User:Zahra Naqvi

MERCHANTS OF DEATH HAVE NO RELIGION By

S. Farman Ahmad Naqvi,

Advocate, Allahabad High Court.

Since the advent of civilization the ‘Man’ is facing the threat of ‘Terror’. At one place a Prophet preaches brotherhood, love, compassion and respect to each other, but simultaneously in the same society someone starts preaching terror to achieve his own evil goals.

After “Manhattan” the word ‘terrorism’ came into focus in the world media with full rapidity. Although in India we are facing the same since last about more than two decades in one or the other form. The Punjab’s Khalistani agenda already claimed several thousand innocent lives either in mid air in ‘Kanishk’ or on the ground at Delhi and Punjab itself. In Jammu & Kashmir we are regularly watching the terror of death merchants unleashed upon the innocent people. These death merchants can give it any name but they cannot slim down their devious act by giving those lame excuses. It is now commonly regarded that these merchants of death have no religion, but still due to stereotypes of our media & political compulsions it was pigeonholed with particular religion, community or region.

Before proceeding further it is necessary that we should understand the simple dictionary meaning of word “Terrorism”. The word “Terrorism” means terrorizing, use of terror or a condition of fear and submission produced by frightening people, it also means intimidation, violence and terror campaign.

The United Nation defined terrorism and terrorist as:

1.                                  Terrorist is any person who, acting independently of the specific recognition of a country, or as a single person, or as part of a group not recognized as an official part of division of a nation, acts to destroy or to injure civilians or destroy or damage property belonging to civilians or to governments in order to effect some political goal.

2.                                  Terrorism is the act of destroying or injuring civilian lives or the act of destroying or damaging civilian or government property without the expressly chartered permission of a specific government, thus, by individuals or groups acting independently or governments on their own accord and belief, in the attempt to affect some political goal.

3.                                  All war crimes will be considered acts of terrorism.

In recent past certain elements started using the phrase ‘Islamic terrorism’ for any terrorist attack anywhere. How far the use of this phrase is logical is the debatable question. As per the present trend and looking into the political situation of the world it appears that there is some vicious design behind the use of the phrase, as such it becomes necessary to explain the dictionary meaning of ‘Islamic’, because our so-called intelligentsia is using “Islamic Terrorism” in so rapidity that now for an ordinary man it is hard to make a distinction between terrorist & Islam.

The word ‘Islamic’ means, ‘Mohammedan’s’, the word is adjective of Islam. ‘Islam’ means “Resignation to the will of God” as per the “Dictionary of Islam” By Thomas Patrick Hughes published by Rupa & Co (Second Impression 1992), page 220.

In the Holy “Quran” the word is used for doing homage to God. Those who profess ‘Islam’ are called Muslims or Musalmans.

Any non-Muslim who had read ‘Quran’ with full devotion and have understood the same with honesty can never say that Islam preaches hatred, terror, death for innocents and to create killing fields. Any individual act cannot be termed as an act by the religion he professes.

Despite this understanding the same is being portrayed with impunity. It gives the impression that there is something behind the mind while portraying any individual act of a Muslim as “Islamic Terrorism”. After looking into this phenomenon the argument of some people assumes greater importance that, after the fall of communism the next enemy of the West is Islam.

Mrs Margaret Thatcher, the former Prime Minister of UK in her recent article in ‘Guardian’ (as reproduced in ‘Hidustan Times’ Lucknow, page 8, dated 14th February 2002, titled as “Unfinished business”) had expressed this view in the following words,

”Islamic extremism today, like bolshevism in the past, is an armed doctrine. It is an aggressive ideology promoted by fanatical, well armed devotees. And, like communism, it requires an all-embracing long-term strategy to defeat it.”

Another term explicitly used for Muslims is Fundamentalist Muslim. If a Muslim admits that he is a Muslim he places himself to the vulnerability of being written off as fundamentalist. The word Fundamentalist means, in the western media and as well as its roller blind followers in our country is, ugly, violent religious fanaticism and intolerant. It is also a cryptogram being used for Islam.

In the 1965 declaration on the relation of the church to non-Christians, with respect to Islam, Second Vatican Council had espoused the cause of unity between two religions in the following words:

“The Church also regards the Muslims who worship the one, subsistent, merciful and almighty God, the creator of heaven and earth, who has spoken to man. Islam willingly traces its descent back to Abraham, and just as he submitted himself to God, the Muslims endeavour to submit themselves to His Mysterious decree. They venerate Jesus as Prophet……….

………If in the course of the centuries there has arisen not infrequent dissension and hostility between Christian and Muslims, this sacred Council now urges everyone to forget the past, to make sincere efforts at mutual understanding and to work together in protecting and promoting for the benefit of all men, social justice, good morals as well as peace and freedom.”

Unfortunately the above even-handed and reasonable positions are suppressed under the storm of downbeat media descriptions.

Regardless of the above fact the fundamental issue is that what is terrorism and what is the actual meaning of word terrorism in the present day context. Whether the world will accept the same meaning as the western media and its blind faction touts it or it is to be understood in a more pragmatic and perceptive manner.

After the attacks on 11th September 2001 at World Trade Centre several material changes took place in the thinking of the people. The warring countries came closer to each other to fight against global terrorism, every person and countries are asking for the final war to be fought against these horrendous, appalling and awful acts.

But the moot question is that can the war against these awful and horrendous acts be fought with the rules of international law already existing or new rules will be framed according to the existing requirement, or few powerful countries and their followers will ingeniously make their own rule to crush voices of dissent, in the name of fight with terrorism, like the Israel is doing in Bethlehem, Ramallah, Bedjalla and other towns controlled by the Palestinians, taking advantage of the turmoil taking place in the world.

If new laws are to be framed to fight terrorism then whether the same were made by a world Body like UNO, if not then whether the old laws with respect to human rights and war will remain applicable upon all, like the universal declaration of human rights, which was adopted and proclaimed by the General Assembly, vide Resolution no. 217 A (III) of 10th December, 1948.

In first paragraph of its Preamble it states, “Whereas recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world………..”

Article 30 the universal declaration of human rights, states,

“Nothing in this Declaration may be interpreted as implying for any State, group or person any right to engage in any activity or to perform any act aimed at the destruction of the rights and freedom set forth herein.”

One of the various convention concluded in the field of Human Rights includes the Convention on Prevention and Punishment of Crime and Genocide approved for signature and ratification by General Assembly of United Nations vide resolution no. 260 A (III) on 9th December 1948 & came into force on 12th January 1951.

The moot question is that whether America, Britain, NATO & Israel will fight the war against Terrorism by their own sinister rule of game or the same will be fought as per the existing International law. Because it is only the terrorists who are not governed by any law made by the society and that is why they are called terrorists, but the ‘civilized society’ is bound to abide by the law made by it.

But of late the Israel, Britain, NATO & American’s definition had taken substantial change with respect to Human rights. Now it appears that what Israelis & Americans think as correct about the other people becomes their fate, either it is death or survival by remaining in Ghettos like Arafat’s detention in Ramallah and Palestinian people’s incarceration in their own homeland.

One more important factor had been forgotten by the people that if the bombers at Manhattan and Pentagon are doing the same for some assumed cause of Islam, then these people forgot to see the list of deaths occurred in the bombing which accounts more than 15% Muslims out of the total causalities. It means that the perpetrators of the ghastly crime, if are Muslims, have got no Muslim cause in their hands, it must be some individual cause of their own which is not the concern of Islam. But the media and other leaders are playing in their hands by saying it “Islamic Terrorism” and inviting each and every Muslim to take sides, which viciously be propagated that every Muslim is with the crime, hence Islam itself is guilty.

What happened on 11th September at World Trade Centre is highly condemnable & most gory act of terrorism, which cannot be condoned by any person.

Whenever investigation of a particular crime begins the investigating authority first tries to trace the motive for commission of crime, because the motive leads the investigator closer to the perpetrator of the crime. Every crime is being committed because of some motive; hence whenever the people start evaluating the causes of 11th September, they have to go back to previous history of the simmering & choked disputes.

I am horror-struck to see the behavior of the “Civilized World” upon the media channels & in Newspaper columns when they retort in the most downbeat comportment about the motive behind the attacks on 11th September & previous history of the simmering dispute of Middle East. One is unable to understand that why the motive behind the 11th September attacks are being kept in milieu, although at times when it suits the “Civilized World” shows promptness to go back in distorted History whether it is five hundred years old or one thousand years old. The point of argument is that to crush the preparatory of a crime the root cause of crime should be detected & solved readily so that in future such mishaps shall be avoided, this is the rule of a healthy society.

Why the people who claim themselves to be the “Civilized World” are shutting their eyes from their own government’s acts of horror committed during last more than half century.

It is assumed that when a section of the world community claims itself to be the “Civilized World”, it must be having some knowledge of Ethics, History, Geography, Science, and other material comprehension, which is necessarily required for becoming or assuming to be the respected member of the “Civilized World”. But of late the way people claiming themselves the respected members of the “Civilized World” had started behaving gives the impression that for some conspicuous & palpable reason they are trying to shut their eyes from dazzling truths of world history.

Two material instances are sufficient to explain the uneven, potholed opportunistic and vicious attitude of the “Civilized World”. It is the ‘Civilized World’ who gave birth to Taliban to fight Communists in Afghanistan by providing them Stinger Missiles & other strategic “Support”, at the time of their birth they were termed as the saviors of Afghanistan from devious communists. In fact the spokesman of the US State Department Glyn Davies said that the US found “nothing objectionable” in the steps taken by the Taliban to impose the Islamic Law. When in 1995 Taliban came into power with the help of CIA & ISI, and unleashed reign of terror upon their own people particularly women by closing down girls schools dismissing women from govt. jobs, Senator Hank Brown said, “The good part of what has happened is that one of the factions at least seems capable of developing a government in Kabul”. The prime object of supporting the Taliban regime was motivated by the economic factor primarily the UNOCAL pipeline project as stated by Robin Raphael in Islamabad on 21st April 1996, soon after visiting Kabul,” We have an American Company which is interested in building a pipeline from Turkmenistan through to Pakistan.”

Another instance is with regard to diagonal change taking place in the policy of “Civilized World” towards General Parvez Musharraf of Pakistan. When in 1999 he overthrew the democratically elected government of Nawaz Sharif, the “Civilized World” refused to recognize his dictatorial government & stopped all financial assistance to his government. But all of a sudden after 11th September all financial assistance was restored to him with lot of handsome bonuses. One is unable to understand that whether after 11th September the dictator General Parvez Musharraf became a democratically elected President of Pakistan. Now the villain of the past became the dearest buddy, is it not the marriage of conveniences? Which otherwise, if committed by ‘other people’ is most condemnable act, but for ‘civilized world’ it is an appreciable act. Is it not an archetypical example of knight in shining armor, the savior, becoming desperado, the villain and the desperado transforming into a knight in shining armor.

Now certain fundamental questions are to be answered, before enchanting any sides;

1.     Whether the ‘Civilized world’ ever felt the hurt, sorrow and anguish of Hiroshima & Nagasaki as it was felt by the Japanese generations after 1945?

2.     Whether the ‘Civilized world’ ever asked the question that who was the country which stopped shipment of ‘PL 480’ to India for denial By Mrs. Indira Gandhi, the Indian Prime Minister, to support “That Super Power” in the UN?

3.     Whether the ‘Civilized world’ ever asked the question that who was the country which gave shelter to Jagjit Singh Chauhan who was the leader of Khalistan Movement in India, and which wrecked havoc in India 80’s and early 90’s killing the then Prime Minister of India Indira Gandhi & thousands of innocent Indians?

4.     When Late Rajiv Gandhi & other innocent people were assassinated in 1991 by LTTE, whether the conscience of the ‘Civilized world’ was also traumatized with the same degree of jolt as it happened after 11th September 2001?

5.     When the Babri Masjid was demolished on 6th December 1992, the ‘Civilized world’ had also felt the same degree of distress, scars  and pain as they felt because of fall of World Trade Centre in New York on 11th September 2001?

6.     Whether the ‘Civilized World’ also felt same pain and agony when thousands of innocent people were killed in Bombay’s serial blast in 1993 and riots?

7.     Whether the Palestinians who died since 1948 because of “Israeli Terrorism” are less human being than the Dead of Manhattan?

8.     Why the ‘Civilized world’ had not cried on its rooftops when the Vietnamese were Napalm bombed in the year 1960 by the Americans?

9.     When the camp of innocent Palestinian people of ‘Sabra’ and ‘Shatila’ in Lebanon was bombed by Ariel Sharon (when he was in the army of Israel), why the ‘Civilized World’ had not taken the cause of those dead with the same fury like today?

10. Whether the ‘Civilized World’ felt same rage when the innocent people of ‘Iraq’ were butchered for years together, & are still being bombed without any cause?

11. Whether the ‘Civilized World’ ever asked the question that who gave birth to Taliban to fight Communists in Afghanistan by providing those Stinger Missiles and other strategic “Support”?

12. Whether the ‘Israeli Terrorism’ is the root cause of all the evils being faced by the world today or it is any other sort of Terrorism.

13. What are the reasons that just a week prior to the Manhattan, the share prices of Major American Insurance companies fell down abruptly?

14. Whether the ‘Civilized World’ felt same rage when the innocent people of ‘Bosnia’ were butchered and raped for years together?

15. Why the question was not asked from Ariel Sharon (the present Prime Minister of Israel) that why he visited Masjid-e-Aqsa (the most revered place for Muslims after Mecca) in his shoes, and what point he wanted to press except to provoke ordinary faithful? Only this provocative act had caused many scratches to the region and world than the Holocaust.

16. If the attack of September the 11th had happened with any small African or Asian country then the civilized world would have awakened with the same fury?

17. Which was the country, which kidnapped the President of Panama, a sovereign country, from his own country, for the alleged charges of drug trafficking?

18. Can George Bush, Tony Blair or Ariel Sharon provide efficient governance to their own respective countries while locked and closed in two small rooms of their own headquarters surrounded by tanks, missiles and army of enemy, without electricity, water, food and modern communication facilities, facing all sorts of threat except ‘Death’ as promised by the modern day self proclaimed gods?

19. What is the vision behind the theory of ‘New World Order’? Is it not confined to despatch forces to any part of world only because that ‘part’ is not submitting itself unreservedly? Whether the present ‘Fury’ is part of the theory of ‘New World Order’?

20. Is it not a sign of Imperial Roman of Ancient history & Imperial Europe of near past revived again in a new more furious and ruthless form?

21. Where are those weapons of mass destruction (WMD) for which Iraq was attacked by America?

The Middle East is known for nothing less than ‘Terrorism of Israel’ since Israel’s creation. Palestinians were thrown behind the barbed wires like prisoners, who were incarcerated in their own homeland by the occupier, and on least protest being beaten to death in the crudest manner. The Israeli’s having learnt well the lesson from their own hounding by the Nazis, and found that the only way to survive, in the occupied land, is to behave like Nazis.

All the above images unconditionally and robustly come within the definition of word “Terrorism”, but unfortunately ‘Civilized society’ is not ready to address “the spade a spade”. Instead just to divert the attention from above misdeeds they are diverting the attention other way and calling a religion a culprit, so that the attention remain diverted from ‘Civilized society’s own horrible misdeeds of past and in the coming future.

The Islamic Terrorism is nothing but farce propaganda unleashed by some imprudent & hard-nosed people. Islam is a religion of love & peace. This professes & emphasises in Quran in the following words:

“YOUR RELIGION FOR YOU & MINE FOR ME” (Surah 109: 6)

Further Quran says:

“THERE SHALL BE NO COMPULSION IN RELIGION” (Surah 2: 256)

More than 1400 years back Prophet Mohammad honored and distinguished by appointing Hazrat Bilal, a tall, dark, thin Negro featured having bushy hairs, slave, son of an Abyssinian slave girl, to the uppermost place as the first ”Muezzin” (caller to the Prayer of Islam).

Islam ordains faithful,” The desire of knowledge is a divine command for every Muslim”. At another place it is said,” there are two avaricious (acquisitive, greedy) persons that are never satisfied, one of them is knowledge, more he attains the more he deserves; other is the world, with the things of which he is never satisfied.”

In Islam all sorts of knowledge gaining is permissible except immoral & types of knowledge which drives one far from God. Knowledge of religion is the first most important thing to know, knowledge of Philosophy, Ethics i.e. Ilm-ul-akhlaq, mystic science, science of astronomy, law of inheritance, law of jurisprudence, knowledge of all subjects connected with practical religion, science of traditions, the science of Geometry, Arithmetic known as Ilm-ul-hisab, Algebra, science of articles of belief, Lexicography i.e. Ilm-ul-lughah, logical science, Mensuration, nautical art i.e. the science of making & navigating ships, knowledge of truth, botany i.e. Ilm-ul-nabatat, science of anatomy, history, geography, zoology and science of medicine etc. etc.

Regarding stereotype meaning of Jihad it is sufficient to quote one verse of Surah Al-Baqar of Holy Quran,

“Fight in the cause of God those who fight you,

But do not transgress, for God do not love transgressors. (190)

Islam emphasizes freedom of religion in Holy Quran:

Let there be no compulsion in religion.

For this is the truth, which stands out from error,

That whoever rejects evil and believes in God

Shall grasp the most dependable handle. (Surah 2:256)

It is Islam, which liberated women from slavery and given them right to live in peace with the men in equality. In all civilized societies like in India also it is the culture to cover the head in presence of males either elders, outsiders or while appearing before any other. Mother Mary in all her pictures as well as Christian nuns and sisters wear the headgear at all times, same is being done just for the purpose that they are revered ladies and are liable to be seen in a pious way. Islam sees all women in a pious way. Can it be suggested in any way that Christian nuns and sisters are being forced to wear the headgear because of some conservative religious view prevalent in Christianity?

In conclusion, if the ‘Civilized world’ wants to stop terrorism then the same should be handled with an even handed policy of stopping all sorts of terrorism & mainly the ‘Israeli Terrorism’, which is the bone of all contentions. Now much depends upon the sane people, who can build the bridges, and they are pointing to the truth, that the war against terrorism is to be fought & must be fought by each and every individual of all the societies, but not by prejudices but by making gestures of friendship to all the people, love, brotherhood, concern for each other, kindness, sympathy and compassion.

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