RADICAL ISLAMIC TERRORISM:
WHAT’S ITS ALL ABOUT?
There is a lot of talk in the news today about Radical Islamic terrorism. But just what is all the controversy about? Are the terrorist’s being extreme or are they actually following what their holy book, the Quran, teaches? Also, we will look at is there a better way to combat the problem than just dropping bombs in the middle east and hoping the problem will go away.
The purpose of the Paper is to look at what radical Islam is, and what we as Christians can do to help Muslims come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. I think that the Church can do more than it is doing now to minister to both the local and international Muslim Community.
Historical Context/Contemporary Overview.
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(Brown, 2016). The latest development is that the President of the United States has issued a travel ban on several countries that have a predominately Muslim population. The resulting cry from the left is that it is a “ban of Muslim’s” but have any of them asked if maybe we should actually take the time to vet the people who want to come to America?
Cherish Character
I think that a large part of the problem is the question is who is the Muslim God, Is he the same god as the god of the Bible? No, he is not the God of the bible commands us to love our enemies. “Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you” (Matthew 5:43-44, KJV), One the other hand, the god of Islam (Allah) says in the Koran “[Remember] when your Lord inspired to the angels, "I am with you, so strengthen those who have believed. I will cast terror into the
The Travel Ban marks a major turning point in the policies on immigration in the United States. Due to increased terrorist attacks and illegal immigrant numbers rising, it is believed that temporarily banning immigrants from particular countries is key to ensuring safety within the United States. Though many have expressed their concern towards the ban because of its similarity to previous discriminatory and unconstitutional acts. The ban has even been referred to as the “Muslim Ban”.
As of today, Christianity and Islam are the world’s two largest and rapidly growing religions. They share an estimated 3.6 billion followers, more than half of the world’s population. Initially the two religions may seem to have nothing in common, but when you go beyond the surface and examine the rituals, beliefs, and founders, as well as the spread of both religions, they share many similarities. In many ways, there is irony in tension between Christianity and Islam, given the extremely similar history and nature of their religions. It is perhaps lost on many people who subscribe to these religions that there is no more truth to one than the other. But when observed from an objective viewpoint it is undeniable that both Christianity and Islam are remarkably similar in origin and ideology. In order to see and understand their similarities, it is important to look back to the birth and rise of both religions.
However, going to extreme measures like banning an entire religion is irrational, illogical and is directly prohibited in the constitution; therefore, this reactive course of action should not be taken. Perhaps more thorough screenings can be conducted and longer wait periods for new entries of Muslim people just to further ensure the nation’s safety, but following more thorough reviews those that pass the screening should be allowed into America to enjoy the freedom it offers. American citizens must understand that there are Muslims terrorists, but there are terrorists of every race, all holding an equal amount of threat towards this great country. Americans and its leadership should not jump to one conclusion and single out one type of people based on their race, religion, or creed. To promote peace and acceptance of all people, will make America great
Throughout this course we have examined many aspects of the Christian and Muslim faiths and many ways they differ but also many ways they are similar. Both Christianity and Islam state the God is the one and only God; however they differ from there where Christianity follows the life of Jesus as the son of God, and Islam follows the word of Muhammad as the last true prophet of God. In Islam faith they see Jesus as a prophet and only a prophet, not the son of God. However I feel that in reading Ali-Karamali’s book The Muslim Next Door was a decent insight into the Islamic faith but was very much just about her view of the religion, which is fine but overall not a complete view.
In Alison M. Jaggar’s paper “What is Terrorism, Why is it Wrong, and Could it Ever be Morally Permissible?”, she takes the topic of terrorism and tries to bring up information about it in a way to where terrorism can be discussed fairly and examined critically. Terrorism has been defined differently by various people, but many have voiced their concerns about this type of violence. Jaggar tried to develop an account (i.e., in-depth definition) of terrorism that would be consistent, precise, and impartial (Jaggar Pg. 205). For an account to be impartial, there must be a separation of the moral assessment of terrorists’ ends from the moral assessment of the ways or strategies used by them (Jaggar Pg. 206). Jaggar’s proposed account of terrorism is as follows: Terrorism is the use of extreme threats or violence designed to intimidate or subjugate governments, groups, or individuals. It is a tactic of coercion intended to promote further ends that in themselves may be good, bad or indifferent. Terrorism may be practiced by governments or international bodies or forces, substate groups or even individuals. It 's threats or violence are aimed directly or immediately at the bodies or belongings of innocent civilians but these are typically terrorists’ secondary targets; the primary targets of terrorists are the governments, groups or individuals that they wish to intimidate. (Jaggar Pg 209) Her description of terrorism is very comprehensive or inclusive. Furthermore, her
Radical Islamists are activists whose main goal is to form an international group of Islamic believers. They are determined to form this group in whatever way they can, even using violence and having mass killings. The United States of America allows them to be radical because of their needs such as, oil. They take teachings from the Qur’an and radicalize them into violence and harsh beliefs, however, the majority of Muslims do not believe in most all of the ways of radical Islamists.
Having once been persecuted for their beliefs, our founding fathers wrote the United States Constitution with the concept of religious freedom functioning as an integral bulwark of the new nation. This value would be easily implemented in an ideal world, but tolerance is a skill we must develop and be conscious of. Driven by fear, recent atrocities committed by a small group of radical Islamists have caused for public opinion to view all Muslims in a negative light. Many believe that the simple solution to protecting the safety of our nation is to stamp out the influence of Islam in America entirely, by banning Muslims from entering our country and eliminating them from the public eye. In theory, conducting religious tests during immigration
The travel ban is an executive order which was put into place by President Donald Trump’s administration on January 27th, 2017. The order was put into place for our national security to “protect the nation from foreign terrorist entry into the United States.” This measure banned travel into the U.S. for 90 days from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen. This obviously sparked an outcry from social media, which caused a divide among Americans. With a show of hands, how many of you think that the travel ban is actually a ban on Muslim refugees and that it is racist. Recent polls show that 57% of Americans favor the temporary ban while 33% are opposed to it, and 10% are still undecided. Racism, fascism, and Islamophobia; these words have all taunted supporters of President Trump and the travel ban. The one thing people don’t realize is that the travel ban isn’t banning Muslims from America. Who in the room can name the top 5 countries with the most Muslims. They are Indonesia, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nigeria. Not one of these countries are listed in the ban. This ban is only for only ninety days, and is aimed at countries who have sent a large contingency of terrorists to the U.S. The countries selected have active terrorist training camps, and Trump is not the individual who selected the countries on the list. These countries are unstable, with no reliable vetting procedures. We shouldn’t admit people until they can meet our security screening standards.
The message of peace is a fundamental universal concern which is relevant throughout our world today. Peace is not merely the ‘absence of war’, but a state of mind in which a sense of tranquillity comes from actively working towards right relationships with individuals and God. To understand the way in which Muslims and Christians view peace it is imperative to understand the source of the teachings for each religion. The principles teachings of peace for Both Christianity and Islam are primarily found in the sacred texts of both religious traditions. Christianity looks to the bible and specifically the New Testament for teachings about peace, whereas Islam focuses’ on the Qur’an and Hadith to guide their beliefs of peace. These sacred
The understanding and interpretations of sacred texts have been the basis for many religious discussions and arguments. From each person practicing a certain religion, they have their own opinions and interpretations that may differ from others. With interpretations of sacred texts, there has also been confusion as to what many word or phrases with the intended meaning of words that have many meanings or could have changed. The religions of Islam and Christianity both are classified as one of the Abrahamic religions or faiths, meaning both traces their ancestral history back to Abraham and are sternly monotheistic. Between these two religions there and many similarities that links together with the characteristics of the Abrahamic religion. Islam and Christianity identifies Jesus as a prophet born through a virgin birth, who would eventually return to earth again. Muslims and Christians hold the belief that God provided humans with a guide for living. And lastly, the idea of sin is very important within both of these religions, however what sin is and how it is handled within each practice is one of the main factors that sets the two apart. Islam believes that Christians interpreted the message of Jesus wrong and therefore the message is corrupt. In this paper I will compare the theological interpretations of the Christian Bible and the Muslim’s Quran. I will argue that these differences between the two interpretations of the Quran and the Bible play a significant role in
In “Images of Jesus Christ in Islam,” Oddbjorn Leirvik warns the reader that one can easily read the Quran with a Christian bias, ignoring historical context (28). Examining the similarities and differences in the Christologies presented in the Bible and the Quran can easily garner such biases. Leirvik brings several issues forth that add perspective to examining the Muslim Jesus in comparison to the Christian Jesus. It is indisputable that each religious tradition is in support and full belief of its own message. Both Christianity and
According to the Wall Street Journal today, the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) has stated that there are up to 1,000 active Islamic State-related investigations in all 50 states in the U.S. The issues and restraints law enforcement are faced with to prevent further Islamic terrorist attacks, such as the recent one in Orlando, calls for a policy change by the American federal government to fully support investigations into possible Islamic terror threats in the United States.
“Christians are being driven from the Middle East in suffering”. With these words, Pope Francis described the religious persecution that Christians in the Middle East are going through. According to reporter Joseph DeCaro of Christian Persecution Magazine, who interviewed a Christian from Iraq, ISIL jihadists “are placing explosives in Christian homes just in case they decide to return”. This is outrageous. One man who came back to his village opened the door to his home and was killed as he entered because it was rigged with booby-traps. These are just of a few of the situations that show that religious persecution is still going on and thriving in the Middle East.
The holy Quran is a collection of the divinely inspired utterances and discourses (Ahmed, 16). It is composed of some 300 pages which are divided into 114 Surahs (chapters). The general tone of the holy Quran is sombre and meditative. It is a dialogue between God and humanity. At the core is a moral earnestness (Ahmed, 16). The Quran also teaches that humanity is created by God and therefore God understands its weaknesses and in Allah humans find the source of peace. Islam’s appeal lay – and – lies in the simplicity: one God, one Book, one Prophet (Ahmed, 17). Islam is a religion of balance, equilibrium, and compassion. The Islamic virtues are courage, generosity, cleanliness, and piety: and in his life the Prophet exemplifies them (Ahmed, 17).
Be it resolved that the United States fully repeals the travel ban due to the discriminatory effects it has on some people. The travel ban is a terrible executive order that was put into place by President Trump on january 27th of 2017. The travel ban was put into place to protect the United States by not allowing any citizen from seven muslim countries to enter. These seven countries are; Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen. These countries were targeted due to supposed risks of these countries harboring extremists groups such as Isis or Al-qaeda. According to the article “Trump's executive order: Who does travel ban affect?,” by BBC News, “ The travel ban suspensions the US refugee program for 120 days, places and indefinite ban on Syrian refugees and suspends all visas of incoming immigrants of the seven banned countries” (BBC News). The seven countries are heavily muslim, however most of the people in these countries are no threat to the United States in any way. Why is the United States completely discriminating the islamic religion when we are founded on the basis of religious freedom. Not everyone who is muslim is a terrorists so why are we punishing a lot of good people for the actions of very few. Most of the terrorist attacks that have happened since 9/11 have been carried out by a U.S citizen, so are we going to start deporting all muslim U.S citizens? The islamic religion is not the problem it's the radicalistic idea that some people