An evaluation of the western criticism of members of Muslim community in Britain: a case study of...

8/7/2019 An evaluation of the western criticism of members of Muslim community in Britain: a case study of 7/7.

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MA DISSERTATION

An evaluation of the western criticism of members of Muslim community in Britain: a case study of 7/7.

BY

DAUDA OLUSHOLA MUHEEBDEEN

A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE MUSLIM COLLEGE, LONDON,UNITED Kingdom

IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENT FOR THEAWARD OF THE DEGREE OF MASTERs of Arts in Islamic studies

NOVERMBER, 2009

Certification pageI CERTIFY THAT THIS IS MY OWN WORK. I HAVE INDICATED BY THE USE OF QUOTATION WHERE I USED THE WORDS OF OTHERS AND PROVIDED REFERENCES AND BIBLIOGRAPHY OF ALL BOOKS AND OTHER Relevant MATERIALS THAT I LAID MY HANDS ON IN PREPARING THIS LONGESSAY.

SIGNATURE:

DATE:

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTs


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All praises and thanks are due to God, the lord of all that exists; who has sentHis Messenger Muhammad with guidance and the religion of truth [Islam]. O` Allah: Grant your best blessings and mercy on our noble Prophet Muhammad and on his progeny, companions and all those who followed him with excellence.First and foremost, I am most grateful to God for His mercies, without which nothing is possible. He has been the one that gives me the courage and wisdom needed in my career, as well as given me the opportunity to complete this research wo

rk at Masters level.I would like to express my gratitude to my able supervisor, Professor Ali Hamidthe Principal of Muslim College London, and Dr Ibrahim Derwesh for his intellectual advice and criticism that made this research a successful one.I express my gratitude to my mentor and father, Professor D.O.S Noibi, who inspired this work and a role model indeed. May Allah preserve his life and give himgood health. Equally, a special appreciation goes to my sponsors, Engr. Wasiu Adeleke, the Executive Director of Twab Nigeria Limited, and Honourable Sodiq Abayomi of Lagos House of Assembly.My special thanks also go to Dr. Faisal Hameed, the Research Co-ordinator and other staff of the Muslim College both teaching and non- teaching staff, Dr Ibrahim Derwesh., Dr Ismaheel., Dr. Muhammad, and our indefatigable Mother, Alia Arnel

. Also my appreciations go to my school fathers and mothers: Sheikh Taiwo. A. Hambali, Alhaj Lateef Ayinde, Mr and Mrs Lapite, and Mr and Mrs Yusuph.There is no encouragement greater than the affection of friends and family members. I, therefore place on record my appreciation of the following: Mr and Mrs. Adebolu Adewoyin, Dr Hakeem Ajongbadi, Mr Joshua, Hajj Abiodun Kazeem, Lawyer Saheed Sodiq, Lawyer Fatai- Dove Solicitor, Bro. Badirudeen, Mr Bello, Mr Razaq (mygood ally), Mohammed Samani, and Ademola Surajudeen.I am highly indebted to my loving parents, Khalefah Dauda Ishola Alasia and Alhaja Khadijah Kubrah Dauda Alasia. I remain forever grateful to them.Finally, I am grateful to my external supervisor. Prof. Badurin Moshood, Head ofSchool of Law, SOAS University of London, and Dr Raymond Ogunade, Assistant Director (Operations), Centre for International Education, University of Ilorin, Nigeria.

May Allah help and guide you all in your endeavours. I am extremely grateful toyou.

ABSTRACTAfter 7/7, there was a concern that some individuals could exploit the religiousbackground of the bombers as an excuse for racist attacks and abuses against members of Muslim communities in British. The report confirms that in the immediate period after the attacks there was a temporary and disturbing increase in suspicion, discrimination, criticism and faith hate crimes across the UK. Understandably, this made British Muslims feel vulnerable and fear for their safety. The strong stand taken by political and Muslim community leaders both in condemning the attacks and defending the legitimate rights of Muslims saw a swift reductionin such incidents. As a result of the strong stand by Muslim political, Islamicscholar and community leaders there was a largely positive response from the media across the UK. In addition, Muslim community leaders reacted immediately andunequivocally by condemning the bombers. These factors together were decisive incountering incidents and prejudice against minorities, and preventing a trend of incidents and attacks from taking shape. The real test will be whether this initial encouraging response translates into effective long-term action that addresses the wider questions posed in the aftermath of the London events. How to strengthen cohesion and integration in the diverse Britain societies, and how to counter the marginalisation and discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity, religion and belief in the United Kingdom is the attempt made in this project.


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TABLE OF CONTENT

Title Page.................................................................

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Certification Page.........................................................

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Acknowledgments.......................................................................................

Abstract......................................................................................................

CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION.

1.1. Background to the study.................................................

......................... ..1.2. Aims of the study...................................................................................1.3. Objectives of the study.............................................................................1.4. The Rationale of the study..........................................................................1.5. Literature Review.......................................................................................1.6. Structure of Dissertation............................................................................1.7. Research Methodology..............................................................................

CHAPTER TWO: JIHAD OVERVIEW2.0. Introduction................................................................................................2.1. Jihad...........................................................................................................2.2. Misconception of Jihad..............................................................................2.3. Misuse of Jihad..........................................................................................

2.4. Conclusion................................................................................................


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CHAPTER THREE: terrorism THE GLOBAL THREAT

3.0. Introduction..........................................................................................3.1. Terrorism in Diverse Perspective..........................................................

3.2. Tracing the Cause of Terrorism...........................................................3.2.1. Fundamentalism and Extremism......................................................3.2.2. Suicide and Martyrdom.....................................................................3.3. Conclusion............................................................................................

CHAPTER FOUR: the impact of 7/7 on Muslims in Britain

4.0. Introduction......................................................................................4.1. The Britain Terrorists Attacks: An Overview of 7/74.2.7/7: Britain Reaction and Counterterrorism Strategy.............................4.3.7/7: The Effect on Muslims in Britain.............................................

4.3.1. CCTV Surveillance...................................................................

4.3.2. Stop and Search......................................................................

4.3.3. Immigration Agency....................................................

............4.4. 7/7: The Response of Muslims in Britain...........................................4.5. Conclusion.....................................................................................

Chapter Five: conclusion

5.0. Summary.............................................................................................5.1. Conclusion...........................................................................................BIBLIOGRAPHY


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Chapter one: introduction

1.1 Background to the studyJuly 7th 2005, will remain in the memories of Britain because of the terroristviolent attack against London, UK. Bombings occurred on both the underground andover ground in Britain. The attention of many Londoners, both policy-makers andthe ordinary citizens, even the foreigners has been captured by a vision of Islam that appears to be militant, reactionary, violent and terrorist. Without wasting time, the government continued to hone its response to terrorism under the UKs anti-terrorist legislation of its "CONTEST" Counterterrorism Strategy.The Home Secretary has railed against the fear of civil libertarians, by opened

conference calling on participants to confront radical ideology that contends that being British and Muslim are incompatible. But they failed to respond to criticism of the governments airy-fairy definition of terrorism. With this specificreference to instances of terrorism on mainland of UK, the British State

s record of honestly and justly bringing the perpetrators of terrorist attacks to justice is shockingly poor.The bombings provoked a wave of Islamophobic attacks across the country, including attacks on mosques, assaults on Muslims, anti-Muslim graffiti and, for example, the murder of a Muslim man in Nottingham. Along the line, the Muslim safety Forum [MSF] a coalition of Muslim groups, issued a press release that announced examples of the backlash: Arson, Bomb Hoaxes, Criminal Damages, Graffiti, Assault,Abuse and Threats.In addition, the Britain new arrangements, accompanied by increased surveillance

measures for the police and intelligence agencies, allow the state to monitor and focus on Muslim than any other minority group in UK. To date, and despite therelease of CCTV footage purporting to be from the day of 7 July 2005, not one piece of evidence has been released to the public that could be legitimately usedto convict someone in a court of law for what happened, yet the government still has no plan to organise an Independent Public Inquiry.There are a series of cases of stop and search of Muslim in UK, and several issues have been recalled for many Foreign Muslim scholars and missionaries who facea lot of delay or even deportation at the Immigration Unit at the UK Borders. Even mere bearing of Muslim names and dressing sometimes subjects them to act ofsuspicion, criticism and are labelled as terrorists.However, the basic teaching of Islam is to eliminate all sorts of immorality, indecency, ethnocentric behaviours, egoism, discrimination and racism in the global community. Islam should not be seen as a religion of threat, war and terrorism. Islam is way of life. As such it encompasses all aspects of life be it: religious, political, and cultural etc. The very word Islam means peace in Arabic. It is the path revealed to human beings with the intention of presenting a peaceablelife through which the infinite compassion and mercy of God manifest on earth.According to the glorious Quran:O ye who believe; enter into Islam wholeheartedly; and follow not the footstepsof the evil one. (Q2:208)For Muslims, the Holy Quran and the Sunnah constitute the primary sources of knowledge. It confirms what was revealed to earlier messengers of God and serves asthe criterion of what is right and wrong. In Islamic societies, the Sunnah constitutes the second most important source of jurisprudence after the Quran. The mos

t difficult part of Islamic Law for most westerners to grasp is that there is noseparation of religion and state. The religion and the government are one. Islamic Law is controlled, ruled and regulated by Islam - the theocratic control of


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all public and private matters. Government, law and Religion are one. There arevarying degrees of this concept in many nations, but all laws, government and civil authorities rest upon it and it is a part of Islamic religion. There are civil laws in Muslim nations for Muslim and non-Muslim people, who is referred to as the Shariah and is based on the Quran and the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), and it governs all aspects of personal and collective life of the people.Religion commands love, mercy and peace. Terrorism, on the other hand, is the op

posite of religion; it is cruel, merciless and it demands bloodshed and misery.This being the case, while looking for the perpetrators of a terrorist act, itsorigins should be sought in disbelief rather than in religion.For this reason, "Islamic Terrorism" is quite an erroneous concept which contradicts Islamic message. This is because the religion of Islam can by no means concur with terrorism. On the contrary, "terrorism" (i.e. murders committed againstinnocent people) in Islam is a great sin and Muslims are responsible for preventing these acts.While Jihad is the striving to the path of Allah, the struggle with the conscience over the right course of action . But the truth lies far beyond these speculations. The delicate blur between Jihad and terror acts has been a phenomenon thathas resulted from those unqualified in the science of arced law and Islamic law.

The man seeking the real teaching of Islam must approach Muslim scholar who knows the laws of Islamic religion.Islam lay emphasis on the peaceful co-existence in Islam and does believe in diversity, multi-culture and pluralism. Islam rejects the notion that God is biasedor partial to a particular race or tribe, and that His Mercy is locked up to acertain group. Allah says,O mankind! Lo! We have created you male and female, and have made you nations and tribes so that you may know one another. Lo! The noblest of you, in the sightof Allah, is the best in conduct. Lo! Allah is Knower, Aware. (Q49:14)

With such profound statements in the Quran, Islam was able to wipe out age-old ethnocentric notions of superficial superiority and exclusive nobleness of humankind. Challenging the claims of the egocentric people who claimed that none shall

enter paradise unless he belongs to their race and ethnicity, the Quran says: Bring your proof if you are truthful (Q2:111). As to the true criteria for sucha qualification, the Quran proclaims:Nay, but whosoever submits himself to Allah and he is a doer of good, for him there shall be his reward with his Lord, on such shall be no fear nor shall they grieve.

However, in this study, I contacted academics, Journalists, lawyers, activists,travellers, marketers and Imams.This dissertation, contain five chapters including summary and conclusion, is not intended as a comprehensive coverage of all topic on event. Rather, it sets out to provide an accessible and detailed account of the implications of the responses and reaction to7/7 and its aftermath, as well as the outcome or the justification of the anti-terrorism legislation schemes against the Muslims in UK. Thisresearched closely observed the political accounts briefly with my personal experiences.

1.2. THE AIMS OF THE studyThe aims of this research work is to critically evaluate the 7/7event and its effect of suspicious, discrimination and criticism on Muslims in Britain and how it lead to raise awareness of dissemination of Islamic message across the Britain.1.3 The main Objectives OF THE study:

To critically access the overview of terrorism from Islamic point of view; To critically evaluate the understanding of Jihad from the Western and Islamic perspectives;


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To evaluate the reaction of UK government over 7/7 toward the Muslims in Britain; To critically demonstrate the real message of Jihad from the Islamic perspective; To critically investigate and distinguish the Islamic concept of Fundamentalismfrom Extremism and Martyr from Suicide; To evaluate the responses and contributions of Muslim organisations towards coun

terterrorism in Britain.

1.4 The Rationale for the Study

This work is an attempt to critically evaluate the 7/7event and its effect of suspicion, discrimination and criticism of Muslims in Britain and how it could lead to proper understanding of Islam across Britain. After choosing the research topic, there was a concern that what should be our research questions, and of howto raise awareness of the Islamic message and how it could prevent the error ofsuspicion and criticism on members of the Muslim Community in Britain. Therefore, some of the theories and ideas of Muslim experts have been considering the importance that public opinion and Islamic dissemination can create a conducive an

d safety society. So, this dissertation will focus on the 7/7 event and its effect of suspicious and criticism on members of Muslim in Britain.

1.5 LITERATURE REVIEW

Kudos should be given to the institution of contemporary scholarsof Islamic thought. Their writings have been educative to the generality of the

society in both academic and lay terrains. Among these works are some that centres essentially on Islam, Jihad and Terrorism. To some extent, literatures on the impact and effect of 7/7 on suspicion, discrimination, deputation, stop and search and denial of visa to Muslim immigrants to Britain, that concern the areasof my study have not yet been discussed. By consulting the previous works in this field I realize that, there are a lot of flaws and deficiencies that needs tobe addressed. I found some research work done on the topics such as, The Radicalization of Islam in Britain, Just War, Jihad and Terrorism, Unholy War and TheLondon Bombings, Islam and Many More. But I realize that there is not much workdone, matching the areas of my topic and research questions, especially not muchattention specifically on the effect of 7/7 and UK government reaction againstthe Muslim in Britain.

However, George (2001) explains the historical struggle between Islam and the Western Country. In recent study, Esposito (2008) exploring the place of religionin secular society. Suleiman Adam (2008) substantiates the comparison of Westernand Islamic norms for the use of political violence. Another distinctive view of Esposito (2002) pointed out the political violence across the country is unholy War that is terror in the name Islam. On this trend Milan Ral (2006) investigate the 7/7 London bombings, Islam and the Iraq War. Furthermore, McCoy (2006) analyse the radicalization of Islam in Britain. In another study, Sitimekah (2006)investigate the significant of interfaith dialogue on faith hate crime after 7/7 London bomb blast 2005. Yet, the criticism, suspicion and discrimination havenot yet been given adequate attention, this will be critical justified in thisresearch work.

1.6 STRUCTURE OF DISSERTATONNevertheless, the study shed some light on the effect of 7/7 and UK government r


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eaction towards the Muslims in Britain in the background, the Aim and Objective,the Rationale of the research in chapter -1.The work also reviews some of the literatures which investigate the incident andthe characteristic of 7/7 and Terrorism. However, this dissertation is organized as follows: Chapter 2 provides an overview of Jihad as a concept, as well as the misconception and misuse of the word Jihad. Chapter 3 reports and investigates the diverse perspective of Terrorism, the causes and the measure of terrorism

incidences are also reported in this section. Chapter 4 highlight, evaluate andanalyse the impact and effect of 7/7 on suspicion, discrimination, deputation, criticism, stop and search and denial of visa to Muslims into Britain. Summary and conclusion are discussed in Chapter 5.

1.7 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

For the purpose of achieving the set objectives of the research question, we will present here the methodology which we adopted for answering our research question, which we have formulated and will be presented in 1st chapter. The methodological approach of this study will make use of two case data strategies for conducting the research, as sources of evidence: [1] Primary data collection, and [2

] secondary data collection.

Data Collection:

For answering our research question, we rely much on secondary data for empirical and theoretical findings. We adopted an exploratory approach to our research because the research question is such that need a qualitative approach and to which there is no specific answer. However, primary data might not fully be used due to time constraints and difficulty in getting significant information from people because of security risk.We obtained the secondary data which is the theoretical approach with inputs from different disciplines, which deal with the subject matter, including literature, mainly books, article, published journals, internet, seminars, conferences,

official website of religion and globalisation and considered some internal reports of the state of the nation and religion dialogues and some related issues .

Secondary Data:

Secondary data is not only useful for information to solving research problems but also helps to better understand the criticism. It is mainly obtained from books, articles, published journals and web sources. There are many advantages of using secondary data like good quality and reliability, saving timeand money. Begin with secondary data, and only when they are exhausted, proceedwith primary data.

CHAPTER TWO: JIHAD: AN OVERVIEW

2.0 INTRODUCTIONIn the wake of the attacks of 7/7 London, the attention of many Londoners, bothpolicy-makers and the ordinary citizens, even the foreigners have been capturedby a vision of Islam that appears to be militant, reactionary, jihadist and violent. Too often this face of Islam is the only face that many in the UK actuallyperceive Islam as religion of Jihad synonymous to terrorism or Holy War. The pigeonholing of the term and its range of meaning does a disservice and often leadsto misunderstanding of Jihad conceptualization in the world today.

The Medieval and modern commentators have examined Quran verses and the sayings and practices of Muhammad, and theyve also try to extrapolate the circumstances that justify the root of jihad as violence in an Islamic tradition, or even in the


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Quran. Their questions have reflected the different times and places in which they have asked. Historical questions have included whether jihad is an individualor collective obligation, whether jihad as war can be waged against Islamic rulers, and whether jihad is a defensive war, to be waged when Islamic rule or Islam is under attack?Similarly, in the western world, it has been asked whether jihad can be justifiably waged against Western imperialism in predominantly Islamic areas (Asia and t

he Middle East), or as part of a national liberation movement. The word violentjihadist named by the western, those who claim their violence from religiouslymotivated and legitimate in itself crucial, but does not preclude what Islam isall about or their motive and agenda. Interestingly, however, the jihadists in their endeavour to root their wrath in the Quran are introducing some obvious religious innovations. Whatsoever, the complexity of the debate or questions among the westerners and scholars may be, two points are clear: Jihad is not one of thefive pillars of Islam and it is therefore a collective duty , under given circumstances? But the practicability of both can be regarded as part of Jihad that is striving to the good path of Allah.As a matter of fact, the highest degree of Jihad in Islam is when a person is making struggle against himself. He should not allow himself to commit any crime,

any assault, or any type of ill doing against the law, the society or the environment at large. A Muslim who already submitted himself and his loyalty to God (The Creator of the Universe) has to try his best to control his ego, his lusts, and his selfishness. He should be humble, amicable, and friendly to all irrespective of colour, nationality, ethnic background, gender, language, creed, positionand religion. .In addition, person who walks and behaves like an angel on this planet. He is totake care of poor, the needy, those who are out of jobs, and those who are homeless. He is to sacrifice his time, money, knowledge, wisdom, effort, energy andall other capacities in order to please Allah, and harmony among themselves. This is considered in the Book of Allah [Quran] as a true Jihad.Anyone who makes Jihad against himself is to be rewarded by God in this world and in the hereafter. One has to make sure that while he is making Jihad against

himself; his intention should be for the love of Allah, and for the sake of making people happy, healthy and safe. He should never brag about his sacrifices; and he should never exploit people at all. Therefore, Jihad is not a war to forcethe faith on others, as some people may think. It should never be interpreted as a way of compulsion of the belief on others.Muslims themselves disagree on what jihad is supposed to mean. Many modernists in the West deny that it has anything to do with violence. The Council on American-Islamic Relations, a Washington-based group, asserts that jihad does not mean holy war. Instead, jihad is a central and broad Islamic concept that includes the struggle to improve the quality of life in society, struggle in the battlefield for self-defence or fighting against tyranny or oppression. This will be criticallooked into in the following topic.

2.2 Jihad

Suffice it to say that the Islamic concept of jihad and its Islamic content, it can refer to everything from striving which means to strive for a better way of life, in keeping a better Islamic precepts. Other nouns are Juhd, Mujahid, Jihad,and Ijthad . It emphasizes human struggle for progress, to lead a good life, tomake society more moral and better, and to spread Islam through preaching, teaching, or armed struggle . Jihad is a basic Quranic concept that derives from the root-word Jahada meaning striving or making an effort. The other meanings are endeavour, strain, exertion, effort, diligence, and fighting to defend ones life, land and religion. It appears in the Quran, the Islam

s holy book, and in other authoritative materials to which Muslims refer. There is no consensus among all Mu

slims about the exact definition of jihad. However, there is wide agreement that, there are two kinds of jihad: internal and external. The highest form of jihad in Islam jihad al Akbar regards as internal is against ones own shortcomings an


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d weaknesses. It is an ongoing struggle to make one

s self better in everyday life in ethical accordance with God

s precept. While the external that is jihad al-asghar is struggle against socials ills and injustice in any part of world bothMuslim and non-Muslim country. This striving can include.1 A personal strugglewithin one

s self to submit to Allah, fight evil within one

s self, against evil, injustice and oppression within one

s self, family and society achieve higherspiritual, moral, social and educational standards. 2 Jihad against all that pre

vents Muslims from servitude to God (Allah) people from knowing Islam defence ofMuslim society (country) retribution against tyranny.According to many people in the west equated Jihad, with holy war. Wearers, Jihad has classified by Islamic scholar as jihad al Akbar, the Great War of evil impulses, which each Muslim believer must wage inside himself against defects, ignorance, visible enemy and devil. The lesser holy war al-jihad-al-sagir involve fight, is led against those who brings violence and anger into the world, who deny belief and truth, who introduce lie, cruelty and intolerance, who aim at oppressing the peoples, at depriving them of their freedom.Jihad is always war against all acts of indecency, egoism, evil and violence. The sectarians-fanatics completely overturn this concept, proclaiming the so-called jihad against everyone who disagrees with them in the whole world. This has no a

ny relation at all to Islam and nothing to do with warfare. Islam allows using attack only as a means of last resort, and only against those who clearly showedtheir evil intents, and this means aggressors, rapists, killers. In all the remaining cases, the shariah calls for indulgence and exhortation.In the Qur

an, however, and even in later Muslim usage, the term jihad is usually followed by the expression fi- sabil- llah, which means "in the path of God."The description of violence against the enemies of the Muslim community as regard to jihad fi sabil llah gave a sacred meaning to strive in the course of Allah.The Hadith is a collection of reports of sayings and actions of Muhammad, and itfollows the Qur

an as the most important source of Islamic law. In some of Hadith collections, jihad in some occasion refers to armed action. As an example, there are nearly 200 references to jihad in the most standard collection of Hadit

h, Sahih al-Bukhari, and all assume that jihad means warfare.It is not surprising, then, that the majority of classical theologians, jurists,and traditionalists understand jihad in a military sense. Contrary to popular perception, jihad is not about forced conversions. It certainly may have filled that role early on, when Islam was first try to defending the sustainable and stability against the enemy of Islam, but that hasn

t been the case for a very longtime. It is instead a political goal: bringing as much of the world under the control of Islam as is possible. This then allows for the fulfilment of two othergoals: promoting Islam among non-Muslims and establishing a just political andsocial order (only possible under Islam).But the root meaning of jihad simply refers to "effort," and that sense of the word never entirely disappeared. Thus, it is not unreasonable to point to jihad as involving both inward struggle (directed against evil in oneself) and also anoutward one (against injustice in society or the world generally).A Hadith expounds upon this understanding by recounting how Muhammad, returningfrom a victorious battle, told others that "We have returned from the lesser jihad al-jihad al-asghar to the greater jihad al-jihad al-akbar. When asked what this "greater jihad" could be in relation to the battle just fought, he informed them that it was the struggle "against oneself."Of course, it must be noted that this particular Hadith does not appear in any of the authoritative collections, and even with the idea that the "greater jihad"is against internal evil, it nevertheless remains true that the battle againstexternal evil remains a valid form of jihad. This Hadith has, however, been very influential among Sufi mystics through the centuries. The next chapter will illustrate the three paths of jihad, as fellow:

2.I.1 THE INITIATING AND LIBERATING JIHAdIn every society, the people have the right to be able to hear the talks of those who invite them towards the path of Truth, and possess freedom to accept their


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invitation. But if some individuals desire to deprive them of their legitimateright and inhibit them from hearing the talks and becoming unfettered from their mental and social captivity and slavery, the followers of these divine programmes possess the right to utilize every means at their disposal in order to achieve this freedom, and it is here that the necessity of the Initiating Jihad in Islam and other divine religions becomes manifest. Similarly, if some individualswere to compel the believers to revert to their original religion, every means c

ould be employed for repelling such compulsions too.2.1.2 THE DEFENSIVE JIHADThere are lot of sudden situation whereby a battle is imposed upon an individualor a group of team such that they find themselves the object of a calculated and result to unexpected attack. In such an occasion, all divine rule and man-made laws permit the persons or a group to defend and employ every available meansto protect themselves and their vicinity from danger. This kind of jihad is referred to as the defensive jihad [Al-jihad al-Dafaah], this can be referred as battles of Ahzaab, Had, Mautah, Qurayzah, Khaybar, Al-Nadir, Tabuk, Qaynuqa and Hunayn, and some other Islamic battles are examples of this category of jihad which were defensive in nature.

2.2.3 JIHAD FOR THE ERADICATION OF POLYTHEISM AND IDOLATRYAlthough Islam invites the people to select their religion as the last and the most exalted of all religions, nonetheless, it also respects the freedom of belief and it is for this reason it grants the communities, who possess Divine books,sufficient opportunity, thus, after study and reflection, they may accept the religion of Islam. But if they do not do so it looks upon them as a minor confederate and by placing some specific conditions, which are neither intricate nor difficult, endeavours to have a peaceful co-existence with them.2.2 Misconception and Misuse of JihadThe contemporary situations have made an ill reputation on the Islamic culture,especially the word Jihad in particular. The people, who fully misunderstood theway of Islam, are trying to construct unimaginable and unacceptable views and i

deals about this religion. But the truth lies far beyond their imagination. Thedelicate blur between Jihad and terror acts has been a phenomenon that has resulted from those unqualified in the science of globalization.A very formidable misconception prevails with regards to the concept of jihad inIslam, by assuming that the word Jihad is supposed to be synonymous with war; and even some of the respected research scholars of Europe have not taken the pains to consult any dictionary of the Arabic language, or to refer to the Quran, to find out the true meaning of the words, prior jump into conclusion of their fallacious idea. For example of widespread misconception about fame scholar knowsas A.J. Wensinck, when preparing his concordance of Hadith, referring to jihad as the word war, as if the two were synonymous terms.

In another narration goes further, beginning the article on jihad thus: The spread of Islam by arms is a religious duty upon the Muslims in General; as if jihad meant not only war but war under-taken for the propagation of Islam. Klein also makes a similar statement: Jihad. The fighting against the unbelievers with the object of either winning them over to Islam, or subduing and exterminating them incase they refuse to become Muslims and the causing Islam to spread and triumphover all religions is considered the sacred duty of the Muslim nations. If any ofthese learned scholars had consulted an ordinary dictionary of the Arabic language, he could never have made such a glaring misstatement and blunder.The word Jihad is ability, exertion or power, while muhajid means the exerting of ones power in repelling the enemy. The same authority then goes on to say: Jihadis of three kinds; viz., the carrying on of a struggle: 1. against a visible enemy, 2. against the devil, and 3. against self (nafs). According to another autho

rity, Jihad means fighting with unbelievers and that is an intensive form (mubalaghah), and exerting ones self to the extent of ones ability and power whether itis by word (qual) or deed (fil). A third authority gives the following significan


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ce: Jihad, in form, Noun, Of jahada, properly signifies the using or exerting ofones utmost power, efforts, endeavours or ability, in contending with an objectof disapprobation. Jihad is therefore far from being synonymous with war, whilethe meaning of war undertaken for the propagation of Islam, which is supposed by European writers to be the significance of jihad, is unknown equally to the Arabic language and the teachings of the Quran. This world, which is presently sowingthe seeds of doubt in an uncertainty in relations between the Muslims and the n

on-Muslims, is that of Jihad. Jihad is today portrayed as if every Muslim has clungonto a sword waiting to put to it every non-Muslimwho comes his way. As a result Jihad is now levelled with terrorism and also as Holy War whereas Jihad is of legal status while terrorism is otherwise.The term "terrorism" does not exist in the Qur

an or the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad.[pbuh] If the terms "terrorist or terrorism" are derived from a verbused in the Qur

an, such as:The punishment of those who wage war against Allah and His messenger, and strivewith might and main for mischief through the land....Such as: describing a "Muslim

s" terrorist acts, it is in condemnation and prescribes most severe punishment. Islam is a religion and a way of life that does not separate politics from religion. Islam is a religion of mercy, unity and most

importantly peace with one

s self and others, to defend not to fight. Allah saidin His Book the Qur

an:"God does not forbid you from showing kindness and dealing justly with those whohave not fought you about religion and have not driven you out of your homes, that you should show the kindness and deal justly with them. God loves just dealers."Islam respects all humans and faiths as long as there is no religious oppression, forbidding Muslims from serving God, preventing others from learning about Islam, and not respecting treaties.If the circumstances come for war that is the [Jihad asgharu] it must be performed according to Islamic rules and regulations and only for the sake or in the service of God. The physical or military Jihad must be called by a Muslim authority, such as, a president or head of a Muslim country after due consultations for

the peace with the learned leadership. Not every non-Muslim will be targeted with Jihad, rather it will be those who constantly come up against the Muslims andfight against them: Quran ordered:Fight in the cause of God against those who fight you, but do not begin aggression for God loves not aggressors."

This verse restricts one from transgressing limits. What is it that is meant byDo not transgress limits? Firstly, withhold you might from those who avoid fighting against you. Secondly, if matters do come down to Jihad then adhere to the basic rules of war by sparing women, children, elderly, religious leaders, the excused and those who have sat back from partaking in the campaign of war.

2.4 ConclusionThe term

jihad

means to exert or to strive in the path of God. It does not mean

holy war

. It should be emphasized that there is no concept of

holy war

inIslam.

Holy war

was a term associated with the Christian Crusades which seepedinto medieval European literature as it maligned and vilified Islam. It is truethat from the early days of Islam, striving or struggling against an aggressoror oppressor on the battlefield was regarded as among types of jihad. But jihadalso meant right at the outset striving to live according to the will of God. Thus, the struggle of a human being to lead an honest life would be a jihad just as a government

s endeavour to eradicate corruption would be a jihad.Seen in this light it is understandable why the Prophet Muhammad described striving against one

s own lust as "the greater jihad" compared to victory in war which to him was "the lesser jihad". This clarification of the meaning of jihad tel

ls us something about Islam

s attitude towards violence. War is permissible onlyif the purpose is to repel aggression or to end oppressor. While defending oneself in the face of aggression and oppression is legitimate from a Quran perspecti


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ve, the religion is also clear about the limits that one should observe in war.The Prophet Muhammad had commanded that those who are not combatants in a battleshould not be harmed in any way. Children, women, the old and the infirm shouldbe spared in a war, however just the cause may be. Even animals and plants andany house of worship should be protected. It is out of Islamic that some Muslimsin the name of fighting oppression deliberately target civilians. Through thiscontext that some called

suicide bombers

have brought disrepute to Islam. They

have tarnished the moral integrity of their cause. In which the detail will begiven attention in the finding and data analyses.

CHAPTER THREE: TERRORISM THE GLOBAL THREAT3.0 INTRODUCTIONTerrorism has a very long pedigree, however after the September 11, 2001, and 7/7 attacks in 2005, has led to unflinching unity between the U.S and United kingdom, to combat against the act of extremism and terrorism. Terrorism has gainedglobal prominence in both private and international discourse. Since then, the concept of terrorism became so controversial and volatile that scholars, policy-makers and the practitioners are diametrically disagreed on its exact meaning, ca

use and consequences. The question of what is, and what is not, terrorism has caused academic debate across the global. For example, at the political plane, terrorism is seen as an act committed with an intention of causing a political effect.Therefore, the intended result of terrorist act usually causes a psychological effect of terror on both direct victim, as well as the targeted audience. As a coercive measure, even where casualties or destruction are not the result of the terrorism operation, the threat of potential violence is what produces the intended effect. However, when the threat of violence is not credible, the terrorist are unable to implement violence effectively. However it is a common fact that terrorist demands change, revolution or political movement. This is because the radical world view that justified terrorism mandate act , it means that it is a planned action that is intended to achieve a particular goal thus it is a rationally employed, specifically selected tactical and hence not a random act. Whichever way one try to perceives the terrorism the fact remains that it is a criminalact anywhere on the globe, the violation of civil criminal laws which are selfevident in terrorists activities like murder, arson and kidnapping. More also, the whole subject of terrorism has the connotation of danger and it tendency of the title can confer to any form of disruptive or undesirable phenomenon, leadingto neologisms such as bioterrorism cultural terrorism and even fashion terrorism.

3.1. THE TERRORISM IN DIVERSE PERSPECTIVESTerrorism

has been considered as a complicated concept. As far as definition goes, it is in considerable measure dependent on political view: Palestinian actio

ns in the Middle East are defined as

terrorist

by Israel and many western states, while they are defined as legitimate and necessary political actions by someor many Palestinians. Frequently, an important part of the political struggle c


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onsists of winning the battle over definition.Therefore, Terrorism literally means the use of violence action in order to achieve political aims or to force a government to act on a particular direction which the terrorists desire in this regard. It also defined as the systematic use of force/ terror especially in a coercive manner in order to intimidate a group of people or sub-national entity of a state government into the terrorists demands

Terrorism according to the United states department of defence in the calculateduse of unlawful violent, fear, intended to coerce or to intimidate government or societies in the purist of goals that are generally political, religious or ideological within this definition, there are three key element that is, violence,fear and intimidation, each of these elements produces terror in its victims. Furthermore, Federal bureau of investigation (FBI) sees terrorism as the unlawful use of force and violence against persons or property to intimidate or coerce a government, the civilian population or any segment thereof in furtherance of political and social objectives. The US Department of State further defines terrorism as a premeditated politically motivated violence perpetrated against non-combatant targets by sub-national groups or clandestine agents usually intended to influence an audience. Outside the united state government there are greater variati

on in what features of terrorism are emphasised in definitions. For example theunited nation in 1992 define terrorism as an anxiety-inspiring method of repeated violence action employed by (semi) clandestine individual group or state actors for idiosyncratic, criminal or political reasons, whereby in contrast to lessverbose definition in 1974 sees terrorism as the use of violence for politicalends and includes any use of violence for the purpose of putting the public or any section of the public in fear.Terrorism is not a recent development but as old as the commencement of recordedhistory. Terrorism has been described variously as both a tactics and strategy,as a crime and holly duty: as a justified reaction to oppression and the inexcusable abomination. Terrorism has often been an effective tactics for the weakerside in a conflict. As an asymmetric form of conflict it confers coercive powerwith many of the advantages of the military force at a fraction of the cost due

to the secretive nature and small size of terrorist organisations they offer opponents no clear organisation to defend or to deter. This is why pre-emption is now so important in some cases, terrorism has been a means to carry on a conflictwithout the adversary realising the nature of the threat, mistaking terrorism for criminal activity consequently, terrorism has become increasingly common among those pursuing extreme goals throughout the world, irrespective of its popularityTerrorism is a criminal act that influences an audience beyond the immediate victim. The strategy of terrorist is to commit acts of violence that draws the attention of the local populace, the government, and the world to their cause. The terrorists plan their attack to obtain greatest publicity, choosing targets thatsymbolise what they oppose. The effectiveness of the terrorists act lays not initself, but in the public government reaction to the act for example in 1972 atMunich Olympics, the black September killed 11 Israelis. The Israelis were the immediate victims. But the true target was the 1 billion people watching the televised event. The black September organisation used the high visibility of the Olympics to publicise its views on the plight of the Palestinian refugees. Similarly, in October 1983, Middle Eastern terrorists bombed the marine battalion landing team headquarters at Beirut international airport. Their immediate victims were the 241 US military personnel who were killed and over 100 others wounded. Their through target was the American people and the US congress. Their act of violence influences the United States decision to withdraw the marine from Beirut and was therefore considered terrorist success.There are three perspective of terrorism: the terrorists, the victims and the reception general public the phrase one mans terrorist is another man freedom fighte

r are a view terrorists themselves would accept. Terrorist do not see themselvesas evil. They believe they are legitimate combatants, fighting for what they believe in, by whatever means possible. A victim of terrorism act sees the terroris


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t as criminals with no regards for human life. The general publics view it the most unstable. The terrorists take great pains to forester a Robin Hood image in hope of swaying the general public point of view towards their cause. This systematic view of terrorism has become an integral part of their psychological warfare and need to be countered vigorously. The term terrorism came into the Europeanlanguage in the wake of the French revolution in 1789, in the early revolutionary years; it was largely by violence that governments in Europe try to impose th

eir radical new order on a reluctant citizenry. As a result, the first meaning of terrorism was a system or rule of terror This historical meaning serves as an aid memory that terror is often at its pits when used by government against theirown citizens or other individuals; as it become war by other means, as this section of this dissertation underscores some facets of terrorism, we argue that the west identify terrorist act with Islam and the Muslims, although, it is exigent that most of terrorist are desperate adherents to a political cause Marc GopinContend that despite the legitimate western fear of terrorism, it is time to r

ecognise that there is nothing unique about Islam when it comes to the choice ofwar or peace, pluralism or authoritarianism.Gopin in his argument compares Islam with other religions including Christianity, which according to him have gone through a period of utilizing repressive reli

gions law to commit horrendous acts of brutality and terror. At the same time, however, he agrees that in this twenty first century terrorism is employed by thewest as a weapon to exhibit the pessimistic aura of Islam and its distorted cultural and political principles. From recognising other factors which inflame terrorism the world remains misled. For these reasons the inability to define terrorism and religion are the focus of this section. In the early human history, thenational interest of the nation-states was viewed as secondary to that of religion or morality. To engage in a war, rulers needed to justifies the action, butnow through building the international relation, a new theory on the basis of the national interest instead of religion or tradition that result political and economical harbour. For example, after September 11 attack on the World Trade Centre in the New-York 2001, the European Union was able to organise a rapid but coordinate response to the event within days, in which UK playing significant rol

e: The European union agreed on a long and substantive counter terrorism agenda, including for example a common legislative framework on definition of terrorism and a -European arrest warrant to replace national extradition procedure and European was able to mobilise massive humanitarian assistance for Afghanistan and move to re-establish an EU presence in Kabul as soon as it became possible to do so. They also agreed to become the co-chairman of the international task force overseeing afghan reconstruction and made the biggest single donation to Afghanistanreconstruction.

3.2. TRACING THE CAUSE OF TERRORISMTerrorism has being more disturbing phenomenon in the international arena. Its form and characterized continually changing. While at the surface it remains the calculated use of unlawful violence or threat of unlawful violence to inculcate fear it is rapidly becoming the predominant strategic tool open to distinguish citizens in nation states. As terrorism evolves into the principal irregular warfare strategy of the 21st century, it is adapting to changes in the worlds social-political environment. Some of these changes facilitate the abilities of terrorists to operate, procure funding and develop new capabilities. Other changes are gradually moving terrorism into difference relationship with the world at largeThe current issues of terrorism are driving by the ongoing developments in the nature of conflict and international relations. Therefore, it is necessary to consider some of the possible causes of failure conflict in other to understand theactors and their motivations. Since after the Second World War, terrorism has a

ccelerated its development into a contemporary conflict. Since then it has become a far reaching weapon capable of effecting changes in the global arena which the intercontinental bomber or missile cannot accomplish. It has thus proven to b


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e a significant tool of diplomacy and international power for states inclines touse it. The seemingly quick results and shocking immediacy terrorism has made some observers to consider it as a short victory. Some revolutionaries groups notwilling to invest their time and resources to organise political activities would rely on this propaganda of the dead to energise mass action, this suggests thata tiny core of activists could topple any governments through the use of terror. The result of this belief by both the revolutionaries and governments all over

the world has led to the global war against terrorism. In order to fully appreciate the operations of terrorism organisation we need to learn of the purpose oftheir action and this has been identified bellow. Produce widespread fear. Obtain worldwide, national, or local recognition for their cause by attracting the attention of the media Harass, weaken , embarrass government security forces so that the government over reacts and repressive Steal or extort money and equipment, especially weapons and ammunitions vital tothe operation of their group; Destroy facilities or disrupt lines of communication in order to create doubt that the government can provide for and protect its citizens

Discourage foreign investments, tourism or assistant programmes that can affectthe target countrys economy and support of the government in power Influence the government decisions legislation or other critical decisions Free prisoners Satisfy vengeances and

On that account, there are about 85 prominent ant-terrorist organisations all over the world (UN 2005). And also, there is other micro terrorists organisation operating in different countries and in geo-political zones across the world. These prominent ant-terrorism organisations operate all over the world. The activities of these organisations have prominence in Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, Kenya, Ireland, Israel, USA, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, United Kingdom, Cambodia, France, El-Salvador Somalia, Sudan, Ethiopia, Nicaragua, Syria, Angola, Lebanon, Mozambiqu

e, Egypt etc in the recent times. However, thorough all these events and the attacks of Terrorism has led to different meanings.

3.3 Fundamentalism and Extremism

3.3.1 Fundamentalism. Today

s media constantly invoke the term fundamentalism inreferred to militant Islam. To extent that some western scholar has "Defined fundamentalism as notorious, that seen as the enemy among more liberal expressionsof Islam, that claim to win the battle for legitimacy and orthodoxy in the public sphere, that competing for the right guided interpreter of [sacred texts] afresh, and this led to greater radicalism and extremism in Islam.This was relate to the conspiracy of, Bin Ladens that struggles not only pit ofIslam against America, the West as a whole and ultimately the rest of the non-Islamic world, also seeks to overthrow the contemporary Muslim states and mainstream views of Islamic tradition among the great majority of contemporary Muslims.As a result of these the word Islam-phobia has coined to a new terms, distortingtheir actual meanings. "Islamic fundamentalism" is one such term widely used tolabel the deeds of Islamist extremist groups. But historically the term fundamentalism is used even in Christian theology with a somewhat positive connotation. During 1865-1910 a group of Protestants in the US initiated a platform named "The World Fundamentalist Association." This association was widely publicised after the1920s, and their main objective was to uphold the originality of their scripture by opposing its new interpretations.However, in the case of Islam, the word fundamental is being misused in differen

t ways among the media, researchers, and politicians, frequently use the term deviating from its original meaning. Islamic dogmatise theologian stresses the upholding of the fundamental beliefs in Islam. These five cardinal tenets of Islam,


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in fact, cause no harm to any non-Muslim community in the world. Further, thesefundamental beliefs in Islamic theology have no links with terrorism. .Whereas, Islamic theology objective is to set up a bridge between mankind and the Creator, following the guidelines given in the Quran. Muslims believe they would achieve greater success in the hereafter, through the good deed in this life.But deviating from teaching of Islam has led and even vested some quarters in Muslim societies in different countries to overemphasise the political aspects of

Islam rather than theology by following the required four school of fiqh in Islam [schools of Shariah] are: Maliki [718-96] the first of four orthodox schools ofIslamic jurisprudence. Hanafi, [699-767] the second orthodox school in Islam,shafii, [768-820] and Hambali [d. 855] the fourth and last orthodox school of Islamic law. On many issues verdicts given by the school of fiqh contradict each other in some occasions. This contradiction, in fact, is due to time and context dependency of Shariah and it regard as blessing in Islam. Although this also hasled to political cohesion within the Muslim community that raised relevantly theissues in our contemporary Medieval that Sharia is not enough to provide appropriate solutions of many problems in our present complex social structure and social relationships3.3.2 Extremism: is defined as any attitude, action or reaction that led to the

absolute deviation from the norms that make human coexistence possible. It is the malfunction or the breaking of the valve that calibrates our emotions, intellect, decency, bigotry, greed, and self-righteousness. Extremism is the root causeof the proliferation of violence throughout the world. It is the impetus pushing lawlessness, gluttonous greed and downright disregarding of human rights. It is a massive boulder blocking the path to peace.Today extremism manifests in all fronts of life. In the religious front, the promotion of puritanical zealot and the moralization of hate continue to divide faith communities and set the stage for religious wars. In the socio-political front, tribalism, ethno-centrism, patriotism and such have been galvanizing brutal violence and paving the way for genocide campaigns. The worse attack by al-Qaidawas regards has an extreme act of aggression, the reaction it generated subsequent trend of violence and chaos that leading to collective suicide through the ac

t and tool of suicide. On this fact, Islam cannot be equated with extremism in any circumstances. Islam is a very wide culture and flexible enough to accommodate new ideas, new thoughts and new developments. In the next chapter we shall discourse view on suicide and martyrdom.

3.4 Suicide and Martyrdom3.4.1 Suicide is against Islam . Martyrdom is not. "Suicide bomber" is a derogatory term invented in the West to describe what in Islam is known as a Shahid(martyr.) The point of the bomber isn

t suicide. The Contemporary suicide terrorists from the Middle East are publicly deemed bent on senseless destruction that thrives in poverty and ignorance. While is purposefully to harm the community.Suicide bombing is really an act of homicide. Muslims in the West of the view that Islam is against such practices by pointing to the hadith that oppose killingoneself, such doer are being disingenuous to themselves and others as well. Muslims in the Arab world, who are less concerned about public relations, celebrate and revere suicide bombers, and knowing that martyrdom is battle glorified bythe religion. I will like to point out some Quranic point of views and prophetictraditions as well.The Qur

anic Points of view: Let those fight in the way of Allah who sell the life of this world for the other. Whoso fighteth in the way of Allah, be he slainor be he victorious, on him We shall bestow a vast reward.Quran further that: Allah hath purchased of the believers their persons and theirgoods; for theirs (in return) is the garden (of Paradise): they fight in His cause, and slay and are slain: a promise binding on Him in truth, through the Law,

the Gospel, and the Qur

an: and who is more faithful to his covenant than Allah? then rejoice in the bargain which ye have concluded: that is the achievement supreme. And to consider view from the Hadith perspective, narrate as fellow: O M


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uhammad: "I would love to be martyred in Al1ah

s Cause and then get resurrectedand then get martyred, and then get resurrected again and then get martyred andthen get resurrected again and then get martyred."

Suicide is the deliberate destruction of ones own life. It is always an international act which can cause death either through the individuals own deliberate actsor from his or her choice not to avoid a threat to life. Modern thinker definin

g suicide as all cases of death resulting directly or indirectly from a positiveor negative act of the victim himself, which he knows will produce suicide.However, In the classical study, suicide has been classified into three categories namely: 1. Altruistic, 2. Egoistic, and 3. Anomie suicide. For examples in the Muslim world, where individuals giving their lives in time of war like what happened in Pakistan and Iraq society of the 20s in order to accomplish some goalsinvolving group values. Such behavior is judged as suicidal by outside observers. What has been tagged as suicide bombing among the Muslims is someone givinghis life in attempt to destroy or kill their targets or opponents. It is apparently clear from Islamic perspective as unacceptable. As well as egoistic suicideis not acceptable under any guise in Islam so also the anomie suicide, in Islam, no one is allowed to take his life because of downward social mobility as test

and trials, this are part of the teachings which Muslims are expected to imbibefor their faith to be considered genuine.

3.4.2 MartyrA martyr is the name given to those who, in fearless profession of their religion or in an effort of establishing or propagation it, prefer to die rather than abandon it or its teachings or practices. Martyrdom identified the exemplary ethnical model of moral action in a show of struggle (jihad) for the sacred, manifested in the ultimate act of self-sacrifice and to die for ones faith is the highes

t form of witness to Allah . The (male) martyr (shahid) encountered the scared by fighting against the enemies of the true religion; and in the process giving up his life in exchange for a higher, and celestial existence. In this regard, itwas not merely the event of death that identified martyrdom, but the very fulfillment of the duty of obedience to the will of God that brought one to the levelof sacred. Martyrdom can also signify the honorable defense of the faith. The code of honor, which reflects a Defensive derive to protect the pietistic themesof virtue.In recent times, a violent culture of martyrdom has arisen that glorifies suicide terrorism as a means to salvation. In the last five years alone, starting withthe September 11tragedy, there has been a significant increase in suicide terrorist attacks across the Muslim world. Claim the victim of self-destructive act in the name of Islamic salvation, whereas there is no Quran evidence to support the act. The Quran unequivocally condemns the perpetrators of suicide to Hell: Anddo not kill yourselves. Surely, God is Most Merciful to you. And whoever commitsthat through aggression and injustice, we shall cast him into the Fire, and that is easy for God.

Islam teaches that life is a sacred trust given to human beings by the Creator.Abu Hurairah narrated that the Prophet said:

Whoever kills himself with an iron tool, then his tool will be in his hand and he will be stabbing himself with it in the Fire of Hell, forever and ever. And, Whoever kills himself with poison, then his poison will be in his hand and he willkeep taking it in the Fire of Hell, forever and ever. Whoever kills himself from

a mountain, will keep falling in the Fire of Hell, forever and ever. (Bukhari and Muslim)


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3.5. Conclusion

Suicide Bombing is not Islamic message. It must be made clear, however, that whatever the pretence, these acts are in dire violation of the teachings of Islam.There is no Quran support for taking ones own life to kill and maim innocent children and women, even when in a state of war with the enemy. There is no evidencefrom the life of the Prophet that such acts were encouraged or permitted by him.Therefore, a shift in focus from external to internal, or vice versa, does notexonerate these mass producers of suicide bombers. Riding high on the booty of eternal salvation, the jihad incarnations of Osama bin Laden and his group have infiltrated deeply into the Muslim world. Totally oblivious of the natural face of Islam they are busy painting a picture tainted with the blood of innocents, both Muslim and non-Muslim.It is ironic that their acts are beginning to transform many deeply-held notions

about salvation, martyrdom, ethical conduct of war, and combatant, and the overall concept of jihad. Otherwise the firm before the dominating power of the enemy, they rejoice looking at the civilian carnage caused by suicide terror. It isthe crowning affirmation of defeat when religious scholars take it upon themselves to defend the suicide terrorist achieving eternal salvation through the veryact of murder and mayhem. The argument that the deprived and the dispossessed have suicide as their final weapon against the all-powerful enemy is nothing but bankrupt logic, and crippled morality. At one time or another, all nations have transgressed the rules of war. What distinguishes the war waged by the suicide terrorist from the rest is that the combatant serves as a metaphor for a grotesquevision of Islamic doctrine of human salvation. The commission of sin by suicideand the vengeful murder of innocents notwithstanding, this is the ultimate debasement of Islamic ideals and teaching. In the next chapter am going to examine c

ritically the concept of Jihad in Islam content.

CHAPTER FOUR: the effect of 7/7 on Muslims in Britain

4.0 INTRUDUCTION

One of the things that attracted a lot of attention in the clash of civilisationwas the use of the phrase the bloody borders of Islam, by looking around the Muslim world it realise that in the 1990s Muslim were fighting non Muslims. Huntingtons article titled The Clash of Civilisations... was published in 1993, the intellectual community seems not to welcome the ideal dismissed it as somewhat strangeif not downright wrong then the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001 media inthe USA automatically implicitly and unanimously adopted Huntingtons paradigm toexplain the terrorist attacks.

Similarly, the late Pope John Paul II once observed: a clash ensues only when Islam or Christianity is misconstrued or manipulated for political or ideologicalends in the interview given to al-jazeera in October 2001 the month after he had


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authorised the most notorious terrorist atrocity of all time, Osama bin Ladentook it as axiomatic that Huntingtons idea was correct; there is no doubt about this the people of Islam had awoken, he asserted, that they were the main targetof the Zionist and the crusaders; and decided to fight back. When on 16th September 2001 on the south lawn of the White House, George W Bush declared the war onterror a crusade he took the words out of Osamas mouth according to bin laden himself. In an address in Atlanta Georgia on 8th November 2001, President Bush defi

ned his war to save civilisation itself as a campaign against terrorist operating in more than sixty different countries, and for that, this struggle has been called a clash of civilisation. In truth, it is a struggle of for civilisation.Increasingly, voices in America and Europe proclaims, the Muslims are coming, theMuslims are coming! not only as a political but as a demographic threat. Similarattitudes lay behind the initial response of those experts who saw the Oklahomabombing as the handiwork of Middle East terrorists or Islamic fundamentalists.What is the source of such fears? Tremendous questions have been raised about the explanation for the alleged propensity of Muslims for violence. Whatsoever these has nothing to do with the Quran and any other traditional religious teaching. I think it is largely a response to unsuccessful modernisation in most Muslimsocieties, a product of the absence of pluralism and liberty and open politics i

n those societies. It is also a product of historic resentment, particularly among Arabs, over what they feel have been great injustices imposed on them by thewest. This also confirmed the statement of Osama bin Laden:The American people have chosen, consented to, and affirmed their support for the Israeli oppression of the Palestinians, the occupation and usurpation of theirland, and its continuous killing, torture, punishment and expulsion of the Palestinians.. the freedom and democracy that you call for is for yourselves and forthe white race only, as for the rest of the world, you impose upon them your monstrous, destructive policies and government, which you call the

American friends. Yet you prevent them from establishing democracies...

In which president George Bush also affirmed in his speech remarks to the Air force academy in 2004, that:

History is once again witnessing a great clash. This is not a clash of civilisations. The civilisation of Islam, with its humane traditions of learning and tolerance, has no place for this violent sect of killers and aspiring tyrants. Thisis not a clash of religions. The faith of Islam teaches moral responsibility that ennobles men and women, and forbids the shedding of innocent blood. Instead this is a clash of political visions.

And it is also result to fragmentation under the impact of sectarian or tribal allegiances of division within Islam itself. (Sunni and shia)Having critically looked at the issue of terrorism from a diverse perspectives,including the diplomacy, and clash of civilisation, these has beyond any doubt that the influencing on the methods, techniques or approach at which each countries had been adopting in combating the act of terrorism, either collectively as agroup within a geographical zones, or as an individual countries. Hence, in order to streamline our concern within the scope of this dissertation, we need to look at the record of the terrorist attacks, issues and the approaches which United Kingdom as been using in combat the issues of terrorism within the Muslim symbolic metropolis.

4.1. 7/7: The Britain Terrorist Attacks Overview

In the late 1990s, established terrorism legislation was reviewed by the Britishgovernment as it considered the new requirements of international terrorism. Coming as the review did end, another watershed in 2005 of the worst Qaida terrorist violence attack against London, UK on 7 July, a fatal experience. Bombings oc

curred on the underground in Algate, Edgware Road and Russell Square, and on a bus in Tavistock Road. In December, a jury at Woolwich Crown Court in South London convicted Bilal Abdullah, a doctor who had been practicing medicine in Scotlan


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d, of conspiracy to murder and conspiring to cause explosions in the June 30, 2007 car bomb attack at Glasgow International Airport and in failed car bomb attacks in London. He was sentenced to life in prison and is expected to serve at least 32 years before being eligible for release. Abdullah was accused of planningtwo attacks in London and Glasgow just days after Prime Minister Gordon Brown took office. A paramedic became suspicious of the contents of one of the vehicles,(the other had already been towed away for parking illegally), which led to the

discovery of the plot. Neither vehicle detonated as police managed to defuse them. The following day, two terrorist suspects, Abdullah and Kafeel Ahmed, believed to have fled from London, attempted to drive a vehicle filled with gas cylinders into an entrance of Glasgow airport. The vehicle caught fire and did limiteddamage to the building. The driver, Ahmed, died later as a result of injuries sustained at the scene, while an airport employee apprehended Abdulla as he exited the vehicle. Abdulla, who is of Iraqi origin, had associated with a Sunni terrorist cell in Baghdad before returning to Britain to plan the 2007 attacks.Similarly, In December, Manchester Crown Court convicted Rangzieb Ahmed of beinga member of al-Qaida (AQ) and directing a terrorist organization in Britain. Hewas sentenced to life in prison and is expected to serve a minimum of ten years. A co-defendant, Habib Ahmed, was also found guilty of belonging to AQ. Rangzie

b was accused of leading a three-man terrorist cell that was planning a terrorist attack overseas, and his conviction marked the first of its kind in the UnitedKingdom since directing terrorism became an offense under the Terrorism Act of2000. The prosecution presented evidence that Rangzieb was in contact with senior AQ members. Both men

s arrest and the disruption of their cell was the resultof a three-year international investigation by police.More so, on November 8, police re-arrested radical cleric and terrorist suspectAbu Qattara at his home in west London after a Special Immigration Appeals Commission revoked his bail over concerns that he was a flight risk and was in dangerof breaching his bail conditions. This was suspected of being Osama bin Ladin

s"right-hand man in the UK" and an AQ recruiter in Europe, Qattara had been released from prison to house arrest in June after successfully contesting UK plansto deport him to Jordan where he was convicted in absentia of planning terrorist

attacks. Between his release in June and his re-arrest in November, Qatada hadbeen living under strict bail conditions, including a 22-hour per day curfew anda ban from using mobile telephone and the Internet. The Home Office continued attempts to secure his deportation to Jordan.The government was forced to throw out one provision of the Act which would haveextended the detention period for terrorist suspects before being charged to 42days. A heavy defeat in the House of Lords voted down the controversial measure309 to 118 in October. In the wake of defeat in the House of Lords, Home Secretary Jacqui Smith indicated that new legislation would be brought forward to allow the director of public prosecutions to apply to the courts for the right to question terrorist suspects for up to 42 days if necessary. All this was led to "CONTEST" Counterterrorism Strategy, and Islam-phobic provocation. This will be discoursed detail in the net chapter.

4.2. 7/7: Britain Reaction and Counterterrorism Strategy

The moral panic that consumes the US as constant reflected ally with UK, which both took a serious potential target on policies and actions. They continued to hone its response to terrorism under its CONTEST and Counterterrorism Strategy. David Blunkett, Home Secretary, introduced the governments Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Bill into the Commons on November 12. It was a big Bill, containing118 pages, 126 clauses and 8 Schedules. After a protracted House of Lords savaging, it became law on December 15. The CONTEST strategy divides government resources under four thematic response areas: Prevent Pursue, Protect, and Prepare. In December the government hosted its second annual "Prevent" conference, drawing

together over 700 participants from national and local government, community and civil society organizations, law enforcement agencies, and social service providers to review progress in the government

s counter-radicalization efforts at t


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he local level.The conference was an opportunity for stakeholders to take stock of efforts to develop and implement local government-funded programs aimed at countering extremism in communities throughout the United Kingdom. Participants shared information on best practices and discussed programs as varied as cultural and sports workshops, discussion forums, and joint police-social service partnerships focused on identifying young people vulnerable to messages of extremism. The Home Secreta

ry opened the conference by calling on participants to confront radical ideologythat contends that being British and being Muslim are incompatible.Following the London bombings on 7 July 2005 with the aim of getting to the truth about what really happened on the day that 56 people were killed and over 700injured on London transport. Initial train operating company reports on the dayannounced the devastation on the Underground was the result of a

power surge

,and this continued to be reported until shortly after the explosion of a number30 seater buses in Tavistock Square at 9.47am. After the bus incident a very different version of events began to unfold, involving everything from military grade explosives with timers or remote detonators, placed on, or under, train floors, right through to highly-volatile, home-made explosives allegedly carried by four young British men. From four years on, the events are sort of endeavours to

examine and debate about 7/7event is now hinges on whether or not there should be an independent public inquiry. Or, whether a Birmingham pub bombings flimsy, shoddily researched, factually incorrect, and anonymously penned and published document that sketches should suffice as an explanation for how 56 lives were taken.Several notable precedents exist in which the State and police colluded in at least one of the following despicable acts: the deliberate manufacture of evidenceto secure a conviction; the suppression of evidence that would clear the accused; the extraction of false confessions through violence and intimidation. Some of those that have fallen victim to such underhand tactics include the Birmingham6 in the case of, the Guildford 4 with respect to the Guildford pub bombings, the Maguire 7, Danny McNamee and Judith Ward, among others, the latter of whom suffered 18 years imprisonment for a conviction that the appeal court quashed, con

cluding that the conviction had been "secured by ambush". Another act of terrorism for which nobody has ever been charged, much less justly and honestly prosecuted, is the Manchester Andale Centre bombing of 1996, about which Greater Manchester Police Deputy Chief Constable Dave Wharton made the announcement, shortly before the tenth anniversary of the bombing, that there was "no realistic possibility of a prosecution". History more than amply demonstrates that there exist aconcerning number of terrorist attacks in Britain from which much political andlegislative capital has been made by the State for which the actual perpetratorshave never been arrested, charged, prosecuted or brought to justice. In orderto address these issues and to try and get to the truth about what happened on 7July 2005, J7 have one simple demand, that the government release the evidencewhich serve as conclusively proves or disproves, beyond reasonable doubt. Despite this, some argue that we know what happened on 7/7, and that a Public Inquiryis an unnecessary waste of money. Former British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, shamefully dismissed the early calls for an inquiry as a "ludicrous diversion". Others argue that we know exactly what happened but that we still need a public inquiry to discover why the attack wasn

t prevented. So, whatever way the story plays out, the guilt of the accused is automatically and implicitly assumed, in a way quite contrary to a fundamental tenet of British law, the presumption of innocence.The 7/7 inquiry being called for by everyone other than J7 is not an inquiry into what actually happened, how it happened and who made it happen, but instead aproposed inquiry into the possible failings of government, police and

intelligence

services that resulted in them being unable collectively to prevent what happened. On the basis those charged with crimes are "innocent until proven guilty

", J7 are the only group that has proposed the notion of a public inquiry into the events of 7 July 2005 in which the guilt of the four accused is not implicitly assumed, particularly not without any judicial or public scrutiny of all the e


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vidence. Should the evidence corroborate the official story, and prove conclusively the case against the accused, then we would be perfectly happy to accept that conclusion; if the official story is true, then there should be no problem with making all the evidence available for public scrutiny. However, with specificreference to instances of terrorism on mainland Britain, the British State

s record of honestly and justly bringing the perpetrators of terrorist attacks to justice is shockingly poor. .

4.3 7/7: THE EFFECT ON MUSLIMS IN BRITAINThe bombings provoked a wave of Islamophobic attacks across the country, including attacks on mosques, assaults on Muslims, anti-Muslim graffiti and, for example, the murder of a Muslim man in Nottingham. Along the line, Muslim safety Forum[MSF] a coalition of Muslim groups, issued a press release announced examples of the backlash: Arson, Bomb hoaxes, Criminal Damages, Graffiti, Assault, Abuse, Threats. After the 7/7 attacks, there was a large of increase in Faith Hate and Race Hate crime. It was recalled nationally, that the figure for hate incidents directed at Muslims has passed 1,200 as a backlash continues.Similarly, In October, the Home Secretary announced new measures aimed at strengthening the government

s power to exclude foreign extremists from entering Brita

in. The so-called "preachers of hate" rules are expected to extend to anyone suspected of advocating illegal activity to stir tensions in the UK. The new ruleswill give the Home Office new powers to "name and shame" extremists blocked fromentering Britain and to share their details with other countries. The rules, which could apply equally to radical clerics as well as animal-rights protesters and far-right groups, are expected to see an increase in the number of people banned from entering Britain and will shift the burden of proof from the governmentto suspected individuals, by demanding that they refute accusations made against them by publicly denouncing or retracting their reported views. By year

s end,it was not clear whether the measures had been applied to anyone will be a final solution, nor was it clears whether the measures would survive a court challenge of human right.In testimony to the House of Commons Defense Committee in October, government Se

curity Minister Lord West warned that Britain faced a 30-year struggle to counter radicalization among extremist elements of the country

s young Muslims. West praised the government

s efforts to open dialogue with young British Muslims, insisting that engagement was beginning to pay dividends, but cautioned that therewas still a long way to go, and that it would take decades to win the battle ofideas against terrorism and extremism. Lord West

s testimony before the committee investigating Britain

s preparedness to defend itself against terrorism drewstrong reaction when West, a former Royal Navy admiral and First Sea Lord, raised concern over the UK

s ability to monitor all the vessels entering British waters and to patrol the 11,000 miles.In October, the Secretary of State for Schools announced plans to issue guidanceto UK primary and secondary schools requiring teachers and school administrators to play a key role in getting young people to reject extremism. The goal was to empower young people to expose and refute extremist ideology through classroomdiscussions, short courses, and anti-hate seminars. The guidance would requireteachers to report students to the police if there is suspicion of them being drawn to violent extremism. Similarly, in November, the Home Office requested in November that universities monitor the attendance and movements of internationalstudents in an attempt to counter student visa scams. This gradually led directly to how, in the current crisis, the Britain had constructed terrorism measure, both as

a network and as well as identity all in the name of security. The following topic we more detail.4.3.1 CCTV SurveillanceThe general negative action of Britishs attitude toward the Muslims in the UK, both the media and general public viewed British Muslim as intolerant. Britain new

arrangements, accompanied by increased surveillance measures for the police andintelligence agencies, allow the state to monitor and focus on Muslims and others in UK. Since 7/7 events most Muslims in UK have faced a series of socio- pol


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itical marginalisation, condemnation and discrimination, assault, abuse and threat. The finger of suspicion has been pointed to Muslims as being responsible forthe atrocity, to the extent that the so call counterterrorism measures on Muslims has caused the denial or lock up people indefinitely, stop and search people indiscriminately, make them go along with identity cards for one group in the society only, state has further institutionalised xeno-racism against Muslim . In view and adapt one of our Prime ministers own comment, we need to be tough on terr

orism, and tough on the causes of terrorism. All these led to massive surveillance CCTV cameras program, conjuring up the bogeymen of terrorists, Muslims environs, surveillance CCTV in mosques vicinity, tracking Muslim people online paedophiles and their cyber installation.In the UK a comprehensive surveillance law allows "the interception of communications, carrying out of surveillance, and the use of covert human intelligence sources" to help prevent crime, and to cause restriction for Muslim on their socio- political and religious lives.To date, and despite the release of some CCTV footage purporting to be from theday of 7 July 2005, not one piece of evidence has been released to the public that could be legitimately used to convict someone in a court of l

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