Islam and Islamism

Despite anything you may have heard to the contrary, Islam is not a major contributing factor of human brutality (or terrorism) around the world.

The current wave of Islamic Fundamentalist Violence, which began in the last century, is not fueled by Islam. If it were, then most Muslims would be terrorists or would practice violence. Fortunately, most of the world's 1.6 billion Muslims do not.

The religion itself is not violent. Yet unfortunately, a deluded interpretation of it is. The headlines generated by acts inspired by these writings appear constantly. Events in the lives of 99.9995% of Muslims whom are not busy killing infidels, generally do not show up in our news media.

Islam is what Muslims “do.” Most Muslims do not do violence. Most Muslims do not support violence. Islamism is a movement which uses anti-American or anti-Western sentiment coupled with justification from the Qur’an taken out of context, in order to convince Muslims to use terror against political “enemies” of "Islam." Islamism is not the same as Islam. Islamism spurs violence. Islam does not.

Many will point to the Qur’an and claim that the book itself condones violence. But those quotes are all in favor of self-defense only.

Anyone can take quotes such as these out of context, in order to promote violence. For example:

"Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law, a man's enemies will be the members of his own household." ~Matthew 10:34

Also:

"But those mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before me." ~Luke 19:27.

This is precisely what the extremists have done with the Qur’an. This is also what Islamophobes do with the Qur’an. It is disingenuous. It is not honest.

Brief aside: anyone claiming to know the "truth" about Islam, and that also believe Islam has a vicious God and that Christians do not, should try taking this quiz.

According to a website which blames all of Islam for Islamofascism, there have been 7,906 “deadly acts of terror” since the 9/11 attacks, as of today. Assuming this to be true, this works out to be about one act of terror for every 202,378 Muslims. Population source.

Can you imagine blaming, say, the entire city of Reno, Nevada (population 203,000) because one small group of people there carried out a terrorist attack, and they said that gambling made them do it? Whoa! Close down the gambling machines!

Incidentally, 1-in-200,000 are about the same odds that a 1-kilometer-diameter asteroid will hit Earth in a given year. Or that someone will win a million in the Tennessee State Lottery. Or that someone will die from taking oral contraceptives. Or that a school age child will die from a firearm accident.

So, why do we not make conclusions such as "kids going to school will probably be killed by firearms?" It is because we are not ignorant about that. And yet, many of us are ignorant about Islam.

Currently, greater threat concerns than Islamist terror to US citizens are: snake bites, bee stings, earthquakes, lightning strikes, electrocution, heart disease, cancer, stroke, tornados, motor vehicle accidents, drowning, suicide, fire or smoke, dog attacks, and falling down. Source.

The following links contain statements suggesting that a small percentage of Muslims are extreme enough to resort to violence:

"6-7 percent of them are prepared to use force to defend Islam."

"The "radical" group represents about 7% of the total population across the 10 countries included in the study..."

"The militant Muslim groups cannot represent even 1 percent of Muslims in the United States (that would be 50,000) or the world (that would be 15 million). If that were true, we would be overrun with wild-eyed fanatics. Islamists who resort to violence add up to less than one tenth of 1 percent."

"Hisham Kabbani, head of Islamic Supreme Council of America: 5 to 10 percent of American Muslims are extremists."

"At one extreme of Muslim society "are the hate-America Islamist fundamentalists, who are the most militant and totalitarian. The magnitude and influence of this group varies enormously. For example, in Indonesia this group has doubled, tripled, or quadrupled over the last few years. I would estimate that this group averages about 10% of all Muslims, with enormous variation from one Muslim country to another and particular strength in Arab nations."

Here is a (by no means exhaustive) sample of Muslim responses to 9/11 and terrorism:

Muslims Condemn Terrorist Attacks
How American Muslims Really Responded to September 11 (by Riad Z. Abdelkarim & Jason Erb) - Media Monitors Network
Statements Against Terror
Informed Comment

Islam denounces terrorism.com

All of this data suggests to me that the whole cannot be blamed for the misguided actions of a few.

I believe it is worth noting here that war is never justified in Christianity, but it is sometimes justified in Islam. Christians may argue that war can be justified sometimes, but they must go outside of their faith to do it. What about self-defense? The Qur’an has words about that, while Christ did not. Unfortunately, these words have been twisted to justify Islamist terror.

What does the Qur'an actually say about Jihad?

“Jihad has been interpreted by Muslims in different ways. The Muslim sect of the Kharijites has elevated Jihad to one of the Five Pillars of Islam -- making it Six Pillars. This kind of belief is seen in the extremist Muslim groups we call terrorists. They use the concept of Jihad as a justification for killing anyone who isn't a Muslim. However, most Muslims disagree with this extremist position of some Muslims and advocate peace.”

link

What do most Muslims actually believe?

This article from 2005 says that support for bin Laden and Islamic militant violence has declined in Muslim countries.

This article says “Iranians Overwhelmingly Reject Bin Laden. Iranians reject attacks on civilians more overwhelmingly than do Americans.”

This article reports that “a new survey shows that support for terrorism and suicide bombings has declined in several Muslim countries. The survey, conducted by the Pew Global Attitudes Project -- part of the Washington-based Pew Research Center -- also shows that many people in Muslim countries share Western concern over Islamic extremism.”

This article from 2005 says that Muslims have more faith in U.S.-led efforts against global terrorism, than US citizens do in President Bush to do his job.

This article from 2006 says that most Muslims reject terrorism.

This article from June 2006 says that there have been substantial declines in Jordan, Pakistan and Indonesia, in the percentages of Muslims saying suicide bombings and other forms of violence against civilian targets can be justified to defend Islam against its enemies.

This 64-page pdf document thoroughly examines how westerners and Muslims view each other. The support for suicide bombing is on page 6, and nowhere is it any where near 75%. And only in Jordan was it above 50%. Please note how the question was phrased so as to garner the highest negative result possible: “[Can] violence against civilian targets in order to defend Islam can be justified?”

Even when asked if violence against civilians is justified in circumstances of self-defense, most Muslims say no, according to a Pew poll, linked above.

If it sickens you that anyone would support civilian killings at all, then please consider the opinions of US citizens. Consider the responses to the following question: “When you hear about the deaths of civilians in Iraq, do you personally tend to feel upset, or more that their deaths are unfortunate but part of what war is all about?”

• Feel upset, 60 percent
• What war is all about, 38 percent
• Not sure, 2 percent

According to this poll, 38% of US Citizens said that killing civilians is part of what war is all about!

And according to this poll, 17% said that there has been an acceptable number of Iraqi civilian casualties in Iraq.

This story reports that “Americans are more approving of terrorist attacks against civilians than any major Muslim country except for Nigeria.”

Deuteronomy says, "You shall destroy all the peoples ... showing them no pity." And how many Christians or Jews do just that? With the support of a deluded Christian Terrorist movement, they might start to, but this movement would not be one and the same as Christ's actual message.

So, what does the Qur'an actually say?

“The Qur'an repeatedly emphasizes that defensive war -- fighting to protect oneself against invading enemies -- is the only kind of combat sanctioned (2:190 - 191). In numerous other examples, it teaches that the use of force should be a last resort (2:192, 4:90); that normal relations between peoples, nations and states, whether Muslim or not, should be peaceful (49:13); that necessary wars must be limited in time and space (2:190); that maximum effort must be applied at all times to advance the cause of peace (10:25); that whatever means are undertaken to work for peace during a conflict (such as mediation and arbitration) must be attempted over and over again until resolution is achieved (8:61); that freedom of religion must be granted to every one (2:256), and so on.

As with any Holy Book, every verse of the Qur'an must be read and interpreted within its own context and against the background of the Qur'an as a whole.”

link

I can’t find anything making Islam more violent than anything else, other than the author of an opinion piece’s word that it is. I can’t find any evidence that there is that much more support for terrorism amongst Muslim populations than say, amongst everyday average citizens of the good ol’ US-of-A.

Some critics of Islam will quote the Qur’an out of context (and in English) and then mention an act of violence.

For example:

Prophet, make war on the unbelievers and the hypocrites and deal rigorously with them. Hell shall be their home: an evil fate … Believers, make war on the infidels who dwell around you. Deal firmly with them. Know that God is with the righteous -- sura 9: 73,122-123

But these verses from the Qur’an are not instructions for all Muslims for current or future times. They are historical writings and are only referring to the people living in the time of Muhammad. Note how the quote says, “Prophet…” This is referring to only one person, living 14 centuries ago. That particular person is not alive today. The quote from the later verse says “believers …” These are people being spoken to within the book, not anyone alive today. Muslim scholars agree with this interpretation. Militant Islamist Terrorists agree with the interpretation being presented by those whom would say that “Islam is a threat.” Islam is not radical Islamism. They are not one and the same, no matter how anyone would have you believe it.

Anyone that would say Islam is a violent religion is ignorant of Islam, and is making uninformed assumptions about it. What we know for certain is that most Muslims don’t support terrorism. What we also know for certain is that the beliefs of Islam itself differ from those beliefs belonging to radical splinter movements which practice terrorism and condone violence.

If we endeavor to make accurate statements about our world, we would rather say that a tiny, misguided minority of Muslims follow a radical belief, based upon lies, that terror is justified within the holy Qur’an. These radical beliefs, not Islam, are a contributing factor of human brutality around the world.

After all, human history is full of examples of movements which have sought to justify brutality with religion. “Gott Mit Uns.” Are these extremist movements one and the same as the religions they use and exploit? Of course not.