by Cedric Mcclester

Created on: May 08, 2010

Is Religion What You Make of It?

By: Cedric McClester

As a Muslim, I vociferously object to the term radical Islamist.  A better term might be radical Hislamist.  It’s a contradiction in terms to call a Muslim radical.  Islam is a religion of peace and moderation.  Those who would kill innocents like Najibullah Zazi and Faisal Shahzad are not only misguided, they are acting outside of the dictates of Islam.  To be clear, the Holy Qu’an which is the book that true Muslims follow, along with the sayings and practices of the Prophet Muhammad, makes mention of jihad.  Unfortunately, jihad is a term that is grossly misunderstood.  The Prophet makes mention of the great jihad, which is the battle that each of us wages within to act in accord with what is pleasing in the sight of Allah (the one God).   The jihad that is the topic of much discussion and misunderstanding is the one that refers to war.  That jihad comes with a strong codicil.  That codicil enjoins Muslims to fight in the way of Allah. 

 The way of Allah has been clarified by the Prophet Muhammad, may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.  Jihad that refers to war, is required to be defensive in nature and is supposed to be a countermeasure against oppression.  It prohibits the killing of innocents.  One cannot even hurt a building or a tree, let alone a non-combatant.  The Prophet is said to have become angered when his men killed a woman who was engaged in combat against them.  Truth is clear from error the Qu’ran states.  It is the truth that has attracted so many people to al-Islam, not the ugly reputation it has gained because of Hislamic lunatics.  The silent majority of Muslims have perhaps been too silent in the face of the actions of those who defile their  professed religion.

 YouTube  has become a recruitment tool for the Hislamists like the apostate Yemen cleric Anwar Al-Awlaki who has sworn to destroy America, a country that once welcomed him.  Al-Awlaki  poses the question to American Muslims for which I have the answer.  “To Muslims in America, I have this to say: How can your conscience allow you to live in peaceful-co-existence with a nation that is responsible for the tyranny and crimes committed against your own bothers and sisters?”  The answer is, we practice the religion we have been enjoined to practice in the

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