Yesterday, a Christian brother visited me to ask some questions about programming. When we were done, we discussed other issues and he said, “But why do countries like Afghanistan and Iraq make people dislike your religion (Islam) given how people their brainwash people to commit suicide bombing?”
I explained to him that his concern is a result of brainwashing and propaganda by western media. “What is terrorism?”, I asked. “Was the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki an act of error? Are the two world wars acts of terror?
In the case of Afghanistan and Iraq, the United States of America invaded Iraq in 2003 because some people attacked the World Trade Center and the false allegation that they had weapons of mass destruction leading to the death of innocent people.
Take a look at Afghanistan, the United States waged war against the country for 20 years between 2001 – 2021 as a response to 9/11 attacks. Have you ever thought about the psychological implication of these acts of terror in guise of defensive warfare? Someone who either sees or deludes himself as a freedom fighter in a traditional Muslim environment may be seen as a representative of Islam unlike a freedom fighter in Ukraine or in the South Eastern part of Nigeria.
Brenton Tarrant who killed 51 Musims in New Zealand, is he a white terrorist, and Christian terrorist or just a terrorist? Lastly, let us agree to disagree that these terrorists terrorize people in the name of Islam, do you know that in Islam, killing is a grievous act, how much more a Muslim killing a Muslim?
Why do these so-called Islamic terrorists terrorize Muslims the most. If I was an Islamic terrorist, would it not make sense to go to Rome or America to terrorize non-Muslims instead of terrorizing Muslims?
“My brother, you have been brainwashed”, I said and what followed was a long heavy sigh.
Dear you non-Muslim, your disposition towards Islam might have been influenced by the thoughts of Islamophobes, the propaganda of the West, and the lies of the missionaries. Think about it, what do over 1 billion people across the globe see in a religion you deem primitive, archaic, and violent?
The term, “Islamic Terrorism” is counterproductive and intellectually contestable. Study Islam objectively today. There is nothing to lose except misguidance.
Bashir Lucas Samson Lukman
English 