Why People Consider Islam as a Religion of Terrorism?

Once I heard somewhere say, “Muslims think they are so religious that they have the right to kill non-Muslims.” This statement made me wonder, could this be true? Before I could reach an answer, I encountered another incident; two Muslim men got into a public bus and a man seated next to me said, ”we need to be careful, these could be terrorists”. This time I could understand where his sentiments came from although I did not agree with his assertion; just over the past two weeks, over 40 people had lost their lives to acts of terrorism in the name of Jihad. Perhaps, this is just a tip of the iceberg when it comes to understanding why Islam is considered a religion of terrorism. So let us explore why?

In the famous 9/11, many people lost their lives, most of whom had nothing to do with the American policies across the globe. In other incidents, such as the Kenyan US embassy bombings, innocent Kenyans who live peaceful with Muslims lost their lives, the same happened in Tanzania. In the recent times, Boston marathon was disrupted and where is all these attributed? Well, each time it has happened, the terrorists have come out and claimed this to be “Jihad” against America. Many Muslims have bought this idea and often openly express their support for the course. However, the question I pose is, “how many a time has this acts of terror directly affected the real policy makers who order drone attacks in Muslim countries, who order invasion of Islam nations or scramble for the black gold in abundance across the Arab world? The truth is, this acts of terrorism have done nothing better than kill innocent citizens. What would people say if Islam supports such acts?

The truth is not far from this; Islam is associated with terrorism because of its adherents who have bought the politics of the zealots who use Islam to advance their acts of terrorism. The Quran at no point promotes terrorism. Muslims must therefore not side with terrorism in justifying retaliatory attacks against Americans or non-Muslims in general. If Islam is to be disengaged from terrorism, Muslims must condemn terrorism, the Muslim nation must not offer a haven for terrorism and Muslims must learn to respect other religions.

A true Muslim cannot engage in terrorism and must not harbor a terrorist. A good Muslim practices Islam and respects the lives of others. Such a Muslim behaves well with Muslims and non-Muslims. However, the world must as well disengage Muslim from terrorism. No way those women and men struggling to fend for their families across the Arab world are terrorists. Terrorists are criminals and their actions cannot be considered representative of the entire Islam. I went to school with Muslims and we played together, helped each other and we are still friends, never has religion impeded this. Let not hatemongers make us view such treasured friends as terrorists.

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