunctions that forbid killing of innocent souls unjustly. Allaah says: “And those who invoke not any other god along with Allaah nor kill such person as Allaah has forbidden, except for just cause." (Al-Furqaan: 68).

He also says: “If any one kills a person– unless it be in retaliation for murder or (by way of punishment) for spreading mischief in the land - it would be as if he killed the whole of mankind." (Al-Maa’idah: 32).

Islam guarantees protection of unarmed civilians who are neither able to fight nor participate in war. When the first son of Aadam killed his brother, he was made to bear his sins and those of his murdered brother. Our Prophet (peace be upon him) said in this regard, “No person will be killed unjustly except that the first son of Aadam has a share in that sin, for he was the first person to kill unjustly." (Bukhaarie and others.)

Islam respects and honors the human soul. Woe then, unto him who kills people, frightens them and destroys properties.

Brothers in Faith! Muslims condemn terrorism and participate in the war against it, and do so in order to avoid war between civilizations. This is an opportunity for each of us to appraise the situation and ponder over policies pertaining to human rights, definitions of freedom, and criteria for justice and the proper way to deal with these principles so that an arrogant selfish sense of revenge may be avoided. We should all research and study the current issues with a view to finding solutions to the problems and remedies to the current situation, rather than researching in order to generate new problems which will be potentially greater than the present one; solutions that will spare the whole world endless wars and calamities. The situation in fact, needs new solutions not new wars. Reason, logic and order should be allowed to prevail over sentiments and no international policy should be based on vengeance and revenge.

World intellectuals should avoid being driven ironically to commit terrorist actions by the terrorists themselves, for that is not only ironic, but moronic and based only on hatred and discrimination. World intellectuals should be aware that a wide difference exists between justice and revenge; and between taking a comprehensive rational view of the problem and hasty, hysterical and aggressive solutions that will only increase acts of terrorism. The matter should therefore be handled with level-headedness so that the quest for the destruction of terrorism will not lead to other acts of terrorism.

In the light of the above, there should be sincere international cooperation to uproot the causes of enmity and hatred and things that lead to these detestable acts. In addition, all media outfits that propagate racism and categorize people of the world into ‘civilized’ and ‘uncivilized’ should be reined in, because the adverse effect of racist speeches which are being spread by these media organizations can never be estimated until after they have resulted in heinous acts.

Brothers in Faith! The world today is facing a real test in implementing the fundamentals of justice and human rights. Now is the real time for the world to establish a world order based on justice, sincerity and mutual respect. Also, mere dependence on military options and intelligence apparatus are not enough to solve the problems; all issues should rather be referred to Allaah Who is Possessor of all. Allaah says: “Verily, Allaah enjoins justice, kindness, giving help to kith and kin and forbids all illegal acts, evil deeds and all kinds of oppression. He admonishes you that you may take heed. And fulfill the covenant of Allaah when you have covenanted and break not the oaths after you have confirmed them and indeed, you have appointed Allaah your surety. Verily, Allaah knows what you do and be not like she who undoes the thread which she has spun, after it has become strong, by taking your oaths as means of deception among yourselves, lest a nation be more numerous than another nation. Allaah only tests you by this, and on the Day of Resurrection, He will certainly make clear to you that wherein you used to differ." (An Nahl: 90-92).

In spite of the recent acts of terrorism in which many souls got killed unjustly and many valuable properties got destroyed, it is illogical to forget what other people have been suffering in recent years of killings and ethnic cleansing in the hands of a nation that is not less dangerous than the terrorists. These perpetrated carnages and massacres go almost unnoticed as if there is nothing more in the human memory than the Jewish holocaust. It should therefore be given the same attention, condemned in all nations and fought by all on equal basis.

The issue in question is what has been happening in Palestine for the past decades. If individual and group terrorism is regarded as dangerous and inhuman, state terrorism should be regarded as more dangerous and more barbaric, for it is an organized one in which the state perpetrates all kinds of heinous acts against innocent and harmless people with all its apparatuses, power and domination without hindrance. The state of Israel is a living example of this.

Fellow Mankind! The matter should be treated with sensitivity and reason. Accusing a particular nation or race or religion should be avoided, for terrorism knows neither race nor religion. Muslims and Muslim states therefore strongly condemn attributing terrorism to Islam and Arab and Islamic countries. Unfortunately, many world media organizations mischievously spread this unjust accusation without evidence or proof.

Allaah says, “Since they have not produced witnesses, then, with Allaah they are liars." (An Noor: 13).

Above all, issues should be treated and solved with justice and fairness. Also, difference should be made between killing harmless and innocent civilians and the right to defend ones’ attacked rights and finally, terms should be defined with utmost subtleness, sensitivity and objectivity.