All Muslims are not Terrorists, but all Terrorists are Muslims.
"These gentlemen are the moral equivalents of America's founding fathers."
(Ronald Regan while introducing the Mujahideen leaders to media on the White house lawns. (1985)
"Americans are asking: why do they hate us? They hate our freedoms-our freedom of religion, our freedom of speech, our freedom to vote and assemble and disagree with each other."
George W. Bush, in his speech in US Congress in the aftermath of 9/11. (2001)
These two statements reflect the so-called transition of freedom
fighters of which US administration was proud to the same one's being called enemies of US. When Tony Blair in the aftermath of 7/7 uttered his feelings that our resolve to uphold our values is stronger than their resolve to break it, he was referring to the people with same ideology and politics whom Regan praised to the sky and about whom GW Bush had the totally contrary view.
What has changed during last one and a half decade, have 'they' changed? Or is it that US needs have undergone a rapid transition during this decade? The reference to the ghastly acts of terrorism of 9/11 and 7/7 does send the shivers down one's spine. Not only the killings of innocents, non combatants in 9/11 and 7/7 is extremely heinous and cowardly, but also the aftermath of such actions is something one needs to mull over. The ongoing terrorism and 'war on terror' both are affecting the societies in a painful manner. While on one hand killings of innocents is a matter of deep anguish the post terror polarization of
communities on religious ground and the demonization of Islam are the consequences, which have deeper impact on the lives of people world over...........
Terrorism: Facts Versus Myths
Re: Terrorism: Facts Versus Myths
Maqbool Ahmed Siraj replies:
Islam and Terrorism
Q. Can you please explain why wherever Islam is present there is fighting, war and terrorism? I admit not all of Islam is this way, however look at the terrorism everywhere (historically also). Look at the wars (Saddam Hussain claimed he was ordered by Islam), at the riots in England, the cricket riots etc. It was all because of Islam. Everybody is too scared to say it, especially the whites. But if we want peace, we must fight back Islam. The Quran dictates war. Islam allows incest - one of the causes of genetic disorders - this must explain it.
(Indian Man, Indixxxxn@hotmail.com)
Dear brother! Thanks for your frank query. We have removed several portions from your letters that were abusive. We are not offended. Let us discuss the problem cool headedly.
The linking of Islam and terrorism is the handiwork of the Western propaganda machine. When the US navy shot down the Iranian jetliner in the Gulf killing 253 persons on board, no one in the US media had the cheek to describe it as ‘US terrorism’. Did the US hand over the navymen to Iran for trial? No. But the US insists that Libyans who bombed the American plane be tried in the West? The Union Carbide killed 2,500 persons (besides crippling thousands more) in Bhopal. Why did not the US hand over the Carbide chief Anderson to be tried in India? Why is it that India was forced to accept a paltry sum? The United Kingdom has banned several bodies calling them terrorist but is found begging with India for the release of Peter Bleach, a confirmed British terrorist who has been convicted for arms dropping in Purulia and helping the Anand Margis. In India itself, our government released five Lativian terrorists involved in the Purulia arms drop case. It has also been widely documented in the Indian press that Tamil terrorists used the Indian territory to fight for Eelam in Sri Lanka. They bombed the Chennai’s Meenambakkam airport and some groups eliminated other groups through mass murders in Tamil Nadu. Yet they were always referred as ‘Tamil militants’ (not ‘Hindu terrorists’) by the Indian press. Similarly, the IRA bombers are never identified as Catholic terrorists.
With so much of doublespeak and double standards everywhere in matters of dealing with terrorism and terrorists, there must be some design behind Islam and Muslim along being held responsible for such acts. Individual acts of terrorism by Muslims need not be attributed to Islam. Nor the one by a Hindu terrorist to Hinduism. But the media imbalance does empower some in the developed West to accuse the media-have nots with terrorism.
Now let me come to the profile of world terrorism in the light of the facts emanating from the Western sources alone and let us judge where Muslims or the Muslim world figures in this. According to the annual US State Department report Patterns of Global Terrorism 1997 the reported incidents of terrorism from years 1992-97, the largest number of terrorist incidents occurred in Europe (831); second largest (602) in Latin America; the Middle East ranked third with 422 incidents. For the same years there were 7,621 casualties in the European incidents and 2,692 casualties in Middle East incidents. These statistics cannot be taken at the face value. They are modified somewhat by Muslim implication in incidents in Europe. But even adjusting for this factor does not detract from the suggestion that terrorism is universal and is not the exclusive preserve of Muslims. The State Department named 34 terrorist groups as of October 8, 1997. Fewer than half, 14 were related to the Middle East. The remaining 20 were associated with Asia (10), Europe (6) and Latin America (4). These statistics have made Ralph Braibanti of the Edmund a Walsh School of International Affairs in Washington to make the following comment: “The use of poison gas by the Buddhist Aum Shinrikyo, the Oklahoma Bombings by an American Christian, the long standing terrorism by Northern Irish Catholics, the violence of Indian Hindus (remember Babri Masjid and its bloody aftermath) and Buddhist against Muslims, the vicious ethnic cleansing by Christian Orthodox Serbs in Bosnia and Kosovo, the violence of drug-related Catholic mobs in Latin America, and the terrorism of Hindu Tamils against the Sinhalese Buddhist government of Sri Lanka demonstrates the universality of terrorism and the cultural and religious diversity of its origins.â€
Islam and Terrorism
Q. Can you please explain why wherever Islam is present there is fighting, war and terrorism? I admit not all of Islam is this way, however look at the terrorism everywhere (historically also). Look at the wars (Saddam Hussain claimed he was ordered by Islam), at the riots in England, the cricket riots etc. It was all because of Islam. Everybody is too scared to say it, especially the whites. But if we want peace, we must fight back Islam. The Quran dictates war. Islam allows incest - one of the causes of genetic disorders - this must explain it.
(Indian Man, Indixxxxn@hotmail.com)
Dear brother! Thanks for your frank query. We have removed several portions from your letters that were abusive. We are not offended. Let us discuss the problem cool headedly.
The linking of Islam and terrorism is the handiwork of the Western propaganda machine. When the US navy shot down the Iranian jetliner in the Gulf killing 253 persons on board, no one in the US media had the cheek to describe it as ‘US terrorism’. Did the US hand over the navymen to Iran for trial? No. But the US insists that Libyans who bombed the American plane be tried in the West? The Union Carbide killed 2,500 persons (besides crippling thousands more) in Bhopal. Why did not the US hand over the Carbide chief Anderson to be tried in India? Why is it that India was forced to accept a paltry sum? The United Kingdom has banned several bodies calling them terrorist but is found begging with India for the release of Peter Bleach, a confirmed British terrorist who has been convicted for arms dropping in Purulia and helping the Anand Margis. In India itself, our government released five Lativian terrorists involved in the Purulia arms drop case. It has also been widely documented in the Indian press that Tamil terrorists used the Indian territory to fight for Eelam in Sri Lanka. They bombed the Chennai’s Meenambakkam airport and some groups eliminated other groups through mass murders in Tamil Nadu. Yet they were always referred as ‘Tamil militants’ (not ‘Hindu terrorists’) by the Indian press. Similarly, the IRA bombers are never identified as Catholic terrorists.
With so much of doublespeak and double standards everywhere in matters of dealing with terrorism and terrorists, there must be some design behind Islam and Muslim along being held responsible for such acts. Individual acts of terrorism by Muslims need not be attributed to Islam. Nor the one by a Hindu terrorist to Hinduism. But the media imbalance does empower some in the developed West to accuse the media-have nots with terrorism.
Now let me come to the profile of world terrorism in the light of the facts emanating from the Western sources alone and let us judge where Muslims or the Muslim world figures in this. According to the annual US State Department report Patterns of Global Terrorism 1997 the reported incidents of terrorism from years 1992-97, the largest number of terrorist incidents occurred in Europe (831); second largest (602) in Latin America; the Middle East ranked third with 422 incidents. For the same years there were 7,621 casualties in the European incidents and 2,692 casualties in Middle East incidents. These statistics cannot be taken at the face value. They are modified somewhat by Muslim implication in incidents in Europe. But even adjusting for this factor does not detract from the suggestion that terrorism is universal and is not the exclusive preserve of Muslims. The State Department named 34 terrorist groups as of October 8, 1997. Fewer than half, 14 were related to the Middle East. The remaining 20 were associated with Asia (10), Europe (6) and Latin America (4). These statistics have made Ralph Braibanti of the Edmund a Walsh School of International Affairs in Washington to make the following comment: “The use of poison gas by the Buddhist Aum Shinrikyo, the Oklahoma Bombings by an American Christian, the long standing terrorism by Northern Irish Catholics, the violence of Indian Hindus (remember Babri Masjid and its bloody aftermath) and Buddhist against Muslims, the vicious ethnic cleansing by Christian Orthodox Serbs in Bosnia and Kosovo, the violence of drug-related Catholic mobs in Latin America, and the terrorism of Hindu Tamils against the Sinhalese Buddhist government of Sri Lanka demonstrates the universality of terrorism and the cultural and religious diversity of its origins.â€