Islam Is a Religion of Terrorism

I. What does Islam mean? "Islam is a verbal noun originating from the triliteral root s-l-m which forms a large class of words mostly relating to concepts of wholeness, completion and bonding/joining. In a religious context it means 'voluntary submission to God'."[1] "The Arabic word 'Islam' simply means 'submission', and derives from a word meaning 'peace'."[2] Islam means peace and submission to God. Peace is one of the most important of Islam's II. What did Muhammad say? "The prophet Muhammad said, 'Do not kill women or children or non-combatants and do not kill old people or sick people'."[3] "Prophet Muhammad said there is no excuse for committing unjust acts: 'Do not be people without minds of your own, saying that if others treat you well you will treat them well, and that if they do wrong you will do wrong to them. Instead, accustom yourselves to do good if people do good and not to do wrong (even) if they do evil.'"[4] "The Prophet Muhammad also prohibited the killing of non-Muslims who have a peace treaty with the Muslims. He said: 'He who kills a non-Muslim (who has a peace treaty) shall not smell the fragrance of Paradise, and its smell is sensed from a distance as far as forty years journey.' Even in the battlefield, the Prophet gave strict instructions and outlawed the killing of non-combatants and innocent civilians. He said: 'Fight in the name of God, but do not kill old men, children and women...'"[5] Muhammad did not advocate for useless killing and in fact spared the people of modern day Mecca even though those people had slaughtered thousands of his followers. This act alone proves that Islam is peaceful. III. What did Abu Bakr say? "Abu Bakr a close companion and successor (Caliph) of the prophet whilst giving instructions to his army general said: 'I command you not to do ten things, do not kill women, do not kill children, do not kill the elderly, do not destroy trees, do not destroy properties, do not slaughter animals unless it is for food, neither flood or set fire to palm trees, avoid extremism, and do not act cowardly or weak.'"[5] "The final instructions he gave to Usaama {Radiyallaahu'anhu} prescribed a code of conduct in war which remains unsurpassed to this day. Part of his instructions to the Muslim army were: 'Do not be deserters, nor be guilty of disobedience Do not kill an old man, a woman or a child. Do not injure date palms and do not cut down fruit trees. Do not slaughter any sheep or cows or camels except for food. You will encounter persons who spend their lives in monasteries. Leave them alone and do not molest them.'[6] Abu Bakr was the main follower of Muhammad, and basically continued to preach in his tradition. His words also signify thr peacefulness of Islam. IV. What does the Qur'an say? "Goodness and evil are not equal. Repel evil with what is better. Then that person with whom there was hatred, may become your intimate friend! And no one will be granted such goodness except those who exercise patience and self-restraint, none but people of the greatest good fortune. Quran 41:34-35"[7] "The Qur'an, Islam's revealed text, states: "Whoever kills a person [unjustly]…it is as though he has killed all mankind. And whoever saves a life, it is as though he had saved all mankind." (Qur'an, 5:32)"[4] "'For this reason, We decreed for the children of Israel that whoever kills a person- unless it is for murder or for spreading mischief in the land- it would be as if he has killed the whole of humankind, and whoever saves the life of a person it is as if he has saved the life of the whole of humankind. Our Messengers have already come to them with the clear signs; then many of them thereafter commit excesses in the earth' [al-Qur'an: 5: 32]"[5] "'Fight in the way of God against those who fight against you, but begin not hostilities. Lo! God loveth not aggressors.' (Qur'an 2:190)"[8] "'If [non-Muslims] withdraw from you and do not war against you and offer you peace, God alloweth you no way to [to war] against them.' (Quran 4:90)"[8] The Qur'an does not advocate for killing innocent civilians in any way same of form. In fact, it is preached that those who do will suffer the eternal torture of hell. The Qur'an also specifically states that those who repent should be saved and fully redeemed. V. What is Jihad? "But jihad has very positive connotations in the Islamic world. It is akin to religious duty: when someone wants to better themselves, they embark on a jihad. Whether it's to quit smoking, pray more, and in some cases, fight off anyone preventing them from practicing their religion."[9] "Al-Ghazali captured the essence of Jihad when he said: "The real Jihad is the warfare against (one's own) passions. Dr. Ibrahim Abu-Rabi calls Jihad "the execution of effort against evil in the self and every manifestation of evil in society." In a way, Jihad is the Muslim's purest sacrifice: a struggle to live a perfect life and completely submit to God."[10] "Similarly, in the Quran, we are told to invite people to God's message with wisdom and kind englightenment (Quran 16:125). The word "jihad" (Arabic) simply means to strive. For example, in Quran 9:79 it speaks of those who are charitable, as striving (Arabic noun: juh'dahum; derived from "jihad"). A negative form of "jihad" is referred to in 29:8, where one's (misguided) parents may strive (again derived from "jihad") to convince a child about idol-worship. The verse speaks of it being permissable to disobey one's parents in such cases (the general Quranic commandment is to honor one's parents), and to be devoted to God Alone. The previous verses (29:5-7) also speak of striving for God, for our own good. There is no warfare implied.""Striving in the cause of God, may include fighting in self-defense (9:41-44, 9:81). However, this is only in the case of war. Historically at the time of Muhammad, the submitters (muslims) were under attack from the idolatrous tribes of Arabia who saw the message of monotheism as a threat to their way of life. All of Muhammad's wars were in self-defense, not aggression. The point to be emphasized here, is that the Quran forbids aggression of any kind. In today's day and age most countries provide freedom of religion. Thus, there is no present context in which striving will include fighting a "war".""The religion of Islam condemns the killing or even the persecution of people merely because they embrace a different religion. The Quran mandates the absolute freedom of religion in a society. It does not allow Muslims to fight except for self-defense and to enforce peace. It does not allow restrictions on those who disagree on religious matters. It urges the Muslims to treat such people kindly and equitably"[11] Jihad is literally translated as a "struggle". Warfare against other religions should not be involved because it is condoned in the Qur'an. Jihad when translated correctly is being better in your worship of God. Conclusion: Islam itself means peace and voluntary submission to Allah. The Qur'an states on many occasions that killing or harming innocent civilians, even of other religions, is against the will of Allah. Both Muhammad and Abu Bakr confirm this. The wars they fought were for the voluntary spread of Islam. The conquered peoples were still allowed to keep their own religions. And the treated the peoples with extreme kindness, even if they had not. And jihad means just a closer realtonship to Allah. Peace through Allah. Sources: [1]: http://en.wikipedia.org... [2]:http://www.islamicity.com... [3]:http://kurzman.unc.edu... [4]:http://www.cair.com... [5]:http://mercyprophet.org... [6]:http://www.allaahuakbar.net... [7]:http://islam.about.com... [8]:http://abidnyc.wordpress.com...'s-view-on-war-and-terrorism-a-survey-of-the-quran-and-prophetic-traditions/ [9]:http://www.npr.org... [10]:http://www.islamcan.com... [11]:http://www.masjidtucson.org...