At the Raleigh News and Observer, Seidu Malik provides a pure checkbox view. ISIS and Islamic jihadis aren’t really Muslims? Check. Islam is totally peaceful? Check. Stop being Islamophobes? Check. We need to come together to enact gun control? Check. Oh, and no denunciation of radical Islam? Check
Don’t let San Bernardino massacre divide us
The shocking massacre at San Bernardino that killed 14 innocent souls and wounded 21 people unfortunately adds to the tally of the mass shooting epidemic in the country and must be condemned under no uncertain terms. This time around, the perpetrators were Muslims with links to an ISIS terror group and thus have inflamed the already volatile Islamophobic atmosphere in the country.
There is no denying that the ISIS terror group, using a perverted interpretation of Islam, has caused much misery in the world, most recently in France and with the downing of a Russian passenger jet in Egypt. To blame ISIS’ actions on Islam – which categorically says that “whosoever killed an innocent person, it shall be as if he has killed all mankind†(Quran 5:33) – is against the true principle of fairness.
Except, the problem with that quote is that Islamist do not see infidels and even Muslims who refuse to act in the hardcore manner as “innocent”. Let me throw another quote, directly from Mohammad out there: “I have been sent with a sword to fight people until they say there is no God but Allah.â€Â Sahih Bukhari Volume 1, Book 8, Number 387. He is “the ideal man, the perfect model of conduct.†And, as such, he immediately went on a rampage, waging war, forcing conversion at swordpoint, beheading enemies and raping women.
ISIS is a terror group that thrives on propaganda, fear and intimidation. It is not and will never be an Islamic organization, because its extremist views and actions contradict the Holy Quran, Sunna and Hadith (sayings and practices of prophet Mohammad). It should be viewed as a splinter group jostling for power and dominion in the Middle East.
Is Mohammad un-Islamic? His writings, his founding of Islam, say otherwise.
No religion in the world – be it Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism or Islam – teaches its followers to kill innocent people. Religion does not condone murder, lunacy and extremists’ views and neither does it have monopoly over such things. Therefore, blaming a religion that is followed by billions will only foment hatred and societal disintegration.
Yet, the teachings of Mohammad, and so many Islamic religious leaders, says otherwise. But, hey, we also go the checkbox stating that saying mean things, ie, the truth, about Islam is the problem, not the violence inherent in the system.
According to the mass shooting tracker, there have been 355 mass shooting incidences this year in the country. Interestingly, what is clear is that these incidences span the societal spectrum with the common denominator being mental health issues and easy access to guns.
Huh. Gun control.
We should come together as one to remove all the bottlenecks that might have stopped law enforcement agencies from preventing these mass shootings from occurring rather than lay the blame on Islam, which actually condemns all such violence.
Interestingly, there was no actual condemnation of these Islamic fanatics, as usual.
