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Thursday, March 28, 2024

Terror in the name of God and Allah

The biggest problem in today’s world is terrorism, many political leaders acknowledge. The strange thing is that they close their eyes to its root cause. This closing of eyes is seen as politically correct. Naturally, there is little chance to improve things but it’s likely to get worse.

If someone commits an act of terror, he must be motivated. Yet, this motivation is ignored, because in most terror cases in our times, terror is connected with Islam, and if someone hints at this fact, he is promptly accused of Islamophobia. Yet, Christianity also used terror in earlier times.

In fact, Christianity was the first to make the unsubstantiated claim that God has given the full truth only to the Church and everyone must believe it at the cost of their lives. And Islam followed with a similar claim. Terrorism in the name of God started right then, by forcing “those who are wrong” into the “right” faith or killing them. Millions of people were killed – from America to Bharat and beyond.

In primary school I learnt that Islam expanded through “fire and sword”. It was a meaningless phrase for me as a child. Only later, it dawned that it involved tremendous cruelty. This cruelty was not restricted to Islam. The Christian ‘expansion’ and the Inquisition were equally brutal. Bharatiyas experienced it firsthand in Goa.

In the 1970s, at University, we debated why religion has caused so much bloodshed. The debate was on ‘why’ not on ‘if’.

In 2000, a change in this approach became apparent. When Pope John Paul II finally acknowledged the cruelty of the Inquisition, and asked forgiveness from God, he did not blame the Church but ‘sons and daughters of the Church’ who committed ‘mistakes’. He tried to absolve the religion and laid the blame on ‘misguided’ followers.

This same pattern is followed today regarding Islam. When Jihadis attack innocent citizens shouting ‘Allah ho Akbar’, politicians, Muslim representatives and media declare that those terror acts have nothing to do with Islam but are the handiwork of misguided or deranged individuals.

The reaction is so predictable: “The attack is shocking, revulsive, a cowardly act, but we stand united. We won’t let them win”, etc.

Then in major cities (provided the attack happened in the West, as lives lost in Africa or Asia don’t seem to matter so much) a landmark building is lit up in the colours of the country where the attack happened and candles are lit.

We have gone through these motions far too often and there is something fake about it. The pain of those affected is real. Others may be grateful that it had not hit them – at least not this time. Yet, most politicians are not honest.

True, the attacks are shocking and revulsive, but they are not cowardly acts. The Jihadi kills because he is convinced that it is his duty to kill Kafirs – and he is even ready to die in doing what he feels is right. This shows courage. Almost all terrorists are young. It is not normal, nor easy to risk one’s life by killing others, unless he is absolutely convinced that the benefit is greater than the cost.

And what does he expect as benefit?

Probably he was taught already as a kid or has read it later on the internet that killing Kafirs pleases Allah. By doing so, he can make his life truly worthwhile, and he will be richly rewarded: he will have a better status in paradise than those who did not kill Kafirs.

Now here is where we Kafirs are either cowards or ignorant. We don’t dare to point to passages in the Quran, which support his expectation, for example Q 4.95 and ask what it means if not what is written there.

“Those believers who stay at home – having no physical disability – are not equal to those who make Jihad in the cause of Allah with their wealth and their persons. Allah has granted a higher rank to those who make Jihad with their wealth and their persons than to those who stay at home.

Though Allah has promised a good reward for all, Allah has prepared a much richer reward for those who make Jihad for Him than for those who stay at home. They have special higher ranks, forgiveness and mercy. Allah is forgiving, merciful.” (Q4. 95-96).

Imagine a young, hot-headed Muslim reads this – would he not be inspired to make his life “worthwhile”? Even more so, if he has phantasies of becoming a hero with a gun? He probably considers dying as a small price for greater glory. As Sultan Shahin once pointed out, children in madrasas, who often are treated badly, sing songs with the refrain “zindagi shuru hoti hai qubr mein” (life starts in the grave).

Curiously, old, sick Muslims don’t seem to be interested in the “higher status in paradise” when it would make much more sense for them. Does it mean, they are more mature and know that the Quran must not be taken literally?

Is it not their and our duty, to save not only the potential victims of future terror attacks but also the young Muslims who are ready to throw away their lives for a promise which won’t be kept? After all, Christianity also claims that only those who are baptized can enter heaven.

A comment to one of my tweets recently read: “I don’t understand why those religions portray their God like underworld dons. ‘If you leave our gang, if you are not a follower of our God, then you will be fried in hot oil in hell”

Can a merciful Supreme Being behave like a jilted lover who gives hell to those who love him under another name?

We need to ask probing questions. Those must include the question: why in an area where Muslims have become the majority, the number of minorities keeps dwindling till they become almost non-existent?

Yes, it is difficult to believe that terror attacks have anything to do with religion. Religion is understood to be something good. It is meant to connect us with the Highest and to make us better human beings. We want to believe that the cause for terror attacks is something else. ‘All religions worship the same one God. No religion can condone killing others’, most of us will say. But is it true?

We need to find out. If we don’t dare to do this, we are cowards.

Let’s imagine we discover that there are indeed passages in the Islamic texts that condone terror against infidels, what will be the next step?

Then we need to bring in common sense and debate on the meaning of life and enquire into the absolute truth. Bharat has the knowledge and must take the lead in this, because the Christian West is handicapped though many Christians, except those who earn their livelihood from the Church, meanwhile don’t divide humanity any longer into ‘us versus the rest’. Yet both the Muslim and Christian clergy does. Instead, another dividing line must be drawn: It is the line between humanity and inhumanity.

Terror and hatred for other human beings is inhumanity. How do we know? Because we have a conscience which tells us what is right and what is wrong. Right is dharmic and wrong is adharmic.

Hinduism is based on Dharma and that’s why Hindus can never cause terror in the name of the one Brahmethoan or their many Devas. Our conscience is the voice of Dharma which guides us through life. If we listen to it, we realize that the whole of humanity is one family. The life in all of us comes from the same, most powerful yet invisible, source.

Religions which demand that we ignore our conscience and instead believe blindly what they tell us (two of them exist), have an agenda. They want sheep who don’t think for themselves and who can be used for their own purpose.

Terrorists are not cowards, but they are not smart. They got the purpose of life wrong and they won’t be rewarded for harming and killing other human beings.

(This article was first published on the author’s blog on 5th December, 2020 and is being reproduced with permission, after minor edits to conform to HinduPost style-guide)


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Maria Wirth
Maria Wirthhttps://mariawirthblog.wordpress.com
Maria Wirth is a German and came to India on a stop over (that’s at least what she thought) on her way to Australia after finishing her psychology studies at Hamburg University. She visited the Ardha Kumbha Mela in Haridwar in April 1980 where she met Sri Anandamayi Ma and Devaraha Baba, two renowned saints. With their blessing she continued to live in India and never went to Australia… She dived into India’s spiritual tradition, sharing her insights with German readers through articles and books. For long, she was convinced that every Indian knows and treasures their great heritage. However, when in recent years, she noticed that there seemed to be a concerted effort to prevent even Indians (and the world) from knowing how valuable this ancient Indian heritage is, she started to point out the unique value of Indian tradition also in English language.

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