WHY ARE MUSLIMS TERRORISTS?

Misconceptions About Islam (Episode 3): Are Muslims Terrorists?
by Yusuff Ademola A. & Yusuf Olalere A.
As Muslims, we’re tired of condemning terror attacks being carried out by innately aggressive people, who in no way represent the true essence of our religion; but have hijacked it for their own hidden, selfish political agenda. Every time an act of terror occurs, Muslims closely watch the news with excessive consternation praying that the suspect is not a Muslim. This is for no reason than in instances where they happen to be, we’d see amplified mass media coverage and extreme unjustified hostility towards Muslims. Based on this, misconception is an understatement.
It is unfortunate that the so called mass media coverage have been unjust towards the Muslims. Ironically, the media which are seen as an extension of the freedom of expression and the eye opener for every reasonable member of the society without any iota of bias, have turned their 'legitimate' duty to create false impression or stereotypes about the Muslims and their religion, and perhaps to make their viewers dumber! Probably that is their own definition of discharge of duty! No wonder, Brian Kilmeade of Fox News Channel said: “Not all Muslims are terrorists, but all terrorists are Muslims.” Isn’t this absurd? But, why don’t we also see Christians, Buddhists or Jews as terrorists? Literacy is not judged by one's standing in life, but how insightful one is in his thoughts. Thus, I guess this writer lacks.
Evidently, there are people who honestly view themselves as Muslims who have committed terrible acts in the name of Islam. Yet, we, orthodox Muslims can make the case that their actions are not based on any part of the faith, but rather on their own hidden political agenda. Of course, they’re Muslims [or should I just make it clear, perhaps they may be ‘orientalists’ or radical Muslims]. You needn’t worry about the meaning of the term ‘orientalist’, that’d be discussed in the next episode.
Now, you might need to take a breath, as this will perhaps shock you; do you know that those who have committed overwhelming terrorist attacks in the U.S and Europe aren’t Muslims? Well, it isn’t your fault if you aren’t aware; you can blame the media, Media Religio-Politics, I dare call that! Let’s take a look into this fascinating statistics of terrorist attacks.
In 2014, the European Union’s law-enforcement agency noted in its report that the vast majority of terror attacks in the Europe were committed by ‘Separatist groups’. For instance, in 2013, there were 152 terror attacks in Europe of which only two were ‘religiously motivated’, while 84 were predicated upon ethno-nationalist or separatist beliefs.
According to the FBI study, 94% of terrorist attacks in the U.S from 1980-2005 have been by non-Muslims. The same study revealed that there were more Jewish acts of terrorism in the U.S than Islamic. Yet there aren’t any threats of Jewish terrorism in the media. In fact, per the 2013 State Department’s report on terrorism, there were 399 acts of terror perpetrated by Israeli settlers. These Jewish terrorists attacked Palestinian civilians causing physical injuries and vandalised scores of Mosques and Churches.
Have you ever heard about the Buddhist terrorists? Probably, you haven’t. But, if Muslims had committed a single act of terrorism, do you think media wouldn’t have covered it? Extremist Buddhists have killed many Muslims civilians in Burma and Sri Lanka, where some went on a violent rampage burning Muslim homes and businesses. These are genuine facts without any form of bias!
Having mentioned these facts, I do not deny that there are Muslim radicals neither do I deny that terrorism is a real threat, but I’m just saying we need to accurately target the root cause of terrorism. And, it is totally incorrect to make Islam and terrorism synonymous, or associate Muslims with terrorists; perhaps real Muslims and terrorists are completely different individuals.
In conclusion, it is hoped that this article has made you realize that not all terrorists are Muslims; even though a terrorist can’t be called a Muslim! Does that shock you? Well, that’s the fact, a Muslim is neither a terrorist nor a terrorist is a Muslim. You may find out more on this statement from the previous article, titled Islamic View on Terrorism, Violence and Aggression (http://themindbuilders.blogspot.com.ng/2017/01/islamic-view-on-terrorism-violence-and.html)


References
Ademola, Y. A. (2017). Islamic View on Terrorism, Violence and Aggression.                   (http://themindbuilders.blogspot.com.ng/2017/01/islamic-view-on-terrorism-violence-and.html )
Alnatour, O. (n.d). Muslims Are Not Terrorists: A Factual Look at Terrorism and Islam. (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/omar-alnatour/muslims-are-not-terrorist_b_8718000.html )
Obeidallah, D. (2015). Are All Terrorists Muslims? It’s Not Even Close.                             (http://www.thedailybeast.com/are-all-terrorists-muslims-its-not-even-close)    

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