J

an. 17, p8

Following 9/11, I joined a group of new Muslims similarly distraught by the event. We were fortunate to have many knowledgeable Islamic leaders participate and enrich our discussions.

Consistently and without exception, the conclusions were the same: Islam is a peaceful faith, which does not condone the use of violence and which does not seek to impose itself upon others.

Perhaps many, myself included, were willing to consign the horror of 9/11 to a handful of deranged souls from a lunatic fringe. But we were wrong, so completely wrong.

Should there be those out there who continue to be confused, let me say: this is not about religion, this is about power, manipulation, greed and self-interest. (By Brandon, Jakarta)

Your comments:

It'€™s about power, manipulation, greed, self-interest and religion.

Ignorance as well as social, political and economic injustice fuel terrorism.

Pesci

One person'€™s greed is driven by manipulation and power. Religion is just a convenient tool.

TC

Terrorism exists because the world is unfair.

Iden

Terrorism arises from a lack of opportunity.  As mankind overpopulates the planet, competition for scarce resources takes place with powerful individuals and groups taking the lion'€™s share. Reducing the world'€™s population is the only long-term solution.

Jagera

The world is not fair. Education and resources are not distributed fairly. So there are a lot of undereducated people who can fall under the spell of political tyrants who use religion to recruit foot soldiers.

Deedee S.

Although education has led to a small reduction in the number of people willing to follow things written in old books, it by no means stops educated tyrants coming to the fore.

After all, George W. Bush claimed God told him to invade Iraq and the leaders of extremist groups are usually educated.

The vast majority of people, educated or uneducated, ignore many things that they find inconvenient in their holy books and are not that easily persuaded by extremes. They would lose too many of their little pleasures if they did.

Children are uneducated yet they often seem to possess more wisdom than adults when confronted with the issues of right and wrong. For them, it'€™s simple.

But many adults get caught up in an intellectual fog where they can'€™t see the wood for the trees because they have so many conflicting and usually manipulative arguments running around inside their heads.

My guess is that a repressed upbringing is far more likely to make people susceptible to extremes than a lack of education.

Fred Frogley

When the root is bitter, automatically, the fruit is bitter. I always hear people say that their religion is perfect, as it offers peace for mankind. Maybe this person has never read his religious book.

B. Iaia

Since a Muslim is supposed to be someone who reads the Koran and learns about God and the fact that all people are the children of God and the Book, I don'€™t see how it is anyone'€™s fault but their own if they can'€™t live by the teachings of their own scriptures.

Alex

Islam literally means peace. It is rahmatul alamin, a gift of God for the whole of nature.

There are Muslims who live up to this ideal.

These are peaceful individuals and they live in harmony with others. This all shows that the article above bears some truth.

What I am not convinced of is the author'€™s contention that violent, brutal acts committed in the name of Islam are not about religion but about power.

Why is this so?

Because the power seized so far is mostly political; or at least, it takes place in the political domain, not to mention the fact that many Muslims who commit violent acts demand state laws to be in line with, or even be substituted by, sharia.

The root of this demand lies in the doctrine of non-separation between the state and religion in Islam.

Abdil