Terrorism And Islam

The relation of terrorism with Islam Today “ISLAM AND TERRORISM” became one of the “HOT” topic not only in India but across the world. In my research, I have tried to find out, “WHAT IS RELATION BETWEEN ISLAM AND TERRORISM?” Before we move ahead lets look on the definition and history of “Terrorism” Definitions of terrorism According to Oxford dictionary “Act of using special organization against government” According to yourdictionary.com “The act of terrorizing; use of force or threats to demoralize, intimidate, and subjugate, esp. such use as a political weapon or policy” Wikipedia define… The term "terrorism" comes from Latin terrere, "to frighten." The terror cimbricus was a panic and state of emergency in Rome in response to the approach of warriors of the Cimbri tribe in 105BC. The French National Convention declared in September 1793 that "terror is the order of the day." The period 1793-94 is referred to as the regime de la terreur (Reign of Terror). Maximilien Robespierre, a leader in the French revolution proclaimed in 1794 that, “Terror is nothing other than justice, prompt, severe, inflexible.”The Committee of Public Safety agents that enforced the policies of "The Terror" were referred to as "Terrorists." The word "terrorism" was first recorded in English-language dictionaries in 1798 as meaning "systematic use of terror as a policy. " Although the Reign of Terror was imposed by the French government, in modern times "terrorism" usually refers to the killing of innocents by a private group in such a way as to create a media spectacle. This meaning originated with Russian radicals in the 1870s. Sergey Nechayev, who founded People's Retribution (Народная расправа) in 1869, described himself as a "terrorist." German anarchist writer Johann Most helped popularize the modern sense of the word by dispensing "advice for terrorists" in the 1880s. From all these definition we come to know the actual meaning of terrorism, now let’s look on the history of terrorism

History of terrorism Terror in Antiquity: 1st -14th Century AD The earliest known organization that exhibited aspects of a modern terrorist organization was the Zealots of Judea. Known to the Romans as sicarii, or dagger-men, they carried on an underground campaign of assassination of Roman occupation forces, as well as any Jews they felt had collaborated with the Romans. Their motive was an uncompromising belief that they could not remain faithful to the dictates of Judaism while living as Roman subjects. Eventually, the Zealot revolt became open, and they were finally besieged and committed mass suicide at the fortification of Masada. The Assassins were the next group to show recognizable characteristics of terrorism, as we know it today. A breakaway faction of Shia Islam called the Nizari Ismalis adopted the tactic of assassination of enemy leaders because the cult's limited manpower prevented open combat. Their leader, Hassam-I Sabbah, based the cult in the mountains of Northern Iran. Their tactic of sending a lone assassin to successfully kill a key enemy leader at the certain sacrifice of his own life (the killers waited next to their victims to be killed or captured) inspired fearful awe in their enemies.

Even though both the Zealots and the Assassins operated in antiquity, they are relevant today: First as forerunners of modern terrorists in aspects of motivation, organization, targeting, and goals. Secondly, although both were ultimate failures, the fact that they are remembered hundreds of years later, demonstrates the deep psychological impact they caused. Early Origins of Terrorism: 14th -18th Century From the time of the Assassins (late 13th century) to the1700s, terror and barbarism were widely used in warfare and conflict , but key ingredients for terrorism were lacking. Until the rise of the modern nation state after the Treaty of Westphalia in 1648, the sort of central authority and cohesive society that terrorism attempts to influence barely existed. Communications were inadequate and controlled, and the causes that might inspire terrorism (religious schism, insurrection, ethnic strife) typically led to open warfare. By the time kingdoms and principalities became nations, they had sufficient means to enforce their authority and suppress activities such as terrorism. The French Revolution provided the first uses of the words "Terrorist" and "Terrorism". Use of the word "terrorism" began in 1795 in reference to the Reign of Terror initiated by the Revolutionary government. The agents of the Committee of Public Safety and the National Convention that enforced the policies of "The Terror" were referred to as 'Terrorists". The French Revolution provided an example to future states in oppressing their populations. It also inspired a reaction by royalists and other opponents of the Revolution who employed terrorist tactics such as assassination and intimidation in resistance to the Revolutionary agents. The Parisian mobs played a critical role at key points before, during, and after the Revolution. Such extra-legal activities as killing prominent officials and aristocrats in gruesome spectacles started long before the guillotine was first used. Entering the Modern Era: The 19th Century During the late 19th century, radical political theories and improvements in weapons technology spurred the formation of small groups of revolutionaries who effectively attacked nation-states. Anarchists espousing belief in the "propaganda of the deed" produced some striking successes, assassinating heads of state from Russia, France, Spain, Italy, and the United States. However, their lack of organization and refusal to cooperate with other social movements in political efforts rendered anarchists ineffective as a political movement. In contrast, Communism's role as an ideological basis for political terrorism was just beginning, and would become much more significant in the 20th century. Another trend in the late 19th century was the increasing tide of nationalism throughout the world, in which the nation (the identity of a people) and the political state were combined. As states began to emphasize national identities, peoples that had been conquered or colonized could, like the Jews at the times of the Zealots, opt for assimilation or struggle. The best-known nationalist conflict from this time is still unresolved - the multi-century struggle of Irish nationalism. Nationalism, like communism, became a much greater ideological force in the 20th century. The terrorist group from this period that serves as a model in many ways for what was to come was the Russian Narodnya Volya (Peoples Will). They differed in some ways from modern terrorists, especially in that they would sometimes call off

attacks that might endanger individuals other than their intended target. Other than this quirk, we see many of the traits of terrorism here for the first time; clandestine, cellular organization; impatience and inability for the task of organizing the constituents they claim to represent; and a tendency to increase the level of violence as pressures on the group mount. Terrorism in the 20th and 21st Century The Early 20th Century The first half of the 20th century saw two events that influenced the nature of conflict to the present day. The effects of two World Wars inflamed passions and hopes of nationalists throughout the world, and severely damaged the legitimacy of the international order and governments. Nationalism on the Rise Nationalism intensified during the early 20th century throughout the world. It became an especially powerful force in the subject peoples of various colonial empires. Although dissent and resistance were common in many colonial possessions, and sometimes resulted in open warfare, nationalist identities became a focal point for these actions. Gradually, as nations became closely tied to concepts of race and ethnicity, international political developments began to support such concepts. Members of ethnic groups whose states had been absorbed by others or had ceased to exist as separate nations saw opportunities to realize nationalist ambitions. Several of these groups chose terror as a method to conduct their struggle and make their situation known to world powers they hoped would be sympathetic. In Europe, both the Irish and the Macedonians had existing terrorist campaigns as part of their ongoing struggle for independence, but had to initiate bloody uprisings to further their cause. The Irish were partially successful, the Macedonians failed. Damaged Legitimacy The "total war" practices of all combatants of WWII provided further justification for the "everybody does it" view of the use of terror and violations of the law of war. The desensitization of people and communities to violence that started in World War I accelerated during World War II. The intensity of the conflict between starkly opposed ideologies led to excesses on the part of all participants. New weapons and strategies that targeted the enemies' civilian population to destroy their economic capacity for conflict exposed virtually every civilian to the hazards of combatants. The major powers' support of partisan and resistance organizations using terrorist tactics was viewed as an acceptance of their legitimacy. It seemed that civilians had become legitimate targets, despite any rules forbidding it. Cold War Developments The bi-polar world of the Cold War changed perception of conflicts the world over. Relatively minor confrontations took on significance as arenas where the superpowers could compete without risking escalation to full nuclear war. Warfare between the East and the West took place on the peripheries, and was limited in scope to prevent escalation. During the immediate postwar period, terrorism was more of a tactical choice

by leaders of nationalist insurgencies and revolutions. Successful campaigns for independence from colonial rule occurred throughout the world, and many employed terrorism as a supporting tactic. When terrorism was used, it was used within the framework of larger movements, and coordinated with political, social, and military action. Even when terrorism came to dominate the other aspects of a nationalist struggle, such as the Palestinian campaign against Israel, it was (and is) combined with other activities. Throughout the Cold War, the Soviet Union provided direct and indirect assistance to revolutionary movements around the world. Many anti-colonial movements found the revolutionary extremism of communism attractive. Leaders of these "wars of national liberation" saw the advantage of free weapons and training. They also realized that the assistance and patronage of the Eastern Bloc meant increased international legitimacy. Many of these organizations and individuals utilized terrorism in support of their political and military objectives. The policy of the Soviet Union to support revolutionary struggles everywhere, and to export revolution to non-communist countries, provided extremists willing to employ violence and terror as the means to realize their ambitions. The Internationalization of Terror The age of modern terrorism might be said to have begun in 1968 when the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) hijacked an El Al airliner en route from Tel Aviv to Rome. While hijackings of airliners had occurred before, this was the first time that the nationality of the carrier (Israeli) and its symbolic value was a specific operational aim. Also a first was the deliberate use of the passengers as hostages for demands made publicly against the Israeli government. The combination of these unique events, added to the international scope of the operation, gained significant media attention. The founder of PFLP, Dr. George Habash observed that the level of coverage was tremendously greater than battles with Israeli soldiers in their previous area of operations. "At least the world is talking about us now." Another aspect of this internationalization is the cooperation between extremist organizations in conducting terrorist operations. Cooperative training between Palestinian groups and European radicals started as early as 1970, and joint operations between the PFLP and the Japanese Red Army (JRA) began in 1974. Since then international terrorist cooperation in training, operations, and support has continued to grow, and continues to this day. Motives range from the ideological, such as the 1980s alliance of the Western European Marxist-oriented groups, to financial, as when the IRA exported its expertise in bomb making as far afield as Colombia Current State of Terrorism The largest act of international terrorism occured on September 11, 2001 in a set of co-ordinated attacks on the United States of America where Islamic terrorists hijacked civilian airliners and used them to attack the World Trade Center towers in New York City and the Pentagon in Washington, DC. Other major terrorist attacks have also occured in New Delhi (Indian Parliament attacked); Bali car bomb attack; London subway bombings; Madrid train bombings and the most recent attacks in Mumbai (hotels, train station and a Jewish outreach center). The operational and strategic epicenter of Islamic terrorism is now mostly centred in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Over the past two centuries terrorism has been used for various reasons to achieve various goals. Terrorism has been used by religious zealots and by non-religious ideologues. The historical development of terrorism shows that it is a tool of change. Pre-Modern Use of Terrorism is nothing new in the Middle East and its use is not new to Jews or Muslims. Jewish Zealots used terrorism to resist the Romans and Muslims used terrorism to resist each other (Shi'ites vs. Sunni) and against the crusades. Terror during this period was used kill religious enemies. From the beginning terrorism and religion were companions. The concept of Suicide Martyrdom, dying in the service of God dying while killing the enemies of God - dates back more than a thousand years ago. From the earliest days, terrorism encompassed the idea of dying in the service of God as a divine duty which would be rewarded in the afterlife. Terrorism against an enemy was a religious act which was considered a good and worthy act. The French Revolution's Reign of Terror (1793 - 1794) Modern terrorism began with the Reign of Terror by Maximilien Robespierre and the Jacobin Party. Robespierre brought to terrorism the concept that terrorism has virtue in that it can be a tool to bring about "legitimate" governmental ends. He used terror systematically to suppress opposition to the government. Robespierre introduced Government-sponsored terrorism: the use of terror to maintain power and suppress rivals. Before his reign was over hundreds of people met their end with the sound of the guillotine. Anarchists (1890 - 1910) Anarchists were very active during the late 19th and early 20th century. Russian anarchists sought to overthrow the Russian Czar Alexander II by assassination and eventually succeeded in 1881. The Anarchists believed that killing the Czar and other kings and nobles of Europe would bring down governments. To this end the anarchist introduced to the development of terrorism, Individual terrorism. Individual terrorism is the use of selective terror against and individual or group in order to bring down a government. The use of terror was selective because targets were selected based on their position within the governmental system. Terrorist acts were limited to ensure that innocent bystanders were not hurt. This concept of limited collateral damage to innocents, not targeting innocents, did not survive the second half of the 20th century. Anarchists also introduced the observation that terrorism has a communicative effect. When a bomb explodes, society asks why. The need to know why an act was committed provides the perpetrators of the terrorist act a stage to which an audience is ready to listen. Thus the concept of propaganda by deeds was added to the development of modern terrorism. Terrorism was a tool of communication. Between 1890 and 1908 anarchists were responsible for killing the kings and queens of Russia, Austria Hungry, Italy and Portugal. Anarchists were also active in the U.S. between 1890 and 1910 setting off bombs on Wall Street. The two most famous acts by anarchists were the assassinations of President McKinley (1901) and Archduke Ferdinand (1914) which resulted in the Great War. The Soviet Revolution (1917) Lenin, followed by Stalin, expanded the idea of government-sponsored terrorism as a tool to maintain governmental control. Both used terror against an entire class of people within society (as supposed to use against one's enemies), systematically. Terror was used to control the entire society in order to build society. Fear was used as a motivational factor for governmental operations and public

compliance with government. Terror was used as a way to organize and control a society. The Irish Rebellion (1919 - 1921) The Irish War of 1919 brought three concepts to the development of terrorism (1) selective terrorism, (2) sustained terror over time and (3) cell operations. The goal of the war was to gain Irish independence from England. Led by Michael Collins, terrorism was applied to representatives of England (police, soldiers, judges, government officials, etc.) in an effort to make the cost of continued occupation too high to maintain. Thus to terrorism was added the concept of selective terrorism, acts of terror against representatives of government to force their departure from an area. A tactic that has been adopted and used in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip since 1967 with the loss of one key concept, the selective aspect. Today's terrorism involves attacks on civilians and non-governmental officials. Also added to the development of the use of terrorism is the concept that to make a change in a society, the acts of terror must be sustained over a long period of time. The sustained terror will, over time, break down the will of the targeted government and they will eventually seek to an accommodation. The Irish war also provided the concept of cell operation to terrorism. Cell operation decentralizes the implementation of terrorist acts and prevents the discovery and destruction of the terrorist organization. Each cell has a specific goal or objective. Each cell only knows its members and its specific task. Thus the capture of one cell does not provide avenues to other terrorists. Terrorist groups like Al-Qaeda operated with this decentralized design to implement the attack on September 11th. Cells in Europe, the Middle East and the U.S. had specific objectives (transfer funds, learn to fly planes, create false documents, etc.). It has been estimnated that $500,000 was spend to implement the attacks of September 11th with cells operating in Europe and the Middle East providing organization, operation and financial assistance to the main cell that carried out the attack. After WWII terrorism continued to be used as a tool for liberation and for ending colonialism in the Third World. Selective terror changed from targeting government officials to civilians and sympathizers of occupation. Terrorism entered a new phase of development and use during the late 1960's. The 1960's brought to terrorism an international scope and a focus on the Middle East. With the 1967 war in which Israel defeated Jordan, Egypt and Syria, taking control of the Golan Heights (from Syria), East Jerusalem, the West Bank (from Jordan), the Gaza Strip and the Sinai Peninsula (from Egypt), the use of conventional war as a means to destroy Israel ended and the use of terror with the purpose of focusing attention on Israel and the Palestinians (the occupied territories) began. Cuba and the Tri-Continental Conference (1966) In 1966 Cuba hosted the TriContinental Conference which was sponsored by the Soviet Union. This conference was the beginning of the internationalization of terrorism. Terrorist and "liberation" groups from Europe, Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Latin America began to work together and build alliances. Financial, political, operation and intelligence cooperation connected

terrorist groups across the world. International terrorism flourished over the preceding two decades. Europe suffered a decade of terrorist activity as European and Middle Eastern terrorist groups worked together to bring attention to the Palestinian cause. In Germany, the Red Army Faction (German group) allied itself with Black September (Palestinian group); in France, Action Direct (French group) allied with the Red Army Faction and the Red Army Brigade (Italian group); in Japan, the Japanese Red Army allied with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. Cuba became a training ground for terrorist groups. Terrorism, the Middle East and the Cold War As the Cold War esculated in the 1960's and the world become polarized between the East and the West, a new dynamic was added to terrorism; State-Sponsored Terrorism: governments exporting terrorism to other parts of the world for their own political interests. Iran supported Hizballah, Libia supported Abu Nidal, Iraq, Cuba, Sudan and Algeria provided training camps, economic and political support to other terrorist groups. The focus of terrorism moved to the Middle East, the Arab-Israeli / Israeli- Palestinian conflict with the U.S. supporting Israel and the Soviet Union supporting various Arab countries. The 1970's was the decade of air terrorism with more than 20 events of terrorism directed at European and American airlines involving hijackings, bombings and hostage taking. The 1970's also involved bombings, kidnappings and other types of terrorist activity throughout Europe. Terrorism, the Middle East and Islamism The last twenty years of the 20th century brought terrorism full circle from its earliest history 1500 years prior. With the rise of the Ayatollah Khomeini in Iran (1979), religious based terrorism returned. Militant Islam and the protection of Islam against Jews, Christians, and the West formed an independent justification for terrorism. Religious suicide martyrdom in which young men and women die in the service of Allah is evidenced in the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and New York City. The 1980's was the decade of hostage taking and terrorism found a target in U.S. interests around the world. Between 1979 and 1988 there were at least twelve incidents of terrorism directed at the U.S. and her interests. These incidents included the hostages in 1979, the bombing of U.S. Embassies, kidnapping of American citizens, and the bombing of airplanes. The last decade of the 20th century made another change to the development of terrorism. Terrorism in the 1960's through the 1980's was about exposure to one's cause. A terrorist act was followed by credit taking or a warning to the U.S. that future attacks would occur if the U.S. did not change its policies or a way to gain the worlds attention to the Palestinian cause. The 1990's brought to terrorism, indiscriminate killing and high mass casualty counts for its own sake. Between 1993 and September 11, 2001 seven terrorist attacks were committed against the U.S. in which the destruction was the point of the attack. The 1990's returned to terrorism, religious extremism and hate being enough to justify the use of terror. 1993 WTC - 6 dead, major damage to the WTC 1995 Saudi Arabia - 5 dead - bombing of the U.S. Military Headquarters 1996 Saudi Arabia 19 dead - Khobar Towers 1997 Egypt - 58 tourist dead - terrorists open fire in the Temple of Hatshepsut 1998 Kenya and Tanzania - 224 dead - bombing of two U.S. Embassies at the same time 2000 Yemen - 17 sailors killed - U.S.S. Cole 2001 WTC / Pentagon - 3000

dead After two hundred years, terrorism has changed and has been used for a variety of different purposes to achieve various goals. Ultimately terrorism is a tool to change behavior. These were the history of terrorism and with the help of this one thing become very clear that fundamentalist are not just Muslims but they are also Christian’s, Jews, Hindu’s and many but the international media just pasted a banner of terrorism with Islam. Now let’s look on the different terror organization across the world

Organization

Australia Canada

Abu Nidal Organization

Abu Sayyaf Group

Yes

Yes

European United United India Union Kingdom States

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Achik National Volunteer Council

Yes

Akhil Bharat Nepali Ekta Samaj

Yes

Al-Aqsa e.V.

Yes

Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade

Yes

Yes

Yes

Al-Badr

Yes

Al Ghurabaa

Yes

Al Ittihad Al Islamia

al-Qa'ida

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

al-Qa'ida in Iraq

Yes

al-Qaeda Organization in the Islamic Maghreb

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Al-Umar-Mujahideen

Yes

All Tripura Tiger Force

Yes

Ansar al-Islam

Yes

Ansar us-Sunna

Yes

Armed Islamic Group

Yes

Yes

Asbat al-Ansar

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Aum Shinrikyo

Yes

Yes

Babbar Khalsa

Yes

Yes

Babbar Khalsa International

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Baluchistan Liberation Army

Yes

Communist Party of India (Maoist)

Communist Party of the Philippines/ New People's Army

Yes

Yes

Yes

Continuity Irish Republican Army

Yes

Cumann na mBan

Yes

Yes

Yes

Deendar Anjuman

Yes

Dukhtaran-E-Millat

Yes

Egyptian Islamic Jihad

Euskadi ta Askatasuna

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Fatah al-Islam

Yes

Fianna na hEireann

Gama'a al-Islamiyya

Yes

Yes

Yes

GRAPO

Yes

Great Eastern Islamic Raiders' Front

Yes

Hamas

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Harakat-ul-Jihad-ul-Islami

Yes

Harakat-ul-Jihad-ul-Islami (Bangladesh)

Yes

Harakat ul-Mujahidin

Yes

Yes

Harakat-Ul-Mujahideen/Alami

Yes

Yes

Hezb-e Islami Gulbuddin

Yes

Hezbollah

Yes

Yes

Yes

Hizbul Mujahideen

Yes

Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development

Yes

Yes

Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council

Yes

Informal Anarchist Federation

Yes

International Sikh Youth Federation

Yes

Islamic Army of Aden

Yes

Yes

Islamic Jihad Union

Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Irish National Liberation Army

Yes

Irish People's Liberation

Yes

Organisation

Irish Republican Army

Jaish-e-Mohammed

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Jamaat ul-Furquan

Yes

Yes

Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen

Yes

Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh

Jamiat ul-Ansar

Yes

Yes

Jammu and Kashmir Islamic Front

Jemaah Islamiya

Kach/Kahane Chai

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Kanglei Yaol Kanba Lup

Yes

Kangleipak Communist Party

Yes

Khalistan Commando Force

Yes

Khuddam ul-Islam

Yes

Kurdistan Freedom Falcons

Yes

Kurdistan Workers' Party

Yes

Yes

Lashkar-e-Toiba

Yes

Lashkar-e-Jhangvi

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Libyan Islamic Fighting Group

Yes

Yes

Loyalist Volunteer Force

Yes

Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam

Yes

Manipur People's Liberation Front

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

National Democratic Front of Bodoland

National Liberation Army

National Liberation Front of Tripura

Yes

Yes

Moroccan Islamic Combatant Group

Mujahedin-e Khalq

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Nuclei Armati per il Comunismo

Yes

Nuclei di Iniziativa Proletaria

Yes

Nuclei Territoriali Antimperialisti

Yes

Nucleo di Iniziativa Proletaria Rivoluzionaria

Yes

Orange Volunteers

Yes

Palestine Liberation Front

Palestinian Islamic Jihad

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

People's Liberation Army

Yes

People's Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak

Yes

Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine

Yes

Yes

Yes

Popular Front for the Liberation of PalestineGeneral Command

Yes

Yes

Yes

Real IRA

Yes

Yes

Red Brigades for the construction of the Combative Communist Party

Yes

Red Hand Commando

Yes

Red Hand Defenders

Yes

Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Revolutionary Nuclei

Yes

Yes

Revolutionary Organization 17 November

Yes

Yes

Revolutionary People's Front

Yes

Revolutionary People's Liberation Party/Front

Yes

Revolutionary Struggle

Yes

Yes

Saor Éire

Yes

Saviour Sect

Yes

Shining Path

Yes

Yes

Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan

Stichting Al Aqsa

Students Islamic Movement of India

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Takfir wal-Hijra

Yes

Tehreek-e-Nafaz-e-Shariat-eMohammadi

Yes

Tamil Nadu Liberation Army

Yes

Tamil National Retrieval Troops

Yes

Ulster Defence Association

Yes

Yes

Ulster Freedom Fighters

Yes

Yes

Ulster Volunteer Force

Yes

United Liberation Front of Asom

Yes

United National Liberation Front

Yes

United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia

Yes

Vanguards of Conquest

Yes

World Tamil Movement

Yes

Yes

Yes

Now with the help of these table, one thing become very clear that there are also other terror organization’s which belongs to Hindutva, Christian, Jewish, Catholic and Sikh community (these religion like Islam also may not be forcing to conduct these kind of terror activities but matter of fact the exit’s).

I conducted a survey on the topic “Relation of terrorism with Islam” and I took 100 interviews with different age group of people. My Questionnaire

.

1. “Islam spread by the sword”? Agree o

not agree o

2. Do you think, Islam have relation with terrorism? Yes o No o 3. Do you think the problem of terrorism is a religious or political? Religious o Political o 4. Do you think Muslims sympathize terrorists? Yes o No o Why_______________________________________________ _______________________________________________ 5. Do you think terrorists sympathize Muslims? Yes o No o 6. Do you think Pakistan support militant groups? Yes o No o Why______________________________________________ ______________________________________________ 7. Do you think Madarssa’s teachings needs to go for in an overhaul? Yes o No 8. Why the number of terrorists are Muslim? Problem? Religious o Unemployment o Political o Victim o 9. Reason you; think terrorism has spread its tentacles throughout the world? __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ 10. What do you know about jihad? __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________

The age groups are

15-25 25-35 35-45

45-55 55-65 And I took 20 interviews to per group And for question no 1 “Islam is spread by sword” And in the age group 15-25

Agree

Not agree

40%

60%

“

“

25-35

20%

80%

“

“

35-45

25%

75%

“

“

45-55

15%

85%

“

“

55-65

15%

85%

23%

77% (overall percentage)

Turn the page to see the segmented bar diagram in the graph paper

2. Do you think, Islam have relation with terrorism?

And between age group

Yes

No

15-25

30%

70%

25-35

10%

90%

35-45

15%

85%

45-55

10%

90%

55-65

15%

85%

Overall

16%

84%

Turn the page to see the segmented bar diagram

3. Do you think the problem of terrorism is a religious or political? Age groups

Religious

Political

15-25

15%

83%

02%

25-35

30%

70%

00%

35-45

35%

65%

00%

45-55

10%

88%

02%

55-65

15%

85%

00%

Overall

23%

69%

04%

Turn page so see the diagram

Both

4. Do you think Muslims sympathize terrorists?

Age groups

Yes

No

15-25

15%

85%

25-35

40%

60%

35-45

10%

90%

45-55

25%

75%

55-65

35%

65%

Overall

25%

75%

Turn the page to see the diagram

5. Do you think terrorists sympathize Muslims?

Age groups

Yes

No

15-25

25%

75%

25-35

40%

60%

35-45

50%

50%

45-55

35%

75%

55-65

20%

80%

Overall

34%

66%

Turn the next page to see the diagram

6. Do you think Pakistan support militant group?

Age groups

Yes

No

15-25

80%

20%

25-35

60%

40%

35-45

80%

20%

45-55

55%

45%

55-65

75%

25%

Overall

70%

30%

Turn the page to see the diagram

7. Do you think Madrassa’s teachings needs to go for in an overhaul?

Age groups

Yes

No

15-25

75%

25%

25-35

80%

20%

35-45

65%

35%

45-55

75%

25%

55-65

70%

30%

Overall

63%

27%

Turn the page to see the diagram

8. Why the numbers of terrorists are Muslims? Problem?

Age groups

Religious

Unemployment

Political

Victim

15-25

25%

30%

35%

10%

25-35

20%

35%

20%

25%

35-45

10%

50%

30%

10%

45-55

00%

25%

35%

40%

55-65

10%

40%

30%

20%

36%

30%

Overall

13%

21%

Turn the page to see the pie diagram

9. Reason, you think terrorism has spread its tentacles throughout the world? Age group 15-25

Reasons

“May be because of fear “ “I think the problem is political and to fulfill their aims they are adding religion to it “ 25.35

“word of mouth” “Because of media”

35-45

“Unemployment” “Injustice” 45-55

“Because many of terrorist are victims” 55-65

“Fear factor”

“Unemployment”

10. What you know about jihad? Age groups 15-25 “fight for the Freedom” “war for religion” 25-35 35-45

“Against the agnostic “ “holy war” 45-55

55-65

“Terrorism”

“fight for Wright “

There is s huge misconception in non-Muslim regarding Jihad some says it is fight for right, terrorism, war etc in reality the meaning of Jihad in one of verse of Quran

“Fight in the cause of Allah those who fight you, but do not transgress limits; for Allah loveth not transgressors.” Today some people use term “Jihad” for their own purpose and they say they are doing jihad. If they are doing jihad than why they killing thousands of innocent. Quran further says “You cannot kill, Women, children and old age” During my research I met Dr. Zakir naik (MBBS doctor and Muslim cleric). And I ask the same question “Islam is spread by the sword” agree not agree And he given me the reason why he says Islam was not spread by sword

WAS ISLAM SPREAD BY THE SWORD? Question: How can Islam be called the religion of peace when it was spread by the sword? Answer: It is a common complaint among some non-Muslims that Islam would not have millions of adherents all over the world, if it had not been spread by the use of force. The following points will make it clear, that far from being spread by the sword, it was the inherent force of truth, reason and logic that was responsible for the rapid spread of Islam. 1. Islam means peace. Islam comes from the root word ‘salaam’, which means peace. It also means submitting one’s will to Allah (swt). Thus Islam is a religion of peace, which is acquired by submitting one’s will to the will of the Supreme Creator, Allah (swt). 2. Sometimes force has to be used to maintain peace. Each and every human being in this world is not in favour of maintaining peace and harmony. There are many, who would disrupt it for their own vested interests. Sometimes force has to be used to maintain peace. It is precisely for this reason that we have the police who use force against criminals and anti-social elements to maintain peace in the country. Islam promotes peace. At the same time, Islam exhorts it followers to fight where there is oppression. The fight against oppression may, at times, require the use of force. In Islam force can only be used to promote peace and justice. 3. Opinion of historian De Lacy O’Leary.

The best reply to the misconception that Islam was spread by the sword is given by the noted historian De Lacy O’Leary in the book ’Islam at the cross road’ (Page 8): ’History makes it clear however, that the legend of fanatical Muslims sweeping through the world and forcing Islam at the point of the sword upon conquered races is one of the most fantastically absurd myth that historians have ever repeated.’ 4. Muslims ruled Spain for 800 years. Muslims ruled Spain for about 800 years. The Muslims in Spain never used the sword to force the people to convert. Later the Christian Crusaders came to Spain and wiped out the Muslims. There was not a single Muslim in Spain who could openly give the adhan, that is the call for prayers. 5. 14 million Arabs are Coptic Christians. Muslims were the lords of Arabia for 1400 years. For a few years the British ruled, and for a few years the French ruled. Overall, the Muslims ruled Arabia for 1400 years. Yet today, there are 14 million Arabs who are Coptic Christians i.e. Christians since generations. If the Muslims had used the sword there would not have been a single Arab who would have remained a Christian. 6. More than 80% non-Muslims in India. The Muslims ruled India for about a thousand years. If they wanted, they had the power of converting each and every non-Muslim of India to Islam. Today more than 80% of the population of India are non-Muslims. All these non-Muslim Indians are bearing witness today that Islam was not spread by the sword. 7. Indonesia and Malaysia. Indonesia is a country that has the maximum number of Muslims in the world. The majority of people in Malaysia are Muslims. May one ask, ’Which Muslim army went to Indonesia and Malaysia?’ 8. East Coast of Africa. Similarly, Islam has spread rapidly on the East Coast of Africa. One may again ask, if Islam was spread by the sword, ’Which Muslim army went to the East Coast of Africa?’ 9. Thomas Carlyle. The famous historian, Thomas Carlyle, in his book ’Heroes and Hero worship’, refers to this misconception about the spread of Islam: ’The sword indeed, but where will you get your sword? Every new opinion, at its starting is precisely in a minority of one. In one man’s head alone. There it dwells as yet. One man alone of the whole world believes it, there is one man against all men. That he takes a sword and try to propagate with that, will do little for him. You must get your sword! On the whole, a thing will propagate itself as it can.’

10. No compulsion in religion. With which sword was Islam spread? Even if Muslims had it they could not use it to spread Islam because the Qur’an says in the following verse: ’Let there be no compulsion in religion: Truth stands out clear from error’ [Al-Qur’an 2:256] 11. Sword of the Intellect. It is the sword of intellect. The sword that conquers the hearts and minds of people. The Qur’an says in Surah Nahl, chapter 16 verse 125: ’Invite (all) to the way of thy Lord with wisdom and beautiful preaching; and argue with them in ways that are best and most gracious.’ [Al-Qur’an 16:125] 12. Increase in the world religions from 1934 to 1984. An article in Reader’s Digest ‘Almanac’, year book 1986, gave the statistics of the increase of percentage of the major religions of the world in half a century from 1934 to 1984. This article also appeared in ‘The Plain Truth’ magazine. At the top was Islam, which increased by 235%, and Christianity had increased only by 47%. May one ask, which war took place in this century which converted millions of people to Islam? 13. Islam is the fastest growing religion in America and Europe. Today the fastest growing religion in America is Islam. The fastest growing religion in Europe in Islam. Which sword is forcing people in the West to accept Islam in such

large numbers? Replying for the question “why the number of Muslims are terrorist? “Majority of the Muslims who are terrorist because they are victim, you cant expect the orphan children of’ Afghanistan, Iraq and now Palestine to behave like normal civilian”

Conclusion The reason that took this topic there is huge misconception among the people regarding Islam and Terrorism, like other religions Islam also stand against the terrorism but people using it to defame it. Like to replying to my question “Reason you think the terrorism spread its tentacles throughout the world “ “Politicians all over the world find terrorism very comfortable to get their demands fulfilled” And many said today number terrorist are Muslims because they victimize around the world, and when some of it loose their patient they choose this path.

Mass media research (MMR) The relation between terrorism and Islam Musheer khan (9225) SYBMM 27/7 Lbs marg, Naik nagar sion (west) Mumbai 400022

Musheer khan(9225) student of SYBMM (2208-2009) has successfully completed his work “Relationship of terrorism wish Islam” (paper no 01 Mass media research) Under the guidance of Varsha mam

Acknowledgement I’m thankful my class mate Arjun and Sandhya, for helping me throughout the project. I’m also thankful of Mr. Dr. Zakir Naik for providing me lot information regarding my subject. And I’m also thankful of Varsha mam without her the project was impossible

Bibliography Times of India Yourdictinary.com Wikipedia DNA Sapt.com

NO 01

Subject Introduction

Page no 01

02

Definition of terrorism

01

03

Terrorism in the 20th century

03

04

Different terror Organization across the world

08

05

Questionnaire

17

06

Table and Graph

18

07

Meaning of Jihan

27

08

Interview with Dr Zakir Naik

27

09

Conclusion

28

10

Bibliography

29

# Sample questionnaire in the last#