Terrorism is a Mindset

(Our correspondent from Pashtun Times shares his thoughts on the source of radical Islam)

Terrorism. Extremism. Fundamentalism. Violence. Killing innocents. What exactly do we talk; or justify about? Is it the act of it? Or is it the thought process? Is it the action? Or is it the thinking and ideology behind the action? Is it really the 72 virgins or is it just the self-satisfaction of being harmful? Is it about trying hard to show how we can dominate the others to respect us of fear? Thinking fear is the only ultimate way to enforce a belief? Or are the 72 virgins more important than the family and the crying mother he is leaving behind? Is it the crying mother or actually a proud mother who is by thinking her son did a great job and maybe the son also knows about it? And if so why? Because this world is not giving her son the virgin when he needs? Or is it that he has nothing in life to do except read just one book in life and stay worthless and jobless? Therefore before dying herself the mother wants to see the end of her son’s struggle on earth? Whatever is the reasoning, these are not individualistic one off cases- as such cases are so many. And it is not just any result of just a few individual’s or family frustrations. It is a common phenomenon seen.

First let us get a few fundamental concepts right. Poverty is not an excuse for crime. And war is not a reason for producing future criminals. Bin Laden belonged to a very rich family and so do many other terrorists. There are millions of poor Muslims in India too. If war would have created terrorists then Vietnam would have been hub of global terrorists and a few other nations too. So stop blaming USA and any local civil war either. Of course Islam as a whole can never be blamed either because 200 million Malaysians and almost 175 million Indian Muslims are not terrorists. More importantly, only handful and very few brainwasher Imams and Molvis cannot be blamed alone either. Equally responsible are the societies where these people are born; the people they grow up with; the things they see and hear around them, throughout their lives. In the lands of Wahabis there are very few blasts. Why? Only because their law and order, police and army are more strong and strict? Or because they keep their land safe and fund terrorism outside in other Muslim countries? Even if that is true what is it that provokes people of those other countries to do the acts of terrorism? Is it only the misinterpretation of a holy book? Is it really that simple? Even if we accept that they are taught these things and are trained from childhood in Madrassahs then the question is whom to blame eventually? The preachers or the parents who are willingly sending their children there? Doing suicide blast is equal to burning after death which is Haram. How that will give Jannath/paradise? Plus if they are not Muslims after hanging let their bodies be burnt.

A Hindu friend, Prithwi Banerjee, told me that he is living and working in Afghanistan for over 7 years  with so much of pleasure, happiness and friendliness with all the Muslims around him. He said that he knows very well how much the Muslims in Afghanistan hate terrorism.

So, it also does not look good that the entire community is blamed for a few people. Moreover, it looks worse when people give justification of Islam is religion of peace as there is no need of that. Rather such justification makes things worse. If few people start saying that some of us are really so very bad people and are motivated by some of us only; then and only then they will start getting the proper empathy from everyone else globally. Justification makes them more close to the criminals. And telling all that terrorists have no religion is also like giving another unnecessary justification which does not change anything. More justifications like only 1 out of 10,000 are like this, Muslims are killing only Muslims so how you call them they are Muslims, and Islam prohibits killing of innocents; makes things worse. Everyone knows that. No need to justify. Are you saying that if they kill non-Muslims then we can call them to be true Muslims? Statements like ‘If the killers kill in the name of Allah or kill those people who does not know Kalma that does not make them followers of Allah’; this is not required. What is required is very sensible thinking for the entire society.

It has to be accepted that just doing blast, suicide attack or any other sort of attack on innocents are not the only part of terrorism. The real sort is in thinking process. Did the misinterpretors of the Koran come from Mars? No. Did those disciples of such hate preachers come from Moon? No. Are they creating any book of their own and misinterpreting it? No. Do they have any print media of their own and is it a global nexus of any sort? No. Then from where such thoughts of such acts are coming? It is coming from basic core thought process of the society. And that has to change. That social thought process is provoking the misinterpretations of the Koran. Even if the 1400 years old context means something drastic, today’s globalized thought should not take the wrong meaning out of that. When there is pure hatred of each and every citizen towards these people then nobody will give them shelter and then you will not need police or army to kill or capture them. If this does not change one cannot blame only the terrorists for doing wrong because then everyone is equally responsible. And those who are killing they do not think they are killing the innocent. They think anyone who is non follower is criminal. Word of Jihad is not their invention at least. Almost everyone needs to change themselves from inside to make sure these things stop. So stop blaming outsiders only. A small child does that. Blaming another boy in school for doing the wrong thing. Without internal motivation how can external motivation effect so hard? Without demand how can continuous supply work? Examples of such thoughts need to change:

  1. Thinking my God is better than yours
  2. Thinking this is the best religion – all others are rubbish
  3. Thinking Israel is pure Jews – but still ISIS is not Muslim
  4. Having soft corner for them who provoke Jihadi thought
  5. Being happy when US Army convoy is hit by the Taliban
  6. Being again and again fooled in the name of brotherhood
  7. Not being able to accept science in modern education
  8. Saying Congrats of Eid on Facebook only to all Muslims
  9. Being happy that Zakir Naik “defeated” Sri Sri in debate
  10. Saying Shah Rukh is our’s but unaware of Selina Jethley

I can go on. The list will become more than 50 and not just 10, but next time. There is shortage of space and time now. But I hope I have been able to clarify my points. And those people, who will show extremist reaction to this post, they are actually the very good examples of what I am talking about, where lies the real problem, and what they must change in themselves and their children. Always remember that getting rid of the responsibility by saying they do not belong to us is not a solution to save oneself. Would you have accepted a same reaction and logic of terrorism if people of another faith carry on the same thing? So stop making up fake stories of which big country is behind this and start counting how many millions of your own people indirectly supports or at least in the heart enjoys any such thing that happens. Think. There is time. And surely Allah needs you. To be a part who will actually start to get into the root of all these things and bring the peace back. Or else – the Dajjal being born and grown inside will finish everybody.