- •1. Jihad is a personal struggle, not a war.
- •1. Jihad is not defined as a defensive measure against enemies.
- •2. Terrorism and Jihad are not identical twins but historic enemies.
- •2. What can you say to the fact that many spiritual leaders, including Osama bin Laden, used the Koran as a base for their activities.
- •3. Islam does not presuppose any more violence than other world religions.
- •3. Islam worshipers perceive themselves as martyrs who are not afraid of death.
- •4. Every religion has some extreme offshoots,
- •4. The root of many evil is an Islamic fundamentalism.
- •5. Education makes a positive contribution.
- •5. The bulging Muslim youth is a very explosive matter.
- •6. The causes of contemporary Muslim wars lie in politics, not religious doctrines.
- •6. And consequently, there is the growing tendency in the Islamic world for Muslims to turn to religion as a solution or part-solution to political problems.
- •7. The future of Islam is heading towards democracy.
- •7. Islam and democracy are incompatible.
- •8. Militant Islam rises from issues of identity rather than any other problems.
- •8. Globalization leads to insecurity in developing countries that further breeds fundamentalism, fear, and ultimately terrorism and violence.
- •9. Militant Islam’s source is in poverty, not religion.
- •9. Open markets translate into terrorism.
1. Jihad is a personal struggle, not a war.
Speaking of Jihad. The majority of Muslims perceive it as a personal struggle, as a challenge for their faith rather than a war against infidels. Many moderate muslims even say this is a poor translation of the term, which should never be understood as some armed activity.
1. Jihad is not defined as a defensive measure against enemies.
Whatever they say, Jihad is defined in Islamic law as an armed struggle against unbelievers, with the ultimate goal being the establishment of a wholly Muslim world. Without Islam the long-term strategy and individual acts of violence by Osama bin Laden and his followers make little sense.
2. Terrorism and Jihad are not identical twins but historic enemies.
It is necessary to keep in mind that there are these separated concepts. Terrorism is not only un-Islamic but anti-Islamic, and those who commit terrorism should be designated as criminals rather than as holy warriors or resistance fighters.
2. What can you say to the fact that many spiritual leaders, including Osama bin Laden, used the Koran as a base for their activities.
Guided by their incumbent religious duty implicated in the definition of jihad, Islamists concentrate on toppling secular governments in the Middle East and create a vast Islamic state - a caliphate. Their deadly aim is to weaken Muslim heads of states – a near enemy by attacking their supporters in the West – a far enemy. Muslims must fight and kill in the name of Allah. We read (IX 5–6): “Kill those who join other gods with God wherever you may find them”; (VIII.39–42): “Say to the Infidels: if they desist from their unbelief, what is now past shall be forgiven; but if they return to it, they have already before them the doom of the ancients! Fight then, against them till strife be at an end, and the religion be all of it God’s.”
3. Islam does not presuppose any more violence than other world religions.
Even if such individuals as bin Laden and his followers are Muslims, we can not discriminate the rest of the 1.5 billion people on that basis. Every religion presupposes some harsh methods and fundamental norms that form the core of the faith. And Islam is just very successful in that aspect, if compared with Christianity or Judaism, for example.
3. Islam worshipers perceive themselves as martyrs who are not afraid of death.
Bur you cannot argue with the fact that Islamic God-intoxicated fanatics blindly throw away their lives in return for the Paradise offered to Muslim martyrs killed in the Holy War against all infidels. They self-inflict pain by chest beating and back beating to show that they stand with Islam till the bitter end.
4. Every religion has some extreme offshoots,
I think you are talking of the phenomena that are only preserved in more closed Eastern communities. Muslims living in the West often enjoy the western standards of living, young generation is granted with the opportunity to make their own choices, they have access to education and other freedoms, and all in all live a normal life which has nothing to do with violence. What I am trying to say is that you are confusing Islam with Islamic fundamentalism.