Is Islam Really a Religion of Terror?
Every time speculation arises that a terrorist attack has happened,
Non-Muslims and Muslims alike suspect the Islamic connection. Of
course the disclaimers abound, but a lingering suspicion about
Muslims
is left in the general views of terrorism, even if other groups are
identified as the main culprits for any particular incident.
This perception is not due to any intrinsic resentment of Islam by
people all over the world including America. In the US, it is
understood that the mainstream of Muslims, the vast majority of them,
like in every other faith, is peaceful and pay their taxes, trying to
make America a better society, trying to improve relations with
neighbors and colleagues.
But images and terminology influence public opinion, and a bitter
taste is left when Islam is reported in the daily headlines. The term
"Islamic fundamentalism", whatever it means, has been repeated enough
times in relation to violent incidents that naturally, any thinking
human being has to be uncomfortable with the fact that America is
home
to a vibrant Muslim community. The problem stems from negative images
about Islam. In the court of public opinion, Islam is guilty until
proven innocent!
Even though the Middle East was home to fewer terrorist incidents
than
Latin America and Europe, for example, it is still regarded as the
region where terrorism is rooted. According to a recent US State
Department report, Patterns of Global Terrorism, issued earlier this
year, 272 terrorist events occurred in Europe, 92 in Latin America,
45
in the Middle East, 62 anti-US attacks occurred in Latin America last
year, 21 in Europe, 6 in the Middle East.
These numbers represent the terrorist trend and not an anomaly,
whereby the majority of perpetrators are not linked to the Middle
East
or Islam. The Red Army Faction in Germany, the Basque Separatists in
Spain, the Tamil Tigers in Sri Lanka, the Shining Path in Peru and
the
National Liberation Army in Columbia are not viewed with the same
horror as terrorist groups of Muslim background.
There is no moral justification for terrorism regardless of the
ethnic
or religious background of the perpetrator or the victim, but the
factual basis of terrorism has been either hidden or twisted in the
public's perception of this policy problem, especially in
congressional hearings on terrorism.
The countries with the worst terrorist records in the world are not
in
the Middle East either. They are not even Muslim countries outside
the
Middle East. They are Columbia and Germany, havens for drug lords and
neo-Nazis.
The negative association of Islam with terrorism exists, but no one
has ever asked "Why?". Could it be that American society cannot
overcome the Khomeini phobia, even though he is dead? The US Congress
found it necessary to push 20 million dollars towards covert
operations in toppling the Iranian government even at the dissent of
people in the CIA.
Some Muslim and Arab countries, both friend and foe, are run by
tyrants who kill more of their own people than those outside their
countries. The presumption that these countries represent a threat to
American interests or that any one of them can dominate the region or
even rival the only remaining superpower is indeed generous. So the
issue is not these countries' hegemony in their region or the world,
but about who can dominate their people and exploit their resources.
The perception in the Middle East is that US policy does not serve
the
peoples' interests; it protects Israelis when they violate human
rights, while it slaps sanctions on and takes military actions
against
countries whose dictators misbehave, resulting in suffering,
starvation and even slaughter, all in the name of teaching the
tyrants
a lesson. The priorities in the Middle East for the US are not human
rights, but rather oil and Israeli superiority. Consequently, anti-
American sentiment increases.
This mood of the general public is then characterized as "Islamic
fundamentalism", even though the resentment is not rooted in
religion.
When it turns violent, it is termed "radical Islamic fundamentalism"
or "Islamic terrorism." The various "terrorism experts" promote
linkage to the Middle East before any other possibility every time
terrorism is speculated. They exploit the human suffering of the
victims, their families, and the fears of the American public.
Indeed, extremists of Muslim backgrounds are violating the norms of
Islamic justice and should be held accountable for their criminal
behavior, but we should not be held hostage to the politics of the
Middle East or biased reporting.
An Israeli journalist, Yo'av Karny, reporting on the events in
Chechnya made a striking observation about this development: "The
West
will be told--and will be inclined to believe--that the oppression of
the Chechens is part and parcel of a cosmic struggle against 'Islamic
extremism' that rages from Gaza to Algeria, from Tehran to Khartoum.
Russians will seek Western sympathy. They should not be given it!!"
The issue is not Chechnya, and it is not even about Islam and the
West. Debates about religious wars and cultural clashes only distract
us from the real issue: the powerful want to continue dominating the
powerless, manipulating facts to influence public opinion, hence
maintaining the status quo.
Thursday : 11/09/2003
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