Muslims VS. The People

 

I’d like to preface this by stating that I am of Anglo-Saxon Christian heritage. I am all European – you’d likely have to go very far back in my ancestry to find non-white members in there. I have no Muslim friends or acquaintances as of yet. Some of you may be wondering - what does this have to do with the subject of Muslims? Sadly, everything. Because the hatred of Muslim people is an inherently racist one. If I did not state my ethnicity and religious background, I’d very likely be an assumed Muslim or “terrorist” by those who’ve let their fear cloud their judgement.

So, as you can guess, I’m writing about the backlash the Muslims as a people – as a religious institution – have experienced in light of recent events. I’d like to express my condolences to the families of those dead or left suffering in the wake of the attacks in Brussels and Paris this year. I’d like to extend my condolences to anyone still grieving or suffering after any and all terrorist attacks in recent history. This is not an attempt to diminish the deaths or suffering of recent and past events in any way.

But here’s the thing. It’s a general assumption that the fault lies with Islam as a whole. I’d like to ask why. Why people assume that organisations such as ISIS and al-Qaeda are the only terrorists in the world today. Why people naturally assume innocent members of a peaceful religion are evil, while they and their predominantly “white-controlled” governments have no fault. What proof does anyone have that all Islamic people are terrorists? Is it their funny clothing? Their secretiveness? The misappropriated information regarding their religious texts (such as the gem I discovered today, that there is a highly frequent usage of a word that means ‘kill’ in the Qur’an)?

 I’d like to do a refresher course. I understand that there have been a select few organisations that are operating under the Muslim faith and attacking predominant nations, and abusing those they currently inhabit. I am in NO WAY trying to defend these people. I assure you of that – I understand that these people are warped at best. But they use their Qur’an and their Allah as an excuse for the crimes they commit.

Let us compare. Here are some quotes from the Qur’an that encourage violence;-

“… And kill them wherever you find them, and turn them out from where they have turned you out. And Al-Fitnah (disbelief or unrest) is worse than killing... but if they desist, then lo! Allah is forgiving and merciful. And fight them until there is no more Fitnah (disbelief and worshipping of others along with Allah) and worship is for Allah alone. But if they cease, let there be no transgression except against Az-Zalimun (the polytheists, and wrong-doers, etc.)."

"Soon shall we cast terror into the hearts of the Unbelievers, for that they joined companions with Allah, for which He had sent no authority"

"Let those fight in the way of Allah who sell the life of this world for the other. Whoso fighteth in the way of Allah, be he slain or be he victorious, on him we shall bestow a vast reward."

"And be not weak hearted in pursuit of the enemy; if you suffer pain, then surely they (too) suffer pain as you suffer pain..."

Yes, these are pretty bad – but it is important to consider that not all these quotes may be translated correctly. Translations will always contain bias – there is no escaping it. Lazy translation (or deliberate translation) may produce results that conflict with the original message of the passage. What had been a cautionary passage could become a terrorist one. Remember this when you see one of those anti-Islam memes.

Also, it seems almost the duty of religious texts to provide contradiction in regards to everything in the single volume. For example, here are some violent examples found in the Christian Bible;-

“Thou shalt surely smite the inhabitants of that city with the edge of the sword, destroying it utterly, and all that is therein, and the cattle thereof, with the edge of the sword. And thou shalt gather all the spoil of it into the midst of the street thereof, and shalt burn with fire the city, and all the spoil thereof every whit, for the LORD thy God: and it shall be a heap for ever…” (Deuteronomy 13:15-16)

“Anyone who is captured will be run through with a sword. Their little children will be dashed to death right before their eyes. Their homes will be sacked and their wives raped by the attacking hordes. For I will stir up the Medes against Babylon, and no amount of silver or gold will buy them off. The attacking armies will shoot down the young people with arrows. They will have no mercy on helpless babies and will show no compassion for the children.” (Isaiah 13:15-18)

And Jesus says to his followers:

“I tell you that to everyone who has, more shall be given, but from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away. But these enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, bring them here and slay them in my presence.” (Luke 19:26-27)

"Do not think that I have come to send peace on earth. I did not come to send peace, but a sword. I am sent to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law." (Matthew 10:34-35)

It is well known the Bible preaches kindness and goodness, and treating others the way you would be treated. So how then is such material consistent with this assessment? It isn’t – simply because it is in the nature of a religion to desire to provide an answer to everything, to suit every need – to suit those in power. A sad fact, but religion and politics are not two separate entities – they are very much intertwined.

Need I also remind you of the countless acts of terrorism the Christians committed against humanity in their history? The Spanish Inquisition. Thousands of heretics (or even supposed heretics) tortured and burned at the stake. Simply for the crime of not following the faith. Throughout their history, they’ve encouraged violence against other religions, against women, against servants, against races. But it seems pretty convenient to forget this fact in light of recent events. And I will also say that yes, these very tactics I have described as characterising earlier Christians are ones ISIS are using now – I will not deny that. But why? Because it is an extreme message – and it ensures the world will hear it. It did then, and it does now. Tried and tested. Remember that.

Islam is primarily a peace-loving organisation, same as Christians today. I am sure you know of plenty of examples in the Bible that promote peace amongst all human kind. Here are some Islam ones;-

There is no way to force people to believe in Islam. “There is no compulsion where the religion is concerned.” (Holy Quran 2:256)

“We have appointed a law and a practice for every one of you. Had God willed, He would have made you a single community, but He wanted to test you regarding what has come to you. So compete with each other in doing good. Every one of you will return to God and He will inform you regarding the things about which you differed.” (Surat al-Ma’ida, 48)

“Surely they that believe, and those of Jewry, and the Christians, and those Sabeaans, who so believes in God and the Last Day, and works righteousness–their wage waits them with their Lord, and no fear shall be on them, neither shall they sorrow.” (Quran 5:69)

“Those who spend in prosperity and adversity, and those who suppress anger and pardon men; and Allah loves those who do good.” (Al Quran 3:135)

There are many more quotes like this – I have encountered over 250 in a single hour’s research. I’d like to think I have established the fact that Islam is a religion no different to Christianity today. It is peace-loving, but the text is contradictory. Unfortunately, it is the contradiction that is utilised in the cases of such extremist groups as ISIS. Like I said – religion can be used to suit anyone’s purposes. If you looked, you’d find quotes from the Bible, the Torah; any other religious text that would provide you with the means to make war on another group of people.

I’d now like to address the matter of terrorism. Now, I’ll open with a somewhat controversial statement – our governments are terrorists too. By default, so are we. My reasoning?

US occupation in the Middle East was initially – and still is – a concern of keeping their vast supplies of oil away from the Soviet presence post World War II, when the two nations were engaged in the pseudo-war tactics that became known by the blanket term “the Cold War”. The initial entry of US soldiers onto Middle Eastern soil was NOT as a response to a direct threat posed to their nation; indeed, it had nothing to do with them. US and British intervention began when, in 1951, Mohammed Mosaddeq became the Prime Minister of Iran, and decided to nationalise the Iranian oil industry. This was problematic for the English, who had greatly profited off enterprise and relations with the country. The Shah (monarch) of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, was opposed to this decision and called for his resignation; so too did the workers, fearing a massive hit on the economy. When he refused, national uprisings began. This is the point in which the US intruded; they had the CIA funnel some 5 million dollars into the military opposition against Mosaddeq in Iran, and eventually had a new Prime Minister instated.

The “white powers” had their first military intervention into the Middle East in 1956, when Israel invaded Egypt to take control of the important trading hub and shipment passage, the Suez Canal, and also to remove anti-American Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser from power. This resulted in massive failure for the supposed “Allied” party; they were forced to withdraw by the United Nations. Nevertheless, the primary motivation was clear in the British and French alliance with Israel – to protect their own economic interests.

What about recently? Such as, let us say, Afghanistan or Pakistan? Again, these military occupations (primarily American) began as a result of “defending” these nations against Soviet invasion in the 1980s, but again it was primarily to protect their own financial interests. They’ve continued even up till now as a “counter-terrorism” move due to the recent level of unrest in the general area. The primary motivation of any and all European-American military involvement in the Middle East has been to protect their vested interest in the economic benefits their oil deposits bring. Remember that.

Now, the actual acts of terrorism themselves. The thing with this is that “terrorism” is not in itself a fact – well, it is, but it is the degree of interpretation that affects the assessment of whether or not something is more terrorist than another. Let me explain.

How many people died in the 9/11 attacks as a result of Islamic extremist terrorism groups? 2,996.

How many people died in the ISIS attacks on Paris? 130.

How many people died in the Brussels attack? Around 30 people, pending a potential rise.

How many people have been executed by Islam militant groups in recent history? Around 10,000 people - it may interest you to know that at least 9,347 of these were Muslim.

Now, what about the death toll of the “other side”, as perpetuated by the European-American military powers?

How many people died in the 1986 air raids in Libya? Around 30.

How many civilians died in the 1998 bombing of Iraq? As many as 70.

How many civilians in total have died at the hands of foreign intervention in Afghanistan? Up to 21,000.

How many died in the Syrian air raids led by the US in in 2015? At least 459.

Does this place things in perspective a bit? You see, it comes down to media representation. The media in our countries want you to believe they are the terrorists and we are the “good guys” because compliance keeps them in power. Compliance equals no protest when they come to collect tax money – when they use this tax money to fund their ongoing war efforts in the Middle East – which equals power. They generate mass hysteria through brilliantly written anti-Islam/ISIS/extremist news coverage, articles, representations in the entertainment industry, caricatures, documentaries, interviews with experts… The list goes on. The major powers of the world do not want you to know these figures, because it shows they aren’t infallible. They do not want you to be aware of the fact that they are just as capable – and even more so – of committing terrible crimes against humanity. You’ll find death tolls from the “other side” and criticisms of military movements if you scroll way down the search list on Google, because as hard as they try to bury it under the stuff that keeps them in control, they can’t stop the dissenters. Think about this. To the Afghani people, the Libyans, the Iraqi, the Syrians – we are the terrorists. We are the ones invading their land and killing their people. Just consider that.

Next time you see a man in a funny head scarf on the street, or a woman in a burqa or hijab, don’t think about their differences to you. Shifty and nervous-looking? It isn’t because they have a bomb. It’s because they're so damn afraid of being who they are, and they're just praying they won’t be publicly humiliated or assaulted. And you can’t change who they are, or tell them to get out of “your country” (let’s NOT get into that, because I have plenty to say on that account as well). It is free speech when you abuse a poor Muslim woman on the street – its freedom of choice. So why is it not freedom of choice to wear an item of clothing that reflects a love of God, and a desire to follow Him and do His bidding? Why is it not freedom of speech to pray in public? Why can’t people use the word “Allah”? Because it makes you, the racist, uncomfortable? Those are double standards, and you know it. Stop lying to yourself.

There is no scientific division of humanity beyond Homo sapiens. Modern human. That’s it. Everyone alive today falls under that category, and there’s no use pretending any different. You can try all you like to justify division by race, by class, by religion – there’s nothing tangible there to support that belief. It’s thin air. 

So next time you see someone Muslim, don’t make them a pariah. They are someone worth knowing, just like you. They laugh, cry, breath, love just like you. They sing, dance, do stupid things, fail, succeed just like you. And they have families, jobs, lives just like you. We’re all human.

Remember that.