Islam's Position about Violence

Though no age in the human history is immaculate of the bloodspots of violence but in the present phase of the history when due to fast means of communication the world has withered into a village, violence has become a hot burning topic everywhere. By nature and manifestation violence is of different kinds. One is of the dominant people as evidence of their power and highhandedness, applied on the weak and lower classes of the society while the other is of the oppressed and downtrodden people giving voice to their anger against the elements subjecting them to exploitation and coercion. Drug addicted are also a dangerously festering thing in the body of almost every society.

During the presidential tenure of Bill Clinton a burst of violent incidents in schools and universities of America by the students was seen as an extremely worrisome phenomenon. Even early teen agers, without any serious motive, came to their educational institutions with guns and randomly shot their class mates and teachers. Still, in spite of many preventive and preemptive measures, the situation has not improved there but the news donot surface now.

Street crimes and robberies in houses are as common in America, England and many other European cities as are in Karachi and Lahore. Only a few months ago my niece became victim of robbery in Bradford (England) when she was alone at home nursing her seriously ill husband. Bandits fearlessly came in daylight and forcefully snatched a huge cash and jewelry. This is not the only case of this nature there. Very interestingly, the culprits remain out of the police grip as we see in Pakistan. Life in the cities and towns of the Gulf countries, labeled by the Westerners to be the house of ‘Traditionalists’ and ‘Fundamentalists’ is far more safe and peaceful.

Germany and France have many times experienced bloody events and in England it is the matter of only ending months of last year when riots broke up causing a heavy loss of lives and properties. A recent episode of September, October of the last year, was of globally rallying of ‘Anti-Greed’ protestors denouncing bankers and politicians over international economic crisis rocking Rome where cars were torched and windows of banks were smashed. Same happening in Wall Street District of New York was not less bitter where about 50,000 furious protestors gathered to occupy Wall Street and violently clashed with police. Almost one and half decade ago the same was viewed when demonstrations against Globalization erupted and spread all over the North America and Europe damaging MacDonald food outlets, Coca cola and some other major signs of Globalization.

Here making any comparison in crime rate in the West and the Muslim world is meant not at all. What is to make clear is that violence is neither the part of the teachings of Islam nor is the popular trait of the Muslim communities. In every society it has different reasons to spread. In the West apparently man has reached the peak of the progress and prosperity. All the facilities needed to live a peaceful life are available. Study of the violent psyche tells that it sprouts from ‘nothingness’. When the wishes are fulfilled and there remains nothing for most of the population there to give a wistful look on, then they rise to do something more and violence is this ‘something more’.

In the Muslim countries situation is different. Apart from the economic backwardness there are the factors having their roots in the hostile attitude and antagonistic policies of the big Western powers towards the Muslims and their religion. Islam does not teach violence. Quran’s clear stand against antagonists and disputants is to cool them by a wise policy of a comparatively better disposition.

“Not equal are the good deeds and the bad. Repel (evil) by that (attitude, action) which is better; and thereupon, the one whom between you and him is enmity, (become) as though he was a devoted friend.” (Fussilat: 34)

“Repel their evil by what is the best. We are the most knowing of what they describe.” (Al-Muminun: 96)

An abominable propaganda branding Islam of fostering extremism and violence is nothing but an evil design to barricade its fast spread in the world. Holy Prophet, Muhammad, be peace and blessings upon him, has taught: “Be God fearing wherever you are. Pursue the evil with good and you will succeed in expunging it out. Show your good moral character while dealing with people.” (Tirmidhi)

“You cannot win (favors and sympathies of) the people with your wealth, instead you can win them with your cheerful disposition and good moral character.” (Abu Ya’la, Al-Behaqi)

Islam’s position on the issue of violence is clearly against resorting to it because as our Holy Prophet, be peace and blessings upon him, had once repeatedly warned: “Ruined are the ones who are extremists (and violent).” (Muslim)

The Holy Prophet, SAW, taught to adopt a policy that is between two extremes. He is reported to have said: “Best way in the life matters is the moderate way.” (Al-Behaqi)

But what the Western Imperialistic policy about the Muslims so far has been is to thrash and hit them and then allow them not to cry. The present reactionary behavior in the Muslim world is actually a screaming on getting again and again severely hit. Well, we are ready to forget our past how much have we suffered under the British, French and Italian Imperialism. But what has happened with us after the second half of the 20th century up to today? The Europeans wanted to get rid of the Jews from among their communities. First Uganda or somewhere in South America was the place to get them settled there. But then in result of Balfour Declaration of 1917 the dragger of the Jewish conspiracies was very mischievously thrust in the chest of the Muslim world in Palestine. With the backing of America the Palestinians have been subjected to the worst of the brutality by the Zionists for last 65 years.

The British Imperialists left a bleeding part in body of South Asia and quitted India leaving India and Pakistan in combating condition because of several unsettled issues and Kashmir is one of them, letting not the peace take its way in this part of the world. Afghanistan and Iraq are the wounds with continuous shooting pain, where the number of the dead goes beyond two millions.

Just under the nose of the ‘most civilized’ Western countries what happened to the Muslims in Bosnia-Herzegovina in the war of1992-95? According to a report published in 1995 in a book by Sarajevo-based Research & Documentation Centre (RDC) the human loss of Muslim lives was 97,207. Gang rape in the women camps was the most tragic scenario of that war.

In the beginning of 2004 the news of the worst kind of human rights violations in Iraq shook the world. The Americans committed the war crimes in form of physical, psychological and sexual abuses including torture, rape, sodomy and homicide of the prisoners held in Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. The same has been happening in Bagram jail in Afghanistan. Afia Siddiqui was pushed in jail for 86 years only on the charge that she had pulled a gun, of which is even just holding by such a sleek and meek woman like Afia, to shoot the American soldier.

The Guantanamo Bay jail is another example of an insulting slap on the face of humanity, where apart from inhuman ways of treating the prisoners, just for hurting their religious feelings the book regarded the most sacred one by them was put in the washroom flush. Profaning cartoons of Prophet Muhammad, be peace and blessings upon him, were published one after one in the newspapers and magazines in Europe. Desecrating of the Quran is the most recent incident in Afghanistan still causing tumult and bloodshed in Afghanistan and kindling the feelings of the Muslims all over the world. These are only some of many examples of satanic attitude of the self-branded ‘Civilized Western World’.

Are all these examples mentioned above not enough to prove that it is their satanic policies and not Islam inciting the people to resort to the violence? They mischievously attribute the violence and terrorism to Islam. A so-called ‘enlightened and moderate’ class in the Muslim communities is also there which thoughtlessly agrees to the blames attributed to Islam.