That was the headline that greeted me this morning while on my way to work!!!
I am deeply disturbed & saddened by the fact that humans kill in the name of religion. All religions preach peace & the sanctity of life. For too long have I sat back & watched atrocities being performed in the name of Islam without voicing my opinion. Today, my silence ends.......
Islam has, & always will be a religion of peace & has preached an atittude of non-violence since it's revelation. Our Prophet (SAW) was a peace loving man & would only take up arms when he or his people were threatened. One just needs to read up on how he handled the situation with the Christians of Najraan, a city in Yemen 1360 years ago. The Holy Quran preaches non violence too & the maxim that a human is innocent until proven guilty.
These militant 'Islamists' who go around killing innocent people in the name of Allah & calling it Jihaad are twisting verses from the Quran to their end. There is no verse in the Quran that condones such senseless acts.
Many non Muslims have the perception that Jihaad means 'war'. Jihaad means struggle or difficulty. That is, any struggle or difficulty that you may encounter on your journey through life. So, I do not understand where the concept of Jihaad meaning 'war' stems from & why, when mentioned brings fear & images of violence to mind!!
Recently I happened to watch the movie 'Body of lies', starring Leonardo Dicaprio & Russell Crowe. Let me just say that if what was portrayed here is what really happens if these militant groups go about their 'duties', then I'm in need of a wake up call!!
The only way to remove these perceptions is to educate those around us. Islam is a most beautiful religion & if we would take the time to read up on all the facets of it, we would realise how complete it is!! Hopefully my post today will help in some small significant way. I've always believed that the pen is mightier than the sword, may Allah guide & protect us all Insha-Allah Ameen!!
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