The War On Terrorism And The New Warrior

By: Shariq Khan.

It began somewhere. Then the road twisted and turned in the woods. We stand here now. The beginning holds a substantial amount of significance but little importance. Destiny is inevitable. Where it began is the past. Where we are taking it is the present. It is alas the present that will shape the future.

To look for a beginning is not even a feasible course of action. The beginning could be the first holy war. It might lie in the beginning of Taliban and Mujahideen forces. That again needs to be traced further back into the past. Do Talibani beginnings lie in the Russian invasion of Afghanistan or further back somewhere disconnected altogether. We could also trace it back to the crusades. Or to the time when America invaded Iraq and subsequently found no weapons of mass destruction.

The beginnings that are being traced here are those of Islamic terrorism or jihad or war on America or choose one of many terms to describe the current phenomenon of global violence. Much of what you will end up calling it depends largely upon what you think of the Muslims. If you think Muslims are a bunch of hate filled bearded men who live in a cult society, you would call them terrorists. If you think Muslims are a group of people bound to a scripture that preaches hate, you will call them 'Jihadis'. In another case if you end up sympathizing with Muslims, you would hate America and call Muslims the 'oppressed community'. Depends on what you think.

The beginnings of Islamic Terrorism, as the media calls it, are impossible to trace. Photo: Sharia Unveiled.

Or maybe it depends on the level of fanaticism that you have followed media with. If the level is high, and if you have followed the mainstream media like BBC or CNN, you would put them in the category of terrorists. If you followed Fox News, god bless you.

It depends as much on which country you are thinking in. If you think in India, you would think of Muslims as Pakistanis; a bunch of people out to destroy your country for some sense of revenge over an issue that began somewhere in the 1940s. Let’s not talk about beginnings again. If you are in Australia, you would not have cared to think. If you are in the states, only BBC knows what you are thinking. If you are in France, it is the men with beards and the women with scarves.
For those of you who do not believe a word without numbers supporting it, here are some facts.

In a study published in 2005, a group of researchers assessed the effects reports and retractions in the media had on people's memory regarding the search for WMD in Iraq during the 2003 Iraq War. The study focused on populations in two coalition countries (Australia and USA) and one opposed to the war (Germany). Results showed that US citizens generally did not correct initial misconceptions regarding WMD, even following disconfirmation; Australian and German citizens were more responsive to retractions. 

- Iraq and Weapons of Mass Destruction, Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Furthermore take a look at how many people believed that the American invasions on Iraq resulted in the finding of Weapons of Mass destruction in Iraq.

A poll conducted between June and September 2003 asked people whether they thought evidence of WMD had been discovered in Iraq since the war ended. They were also asked which media sources they relied upon. Those who obtained their news primarily from Fox News were three times as likely to believe that evidence of WMD had been discovered in Iraq than those who relied on PBS and NPR for their news, and one third more likely than those who primarily watched CBS.

- Iraq and Weapons of Mass Destruction, Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

It is out of question that Muslims have suffered globally. However, earlier this made for somewhat of an apology for Islamic terrorist attacks. It does not any longer.

America has come clean of what it has done to the Muslim word. Sadly, that is not because America made many amends for its deeds. Muslims have justified the wrong-doings inflicted upon on them. A number of recent terrorist attacks, Charlie Hebdo attack in particular that was carried out in the name of the Prophet of Islam, have smeared the image of Islam all over the world. Islamophobia is a word that does not hold any meaning any more. It is not fear of Islam, it has become hate of Islam.

It is not that Islam is at fault. The followers of the faith have handed it in the wrong hands. Photo: Jihad Watch

In just a gap of a month, two horrific terrorist attacks shook the world into questioning its conscience. One in Peshawar and the other in France. While the Peshawar attack had nothing to do with Islam, it was carried out by Muslims in a Muslim country. The world felt disgusted at what Muslims were doing. Later in France, Charlie Hebdo became the victim.

While it was Taliban in Peshawar and Al-Qaeda in France, it was Muslims in Taliban and Muslims in Al-Qaeda.

Each time terrorists attack, a fraction of media gets to defending Muslims. However, it has reached such an extent that 'All Muslims are not terrorists' has become a cliché that people have stopped believing in.

The new belief is that ‘every Muslim is a terrorist and Islam teaches the values of hatred’. France, a previously tolerant society is disgusted of Muslims and their ways. Fox News suddenly identified 'Police No-Go zones' all across Europe where Muslims do not allow even the police to enter. So much that they claimed it is a country within a country. Fox News apologized for it later but the damage once done is done. Like is evident from the example above of the American Invasion of Iraq. Once something is stemmed into the minds of the populace, an apology does little to remove it.

The reason people believe what media shows to them is because Islam, the world’s second largest religious affiliation, is being represented by a small fraction of wrong elements. The representation of the Muslim society is being done by Terrorists. With that representation, the view in the people's minds of Muslims is that of a bunch of bearded terrorists. The saddest part of it all is that Muslims have in so far never raised a voice against this representation.

And that is where the problem lies.

Muslims have blamed the media more than enough for the smearing of its image. It is the mistake of the community that it has met this fate. Every time that terrorist attacks are carried out in the name of Islam, it is the conscience of media that comes out to defend the community. Not people from within the community. A few voices like Arsalan Iftikhar keep fighting in isolation for Muslims. The larger community, unfortunately, stays aloof of it all. Choosing silence as the best defense.

The Democratization of Islam is now of utmost importance for the survival of the way of the Prophet.

Compare with other religions and you see a clear leadership. The pope is the voice of every catholic in any corner of the world. That is not the case with Islam. It is hard to even tell who the leader of this faith is. Is it the King of Saudi? Is it the Shah-e-imam? Is it the Prime Minister of Pakistan?

None of them have ever come out as representatives of Islam in the times it is needed. The King of Saudi Arabia governs his country, not Islam. Shah-e-imam governs one particular mosque, not matters of every Muslim.

Who is the pope of Islam? Or is it a religion that is still being defended and propagated by the Prophet himself? If that be the case, Muslims will invite more scorn satire.

It is high time that a representative is appointed to look over Islam. The democratization of this religion is essential for its survival. Unless a leader is appointed by Muslims from across the globe, terrorists will continue to represent their personal motives by shielding behind this religion.

It is alas, not religion but man that is wrong. It is not Islam that is wrong, it is the ones who have declared themselves its representatives who are representing it in the wrong manner. The Prophet was in his times, as the Quran and the Hadith tell, stronger than his defamers. Even when haters dumped filth on him, he did not retaliate. How then can a cartoon hurt his followers so much that they take up violence as a recourse? It is high time now that Muslims dethroned terrorists from the Prophet’s Kingdom.