TERRORISM HAS NO RELIGION.

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Terrorism is being discussed everywhere in the world. The U.S. news media spends a significant amount of time reporting terrorism, specifically focusing on Islamic terrorism. News consultants and pundits analyze how  Islamic terrorism works and explain how we should react to it.A  fundamental  flaw in these discussions is the terminology being used—Islamic terrorism. Terrorism has nothing to do with any religion.It’s an abuse of religion. Christian terrorists in Ireland or Serbia and Hindu terrorists in India or Sri Lankaare just, plain and simply put,terrorists.A thief is a thief is a thief.A Muslim thief, Hindu thief or a Christian thief is a plain and simple thief. By associating a religion to the outlaws, we create an inseparable political sympathy among the followers of the religious group they are associated with, although it’s a fictitious relationship. As soon as the media acknowledges that the terrorists claim to serve their faith in Islam, certain Muslim groups become sympathetic and, astonishingly, even defend the terrorists knowing full well that Islam opposes the barbaric acts.

Adding fuel to the fire, fundamentalist preachers and proponents of Christianity jump on the bandwagon to preach that the Holy Qur’an promotes terrorism.Recently, a preacher who could not even pronounce the word  Imam was describing what the Qur’an teaches. His solution was to burn copies of the Qur’an. The fundamental commandment of turning the other cheek was probably not taught in his church.

A religion should not be judged by the acts of a minority of outlaws regardless of their claimed religious affilitation.Christians should not be judged by the acts of their brothers in Serbia or Ireland. Christianity should be judged by the teachings and practice of Jesus (A.S) and his disciples (R.A).Similarly, Islam should not be judged by the terrorists in Pakistan, Afghanistan or the Middle East. It should be judged by the teachings and practice of the Holy Prophet Muhammad(SAW) and his companions(R.A).Did they kill every Jew .and Christian that they met? Certainly not.Their example illustrates that we should even invite  Christians to offer their prayers in our mosques, as they did in the Prophet’s Mosque in Medina back in the seventh century.

 The question is why terrorism needs to be associated with any religion or religious group.We need to deal with it just as we deal with other sins and law breaking activities such as murder,theft or character assassination.We don’t need to distinguish a Muslim murderer from a Hindu or a Christian one.

Terrorism is spread all over the world and we need to deal with it.We must sensibly acknowledge it for what it is—a crime against humanity. The international community would be able to deal with it once a united front is created against terrorism as a crime and not as a branch of any faith or interpretation of any particular religion. It is only then that the world can form a united front to eradicate the catastrophic plague terrorism has wreaked across the glob.