SS 182: Islamic Studies

Mr. Khalid Zaheer

 

M. Omer Sheikh        2003-02-0129                        

M. Bilal Ahmed          2003-02-0241                         Monday 30th September, 2002

 

 

What Constitutes Terrorism?

Views of Islamic Scholars

 

 

God commands justice and doing good and giving to relatives. And He forbids indecency and doing wrong and tyranny. He warns you so that hopefully you will pay heed. (Qur'an, 16:90)

 

 

In the wake of last years attacks at the World Trade Center in the USA, suddenly the term Terrorism has gained a new found fame. It is not as if the phenomenon never existed before and the world was immune from its scourge, yet somehow the importance being attached to it now was never there before. This newfound importance has created disagreements on the definition of the very word Terrorism. We will be looking briefly at the opinions of two Islamic scholars namely Mr. Adnan Oktar a prolific writer who uses the pen name Harun Yahaya and Ayatullah Shaykh Muhammad 'Ali Taskhiri who is Director of the International Relations Department of the I.P.O.

 

 

Opinion of Harun Yahya

 

In his book Islam Denounces Religion Harun Yahya maintains that the source of the terror that we condemn is definitely not from a divine religion, and that there is no room for terrorism in Islam. In his book he argues in the light of the verses of the Qur'an and with examples from history, that Islam forbids terrorism and aims to bring peace and security to the world. That is because murdering innocent people in the name of a divine religion is unacceptable.

 

According to Harun, religion commands love, mercy and peace. Cruelty, bloodshed, lack of mercy and misery, on the other hand, are the hallmarks of Terror. For this reason, "Islamic terror" is an erroneous concept which contradicts the message of Islam. The religion of Islam can by no means countenance terrorism. On the contrary Muslims are responsible for preventing these acts and bringing peace and justice to the world.

 

Eat and drink of God's provision and do not go about the earth corrupting it. (Qur'an, 2:60)

 

Harun defines terror in its broadest sense. He says that:

 

“(Terror) is violence committed against non-military targets for political purposes. To put it another way, targets of terror are entirely innocent civilians whose only crime, in the eyes of terrorists, is to represent "the other side". “

 

For this reason, terror means subjecting innocent people to violence, which is an act bereft of any moral justification.

 

The values of the Qur'an hold a Muslim responsible for treating all people, whether Muslim or non-Muslim, kindly and justly, protecting the needy and the innocent and "preventing the dissemination of mischief". According to Harun, mischief comprises all forms of anarchy and terror that remove security, comfort and peace. As God says in a verse:

 

God does not love corruption. (Qur'an, 2:205)

 

Murdering a person for no reason is one of the most obvious examples of mischief as he cites from the Quran a command formerly revealed to Jews in the Old Testament:

 

...if someone kills another person - unless it is in retaliation for someone else or for causing corruption in the earth - it is as if he had murdered all mankind. And if anyone gives life to another person, it is as if he had given life to all mankind... (Qur'an, 5:32)

 

Hence according to Harun it is obvious what great sins are the murders, massacres and attacks, popularly known as "suicide attacks", committed by terrorists. God informs us how this cruel face of terrorism will be punished in the hereafter in the following verse:

 

There are only grounds against those who wrong people and act as tyrants in the earth without any right to do so. Such people will have a painful punishment. (Qur'an, 42:42)

 

In his book he argues that hatred and anger are the major sources of evil which prevent people from making just decisions, thinking soundly and conducting themselves rationally. People can readily inflict all kinds of injustice on people for whom they feel enmity. Hence in a sense we can call hatred and prejudice to be forms of terrorism. In Surah Ma'ida, it is related as follows:

 

O You who believe! Show integrity for the sake of God, bearing witness with justice. Do not let hatred for a people incite you into not being just. Be just. That is closer to faith. Heed God (alone). God is aware of what you do. (Qur'an, 5:8)

 

He argues at length that it is not possible to talk about any "Christian terror", "Jewish terror" or "Islamic terror". And indeed, an examination into the background of the perpetrators of these acts reveals that the terrorism in question is not a religious but a social phenomenon.

 

 

 

 

 

Opinion of Ayatullah Shaykh Muhammad 'Ali Taskhiri

 

In his paper presented to the Fifth Islamic Summit to discuss the subject of international terrorism and to differentiate it from the struggle of peoples for their acknowledged national causes and the liberation of their territories the writer presents some points.

 

He cites judgments from Islamic history which related to matters on al-baghy, i.e. armed revolt by a group against a just and legitimate government, intimidation of the general public, and pursuit of divisive political goals that damage national unity.  He also mentions the judgments on al-harabah, defined as "the use of weapons, on land or sea, by day or night, to intimidate people, in a city or elsewhere, by a male or female, strong or weak." Quoting the Qur'an in his paper: 

 

This is the recompense of those who fight against God and His Messenger, and spread corruption in the land. They shall be put to death, or crucified, or have their hands and feet cut off on alternate sides, or be banished from the land. That is a degradation for them in this world; and in the next awaits them a mighty chastisement (5:33)

 

Hence before giving a suggested definition, he suggests that the following criteria be noted:

  • intimidation and violation of security of any kind
  • presence of inhuman intention and motive
  • unacceptability of the end and purpose and the act itself by humanity

 

Hence he defines terrorism as follows: 

 

Terrorism is an act carried out to achieve an inhuman and corrupt (mufsid) objective, and involving threat to security of any kind, and violation of rights acknowledged by religion and mankind.

 

Mention is made of the fact that if an operation is violent does not constitute a condition for considering it a case of terrorism. Only in the light of the above definition, shall we be able to ascertain the nature of one act or another and determine whether it is a case of terrorism.

 

He then defines cases to which the definition applies and to which does not apply. According to him it applies to the following:

  • acts of piracy on land, air and sea;
  • all colonialist operations including wars and military expeditions;
  • all dictatorial acts against peoples and all forms of protection of dictatorships, not to mention their imposition on nations;
  • all military methods contrary to human practice, such as the use of chemical weapons, the shelling of civilian populated areas, the blowing up of homes, the displacement of civilians, etc.;
  • all types of pollution of geographical, cultural and informational environment. Indeed, intellectual terrorism may be one of the most dangerous types of terrorism;
  • all moves that undermine adversely affect the condition of international or national economy, adversely affect the condition of the poor and the deprived, deepen up nations with the shackles of socio-economic gaps, and chain up nations with the shackles of exorbitant debts;
  • all conspiratorial acts aimed at crushing the determination of nations for liberation and independence, and imposing disgraceful pacts on them.

 

The definition does not apply to:

  • acts of national resistance exercised against occupying forces, colonizers and usurpers;
  • resistance of peoples against cliques imposed on them by the force of arms;
  • rejection of dictatorships and other forms of despotism and efforts to undermine their institutions;
  • resistance against racial discrimination and attacks on the latter's strongholds;
  • retaliation against any aggression if there is no other alternative.
  • any democratic action unaccompanied by terrorism even if it does not have a humane objective.

 

 

Conclusion

 

Referring to lectures and information put forward by Dr. Bilal Phillips no war is Holy in Islam. In fact, war is only an option as a means of retaliation to oppression and evil.

 

Permission to fight has been given to those who have been attacked because they are wronged. And indeed, Allah is Most Powerful. (22:39)

 

Any war which is waged beyond the boundary declared in the above verse is clearly an act of terrorism and not of Jihad a term very frequently confused. But Islam does encourage the fight against evil. This is where the misunderstanding lies. Many radical groups misinterpret these lines and the result is that Islam ends being labeled a Terror based religion or a “religions of the sword”.

 

Why shouldn’t you fight in the cause of Allah and for those oppressed because they are weak. Men, women and children who cry out, ‘Our Lord! Rescue us from this town of oppressors’ (4:75)

 

It’s very hard to get one clear understanding of the concept of terrorism. But based on the guidelines and Quranic verses that are put across in the process of understanding, one feels that “terrorism” is the Struggle by any group, state or government (violent or otherwise) to create fear and to disrupt everyday lives in order to achieve a political goal.

 

 

References  

 

Yahya, Harun (2002) . Harun Yahya : An Invitation to Truth. Retrieved August 28, 2002 from http://www.harunyahya.com

Al Tawhid (2002). Towards a Definition of Terrorism. Retrieved 29 August, 2002 from

http://www.al-islam.org/al-tawhid/definition-terrorism.htm