Sunday 15 November 2015

Muslim Imam Response to Paris Terrorist Attacks


If the current attack taking place in France is coordinated by Muslims, it is truly sad.

These last few months have shown us horrific images of what our Palestinian and Syrian brothers and sisters are suffering from. We have seen first hand the devastation that the American and British invasions of Iraq have led to. It is as if most of the Muslim world is besieged and under attack, primarily from Western lands. As the situation exacerbates, inevitably the rising anger from such attacks will circle back. Violence only begets violence.

Putting aside the very dubious Shar'i justifications proposed by radical groups to justify the retaliatory killings of civilians (again, this is supposing that the current attack has taken place at the hands of religious radicals), the Sharia ALSO takes into account the tangible harms that will come out of an action. Even if these groups believed such random killings to be justified (a belief that I do not share), they would also have to look at the consequences of their actions and THEN judge permissibility. This principle, known as 'weighing the harm', is why our Prophet (salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam) refused to order the execution of the worst hypocrite in Madinah, Abdullah b. Ubay b. Salul. Not that his life was sacred - far from it! - but rather that our Prophet (SAW) fully understood that the negative repercussions and damage that the Muslims would suffer as a result of his execution far outweighed the good that might possibly come out of it.

So what possible good will come of these senseless attacks? Since when have ANY attacks in Western lands helped our Palestinian brothers against Israelis? Or our Afghan and Iraqi brothers and sisters against Western invasions? Or the Muslim refugees anywhere in the world?

Rather than help, such attacks will:

1) Increase the resolve of these powers to send even more military might and aid against innocent Muslims around the world

2) Bring about an increase in hate crimes against Muslims in Western lands

3) Increase the paranoia of Islamphobia around the globe

4) Ease the introduction of more and more draconian legislation that unfairly targets Muslims, under the guise of 'safety from terrorists'

5) Curb more and more speech and dissent that is technically legal

6) Turn the tide against accepting Muslim refugees from Syria and other war-torn zones
...and many, many, many more harms.

The fact of that matter is that I cannot see a single tangible positive that the tactics of such groups bring (again, with the caveat that this attack in France is coming from such groups). Yet, the harms from such attacks only increases as a result, and the consequences are that the 'War Against Terror' is bolstered, leading to a war of terror.

And the saddest fact of all? That neither side seems to understand what they are doing will only increase the desperation and violence of the other side. No one learns from history. We are locked in a vicious cycle, from which unfortunately no easy way out is evident
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