by Amy Rebeiro

Created on: September 12, 2010   Last Updated: October 09, 2010

Is the religion of Islam a faith of terror, or does this religion give people who are by nature more prone to violence an excuse to impart their terroristic vengeance upon those around them? Due to past and recent events in history individuals find themselves thinking about the connection between terrorism and the religion of Islam.  There are debates surrounding the faith itself.  More notably, scholars are currently debating the definition of the term Jihad, which appears numerous times in the Quran. 

The notion of terror is not new. Throughout history, universities have studied the use of terror during war and by world leaders. Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin and Lenin are all examples of world leaders that have inflicted terror upon their people and upon other nation states.  Interestingly enough, both Lenin and Stalin argued for the destruction of religion, advocating for a state free of faith and God. As a fundamental aspect of Communism, both leaders believed in the abolition of religion.  Another use of terror can be evaluated by studying Hitler and Mussolini. Both advocated for a world free of Jews, believing Jews were to blame for the weakened economy and world depression.  All these leaders used terror tactics in creating and maintaining their power, while arguing that terror was in the benefit of it's people and country. 

Another example of historical terror, Christians used terror during the Crusades.  Christians argued their God was the right God, and by not accepting their perspective of God, all those not willing to accept Jesus into their heart must die, an after life spend in eternal damnation. Terror has been a tool of war for thousands of years, faith only being a means to impart that terror. 

With respect to Al Qaeda, it is true that Osama Bin Laden has declared Jihad against the United States. Jihad is defined as a struggle or by some a holy war, but many Muslims have argued the Al Qaeda and Osama Bin Laden have perverted the text of the Quran to justify their actions.  Many Muslims have argued that the term jihad is not a justification for a fighting war as we know in the 21st Century, but more an internal struggle or war that many must go through to accept their faith into their heart, in other words, a war of faith. It is a struggle that Muslims must go through in understanding their faith. 

Muslim scholars say that Osama Bin Laden has perverted the faith of Islam, and more importantly, the term Jihad to promote violence as a means to itself, not a means directed by the Quran or in the name of Allah.  Bin Laden claims it is because of the troops in Saudi Arabia that justifies his holy war.  He fights this Jihad because of the American presence in one of the most holy cities of Islam. This is the justification for this war by Al Qaeda, but it has, of course, grown much larger than that at this point.

But religion is an interesting thing. For centuries it has been used as a platform for righteous war, and Islam is not the first, or probably the last to claim this right. Regardless of the name of the faith, all religions justify their actions by saying they do so in the name of their God. Can't all used of violence been seen as terror?

To claim that Islam is a breeding ground for terror is to ignore the use of faith in world history.  It is arguable to say that it is the people within the religion of Islam that are angry and feel weak; it is the use of their faith as a tool for violence, not the faith itself that is violent.  In all religions there are extremist, Islam is just another example of how those extremist pervert their faith to justify violence.

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