The narrative of Islam today is dominated by terrorism, from Boko Haram in Nigeria to Islamic State (ISIL) in Syria, Al-Qaeda in the Middle East to Al-Shabaab in East Africa. The list of terrorist groups associated to Islam is in exhaustive. But it would be wrong to think terrorism is an exclusive preserve of Islam or make Islam synonyms for terrorism.
It is rather unfortunate that the activity of less than 1% of over the 1.7 billion Islamic faithful in world is being used to define the entire Muslim world. Ramadan, the sacred month is not just abstaining from food, drink, and sexual activity from dawn till sunset. Ramadan is also a time to enact a heightened sense of kindness, an opportunity to shy away from conflict, anger, and criticism, and to ask for forgiveness. It is time to preach and sustain peace. Ramadan is a time for peace and love.
But this has not been the case in this Ramadan. In fact, ISIL specifically instructs the mindless nitwit in its fold to commit as much atrocities and murder during this holy month and yet call themselves a Muslim. From Orlando to Istanbul, from Baghdad to Bangladesh, it has been tales of sorrow, tears and blood. The terrorist group rules the airwaves with perpetration of deaths, destruction and carnage. Omar Mateen killed 49 innocent souls at a night club in Orlando, a gang of three mad men gunned down 41 people at Ataturk airport in Istanbul, 10 hours of hostage situation at a Dhaka cafe led to the death of 28 people and a whooping 215 people including over 35 children were killed by car bombs in Baghdad. All these attacks are carried out by people with allegiance to ISIL. Even holy sites in Saudi Arabia are not spared of these unfathomable attacks.
By the time we add casualties of Boko Haram and other Islamic terrorist groups in the world to the aforementioned, conservatively, close to 500 innocent individuals would have been killed and over 2000 injured this Ramadan. The Holy Quran 5:32 says, “if any one slew a person – unless it be for murder or for spreading mischief in the land – it would be as if he slew the whole people: and if any one saved a life, it would be as if he saved the life of the whole people.”
Why have they turned Ramadan to a season to kill? Are these demented fools truly a Muslims? The spate of terrorism in the name of Islam is not theological but political. As we celebrate the feast of Ed-ul Fitr, let us remember the innocent souls killed by the soldiers of darkness in the name of Islam and pray for global peace.
Islam just like other religions abhors violence and terrorism. It is high time we joined hands to silence radical Islam and exemplify the true meaning of the religion as the religion of peace with supplication to the will of God.
