Amjed Jaaved

France happened to be a cradle of modern human rights. How come its slogan `life liberty and pursuit of happiness allows it to drag out mosque-goers from inside the mosques. Or insult them in myriad ways. France continues to publish and republish cartoons injuring sentiments of the Muslim community. Some leaders have called for banning Muslim immigration to France.

Islamic jihad (holy war):Long before Islamic jihad, terrorism was a familiar phenomenon in history. The anti-Muslim media exploited the 9/11 incident to tarnish the image of Islam (salammeans peace). Islamicjihadfascinates people more than terrorist outfits such as the Irish Republican Army (IRA), Ku Klux Klan (KKK), Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), and so on.

In the historical context, the term meant different things to different individuals and communities. The oldest terrorists were holy warriors who killed civilians. Recent examples of religious terrorists are Aum Shinrikyo (Japanese), Rabbi Meir Kahane and Baruch Goldstein and Yigal Amir (Jews). The Jewish-controlled media describes Hezbollah and Hamas as religious terrorists. In the first century A.D Palestine, the Jews publicly slit the Romans throats. In the seventh century India, the thugs strangulated gullible passersby to please the Hindu Devi Kali. And in the 19th century, adherents of Narodnaya Volya (Peoples Will) mercilessly killed their pro-Tsar rivals. The term `terrorism became notorious during the French reign of terror in 1793-94.

It is now common to dub ones adversary a terrorist. Doing so forecloses the possibility of political negotiation, and gives the powerful definer the right to eliminate the terrorist.

The non-Muslim writers not only mistranslate the word jihad for qitaal (blood-shed), but also distort the true meaning of Quranic texts by quoting them out of context with ahadith (sayings about Holy Prophet Mohammad life) or peculiar situations to which they relate. The Quran gives a clear instruction that there is no compulsion in religion (2: 256). It states that people will remain different (11: 118), they will always have different religions and ways and this is an unalterable fact (5:48). God tells the Prophet that most people will not believe even if you are eager that they should (12: 103). Quran enjoins wars are to be avoided (Quran 8:61, 47:35; Bukhari 56:112, 156:94:8 Sahih of Muslim).

For one thing, Islamic jihad (Al-Quran 25: 52) does not mean Holy War. That term does not exist in Arabic and its translation into Arabic sounds quite alien. Jihad is always described in the Quran as fi sabil lillah. It can mean argumentation, financial help or actual fighting. The term, which is specifically used for fighting, is qitaal (a compulsion when you are attacked and flushed out of your homes).

Quranic verses were twisted out of context to show that they are incendiary and fan hatred against other communities.

Since 9/11, the world has been fixated on Islam and trying to prove that terrorism was ushered in by Islamic tenets. And, it is a menace to society.

Twisting Quranic texts: Verse 191 Chapter 2 of the Holy Quran is often quoted to argue that Islam is a violent religion. In, God says: And kill them wherever you encounter them and expel them from where they expelled you. Oppression is indeed worse than murder. Do not fight them at the Masjid Al-Haram (Kaaba) unless they fight you therein. If they fight you, then kill them; such is the penalty of the disbelievers. Verse 193 of Chapter 2, God says: And fight them until there is no more oppression and the religion is for God, but if they cease, then no aggression is permitted except against the transgressors.

Situational context: This Verse191 Chapter 2 of the Holy Quran was revealed when Muslims on the Hajj pilgrimage were attacked and killed by the non Muslim Quraysh tribe who had signed a treaty with the Prophet to not attack the pilgrims.

Gita:Verse 193 is no different from what Krishan taught Arjun. How is this any different from Lord Krishna telling Arjun in the Bhagavad Gita to fight as his dharmic duty?

BG 2.33: (O Arjuna! If you do not fight for this religion and turn away from your religion, then you will lose your fame and glory). Surely, Hindus will know the context.

Bible: Deuteronomy 20:1-4: When you go out to war against your enemies, and see horses and chariots and an army larger than your own, you shall not be afraid of them, for the Lord your God is with you, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt. And when you draw near to the battle, the priest shall come forward and speak to the people and shall say to them, Hear, O Israel, today you are drawing near for battle against your enemies: let not your heart faint. Do not fear or panic or be in dread of them, for the Lord your God is he who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies, to give you the victory.

Torah: Torahs verses also speak of genocide and pillage?

Numbers 31:1-10 say: The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, Avenge the Israelite people on the Midianites; then you shall be gathered to your kin. Moses spoke to the people, saying, and Let men be picked out from among you for a campaign, and let them fall upon Midian to wreak the LORDs vengeance on Midian. You shall dispatch on the campaign a thousand from every one of the tribes of Israel. The Israelites took the women and children of the Midianites captive and seized as booty all their beasts, all their herds, and all their wealth. And they destroyed by fire all the towns in which they were settled, and their encampments. *

Hindu holy and unholy wars:The Ramayanas and the Mahabharata wars elucidate various types of yuddha (wars). In ancient India there were three schools of war. Bhishmas school of warfare belonged todharma yuddha(ethical or just war). Two other schools, Brihaspatis and Krishnas school of warfare belonged tokoota yuddha(all-out war) ormaya yuddha(war by tricks or stratagems). There is too much of negative publicity about Islamicjihad(struggle). But, there is little limelight onkoota yuddhain Indias history.Koota yuddhasignifies all-out, no-holds-barred or un-ethical warfare.

Bhishma stressed chivalry and ruled out surprise and deception. But, Brihaspati recommended that the king should attack an enemy only if the enemys strength is one-third of his own (`Udyog Parva). He suggested that the king should never trust the enemy or spare him, no matter how old or virtuous he may be.

Similarly, the keynote of Krishnas military philosophy was `end justifies the means. He laid great stress on deception. `Truth may often have to be sacrificed in pursuit of victory (Karma Parva). He advocated the use of force to defeat the enemy if he was superior in strength or capability (Shalya Parva). The opportunity once wasted never returns (`Shanti Parva).

Even the enlightened Hindu and the military writers believe that Indias prosperity during various periods of history, for example during the Maurya and the Gupta periods, rose or fell pari passu with the rising or fall of military leadership (Major General Rajendra Nath,Military Leadership in India: Vedic Period to Indo-Pak Wars.1990.Lancers Books).

Since partition, the Hindu leaders have put a tab on their innate desire to expose their urge forkoota yuddhawith Pakistan because of political expediency. Indias confidence-building measures did not contribute to the solution of the Kashmir, or Sir Creek issues. They were dilly-dallying tactics to evade a plebiscite in disputed Kashmir. The Congress espoused the cause of secularism to avoid unfettering the polyglot, multi-religious multi-racial genie..

A wake-up call for Pakistan: Pakistan learned nothing from the East-Pakistan debacle (Asghar Khan, Weve learned nothing from history). India is now engaged against Pakistan in what Kautliya calls mayayuddha(war of tricks) orkootayuddha (all-out warfare). She is out to isolate Pakistan, get it dubbed as a terrorist state. Ibn-e-Khaldun says that it is asabia (nationalism) that enables a country to withstand challenges. Toynbees Challenge and Response Theory also reminds us that if challenges are too heavy, a nation becomes apathetic to the environment. Apathy leads to mental degradation, decay and extinction.

Pakistani leaders, including prime-ministers-weres and prime-ministers-to-be, should take off their blinkers and try to understand how India, throughkoota yuddha, hands in glove with like-minded countries, is trying to wreck their economy and country.

Read more:

Jihad in Hinduism, Bible and Torah | KashmirWatch - Kashmir Watch