The relation of terrorism with Islam

Today “ISLAM AND TERRORISM” became one of the “HOT” topic not only in
India but across the world. In my research, I have tried to find out, “WHAT IS RELATION
BETWEEN ISLAM AND TERRORISM?”
Before we move ahead lets look on the definition and history of “Terrorism”
Definitions of terrorism
According to Oxford dictionary
“Act of using special organization against government”
According to yourdictionary.com
“The act of terrorizing; use of force or threats to demoralize, intimidate, and subjugate,
esp. such use as a political weapon or policy”
Wikipedia define…
The term "terrorism" comes from Latin terrere, "to frighten." The terror cimbricus
was a panic and state of emergency in Rome in response to the approach of warriors of
the Cimbri tribe in 105BC. The French National Convention declared in September 1793
that "terror is the order of the day." The period 1793-94 is referred to as the regime de la
terreur (Reign of Terror). Maximilien Robespierre, a leader in the French revolution
proclaimed in 1794 that, “Terror is nothing other than justice, prompt, severe,
inflexible.”The Committee of Public Safety agents that enforced the policies of "The
Terror" were referred to as "Terrorists." The word "terrorism" was first recorded in
English-language dictionaries in 1798 as meaning "systematic use of terror as a policy.
" Although the Reign of Terror was imposed by the French government, in modern times
"terrorism" usually refers to the killing of innocents by a private group in such a way as to
create a media spectacle. This meaning originated with Russian radicals in the 1870s.
Sergey Nechayev, who founded People's Retribution (Народная расправа) in 1869,
described himself as a "terrorist." German anarchist writer Johann Most helped
popularize the modern sense of the word by dispensing "advice for terrorists" in the
1880s.
From all these definition we come to know the actual meaning of terrorism, now let’s look
on the history of terrorism

History of terrorism
Terror in Antiquity: 1st -14th Century AD
The earliest known organization that exhibited aspects of a modern terrorist
organization was the Zealots of Judea. Known to the Romans as sicarii, or dagger-men,
they carried on an underground campaign of assassination of Roman occupation forces,
as well as any Jews they felt had collaborated with the Romans. Their motive was an
uncompromising belief that they could not remain faithful to the dictates of Judaism while
living as Roman subjects. Eventually, the Zealot revolt became open, and they were
finally besieged and committed mass suicide at the fortification of Masada.
The Assassins were the next group to show recognizable characteristics of
terrorism, as we know it today. A breakaway faction of Shia Islam called the Nizari
Ismalis adopted the tactic of assassination of enemy leaders because the cult's limited
manpower prevented open combat. Their leader, Hassam-I Sabbah, based the cult in
the mountains of Northern Iran. Their tactic of sending a lone assassin to successfully
kill a key enemy leader at the certain sacrifice of his own life (the killers waited next to
their victims to be killed or captured) inspired fearful awe in their enemies.
Even though both the Zealots and the Assassins operated in antiquity, they are relevant
today: First as forerunners of modern terrorists in aspects of motivation, organization,
targeting, and goals. Secondly, although both were ultimate failures, the fact that they
are remembered hundreds of years later, demonstrates the deep psychological impact
they caused.

Early Origins of Terrorism: 14th -18th Century

From the time of the Assassins (late 13th century) to the1700s, terror and
barbarism were widely used in warfare and conflict , but key ingredients for terrorism
were lacking. Until the rise of the modern nation state after the Treaty of Westphalia in
1648, the sort of central authority and cohesive society that terrorism attempts to
influence barely existed. Communications were inadequate and controlled, and the
causes that might inspire terrorism (religious schism, insurrection, ethnic strife) typically
led to open warfare. By the time kingdoms and principalities became nations, they had
sufficient means to enforce their authority and suppress activities such as terrorism.

The French Revolution provided the first uses of the words "Terrorist" and "Terrorism".
Use of the word "terrorism" began in 1795 in reference to the Reign of Terror initiated by
the Revolutionary government. The agents of the Committee of Public Safety and the
National Convention that enforced the policies of "The Terror" were referred to as
'Terrorists". The French Revolution provided an example to future states in oppressing
their populations. It also inspired a reaction by royalists and other opponents of the
Revolution who employed terrorist tactics such as assassination and intimidation in
resistance to the Revolutionary agents. The Parisian mobs played a critical role at key
points before, during, and after the Revolution. Such extra-legal activities as killing
prominent officials and aristocrats in gruesome spectacles started long before the
guillotine was first used.

Entering the Modern Era: The 19th Century

During the late 19th century, radical political theories and improvements in
weapons technology spurred the formation of small groups of revolutionaries who
effectively attacked nation-states. Anarchists espousing belief in the "propaganda of the
deed" produced some striking successes, assassinating heads of state from Russia,
France, Spain, Italy, and the United States. However, their lack of organization and
refusal to cooperate with other social movements in political efforts rendered anarchists
ineffective as a political movement. In contrast, Communism's role as an ideological
basis for political terrorism was just beginning, and would become much more significant
in the 20th century.

Another trend in the late 19th century was the increasing tide of nationalism
throughout the world, in which the nation (the identity of a people) and the political state
were combined. As states began to emphasize national identities, peoples that had been
conquered or colonized could, like the Jews at the times of the Zealots, opt for
assimilation or struggle. The best-known nationalist conflict from this time is still
unresolved - the multi-century struggle of Irish nationalism. Nationalism, like
communism, became a much greater ideological force in the 20th century.

The terrorist group from this period that serves as a model in many ways for
what was to come was the Russian Narodnya Volya (Peoples Will). They differed in
some ways from modern terrorists, especially in that they would sometimes call off
attacks that might endanger individuals other than their intended target. Other than this
quirk, we see many of the traits of terrorism here for the first time; clandestine, cellular
organization; impatience and inability for the task of organizing the constituents they
claim to represent; and a tendency to increase the level of violence as pressures on the
group mount.

Terrorism in the 20th and 21st Century

The Early 20th Century

The first half of the 20th century saw two events that influenced the nature of
conflict to the present day. The effects of two World Wars inflamed passions and hopes
of nationalists throughout the world, and severely damaged the legitimacy of the
international order and governments.

Nationalism on the Rise

Nationalism intensified during the early 20th century throughout the world. It
became an especially powerful force in the subject peoples of various colonial empires.
Although dissent and resistance were common in many colonial possessions, and
sometimes resulted in open warfare, nationalist identities became a focal point for these
actions.

Gradually, as nations became closely tied to concepts of race and ethnicity,

international political developments began to support such concepts. Members of ethnic
groups whose states had been absorbed by others or had ceased to exist as separate
nations saw opportunities to realize nationalist ambitions. Several of these groups chose
terror as a method to conduct their struggle and make their situation known to world
powers they hoped would be sympathetic. In Europe, both the Irish and the
Macedonians had existing terrorist campaigns as part of their ongoing struggle for
independence, but had to initiate bloody uprisings to further their cause. The Irish were
partially successful, the Macedonians failed.

Damaged Legitimacy

The "total war" practices of all combatants of WWII provided further justification for
the "everybody does it" view of the use of terror and violations of the law of war. The
desensitization of people and communities to violence that started in World War I
accelerated during World War II. The intensity of the conflict between starkly opposed
ideologies led to excesses on the part of all participants. New weapons and strategies
that targeted the enemies' civilian population to destroy their economic capacity for
conflict exposed virtually every civilian to the hazards of combatants. The major powers'
support of partisan and resistance organizations using terrorist tactics was viewed as an
acceptance of their legitimacy. It seemed that civilians had become legitimate targets,
despite any rules forbidding it.

Cold War Developments

The bi-polar world of the Cold War changed perception of conflicts the world over.
Relatively minor confrontations took on significance as arenas where the superpowers
could compete without risking escalation to full nuclear war. Warfare between the East
and the West took place on the peripheries, and was limited in scope to prevent
escalation. During the immediate postwar period, terrorism was more of a tactical choice
by leaders of nationalist insurgencies and revolutions. Successful campaigns for
independence from colonial rule occurred throughout the world, and many employed
terrorism as a supporting tactic. When terrorism was used, it was used within the
framework of larger movements, and coordinated with political, social, and military
action. Even when terrorism came to dominate the other aspects of a nationalist
struggle, such as the Palestinian campaign against Israel, it was (and is) combined with
other activities.

Throughout the Cold War, the Soviet Union provided direct and indirect assistance
to revolutionary movements around the world. Many anti-colonial movements found the
revolutionary extremism of communism attractive. Leaders of these "wars of national
liberation" saw the advantage of free weapons and training. They also realized that the
assistance and patronage of the Eastern Bloc meant increased international legitimacy.
Many of these organizations and individuals utilized terrorism in support of their political
and military objectives. The policy of the Soviet Union to support revolutionary struggles
everywhere, and to export revolution to non-communist countries, provided extremists
willing to employ violence and terror as the means to realize their ambitions.

The Internationalization of Terror

The age of modern terrorism might be said to have begun in 1968 when the
Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) hijacked an El Al airliner en route
from Tel Aviv to Rome. While hijackings of airliners had occurred before, this was the first
time that the nationality of the carrier (Israeli) and its symbolic value was a specific
operational aim. Also a first was the deliberate use of the passengers as hostages for
demands made publicly against the Israeli government. The combination of these unique
events, added to the international scope of the operation, gained significant media
attention. The founder of PFLP, Dr. George Habash observed that the level of coverage
was tremendously greater than battles with Israeli soldiers in their previous area of
operations. "At least the world is talking about us now."

Another aspect of this internationalization is the cooperation between extremist

organizations in conducting terrorist operations. Cooperative training between
Palestinian groups and European radicals started as early as 1970, and joint operations
between the PFLP and the Japanese Red Army (JRA) began in 1974. Since then
international terrorist cooperation in training, operations, and support has continued to
grow, and continues to this day. Motives range from the ideological, such as the 1980s
alliance of the Western European Marxist-oriented groups, to financial, as when the IRA
exported its expertise in bomb making as far afield as Colombia

Current State of Terrorism

The largest act of international terrorism occured on September 11, 2001 in a set of
co-ordinated attacks on the United States of America where Islamic terrorists hijacked
civilian airliners and used them to attack the World Trade Center towers in New York City
and the Pentagon in Washington, DC. Other major terrorist attacks have also occured in
New Delhi (Indian Parliament attacked); Bali car bomb attack; London subway
bombings; Madrid train bombings and the most recent attacks in Mumbai (hotels, train
station and a Jewish outreach center). The operational and strategic epicenter of Islamic
terrorism is now mostly centred in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Over the past two centuries terrorism has been used for various reasons to achieve
various goals. Terrorism has been used by religious zealots and by non-religious
ideologues. The historical development of terrorism shows that it is a tool of change.

Pre-Modern Use of Terrorism is nothing new in the Middle East and its use is not new to
Jews or Muslims. Jewish Zealots used terrorism to resist the Romans and Muslims used
terrorism to resist each other (Shi'ites vs. Sunni) and against the crusades. Terror during
this period was used kill religious enemies. From the beginning terrorism and religion
were companions. The concept of Suicide Martyrdom, dying in the service of God -
dying while killing the enemies of God - dates back more than a thousand years ago.
From the earliest days, terrorism encompassed the idea of dying in the service of God
as a divine duty which would be rewarded in the afterlife. Terrorism against an enemy
was a religious act which was considered a good and worthy act.

The French Revolution's Reign of Terror (1793 - 1794) Modern terrorism began with the
Reign of Terror by Maximilien Robespierre and the Jacobin Party. Robespierre brought
to terrorism the concept that terrorism has virtue in that it can be a tool to bring about
"legitimate" governmental ends. He used terror systematically to suppress opposition to
the government. Robespierre introduced Government-sponsored terrorism: the use of
terror to maintain power and suppress rivals. Before his reign was over hundreds of
people met their end with the sound of the guillotine.

Anarchists (1890 - 1910) Anarchists were very active during the late 19th and early 20th
century. Russian anarchists sought to overthrow the Russian Czar Alexander II by
assassination and eventually succeeded in 1881. The Anarchists believed that killing the
Czar and other kings and nobles of Europe would bring down governments. To this end
the anarchist introduced to the development of terrorism, Individual terrorism. Individual
terrorism is the use of selective terror against and individual or group in order to bring
down a government. The use of terror was selective because targets were selected
based on their position within the governmental system. Terrorist acts were limited to
ensure that innocent bystanders were not hurt. This concept of limited collateral damage
to innocents, not targeting innocents, did not survive the second half of the 20th century.

Anarchists also introduced the observation that terrorism has a communicative effect.
When a bomb explodes, society asks why. The need to know why an act was committed
provides the perpetrators of the terrorist act a stage to which an audience is ready to
listen. Thus the concept of propaganda by deeds was added to the development of
modern terrorism. Terrorism was a tool of communication.

Between 1890 and 1908 anarchists were responsible for killing the kings and queens of
Russia, Austria Hungry, Italy and Portugal. Anarchists were also active in the U.S.
between 1890 and 1910 setting off bombs on Wall Street. The two most famous acts by
anarchists were the assassinations of President McKinley (1901) and Archduke
Ferdinand (1914) which resulted in the Great War.

The Soviet Revolution (1917) Lenin, followed by Stalin, expanded the idea of
government-sponsored terrorism as a tool to maintain governmental control. Both used
terror against an entire class of people within society (as supposed to use against one's
enemies), systematically. Terror was used to control the entire society in order to build
society. Fear was used as a motivational factor for governmental operations and public
compliance with government. Terror was used as a way to organize and control a
society.

The Irish Rebellion (1919 - 1921) The Irish War of 1919 brought three concepts to the
development of terrorism (1) selective terrorism, (2) sustained terror over time and (3)
cell operations.

The goal of the war was to gain Irish independence from England. Led by Michael
Collins, terrorism was applied to representatives of England (police, soldiers, judges,
government officials, etc.) in an effort to make the cost of continued occupation too high
to maintain. Thus to terrorism was added the concept of selective terrorism, acts of terror
against representatives of government to force their departure from an area. A tactic that
has been adopted and used in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip since 1967 with the
loss of one key concept, the selective aspect. Today's terrorism involves attacks on
civilians and non-governmental officials.

Also added to the development of the use of terrorism is the concept that to make a
change in a society, the acts of terror must be sustained over a long period of time. The
sustained terror will, over time, break down the will of the targeted government and they
will eventually seek to an accommodation.

The Irish war also provided the concept of cell operation to terrorism. Cell operation
decentralizes the implementation of terrorist acts and prevents the discovery and
destruction of the terrorist organization. Each cell has a specific goal or objective. Each
cell only knows its members and its specific task. Thus the capture of one cell does not
provide avenues to other terrorists. Terrorist groups like Al-Qaeda operated with this
decentralized design to implement the attack on September 11th. Cells in Europe, the
Middle East and the U.S. had specific objectives (transfer funds, learn to fly planes,
create false documents, etc.). It has been estimnated that $500,000 was spend to
implement the attacks of September 11th with cells operating in Europe and the Middle
East providing organization, operation and financial assistance to the main cell that
carried out the attack.

After WWII terrorism continued to be used as a tool for liberation and for ending
colonialism in the Third World. Selective terror changed from targeting government
officials to civilians and sympathizers of occupation.

Terrorism entered a new phase of development and use during the late 1960's. The
1960's brought to terrorism an international scope and a focus on the Middle East. With
the 1967 war in which Israel defeated Jordan, Egypt and Syria, taking control of the
Golan Heights (from Syria), East Jerusalem, the West Bank (from Jordan), the Gaza
Strip and the Sinai Peninsula (from Egypt), the use of conventional war as a means to
destroy Israel ended and the use of terror with the purpose of focusing attention on
Israel and the Palestinians (the occupied territories) began.

Cuba and the Tri-Continental Conference (1966) In 1966 Cuba hosted the Tri-
Continental Conference which was sponsored by the Soviet Union. This conference was
the beginning of the internationalization of terrorism. Terrorist and "liberation" groups
from Europe, Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Latin America began to work together and
build alliances. Financial, political, operation and intelligence cooperation connected
terrorist groups across the world. International terrorism flourished over the preceding
two decades. Europe suffered a decade of terrorist activity as European and Middle
Eastern terrorist groups worked together to bring attention to the Palestinian cause. In
Germany, the Red Army Faction (German group) allied itself with Black September
(Palestinian group); in France, Action Direct (French group) allied with the Red Army
Faction and the Red Army Brigade (Italian group); in Japan, the Japanese Red Army
allied with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. Cuba became a training
ground for terrorist groups.

Terrorism, the Middle East and the Cold War As the Cold War esculated in the 1960's
and the world become polarized between the East and the West, a new dynamic was
added to terrorism; State-Sponsored Terrorism: governments exporting terrorism to other
parts of the world for their own political interests. Iran supported Hizballah, Libia
supported Abu Nidal, Iraq, Cuba, Sudan and Algeria provided training camps, economic
and political support to other terrorist groups. The focus of terrorism moved to the Middle
East, the Arab-Israeli / Israeli- Palestinian conflict with the U.S. supporting Israel and the
Soviet Union supporting various Arab countries.

The 1970's was the decade of air terrorism with more than 20 events of terrorism
directed at European and American airlines involving hijackings, bombings and hostage
taking. The 1970's also involved bombings, kidnappings and other types of terrorist
activity throughout Europe.

Terrorism, the Middle East and Islamism The last twenty years of the 20th century
brought terrorism full circle from its earliest history 1500 years prior. With the rise of the
Ayatollah Khomeini in Iran (1979), religious based terrorism returned. Militant Islam and
the protection of Islam against Jews, Christians, and the West formed an independent
justification for terrorism. Religious suicide martyrdom in which young men and women
die in the service of Allah is evidenced in the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and New York
City.

The 1980's was the decade of hostage taking and terrorism found a target in U.S.
interests around the world. Between 1979 and 1988 there were at least twelve incidents
of terrorism directed at the U.S. and her interests. These incidents included the hostages
in 1979, the bombing of U.S. Embassies, kidnapping of American citizens, and the
bombing of airplanes.

The last decade of the 20th century made another change to the development of
terrorism. Terrorism in the 1960's through the 1980's was about exposure to one's
cause. A terrorist act was followed by credit taking or a warning to the U.S. that future
attacks would occur if the U.S. did not change its policies or a way to gain the worlds
attention to the Palestinian cause. The 1990's brought to terrorism, indiscriminate killing
and high mass casualty counts for its own sake. Between 1993 and September 11, 2001
seven terrorist attacks were committed against the U.S. in which the destruction was the
point of the attack. The 1990's returned to terrorism, religious extremism and hate being
enough to justify the use of terror. 1993 WTC - 6 dead, major damage to the WTC 1995
Saudi Arabia - 5 dead - bombing of the U.S. Military Headquarters 1996 Saudi Arabia -
19 dead - Khobar Towers 1997 Egypt - 58 tourist dead - terrorists open fire in the Temple
of Hatshepsut 1998 Kenya and Tanzania - 224 dead - bombing of two U.S. Embassies at
the same time 2000 Yemen - 17 sailors killed - U.S.S. Cole 2001 WTC / Pentagon - 3000
dead After two hundred years, terrorism has changed and has been used for a variety of
different purposes to achieve various goals. Ultimately terrorism is a tool to change
behavior.

These were the history of terrorism and with the help of this one thing become very clear
that fundamentalist are not just Muslims but they are also Christian’s, Jews, Hindu’s and
many but the international media just pasted a banner of terrorism with Islam.

Now let’s look on the different terror organization across the world

European United United

Organization Australia Canada India
Union Kingdom States

Abu Nidal Organization Yes Yes Yes Yes

Abu Sayyaf Group Yes Yes Yes Yes

Achik National Volunteer

Yes
Council

Akhil Bharat Nepali Ekta

Yes
Samaj

Al-Aqsa e.V. Yes

Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade Yes Yes Yes

Al-Badr Yes

Al Ghurabaa Yes

Al Ittihad Al Islamia Yes Yes

al-Qa'ida Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes

al-Qa'ida in Iraq Yes Yes

al-Qaeda Organization in the

Yes Yes Yes Yes
Islamic Maghreb

Al-Umar-Mujahideen Yes

All Tripura Tiger Force Yes

Ansar al-Islam Yes Yes

Ansar us-Sunna Yes Yes

Armed Islamic Group Yes Yes Yes Yes

Asbat al-Ansar Yes Yes Yes

Aum Shinrikyo Yes Yes Yes

Babbar Khalsa Yes Yes Yes

Babbar Khalsa International Yes Yes

Baluchistan Liberation Army Yes

Communist Party of India

Yes
(Maoist)

Communist Party of the

Philippines/ Yes Yes
New People's Army
Continuity Irish Republican
Yes Yes Yes
Army

Cumann na mBan Yes

Deendar Anjuman Yes

Dukhtaran-E-Millat Yes

Egyptian Islamic Jihad Yes Yes Yes Yes

Euskadi ta Askatasuna Yes Yes Yes Yes

Fatah al-Islam Yes

Fianna na hEireann Yes

Gama'a al-Islamiyya Yes Yes Yes Yes

GRAPO Yes

Great Eastern Islamic Raiders'

Yes
Front

Hamas Yes Yes Yes

Harakat-ul-Jihad-ul-Islami Yes

Harakat-ul-Jihad-ul-Islami
Yes
(Bangladesh)
Harakat ul-Mujahidin Yes Yes Yes Yes

Harakat-Ul-Mujahideen/Alami Yes

Hezb-e Islami Gulbuddin Yes Yes

Hezbollah Yes Yes

Hizbul Mujahideen Yes Yes

Holy Land Foundation

Yes
for Relief and Development

Hynniewtrep National
Yes
Liberation Council

Informal Anarchist Federation Yes

International Sikh Youth

Yes Yes Yes Yes
Federation

Islamic Army of Aden Yes Yes Yes

Islamic Jihad Union Yes Yes

Islamic Movement of
Yes Yes Yes Yes
Uzbekistan

Irish National Liberation Army Yes

Irish People's Liberation Yes

Organisation

Irish Republican Army Yes

Jaish-e-Mohammed Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes

Jamaat ul-Furquan Yes

Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Yes

Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen
Yes
Bangladesh

Jamiat ul-Ansar Yes

Jammu and Kashmir Islamic

Yes
Front

Jemaah Islamiya Yes Yes Yes Yes

Kach/Kahane Chai Yes Yes Yes

Kanglei Yaol Kanba Lup Yes

Kangleipak Communist Party Yes

Khalistan Commando Force Yes

Khuddam ul-Islam Yes

Kurdistan Freedom Falcons Yes

Kurdistan Workers' Party Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes

Lashkar-e-Toiba Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes

Lashkar-e-Jhangvi Yes Yes Yes Yes

Liberation Tigers of Tamil

Yes Yes Yes Yes
Eelam

Libyan Islamic Fighting Group Yes Yes

Loyalist Volunteer Force Yes

Manipur People's Liberation

Yes
Front

Moroccan Islamic Combatant

Yes Yes
Group

Mujahedin-e Khalq Yes Yes

National Democratic Front of

Yes
Bodoland

National Liberation Army Yes Yes

National Liberation Front of

Yes
Tripura
Nuclei Armati per il Comunismo Yes

Nuclei di Iniziativa Proletaria Yes

Nuclei Territoriali Antimperialisti Yes

Nucleo di Iniziativa Proletaria

Yes
Rivoluzionaria

Orange Volunteers Yes Yes

Palestine Liberation Front Yes Yes Yes

Palestinian Islamic Jihad Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes

People's Liberation Army Yes

People's Revolutionary Party

Yes
of Kangleipak

Popular Front for the Liberation

Yes Yes Yes
of Palestine

Popular Front for the Liberation

of Palestine- Yes Yes Yes
General Command

Real IRA Yes Yes

Red Brigades for the

construction
Yes
of the Combative Communist
Party
Red Hand Commando Yes

Red Hand Defenders Yes Yes

Revolutionary Armed Forces of

Yes Yes Yes
Colombia

Revolutionary Nuclei Yes Yes

Revolutionary Organization 17
Yes Yes
November

Revolutionary People's Front Yes

Revolutionary People's
Yes Yes Yes
Liberation Party/Front

Revolutionary Struggle Yes

Saor Éire Yes

Saviour Sect Yes

Shining Path Yes Yes Yes

Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan Yes

Stichting Al Aqsa Yes

Students Islamic Movement of

Yes
India
 Takfir wal-Hijra Yes

Tehreek-e-Nafaz-e-Shariat-e-
Yes
Mohammadi

Tamil Nadu Liberation Army Yes

Tamil National Retrieval

Yes
Troops

Ulster Defence Association Yes Yes

Ulster Freedom Fighters Yes Yes

Ulster Volunteer Force Yes

United Liberation Front of

Yes
Asom

United National Liberation

Yes
Front

United Self-Defense Forces of

Yes Yes Yes
Colombia

Vanguards of Conquest Yes

World Tamil Movement Yes

Now with the help of these table, one thing become very clear that there are
also other terror organization’s which belongs to Hindutva, Christian, Jewish, Catholic
and Sikh community (these religion like Islam also may not be forcing to conduct these
kind of terror activities but matter of fact the exit’s).
I conducted a survey on the topic “Relation of terrorism with Islam” and I took 100
interviews with different age group of people. My Questionnaire

. 1. “Islam spread by the sword”?

Agree o not agree o

2. Do you think, Islam have relation with terrorism?

Yes o No o

3. Do you think the problem of terrorism is a religious or political?

Religious o Political o

4. Do you think Muslims sympathize terrorists?

Yes o No o
Why_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________

5. Do you think terrorists sympathize Muslims?

Yes o No o

6. Do you think Pakistan support militant groups?

Yes o No o
Why______________________________________________
______________________________________________

7. Do you think Madarssa’s teachings needs to go for in an overhaul?

Yes o No

8. Why the number of terrorists are Muslim? Problem?

Religious o Unemployment o
Political o Victim o

9. Reason you; think terrorism has spread its tentacles throughout the world?
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________

10. What do you know about jihad?

__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________

The age groups are 15-25

25-35
35-45
 45-55
55-65

And I took 20 interviews to per group

And for question no 1

“Islam is spread by sword” Agree Not agree

And in the age group 15-25 40% 60%

“ “ 25-35 20% 80%

“ “ 35-45 25% 75%

“ “ 45-55 15% 85%

“ “ 55-65 15% 85%

23% 77% (overall percentage)

Turn the page to see the segmented bar diagram in the graph paper

2. Do you think, Islam have relation with terrorism?

 And between age group Yes No

15-25 30% 70%

25-35 10% 90%

35-45 15% 85%

45-55 10% 90%

55-65 15% 85%

Overall 16% 84%

Turn the page to see the segmented bar diagram

3. Do you think the problem of terrorism is a religious or political?

Age groups Religious Political Both

15-25 15% 83% 02%

25-35 30% 70% 00%

35-45 35% 65% 00%

45-55 10% 88% 02%

55-65 15% 85% 00%

Overall 23% 69% 04%

Turn page so see the diagram

4. Do you think Muslims sympathize terrorists?

Age groups Yes No

15-25 15% 85%

25-35 40% 60%

35-45 10% 90%

45-55 25% 75%

55-65 35% 65%

Overall 25% 75%

Turn the page to see the diagram

5. Do you think terrorists sympathize Muslims?

 Age groups Yes No

15-25 25% 75%

25-35 40% 60%

35-45 50% 50%

45-55 35% 75%

55-65 20% 80%

Overall 34% 66%

Turn the next page to see the diagram

6. Do you think Pakistan support militant group?

Age groups Yes No

15-25 80% 20%

25-35 60% 40%

35-45 80% 20%

45-55 55% 45%

55-65 75% 25%

Overall 70% 30%

Turn the page to see the diagram

7. Do you think Madrassa’s teachings needs to go for in an overhaul?

 Age groups Yes No

15-25 75% 25%

25-35 80% 20%

35-45 65% 35%

45-55 75% 25%

55-65 70% 30%

Overall 63% 27%

Turn the page to see the diagram

8. Why the numbers of terrorists are Muslims? Problem?

 Age groups Religious Unemployment Political Victim

15-25 25% 30% 35% 10%

25-35 20% 35% 20% 25%

35-45 10% 50% 30% 10%

45-55 00% 25% 35% 40%

55-65 10% 40% 30% 20%

Overall 13% 36% 30% 21%

Turn the page to see the pie diagram

9. Reason, you think terrorism has spread its tentacles throughout the world?

Age group 15-25 Reasons

 “May be because of fear “
“I think the problem is political and to fulfill their aims they are
adding religion to it “

25.35 “word of mouth”

“Because of media”

35-45 “Unemployment”
“Injustice”

45-55 “Because many of terrorist are victims”

55-65 “Fear factor”

“Unemployment”

10. What you know about jihad?

Age groups
15-25 “fight for the Freedom”
“war for religion”

25-35 “Against the agnostic “

35-45 “holy war”

45-55 “Terrorism”

55-65 “fight for Wright “

There is s huge misconception in non-Muslim regarding Jihad some says it is fight for
right, terrorism, war etc in reality the meaning of Jihad in one of verse of Quran
“Fight in the cause of Allah those who fight you, but do not transgress limits; for
Allah loveth not transgressors.”

Today some people use term “Jihad” for their own purpose and they say they are doing
jihad. If they are doing jihad than why they killing thousands of innocent. Quran further
says

“You cannot kill, Women, children and old age”

During my research I met Dr. Zakir naik (MBBS doctor and Muslim cleric).

And I ask the same question “Islam is spread by the sword” agree not agree

And he given me the reason why he says Islam was not spread by sword

WAS ISLAM SPREAD BY THE SWORD?

Question:

How can Islam be called the religion of peace when it was spread by the sword?

Answer:

It is a common complaint among some non-Muslims that Islam would not have millions
of adherents all over the world, if it had not been spread by the use of force. The
following points will make it clear, that far from being spread by the sword, it was the
inherent force of truth, reason and logic that was responsible for the rapid spread of
Islam.

1. Islam means peace.

Islam comes from the root word ‘salaam’, which means peace. It also means submitting
one’s will to Allah (swt). Thus Islam is a religion of peace, which is acquired by
submitting one’s will to the will of the Supreme Creator, Allah (swt).

2. Sometimes force has to be used to maintain peace.

Each and every human being in this world is not in favour of maintaining peace and
harmony. There are many, who would disrupt it for their own vested interests.
Sometimes force has to be used to maintain peace. It is precisely for this reason that we
have the police who use force against criminals and anti-social elements to maintain
peace in the country. Islam promotes peace. At the same time, Islam exhorts it followers
to fight where there is oppression. The fight against oppression may, at times, require
the use of force. In Islam force can only be used to promote peace and justice.

3. Opinion of historian De Lacy O’Leary.

The best reply to the misconception that Islam was spread by the sword is given by the
noted historian De Lacy O’Leary in the book ’Islam at the cross road’ (Page 8):

’History makes it clear however, that the legend of fanatical Muslims sweeping through
the world and forcing Islam at the point of the sword upon conquered races is one of the
most fantastically absurd myth that historians have ever repeated.’

4. Muslims ruled Spain for 800 years.

Muslims ruled Spain for about 800 years. The Muslims in Spain never used the sword to
force the people to convert. Later the Christian Crusaders came to Spain and wiped out
the Muslims. There was not a single Muslim in Spain who could openly give the adhan,
that is the call for prayers.

5. 14 million Arabs are Coptic Christians.

Muslims were the lords of Arabia for 1400 years. For a few years the British ruled, and
for a few years the French ruled. Overall, the Muslims ruled Arabia for 1400 years. Yet
today, there are 14 million Arabs who are Coptic Christians i.e. Christians since
generations. If the Muslims had used the sword there would not have been a single Arab
who would have remained a Christian.

6. More than 80% non-Muslims in India.

The Muslims ruled India for about a thousand years. If they wanted, they had the power
of converting each and every non-Muslim of India to Islam. Today more than 80% of the
population of India are non-Muslims. All these non-Muslim Indians are bearing witness
today that Islam was not spread by the sword.

7. Indonesia and Malaysia.

Indonesia is a country that has the maximum number of Muslims in the world. The
majority of people in Malaysia are Muslims. May one ask, ’Which Muslim army went to
Indonesia and Malaysia?’

8. East Coast of Africa.

Similarly, Islam has spread rapidly on the East Coast of Africa. One may again ask, if
Islam was spread by the sword, ’Which Muslim army went to the East Coast of Africa?’

9. Thomas Carlyle.

The famous historian, Thomas Carlyle, in his book ’Heroes and Hero worship’, refers to
this misconception about the spread of Islam: ’The sword indeed, but where will you get
your sword? Every new opinion, at its starting is precisely in a minority of one. In one
man’s head alone. There it dwells as yet. One man alone of the whole world believes it,
there is one man against all men. That he takes a sword and try to propagate with that,
will do little for him. You must get your sword! On the whole, a thing will propagate itself
as it can.’
10. No compulsion in religion.

With which sword was Islam spread? Even if Muslims had it they could not use it to
spread Islam because the Qur’an says in the following verse:

’Let there be no compulsion in religion:

Truth stands out clear from error’
[Al-Qur’an 2:256]

11. Sword of the Intellect.

It is the sword of intellect. The sword that conquers the hearts and minds of people. The
Qur’an says in Surah Nahl, chapter 16 verse 125:

’Invite (all) to the way of thy Lord

with wisdom and beautiful preaching;
and argue with them in ways that are
best and most gracious.’
[Al-Qur’an 16:125]

12. Increase in the world religions from 1934 to 1984.

An article in Reader’s Digest ‘Almanac’, year book 1986, gave the statistics of the
increase of percentage of the major religions of the world in half a century from 1934 to
1984. This article also appeared in ‘The Plain Truth’ magazine. At the top was Islam,
which increased by 235%, and Christianity had increased only by 47%. May one ask,
which war took place in this century which converted millions of people to Islam?

13. Islam is the fastest growing religion in America and Europe.

Today the fastest growing religion in America is Islam. The fastest growing religion in
Europe in Islam. Which sword is forcing people in the West to accept Islam in such
large numbers?

Replying for the question “why the number of Muslims are terrorist?

“Majority of the Muslims who are terrorist because they are victim, you cant expect the
orphan children of’ Afghanistan, Iraq and now Palestine to behave like normal civilian”
 Conclusion
The reason that took this topic there is huge misconception among the people
regarding Islam and Terrorism, like other religions Islam also stand against the terrorism
but people using it to defame it.

Like to replying to my question “Reason you think the terrorism spread its tentacles
throughout the world “ “Politicians all over the world find terrorism very comfortable to get
their demands fulfilled”

And many said today number terrorist are Muslims because they victimize around the
world, and when some of it loose their patient they choose this path.
Mass media research (MMR)

The relation between terrorism and Islam

Musheer khan (9225)

SYBMM
27/7 Lbs marg, Naik nagar sion (west) Mumbai 400022
 Musheer khan(9225) student of SYBMM (2208-2009) has successfully
completed his work “Relationship of terrorism wish Islam” (paper no 01 Mass
media research) Under the guidance of Varsha mam
Acknowledgement
I’m thankful my class mate Arjun and Sandhya, for helping me throughout the
project.

I’m also thankful of Mr. Dr. Zakir Naik for providing me lot information regarding
my subject.

And I’m also thankful of Varsha mam without her the project was impossible
Bibliography
Times of India

Yourdictinary.com

Wikipedia

DNA

Sapt.com
NO Subject Page no
01 Introduction 01

02 Definition of terrorism 01

03 Terrorism in the 20th century 03

04 Different terror Organization across the world 08

05 Questionnaire 17

06 Table and Graph 18

07 Meaning of Jihan 27

08 Interview with Dr Zakir Naik 27

09 Conclusion 28

10 Bibliography 29

# Sample questionnaire in the last#