Stand in Opposition to terrorism!

Today marks a 1 year anniversary of the evil and sadistic tradgedy which took place last year shattering the lives of many innocent people. An attack which shook London and caused much pain to many families who lost loved ones in a devilish act which I dont believe can have any justification let alone in Islam! Those who proclaim that acts such as July 7th 2005 or September 11th 2001 are heroic acts of Islam have perverted, distorted teachings inside them which are not part of Islam. These are acts of evil, they are barbaric acts and crimes against humanity which need to be eliminated!

Below is an article ive taken edited and added to from the jimas website. The full unedited version can be seen at http://www.jimas.org/tragedy4.htm#prophet.

All British Muslims and non-Muslims should stand together in opposition to terrorism and to help in safeguarding our society and country from people who are acting outside the values of religion and law.

Islam shares with Christianity not only the nobility of the 10 biblical commandments but completely agrees with the understanding behind the so-called 7 cardinal sins. A Muslim cannot but treat human beings with dignity and respect due to God's statements in the Quran and the Prophet's kind behaviour towards all, in light of the inherent dignity of mankind espoused by Islam. There are many examples in the Quran and the prophetic traditions that one can study in this respect to verify this.

To pronounce the central creed of Islam (shahada) is to act before God with respect for His creation, because faith (iman) is actually a public trust (amana). Relations between human beings are based on respect, trustworthiness and, above all, on an absolute faithfulness to the agreements, contracts or treaties which have been explicitly or tacitly made.

Fulfil (every) engagement, for (every) engagement, will be enquired into.[Surah al-Isra 17:34]
Those who faithfully observe their trusts and their covenants;[Surah al-Muminun 23:8]
This is true to the point that if Muslims are unfairly treated or persecuted in a country with which another Muslim community has signed an agreement, it is impossible for the latter to intervene for respect of the contract comes first. This is clearly stated in the Qur’an.
But if they seek your aid in religion, it is your duty to help them,except against a people with whom you have a treaty of mutual alliance.And (remember) Allah sees all that you do.[Surah al-Anfal 8:72]

The Quran says, "God forbids you not, with regard to those who fight you not for (your)faith nor drive you out of your homes, from dealing kindly and justly with them; for God loveth those who are just." It is one of the functions of Islamic law to protect the privileged status of minorities, and this is why non-Muslim places of worship have flourished all over the Islamic world.

History provides many examples of Muslim tolerance towards other faiths: when the caliph Omar entered Jerusalem in the year 634, Islam granted freedom of worship to all religious communities in the city. Islamic law also permits non-Muslim minorities to set up their own courts, which implement family laws drawn up by the minorities themselves.

As a Muslim who has been born and lived my whole life in London UK I am truly thankful and feel blessed that Ive been able to live in a society which has allowed me to practise and learn about my religion freely. A society which is so multicultural whichin general accepts people of all colours, shapes and sizes. I strongly believe that all Muslims should be working hard to spread thr true message of Islam which is a way of live teaching us to respect all people of all faiths and to establish a society of respect, peace and tranquility. It is the least we can offer a country which has offered a place for Muslims to practise their religion.

Within our free society in Britain of welfare rights, universal suffrage, equality before the law, freedom of expression and religions, people of different faiths are not only able to discover the teachings particular to them but to foster and promulgate the values inherent in them in a pluralistic, multicultural environment. Muslims can establish organisations, teach and promote their faith both with ease and a large degree of respect and make autonomous representation. Many otherwise non-practising Muslims rediscover Islam and become committed to it at various levels in our country at different periods of their age due to the supportive conditions that prevails in this land. Our country affords that in principle, as a matter of free choice. Muslims may face some difficulty in needing to avoid involvement in activities which contradict their religion, but in the UK, the majority of such activities which are morally incorrect in Islam are not imposed on Muslims but are rather legally allowed, e.g., pre-marital sex or drinking alcohol.

William Booth, the son of a builder, born in Nottingham in 1829 converted to Christianity at the young age of fifteen and became a revivalist preacher. Booth developed strong views on the role of church ministers believing they should be "loosing the chains of injustice, freeing the captive and oppressed, sharing food and home, clothing the naked, and carrying out family responsibilities."

Each of these social aims have great significance in Islam and carry high merits before God. They are deeply encouraged by both Allah and His messenger Muhammad (may the peace & blessings of God be upon him) that should form the bulwark of any Islamic presence in a society. One needs to only take a cursory look at the rights of neighbours and treatment of neighbours encouraged in Islam to convince oneself of this. In Islam, absolutely no distinction is made between a Muslim and a non-Muslim neighbour.

The Church of England were at first extremely hostile to Booth's activities. Lord Shaftesbury, a leading politician and evangelist, described William Booth as the "Anti-Christ". One of the main complaints against Booth was his "elevation of women to man's status". Members of the Salvation Army were imprisoned for open-air preaching and their support for the Temperance Society made them the target for gangs of men who became known as the Skeleton Army.
Muslims can similarly expect misunderstanding and criticism from their own faith communities but need to take heart from the blessed Messenger Muhammad (may the peace & blessings of God be upon him) who taught us through sacrifice and selfless perseverence how to reach out to one another and most significantly, also to the wider community, in justice, toleration, admiration of good qualities and unstinted benevolence. He weathered the storm of criticism and opposition with magnanimity and gracious patience. If Christianity in modern times can produce the likes of William Booth then every Muslim should check their heart and see if we are at least as good as him if not better, being as we claim to be the true worshippers of Allah in His Oneness.
William Booth was a Christian activist who saw his twin objectives as the saving of lost souls and righting the social injustices of his time. He never lost his zeal for the Gospel, his love of his Lord or his heartfelt compassion for the poor. These qualities should be the aim and aspiration of all Muslims - zeal for the Truth, love of God and genuine help for the poor. This is an extract from his last public address given on May 9th 1912:

While women weep as they do now, I’ll fight; while little children go hungry as they do now, I’ll fight; while men go to prison, in and out, in and out, as they do now, I’ll fight; while there is a drunkard left, while there is a poor lost girl on the streets, while there remains one dark soul without the light of God, I’ll fight – I’ll fight to the very end. Three months after that speech, on 20th August 1912, William Booth was ‘promoted to Glory’. To a sincere Muslim who has a modicum of knowledge of Islam, these words are not only inspirational but echoes the Islamic ethos of being human.

We need to develop more examples of British Muslims like Abdullah William Henry Quilliam(1856-1932). He accepted Islam while travelling in Morocco in 1889 and studied the religion at the University of Fez. Back in England he established a Mosque, a publishing House, a library, a Debating Society, a School and an Orphanage in Liverpool. He faced local and national hostility due to anti-Muslim sentiment and later when war broke-out. However, he lived up to the true values of Islam without resorting to what Allah and His Messenger forbade or hate.
It is not through accident that the Arabic word rahma, meaning mercy or the capacity to forgive, comes from the word rahm meaning a womb. Islamic law draws the radical conclusion, that God Himself can only forgive offences against Himself. ‘For transgressions between man and God, repentance atones. But for transgressions between man and his fellow man, repentance does not atone until he has obtained forgiveness from his fellow man.’
The sin of harming a neighbour is compounded and far more serious, let alone killing or not preventing a neighbour's death when one is able to do so.

Thus it is imperative that Muslims in Britain do their utmost to cooperate with responsible bodies in the UK to uproot terrorism and especially such as from those who seek to connect it to Islam.

Our history also records the contributions of the Unitarians who believed that social evils were humanly created, not God inflicted, and therefore could be remedied by human efforts.

In the the late 18th and early 19th century, Unitarians were closely identified with the campaign for social and political reform. Unitarians such as Joseph Priestley, Jeremy Bentham, Harriet Martineau, James Martineau and John Stuart Mill were all advocates of universal suffrage. Other leading radicals of the period such as Tom Paine and Thomas Muir were described by their critics as Unitarians. After the publication of Paine's Rights of Man, religious radicals in London formed the Unitarian Society to promote the cause of parliamentary reform.
In the 19th century Unitarians were very active in the movements for factory reform, public health, prison reform, temperance, women's rights and the abolition of slavery. Every single aspect mentioned should naturally appeal to a true Muslim who seeks virtue in life and not vice because of the clear prescriptions of Islam. Unitarian reformers included Edwin Chadwick, Florence Nightingale, Jenkin Lloyd Jones and Charles Booth.

Islam stands for uncompromising pure monotheism. If the Unitarians of our country can rightfully boast of such achievements and contributions how much more Muslims should aim to excel in similar endeavours.

How to get motivated?

It is extremely easy to be rightly motivated if one draws on the unadulterated teachings of the noble Quran and the way of the Prophet Muhammad (may the peace & blessings of God be upon him). Evidence abounds regarding monotheistic persons before the advent of Muhammad (may the peace & blessings of God be upon him) who stood up for social justice and against malpractice in society.

Muslims need to reflect on the monsters within and how we intend to contribute to our country and society better than our unitarian forbears in the UK.

Muslim clerics in Britain must not only speak out against terrorism in this difficult time but do their best to educate those who listen to them against extremism and distortion of their faith. We must disassociate ourselves from any organisation or individual, Muslim or otherwise, which carries out criminal acts in the name of Islam and help make Britain a better country for all who live in it - free from the turmoils of violence, crime and worst of all, religious extremism.


FROM THE PROPHET

Muhammad the Messenger of Allah (may the Peace & Blessings of God be upon him) said,
“Do not kill any old person, any child or any woman.” [Abu Dawud]
Muhammad the Messenger of Allah (may the Peace & Blessings of God be upon him) said,
“Do not kill the monks in monasteries.” [Ahmad]
Muhammad the Messenger of Allah (may the Peace & Blessings of God be upon him) said,
“Do not kill the people who are sitting in places of worship.” [Ahmad]
Muhammad the Messenger of Allah (may the Peace & Blessings of God be upon him) once saw a dead woman and said,
“She was not fighting. How then did she get to be killed?”
Muhammad the Messenger of Allah (may the Peace & Blessings of God be upon him) said, “Punishment by fire does not behove anyone except the Master of the Fire.” [Abu Dawud]
Muhammad the Messenger of Allah (may the Peace & Blessings of God be upon him) said,
“Do not attack a wounded person.”
Muhammad the Messenger of Allah (may the Peace & Blessings of God be upon him) forbade killing anyone who is in captivity or tied. Aby Ayyub al-Ansari who narrated this said, “I vow by the name of Allah in whose Hand is my life, that I will not slaughter even a chicken after tying it with a string.”
Muhammad the Messenger of Allah (may the Peace & Blessings of God be upon him) has prohibited the believers from loot and plunder. The Messenger of Allah (may the Peace & Blessings of God be upon him) said, “The loot is no more lawful than carrion.” [Abu Dawud]
Abu Bakr the first caliph used to say to the soldiers,
“Do not destroy the villages and towns. Do not spoil the cultivated fields and gardens. Do not slaughter the cattle.” In fact he would tell them not to even use the milk of milch cattle without the permission of the owners.
Muhammad the Messenger of Allah (may the Peace & Blessings of God be upon him) has prohibited Muslims from mutilating corpses of the enemies. In the battle of Ahzab the unbelievers presented 10,000 dinars to the Messenger of Allah (may the Peace & Blessings of God be upon him) and requested the dead body of their fallen warrior. The Messenger of Allah (may the Peace & Blessings of God be upon him) said, “I do not sell dead bodies. You can take away the corpse of your fallen comrade.”