(Abstract of a talk by Dr.
Benoy B. Paul at the Rotary Club District 7950,
Quincy, MA, USA, August 27, 2002.)
I. Making of the terrorist
Millions of Muslim boys, five years
of age and older, are indoctrinated in Islamic religious schools for a
large part of their child- and young- adulthoods. The intolerance towards
non-Muslims that is taught to them develops deep roots in these early and
crucial years. Tens of thousands of these Islamic religious schools
are present and functional in most countries that have a Muslim population,
such as Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Indonesia, Bangladesh, India, Sudan,
and the sub-Saharan countries.
The curriculum and agenda in these
schools are extremely militant. Muslims schools in Washington D.C., Pittsburgh,
and Toronto have Pakistani Taliban-type curricula. The bulk of financial
backing and support for these religious schools come from Saudi Arabia.
Funds are also collected and sent from practically every corner of the
world. Training in jihad (Islamic holy war) against non-Muslims takes
place in many countries of the world, Pakistan being most prominent, after
the demise of the Taliban regime in Afghanistan. The al- Qaeda terrorist
outfit received most of their professional training from the military intelligence,
ISI, of Pakistan. Militants trained in countries like Pakistan are
dispatched to India, Palestine, Europe, the United States, and practically
all over the world.
In the holy book of Islam, The Qur'an,
the verses are profuse with ideas of intolerance toward those who do not
believe in Allah, and further promotes killing and war against non-believers.
Additionally, The Koran glorifies the act of dying in the name of Allah,
for those who die fighting for Allah will be given a great reward.
As Ibn al-Rawandi states in his
article, "It's not difficult to see how those who regard the Qur'an as
God's own speech can find in verses such as these the justification for
practically any act of terrorism imaginable" From Free Inquiry, Spring
2002, vol. 22 (2), pg. 37.
What we experience as senseless
acts of terror, these militants see as rational and calculated acts in
the name of Allah.
II. The victims of terrorism
All of humankind is directly and
indirectly victimized by militancy and acts of terror. Although the
West, Israel, Afghanistan, and the Indian sub- continent are the primary
targets, we as citizens of the world are all affected by acts of terror.
For example, my country of birth, Bangladesh, has been a fertile ground
for hatred, discrimination, and brutal atrocities against non- Muslims.
The non-Muslim population of East Bengal has gone down from 38% in 1947
to less 21 % in 1971 (when the territory changed name from East Pakistan
to Bangladesh). The trend has continued in Bangladesh, and the non-Muslims
constitute less than 10% of the total population now. The non-Muslim population
of Pakistan, which was West Pakistan until 1971, is less than 2% now. It
was 20% in 1947.
III. What the experts have to say
According to experts in these areas,
such as Dr. Daniel Pipes, Founder and Director of the Middle East Forum,
Philadelphia, PA at least 80% of Muslims in any organization or community,
and most of the Muslim majority countries support and sympathize with terrorists
and their extreme militant thinking.
Dr. Magnus Sanstrop, Professor,
London states that Al Qaeda is present and active in every continent of
the world, and in at least 60 countries. He believes that it will take
multi-country cooperation and commitment, not years but probably decades,
to fight terrorism.
Dr. Bernard Lewis, Professor Emeritus
of Near Eastern Studies at Princeton University, came to similar conclusions
as the experts previously discussed. He is the author of "What Went Wrong?
Western Impact and Middle Eastern Response"
The Gallup Poll, as well as CNN
and Jogby International found that in nine Muslim countries only a very
small percentage of people (5-18%) believe that the Al Qaeda was involved
in the Sept 11 massacre. Far East Economic Review and the Wall Street Journal
report: Be aware of Bangladesh: a cocoon of terror. 251 tapes obtained
by CNN and CBS news show that the terrorists have elaborate plans for hurting
non-Muslims, practically in every region of the world.
IV. What should we do? What can
we do?
We can try to get the facts. While
we should be fair to everyone, we do not need to appease anyone. We should
ask for accountability and solutions regarding terrorism from Muslim religious
and political leaders, for example Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Bangladesh,
etc. If we ignore the problem today, we and our children will suffer for
a long long time. We cannot afford to stand by. Like the fascists
and communists, the militants must not be ignored.
Additionally, we have a responsibility
to ourselves to increase our knowledge of the world around us. In
order to begin to understand what creates and maintains terrorism, and
how we can find a solution, we must first be able to look beyond just our
country, our culture, and ourselves. The only way evil will prevail is
if good people do nothing.
V. For further reading
For further discussion on these
topics, please see Free Inquiry, published by The Council for Secular Humanism.
In particular, the Spring 2002 issue (Vol 22, no. 2) contains a section
dedicated to discourse about Islam, Sept. 11, and terrorism, Islam: Voice
of dissent. There are articles from notable Western and Islamic scholars,
including Muslims and the West after September 11, by Professor Pervez
Hoodboy of Quaid-e-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan.
You can also find them on the web
at: http://www.secularhumanism.org
