The root cause of Islamic terror is Islam itself!

How is Islam so blood-stained?

Many a writer has wasted paper and ink trying to identify the numerous “root-causes” of Islamic terror. We have been told that poverty, lack of education, lack of opportunity, political alienation, historical injustices and a whole host of factors play into in the making of a terrorist – specifically an Islamic terrorist.  The custodians of public wisdom regularly speak in scholarly tones about  the factors that plague the psyche of the suicide-bomber. Everything is examined and blamed except the elephant in the room: ISLAM itself.

Quick Note: I am not saying all Muslims are terrorists or violence-prone. In fact I will categorically state that most are not! Even if you accept that 99% of muslims are peaceful, the remaining 1% (of 1.5 billion) constitutes a staggering number of genocidal fanatics who derive their inspiration and justification directly from the Koran without any intellectual filters (what else is the meaning of a ‘fundamentalist’?).  Nonetheless, self-described “experts” tell us that the driving motivation comes from elsewhere. The purpose of this post is to refute the various excuses for Islamic terror.

1. Poverty, lack of education & opportunity ;

The 9/11 hijackers were all from well-to-do families with no exposure to privations and hardship. The suicide-bombers of London were born and brought up in U.K. with no personal experience that suggests the abject poverty of Khandahar, Mogadishu or Peshawar. Osama bin-Laden himself hails from one of the most affluent families in Saudi Arabia. Ayman Zawahiri (bin-Laden’s deputy) was a practicing physician in Cairo before starting a career in global Jihad. Many of the funders of Jihad are themselves obscenely rich sheikhs from the middle-east.

These are not dead-enders who “fall prey” to the inducements of a wicked mullah. These are western-educated professionals (doctors, architects, engineers) who come from relatively privileged backgrounds who choose to embrace the most malevolent aspects of scripture.

These are also not exceptions. They are the stars of Islamic Terror and their story belies the claim that poverty leads people into terror. Conversely speaking, if poverty were the cause of terror, we would have billions of terrorists around the world because poverty and plight is not restricted to one religious community alone. We should therefore stop deceiving ourselves with the idea that Islamic terrorism is an outcome of poverty or lack of education or opportunity.  In fact, it is evident that education is not an adequate inoculation against Jihadi impusles.

2. Political Alienation:
This is one of the more sophisticated ploys at abdicating (and deflecting) responsibility and it is also patently absurd. The lament that muslims feel politically alienated in non-muslim countries (India, Britain, US, France…) rings hollow. Flawed as these societies may be, they are structurally not discriminatory. In fact many people of the Islamic faith hold high office and command considerable stature in these societies. Can the same be said about Islamic countries? No. In other words, despite the fact that Islamic countries enforce explicit prohibitions against people of other faiths (Dhimmis) attaining high office or stature, one does not see the kind of frenzied social unrest  that one sees when Islamic populations live in a secular (or a non-islamic) society. I don’t know about you – but it sounds an awful lot like what’s true for the goose is not true for the gander.

And now for the Islamists favorite whine : Palestine and Iraq. Granted that the Palestinian problem is a long-running issue – but how does that impact the Muslims of Mumbai or London or Chechnya or Indonesia?  The USA has been in Iraq for 5 years (since 2003). Was Iraq an Islamic paradise before the US invaded? How many muslims bemoaned the atrocities that Saddam  inflicted upon other muslims?  So how can political alienation be a plausible issue for which Jihad is a reasonable response? It is not! Stop sobbing over it!

3. Historical injustices:

This is yet another canard that raises a lot of dust and consequently glosses over the barbarity of Jihad. In the long period of human history every community or clan or nation has had periods of triumph and periods of subjugation. Is this enough reason for people of such a community to wallow in self-pity and try to restore honor through mass-murder? The native Indians in America was subjected to unspeakable dispossession. The untouchable castes in India have been treated with unforgivable indignities and cruelty by their  co-religionists (Hindus) for millenia. Are these communities planting bombs in railway stations and busy markets? Only the Islamists are doing such acts. This must mean that there is something *unique* about Islam.

There is. It is called the Koran!

The primary cause of Islamic terror

Violence is an integral part of Islam

The Koran (like its theological predecessors) is replete with genocidal instructions. It further claims to be the immutable, irrevocable and final word of GOD. This leaves no room for re-interpretation or refinement or improvement. Islam has a binary outlook towards humanity (a) The believers of Allah and (b) the rest (i.e. unbelievers or Kafirs). It is not only permissible by the Koran for believers to kill the unbelievers, but it is their solemn duty. [Allah is an enemy to the disbelievers – Koran 2:98; Only evil people are disbelievers – Koran: 2:99 ; Kill disbelievers wherever you find them – Koran 2:191-2; War is ordained by Allah, and all Muslims must be willing to fight, whether they like it or not. Koran 2:216].

The above is a quick sampling only from chapter 2 and a thorough study would reveal even more ghastly instructions.  The Koran provides the machinery through which public frustration can be harnessed, channelized and justified. It provides the basis on which communities can  seek redressal for their misfortunes through mass-murder and still be on the right side of God’s ledger.

To say that the fanatics are misguided about the instructions of the Koran is patently false. In fact they are the only ones that know the scripture. Yet we succumb to the notion that “Islam is a noble religion which has been sadly misinterpreted”. It is not!

Islam is NOT in the business of being noble. It is only in the business of being DOMINANT. It is filled with reprehensible prescriptions that are not compatible with a civilized society. However, this does not make all muslims reprehensible. Most of them are indeed good people – but their goodness does not come because of the Koran but despite it.

Political Correctness is the secondary cause

Tolerating Islamic Intolerance

When commentators say that Islam is about peace they are only pandering to political correctness. They try to excuse Islam from the evil that is perpetrated under its name. They make Islam sound like a victim of bad-publicity. As a result, Islam is never examined or challenged in public discourse and doing so is considered impolite and insensitive (not to mention sacriligous). Therefore, there is NO basis for anyone to think that Islam should NOT be a moral-guide. After all, it is wearing the robes of nobility and everyone (including the secular commentariat) has just certified it as noble, benign and just.

A muslim who expresses his devotion without acting out the pernicious aspects of the Koran may well be considered “moderate” or “enlightened” – but this designation is only valued in the non-Islamic society. As per the edicts of the Koran, he is betraying the faith and  therefore is a ‘Kafir’. [ If you believe in only part of the Scripture, you will suffer in this life and go to hell in the next – Koran 2:85]. Hence we see that the Islam demands total and un-diluted adherence to a doctrine that has been certified by prevailing sensibilities as “beyond reproach”.So…. what do we do about it? [See post on Confronting Islamic Terror]