MA DISSERTATION

An evaluation of the western criticism of members of Muslim community in Britain

: a case study of 7/7.

BY
DAUDA OLUSHOLA MUHEEBDEEN

A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE MUSLIM COLLEGE, LONDON,

UNITED Kingdom

IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENT FOR THE

AWARD OF THE DEGREE OF MASTERs of Arts in Islamic studies

NOVERMBER, 2009

Certification page
I CERTIFY THAT THIS IS MY OWN WORK. I HAVE INDICATED BY THE USE OF QUOTATION WHE
RE I USED THE WORDS OF OTHERS AND PROVIDED REFERENCES AND BIBLIOGRAPHY OF ALL BO
OKS AND OTHER Relevant MATERIALS THAT I LAID MY HANDS ON IN PREPARING THIS LONG
ESSAY.

SIGNATURE:

DATE:

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTs
All praises and thanks are due to God, the lord of all that exists; who has sent
His Messenger Muhammad with guidance and the religion of truth [Islam]. “O` Allah
: Grant your best blessings and mercy on our noble Prophet Muhammad and on his p
rogeny, companions and all those who followed him with excellence”.
First and foremost, I am most grateful to God for His mercies, without which not
hing is possible. He has been the one that gives me the courage and wisdom neede
d in my career, as well as given me the opportunity to complete this research wo
rk at Masters’ level.
I would like to express my gratitude to my able supervisor, Professor Ali Hamid
the Principal of Muslim College London, and Dr Ibrahim Derwesh for his intellect
ual advice and criticism that made this research a successful one.
I express my gratitude to my mentor and father, Professor D.O.S Noibi, who inspi
red this work and a role model indeed. May Allah preserve his life and give him
good health. Equally, a special appreciation goes to my sponsors, Engr. Wasiu Ad
eleke, the Executive Director of Twab Nigeria Limited, and Honourable Sodiq Abay
omi of Lagos House of Assembly.
My special thanks also go to Dr. Faisal Hameed, the Research Co-ordinator and ot
her staff of the Muslim College both teaching and non- teaching staff, Dr Ibrahi
m Derwesh., Dr Ismaheel., Dr. Muhammad, and our indefatigable Mother, Alia Arnel
. Also my appreciations go to my school fathers and mothers: Sheikh Taiwo. A. Ha
mbali, Alhaj Lateef Ayinde, Mr and Mrs Lapite, and Mr and Mrs Yusuph.
There is no encouragement greater than the affection of friends and family membe
rs. I, therefore place on record my appreciation of the following: Mr and Mrs. A
debolu Adewoyin, Dr Hakeem Ajongbadi, Mr Joshua, Hajj Abiodun Kazeem, Lawyer Sah
eed Sodiq, Lawyer Fatai- Dove Solicitor, Bro. Badirudeen, Mr Bello, Mr Razaq (my
good ally), Mohammed Samani, and Ademola Surajudeen.
I am highly indebted to my loving parents, Khalefah Dauda Ishola Alasia and Alha
ja Khadijah Kubrah Dauda Alasia. I remain forever grateful to them.
Finally, I am grateful to my external supervisor. Prof. Badurin Moshood, Head of
School of Law, SOAS University of London, and Dr Raymond Ogunade, Assistant Dir
ector (Operations), Centre for International Education, University of Ilorin, Ni
geria.
May Allah help and guide you all in your endeavours. I am extremely grateful to
you.
ABSTRACT
After 7/7, there was a concern that some individuals could exploit the religious
background of the bombers as an excuse for racist attacks and abuses against me
mbers of Muslim communities in British. The report confirms that in the immediat
e period after the attacks there was a temporary and disturbing increase in susp
icion, discrimination, criticism and faith hate crimes across the UK. Understand
ably, this made British Muslims feel vulnerable and fear for their safety. The s
trong stand taken by political and Muslim community leaders both in condemning t
he attacks and defending the legitimate rights of Muslims saw a swift reduction
in such incidents. As a result of the strong stand by Muslim political, Islamic
scholar and community leaders there was a largely positive response from the med
ia across the UK. In addition, Muslim community leaders reacted immediately and
unequivocally by condemning the bombers. These factors together were decisive in
countering incidents and prejudice against minorities, and preventing a trend o
f incidents and attacks from taking shape. The real test will be whether this in
itial encouraging response translates into effective long-term action that addre
sses the wider questions posed in the aftermath of the London events. How to str
engthen cohesion and integration in the diverse Britain societies, and how to co
unter the marginalisation and discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity, re
ligion and belief in the United Kingdom is the attempt made in this project.
 TABLE OF CONTENT

Title Page.................................................................
..................................
Certification Page.........................................................
................................
Acknowledgments............................................................
...........................
Abstract...................................................................
...................................

CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION.

1.1. Background to the study.................................................

......................... ..
1.2. Aims of the study.......................................................
............................
1.3. Objectives of the study.................................................
............................
1.4. The Rationale of the study..............................................
............................
1.5. Literature Review.......................................................
................................
1.6. Structure of Dissertation...............................................
.............................
1.7. Research Methodology....................................................
..........................

CHAPTER TWO: JIHAD OVERVIEW

2.0. Introduction............................................................
....................................
2.1. Jihad...................................................................
........................................
2.2. Misconception of Jihad..................................................
............................
2.3. Misuse of Jihad.........................................................
.................................
2.4. Conclusion...............................................................
.................................
CHAPTER THREE: terrorism THE GLOBAL THREAT
3.0. Introduction...............................................................
...........................
3.1. Terrorism in Diverse Perspective...........................................
...............
3.2. Tracing the Cause of Terrorism.............................................
..............
3.2.1. Fundamentalism and Extremism.............................................
.........
3.2.2. Suicide and Martyrdom....................................................
.................
3.3. Conclusion.................................................................
...........................

CHAPTER FOUR: the impact of 7/7 on Muslims in Britain

4.0. Introduction...............................................................
.......................
4.1. The Britain Terrorists Attacks: An Overview of 7/7
4.2.7/7: Britain Reaction and Counterterrorism Strategy.........................
....
4.3.7/7: The Effect on Muslims in Britain.......................................
......
4.3.1. CCTV Surveillance.....................................................
..............
4.3.2. Stop and Search.......................................................
...............
4.3.3. Immigration Agency....................................................
............
4.4. 7/7: The Response of Muslims in Britain....................................
.......
4.5. Conclusion.................................................................
....................
Chapter Five: conclusion
5.0. Summary....................................................................
.........................
5.1. Conclusion.................................................................
..........................
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Chapter one: introduction
1.1 Background to the study
July 7th 2005, will remain in the memories of Britain because of the terrorist
violent attack against London, UK. Bombings occurred on both the underground and
over ground in Britain. The attention of many Londoners, both policy-makers and
the ordinary citizens, even the foreigners has been captured by a vision of Isl
am that appears to be militant, reactionary, violent and terrorist. Without wast
ing time, the government continued to hone its response to terrorism under the U
K’s anti-terrorist legislation of its "CONTEST" Counterterrorism Strategy.
The Home Secretary has railed against the fear of civil libertarians, by opened
conference calling on participants to confront radical ideology that contends t
hat being British and Muslim are incompatible. But they failed to respond to cri
ticism of the government’s airy-fairy definition of terrorism. With this specific
reference to instances of terrorism on mainland of UK, the British State s recor
d of honestly and justly bringing the perpetrators of terrorist attacks to justi
ce is shockingly poor.
The bombings provoked a wave of Islamophobic attacks across the country, includi
ng attacks on mosques, assaults on Muslims, anti-Muslim graffiti and, for exampl
e, the murder of a Muslim man in Nottingham. Along the line, the Muslim safety F
orum [MSF] a coalition of Muslim groups, issued a press release that announced e
xamples of the backlash: ‘Arson, Bomb Hoaxes, Criminal Damages, Graffiti, Assault,
Abuse and Threats.
In addition, the Britain new arrangements, accompanied by increased surveillance
measures for the police and intelligence agencies, allow the state to monitor a
nd focus on Muslim than any other minority group in UK. To date, and despite the
release of CCTV footage purporting to be from the day of 7 July 2005, not one p
iece of evidence has been released to the public that could be legitimately used
to convict someone in a court of law for what happened, yet the government stil
l has no plan to organise an Independent Public Inquiry.
There are a series of cases of stop and search of Muslim in UK, and several issu
es have been recalled for many Foreign Muslim scholars and missionaries who face
a lot of delay or even deportation at the Immigration Unit at the UK Borders. E
ven mere bearing of Muslim names and dressing sometimes subjects them to act of
suspicion, criticism and are labelled as terrorists.
However, the basic teaching of Islam is to eliminate all sorts of immorality, in
decency, ethnocentric behaviours, egoism, discrimination and racism in the globa
l community. Islam should not be seen as a religion of threat, war and terrorism
. Islam is way of life. As such it encompasses all aspects of life be it: religi
ous, political, and cultural etc. The very word ‘Islam’ means peace in Arabic. It i
s the path revealed to human beings with the intention of presenting a peaceable
life through which the infinite compassion and mercy of God manifest on earth.
According to the glorious Qur’an:
O ye who believe; enter into Islam wholeheartedly; and follow not the footsteps
of the evil one. (Q2:208)
For Muslims, the Holy Qur’an and the Sunnah constitute the primary sources of know
ledge. It confirms what was revealed to earlier messengers of God and serves as
the criterion of what is right and wrong. In Islamic societies, the Sunnah const
itutes the second most important source of jurisprudence after the Qur’an. The mos
t difficult part of Islamic Law for most westerners to grasp is that there is no
separation of religion and state. The religion and the government are one. Isla
mic Law is controlled, ruled and regulated by Islam - the theocratic control of
all public and private matters. Government, law and Religion are one. There are
varying degrees of this concept in many nations, but all laws, government and ci
vil authorities rest upon it and it is a part of Islamic religion. There are civ
il laws in Muslim nations for Muslim and non-Muslim people, who is referred to a
s the Shar’iah and is based on the Qur’an and the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad (PB
UH), and it governs all aspects of personal and collective life of the people.
Religion commands love, mercy and peace. Terrorism, on the other hand, is the op
posite of religion; it is cruel, merciless and it demands bloodshed and misery.
This being the case, while looking for the perpetrators of a terrorist act, its
origins should be sought in disbelief rather than in religion.
For this reason, "Islamic Terrorism" is quite an erroneous concept which contrad
icts Islamic message. This is because the religion of Islam can by no means conc
ur with terrorism. On the contrary, "terrorism" (i.e. murders committed against
innocent people) in Islam is a great sin and Muslims are responsible for prevent
ing these acts.
While Jihad is the striving to the path of Allah, the struggle with the conscien
ce over the right course of action . But the truth lies far beyond these specula
tions. The delicate blur between ‘Jihad’ and terror acts has been a phenomenon that
has resulted from those unqualified in the science of arced law and Islamic law.
The man seeking the real teaching of Islam must approach Muslim scholar who kno
ws the laws of Islamic religion.
Islam lay emphasis on the peaceful co-existence in Islam and does believe in div
ersity, multi-culture and pluralism. Islam rejects the notion that God is biased
or partial to a particular race or tribe, and that His Mercy is locked up to a
certain group. Allah says,
O mankind! Lo! We have created you male and female, and have made you nations an
d tribes so that you may know one another. Lo! The noblest of you, in the sight
of Allah, is the best in conduct. Lo! Allah is Knower, Aware. (Q49:14)
With such profound statements in the Qur’an, Islam was able to wipe out age-old et
hnocentric notions of superficial superiority and exclusive nobleness of humanki
nd. Challenging the claims of the egocentric people who claimed that none shall
enter paradise unless he belongs to their race and ethnicity, the Qur’an says: Br
ing your proof if you are truthful (Q2:111). As to the true criteria for such
a qualification, the Qur’an proclaims:
Nay, but whosoever submits himself to Allah and he is a doer of good, for him th
ere shall be his reward with his Lord, on such shall be no fear nor shall they g
rieve.
However, in this study, I contacted academics, Journalists, lawyers, activists,
travellers, marketers and Imams.
This dissertation, contain five chapters including summary and conclusion, is no
t intended as a comprehensive coverage of all topic on event. Rather, it sets ou
t to provide an accessible and detailed account of the implications of the respo
nses and reaction to7/7 and its aftermath, as well as the outcome or the justifi
cation of the anti-terrorism legislation schemes against the Muslims in UK. This
researched closely observed the political accounts briefly with my personal exp
eriences.

1.2. THE AIMS OF THE study

The aims of this research work is to critically evaluate the 7/7event and its ef
fect of suspicious, discrimination and criticism on Muslims in Britain and how i
t lead to raise awareness of dissemination of Islamic message across the Britain
.
1.3 The main Objectives OF THE study:
To critically access the overview of terrorism from Islamic point of view;
To critically evaluate the understanding of Jihad from the Western and Islamic p
erspectives;
 To evaluate the reaction of UK government over 7/7 toward the Muslims in Britain
;
To critically demonstrate the real message of Jihad from the Islamic perspective
;
To critically investigate and distinguish the Islamic concept of Fundamentalism
from Extremism and Martyr from Suicide;
To evaluate the responses and contributions of Muslim organisations towards coun
terterrorism in Britain.
1.4 The Rationale for the Study
This work is an attempt to critically evaluate the 7/7event and its effect of su
spicion, discrimination and criticism of Muslims in Britain and how it could lea
d to proper understanding of Islam across Britain. After choosing the research t
opic, there was a concern that what should be our research questions, and of how
to raise awareness of the Islamic message and how it could prevent the error of
suspicion and criticism on members of the Muslim Community in Britain. Therefor
e, some of the theories and ideas of Muslim experts have been considering the im
portance that public opinion and Islamic dissemination can create a conducive an
d safety society. So, this dissertation will focus on the 7/7 event and its effe
ct of suspicious and criticism on members of Muslim in Britain.

1.5 LITERATURE REVIEW

Kudos should be given to the institution of contemporary scholars
of Islamic thought. Their writings have been educative to the generality of the
society in both academic and lay terrains. Among these works are some that cent
res essentially on Islam, Jihad and Terrorism. To some extent, literatures on th
e impact and effect of 7/7 on suspicion, discrimination, deputation, stop and se
arch and denial of visa to Muslim immigrants to Britain, that concern the areas
of my study have not yet been discussed. By consulting the previous works in thi
s field I realize that, there are a lot of flaws and deficiencies that needs to
be addressed. I found some research work done on the topics such as, The Radical
ization of Islam in Britain, Just War, Jihad and Terrorism, Unholy War and The
London Bombings, Islam and Many More. But I realize that there is not much work
done, matching the areas of my topic and research questions, especially not much
attention specifically on the effect of 7/7 and UK government reaction against
the Muslim in Britain.
However, George (2001) explains the historical struggle between Islam and the We
stern Country. In recent study, Esposito (2008) exploring the place of religion
in secular society. Suleiman Adam (2008) substantiates the comparison of Western
and Islamic norms for the use of political violence. Another distinctive view o
f Esposito (2002) pointed out the political violence across the country is unhol
y War that is terror in the name Islam. On this trend Milan Ral (2006) investiga
te the 7/7 London bombings, Islam and the Iraq War. Furthermore, McCoy (2006) an
alyse the radicalization of Islam in Britain. In another study, Sitimekah (2006)
investigate the significant of interfaith dialogue on faith hate crime after 7/
7 London bomb blast 2005. Yet, the criticism, suspicion and discrimination have
not yet been given adequate attention, this will be critical justified in this
research work.
1.6 STRUCTURE OF DISSERTATON
Nevertheless, the study shed some light on the effect of 7/7 and UK government r
eaction towards the Muslims in Britain in the background, the Aim and Objective,
the Rationale of the research in chapter -1.
The work also reviews some of the literatures which investigate the incident and
the characteristic of 7/7 and Terrorism. However, this dissertation is organize
d as follows: Chapter 2 provides an overview of Jihad as a concept, as well as t
he misconception and misuse of the word Jihad. Chapter 3 reports and investigate
s the diverse perspective of Terrorism, the causes and the measure of terrorism
incidences are also reported in this section. Chapter 4 highlight, evaluate and
analyse the impact and effect of 7/7 on suspicion, discrimination, deputation, c
riticism, stop and search and denial of visa to Muslims into Britain. Summary an
d conclusion are discussed in Chapter 5.
1.7 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
For the purpose of achieving the set objectives of the research question, we wil
l present here the methodology which we adopted for answering our research quest
ion, which we have formulated and will be presented in 1st chapter. The methodol
ogical approach of this study will make use of two case data strategies for cond
ucting the research, as sources of evidence: [1] Primary data collection, and [2
] secondary data collection.
Data Collection:
For answering our research question, we rely much on secondary data for empirica
l and theoretical findings. We adopted an exploratory approach to our research b
ecause the research question is such that need a qualitative approach and to whi
ch there is no specific answer. However, primary data might not fully be used du
e to time constraints and difficulty in getting significant information from peo
ple because of security risk.
We obtained the secondary data which is the theoretical approach with inputs fr
om different disciplines, which deal with the subject matter, including literatu
re, mainly books, article, published journals, internet, seminars, conferences,
official website of religion and globalisation and considered some internal repo
rts of the state of the nation and religion dialogues and some related issues .
Secondary Data:
Secondary data is not only useful for information to solving resea
rch problems but also helps to better understand the criticism. It is mainly obt
ained from books, articles, published journals and web sources. There are many a
dvantages of using secondary data like good quality and reliability, saving time
and money. “Begin with secondary data, and only when they are exhausted, proceed
with primary data.”

CHAPTER TWO: JIHAD: AN OVERVIEW

2.0 INTRODUCTION
In the wake of the attacks of 7/7 London, the attention of many Londoners, both
policy-makers and the ordinary citizens, even the foreigners have been captured
by a vision of Islam that appears to be militant, reactionary, jihadist and viol
ent. Too often this face of Islam is the only face that many in the UK actually
perceive Islam as religion of Jihad synonymous to terrorism or Holy War. The pig
eonholing of the term and its range of meaning does a disservice and often leads
to misunderstanding of Jihad conceptualization in the world today.
The Medieval and modern commentators have examined Qur’an verses and the sayings a
nd practices of Muhammad, and they’ve also try to extrapolate the circumstances th
at justify the root of jihad as violence in an Islamic tradition, or even in the
 Qur’an. Their questions have reflected the different times and places in which th
ey have asked. Historical questions have included whether jihad is an individual
or collective obligation, whether jihad as war can be waged against Islamic rul
ers, and whether jihad is a defensive war, to be waged when Islamic rule or Isla
m is under attack?
Similarly, in the western world, it has been asked whether jihad can be justifia
bly waged against Western imperialism in predominantly Islamic areas (Asia and t
he Middle East), or as part of a national liberation movement. The word violent
jihadist named by the western, those who claim their violence from religiously
motivated and legitimate in itself crucial, but does not preclude what Islam is
all about or their motive and agenda. Interestingly, however, the jihadists in t
heir endeavour to root their wrath in the Qur’an are introducing some obvious reli
gious innovations. Whatsoever, the complexity of the debate or questions among t
he westerners and scholars may be, two points are clear: Jihad is not one of the
five pillars of Islam and it is therefore a collective duty , under given circu
mstances? But the practicability of both can be regarded as part of Jihad that i
s striving to the good path of Allah.
As a matter of fact, the highest degree of Jihad in Islam is when a person is ma
king struggle against himself. He should not allow himself to commit any crime,
any assault, or any type of ill doing against the law, the society or the enviro
nment at large. A Muslim who already submitted himself and his loyalty to God (T
he Creator of the Universe) has to try his best to control his ego, his lusts, a
nd his selfishness. He should be humble, amicable, and friendly to all irrespect
ive of colour, nationality, ethnic background, gender, language, creed, position
and religion. .
In addition, person who walks and behaves like an angel on this planet. He is to
take care of poor, the needy, those who are out of jobs, and those who are home
less. He is to sacrifice his time, money, knowledge, wisdom, effort, energy and
all other capacities in order to please Allah, and harmony among themselves. Th
is is considered in the Book of Allah [Qur’an] as a true Jihad.
Anyone who makes Jihad against himself is to be rewarded by God in this world a
nd in the hereafter. One has to make sure that while he is making Jihad against
himself; his intention should be for the love of Allah, and for the sake of maki
ng people happy, healthy and safe. He should never brag about his sacrifices; an
d he should never exploit people at all. Therefore, Jihad is not a war to force
the faith on others, as some people may think. It should never be interpreted a
s a way of compulsion of the belief on others.
Muslims themselves disagree on what jihad is supposed to mean. Many modernists i
n the West deny that it has anything to do with violence. The Council on America
n-Islamic Relations, a Washington-based group, asserts that jihad does not mean ‘h
oly war’. Instead, jihad is “a central and broad Islamic concept that includes the s
truggle to improve the quality of life in society, struggle in the battlefield f
or self-defence or fighting against tyranny or oppression”. This will be critical
looked into in the following topic.
2.2 Jihad
Suffice it to say that the Islamic concept of “jihad” and its Islamic content, it ca
n refer to everything from striving which means to strive for a better way of li
fe, in keeping a better Islamic precepts. Other nouns are Juhd, Mujahid, Jihad,
and Ijthad . It emphasizes human struggle for progress, to lead a good life, to
make society more moral and better, and to spread Islam through preaching, teach
ing, or armed struggle . Jihad is a basic Qur’anic concept that derives from the r
oot-word Jahada meaning striving or making an effort. The other meanings are en
deavour, strain, exertion, effort, diligence, and fighting to defend one’s life, l
and and religion. It appears in the Qur’an, the Islam s holy book, and in other au
thoritative materials to which Muslims refer. There is no consensus among all Mu
slims about the exact definition of jihad. However, there is wide agreement that
, there are two kinds of jihad: internal and external. The highest form of jiha
d in Islam jihad al Akbar regards as internal is against one’s own shortcomings an
d weaknesses. It is an ongoing struggle to make one s self better in everyday li
fe in ethical accordance with God s precept. While the external that is jihad al
-asghar is struggle against socials ills and injustice in any part of world both
Muslim and non-Muslim country. This striving can include.1 A personal struggle
within one s self to submit to Allah, fight evil within one s self, against evil
, injustice and oppression within one s self, family and society achieve higher
spiritual, moral, social and educational standards. 2 Jihad against all that pre
vents Muslims from servitude to God (Allah) people from knowing Islam defence of
Muslim society (country) retribution against tyranny.
According to many people in the west equated Jihad, with holy war. Wearers, Jiha
d has classified by Islamic scholar as jihad al Akbar, the Great War of evil imp
ulses, which each Muslim believer must wage inside himself against defects, igno
rance, visible enemy and devil. The “lesser holy war” al-jihad-al-sagir involve figh
t, is led against those who brings violence and anger into the world, who deny b
elief and truth, who introduce lie, cruelty and intolerance, who aim at oppressi
ng the peoples, at depriving them of their freedom.
Jihad is always war against all acts of indecency, egoism, evil and violence. Th
e sectarians-fanatics completely overturn this concept, proclaiming the so-calle
d “jihad” against everyone who disagrees with them in the whole world. This has no a
ny relation at all to Islam and nothing to do with warfare. Islam allows using a
ttack only as a means of last resort, and only against those who clearly showed
their evil intents, and this means aggressors, rapists, killers. In all the rema
ining cases, the shari’ah calls for indulgence and exhortation.
In the Qur an, however, and even in later Muslim usage, the term jihad is usuall
y followed by the expression fi- sabil- llah, which means "in the path of God."
The description of violence against the enemies of the Muslim community as regar
d to jihad fi sabil llah gave a sacred meaning to strive in the course of Allah.
The Hadith is a collection of reports of sayings and actions of Muhammad, and it
follows the Qur an as the most important source of Islamic law. In some of Hadi
th collections, jihad in some occasion refers to armed action. As an example, t
here are nearly 200 references to jihad in the most standard collection of Hadit
h, Sahih al-Bukhari, and all assume that jihad means warfare.
It is not surprising, then, that the majority of classical theologians, jurists,
and traditionalists understand jihad in a military sense. Contrary to popular p
erception, jihad is not about forced conversions. It certainly may have filled t
hat role early on, when Islam was first try to defending the sustainable and sta
bility against the enemy of Islam, but that hasn t been the case for a very long
time. It is instead a political goal: bringing as much of the world under the c
ontrol of Islam as is possible. This then allows for the fulfilment of two other
goals: promoting Islam among non-Muslims and establishing a just political and
social order (only possible under Islam).
But the root meaning of jihad simply refers to "effort," and that sense of the w
ord never entirely disappeared. Thus, it is not unreasonable to point to jihad a
s involving both inward struggle (directed against evil in oneself) and also an
outward one (against injustice in society or the world generally).
A Hadith expounds upon this understanding by recounting how Muhammad, returning
from a victorious battle, told others that "We have returned from the lesser jih
ad al-jihad al-asghar to the greater jihad al-jihad al-akbar. When asked what th
is "greater jihad" could be in relation to the battle just fought, he informed t
hem that it was the struggle "against oneself."
Of course, it must be noted that this particular Hadith does not appear in any o
f the authoritative collections, and even with the idea that the "greater jihad"
is against internal evil, it nevertheless remains true that the battle against
external evil remains a valid form of jihad. This Hadith has, however, been ver
y influential among Sufi mystics through the centuries. The next chapter will il
lustrate the three paths of jihad, as fellow:
2.I.1 THE INITIATING AND LIBERATING JIHAd
In every society, the people have the right to be able to hear the talks of thos
e who invite them towards the path of Truth, and possess freedom to accept their
 invitation. But if some individuals desire to deprive them of their legitimate
right and inhibit them from hearing the talks and becoming unfettered from thei
r mental and social captivity and slavery, the followers of these divine program
mes possess the right to utilize every means at their disposal in order to achie
ve this freedom, and it is here that the necessity of the Initiating Jihad in Is
lam and other divine religions becomes manifest. Similarly, if some individuals
were to compel the believers to revert to their original religion, every means c
ould be employed for repelling such compulsions too.
2.1.2 THE DEFENSIVE JIHAD
There are lot of sudden situation whereby a battle is imposed upon an individual
or a group of team such that they find themselves the object of a calculated an
d result to unexpected attack. In such an occasion, all divine rule and man-mad
e laws permit the persons or a group to defend and employ every available means
to protect themselves and their vicinity from danger. This kind of jihad is refe
rred to as the defensive jihad [Al-jihad al-Dafa’ah], this can be referred as bat
tles of Ahzaab, Had, Mautah, Qurayzah, Khaybar, Al-Nadir, Tabuk, Qaynuqa and Hun
ayn, and some other Islamic battles are examples of this category of jihad whic
h were defensive in nature.

2.2.3 JIHAD FOR THE ERADICATION OF POLYTHEISM AND IDOLATRY

Although Islam invites the people to select their religion as the last and the m
ost exalted of all religions, nonetheless, it also respects the freedom of belie
f and it is for this reason it grants the communities, who possess Divine books,
sufficient opportunity, thus, after study and reflection, they may accept the r
eligion of Islam. But if they do not do so it looks upon them as a minor confed
erate and by placing some specific conditions, which are neither intricate nor d
ifficult, endeavours to have a peaceful co-existence with them.
2.2 Misconception and Misuse of Jihad
The contemporary situations have made an ill reputation on the Islamic culture,
especially the word Jihad in particular. The people, who fully misunderstood the
way of Islam, are trying to construct unimaginable and unacceptable views and i
deals about this religion. But the truth lies far beyond their imagination. The
delicate blur between ‘Jihad’ and terror acts has been a phenomenon that has resulte
d from those unqualified in the science of globalization.
A very formidable misconception prevails with regards to the concept of jihad in
Islam, by assuming that the word Jihad is supposed to be synonymous with war; a
nd even some of the respected research scholars of Europe have not taken the pai
ns to consult any dictionary of the Arabic language, or to refer to the Quran, t
o find out the true meaning of the words, prior jump into conclusion of their fa
llacious idea. For example of widespread misconception about fame scholar knows
as A.J. Wensinck, when preparing his concordance of Hadith, referring to jihad a
s the word war, as if the two were synonymous terms.
In another narration goes further, beginning the article on jihad thus: “The sprea
d of Islam by arms is a religious duty upon the Muslims in General;” as if jihad m
eant not only war but war under-taken for the propagation of Islam. Klein also m
akes a similar statement: “Jihad. The fighting against the unbelievers with the ob
ject of either winning them over to Islam, or subduing and exterminating them in
case they refuse to become Muslims and the causing Islam to spread and triumph
over all religions is considered the sacred duty of the Muslim nations.” If any of
these learned scholars had consulted an ordinary dictionary of the Arabic langu
age, he could never have made such a glaring misstatement and blunder.
The word Jihad is ability, exertion or power, while muhajid means the exerting o
f one’s power in repelling the enemy. The same authority then goes on to say: “Jihad
is of three kinds; viz., the carrying on of a struggle: 1. against a visible en
emy, 2. against the devil, and 3. against self (nafs).” According to another autho
rity, Jihad means fighting with unbelievers and that is an intensive form (mubal
aghah), and exerting one’s self to the extent of one’s ability and power whether it
is by word (qual) or deed (fi’l). A third authority gives the following significan
ce: Jihad, in form, Noun, Of jahada, properly signifies the using or exerting of
one’s utmost power, efforts, endeavours or ability, in contending with an object
of disapprobation. Jihad is therefore far from being synonymous with war, while
the meaning of “war undertaken for the propagation of Islam,” which is supposed by E
uropean writers to be the significance of jihad, is unknown equally to the Arabi
c language and the teachings of the Quran. This world, which is presently sowing
the seeds of doubt in an uncertainty in relations between the Muslims and the n
on-Muslims, is that of ‘Jihad’. ‘Jihad’ is today portrayed as if every Muslim has clung
onto a sword waiting to put to it every non-Muslim
who comes his way. As a result ‘Jihad’ is now levelled with ‘terrorism’ and also as Hol
y War whereas Jihad is of legal status while terrorism is otherwise.
The term "terrorism" does not exist in the Qur an or the teachings of the Prophe
t Muhammad.[pbuh] If the terms "terrorist or terrorism" are derived from a verb
used in the Qur an, such as:
The punishment of those who wage war against Allah and His messenger, and strive
with might and main for mischief through the land....
Such as: describing a "Muslim s" terrorist acts, it is in condemnation and presc
ribes most severe punishment. Islam is a religion and a way of life that does no
t separate politics from religion. Islam is a religion of mercy, unity and most
importantly peace with one s self and others, to defend not to fight. Allah said
in His Book the Qur an:
"God does not forbid you from showing kindness and dealing justly with those who
have not fought you about religion and have not driven you out of your homes, t
hat you should show the kindness and deal justly with them. God loves just deale
rs."
Islam respects all humans and faiths as long as there is no religious oppression
, forbidding Muslims from serving God, preventing others from learning about Isl
am, and not respecting treaties.
If the circumstances come for war that is the [Jihad asgharu] it must be perform
ed according to Islamic rules and regulations and only for the sake or in the se
rvice of God. The physical or military Jihad must be called by a Muslim authorit
y, such as, a president or head of a Muslim country after due consultations for
the peace with the learned leadership. Not every non-Muslim will be targeted wit
h Jihad, rather it will be those who constantly come up against the Muslims and
fight against them: Qur’an ordered:
Fight in the cause of God against those who fight you, but do not begin aggressi
on for God loves not aggressors."
This verse restricts one from transgressing limits. What is it that is meant by
“Do not transgress limits”? Firstly, withhold you might from those who avoid fighti
ng against you. Secondly, if matters do come down to Jihad then adhere to the b
asic rules of war by sparing women, children, elderly, religious leaders, the ex
cused and those who have sat back from partaking in the campaign of war.
2.4 Conclusion
The term jihad means to exert or to strive in the path of God. It does not mea
n holy war . It should be emphasized that there is no concept of holy war in
Islam. Holy war was a term associated with the Christian Crusades which seeped
into medieval European literature as it maligned and vilified Islam. It is true
that from the early days of Islam, striving or struggling against an aggressor
or oppressor on the battlefield was regarded as among types of jihad. But jihad
also meant right at the outset striving to live according to the will of God. Th
us, the struggle of a human being to lead an honest life would be a jihad just a
s a government s endeavour to eradicate corruption would be a jihad.
Seen in this light it is understandable why the Prophet Muhammad described striv
ing against one s own lust as "the greater jihad" compared to victory in war whi
ch to him was "the lesser jihad". This clarification of the meaning of jihad tel
ls us something about Islam s attitude towards violence. War is permissible only
if the purpose is to repel aggression or to end oppressor. While defending ones
elf in the face of aggression and oppression is legitimate from a Qur’an perspecti
ve, the religion is also clear about the limits that one should observe in war.
The Prophet Muhammad had commanded that those who are not combatants in a battle
should not be harmed in any way. Children, women, the old and the infirm should
be spared in a war, however just the cause may be. Even animals and plants and
any house of worship should be protected. It is out of Islamic that some Muslims
in the name of fighting oppression deliberately target civilians. Through this
context that some called suicide bombers have brought disrepute to Islam. They
have tarnished the moral integrity of their cause. In which the detail will be
given attention in the finding and data analyses.

CHAPTER THREE: TERRORISM THE GLOBAL THREAT

3.0 INTRODUCTION
Terrorism has a very long pedigree, however after the September 11, 2001, and 7/
7 attacks in 2005, has led to unflinching unity between the U.S and United kingd
om, to combat against the act of extremism and terrorism. Terrorism has gained
global prominence in both private and international discourse. Since then, the c
oncept of terrorism became so controversial and volatile that scholars, policy-m
akers and the practitioners are diametrically disagreed on its exact meaning, ca
use and consequences. The question of what is, and what is not, terrorism has ca
used academic debate across the global. For example, at the political plane, te
rrorism is seen as an act committed with an intention of causing a political eff
ect.
Therefore, the intended result of terrorist act usually causes a psychological e
ffect of terror on both direct victim, as well as the targeted audience. As a co
ercive measure, even where casualties or destruction are not the result of the t
errorism operation, the threat of potential violence is what produces the intend
ed effect. However, when the threat of violence is not credible, the terrorist a
re unable to implement violence effectively. However it is a common fact that t
errorist demands change, revolution or political movement. This is because the r
adical world view that justified terrorism mandate act , it means that it is a p
lanned action that is intended to achieve a particular goal thus it is a rationa
lly employed, specifically selected tactical and hence not a random act. Whichev
er way one try to perceives the terrorism the fact remains that it is a criminal
act anywhere on the globe, the violation of civil criminal laws which are self
evident in terrorists’ activities like murder, arson and kidnapping. More also, th
e whole subject of terrorism has the connotation of danger and it tendency of th
e title can confer to any form of disruptive or undesirable phenomenon, leading
to neologisms such as bioterrorism cultural terrorism and even fashion terrorism
.
3.1.
THE TERRORISM IN DIVERSE PERSPECTIVES
Terrorism has been considered as a complicated concept. As far as definition go
es, it is in considerable measure dependent

on political

view: Palestinian actio
ns in the Middle East are defined as terrorist by Israel and many western stat
es, while they are defined as legitimate and necessary political actions by some
or many Palestinians. Frequently, an important part of the political struggle c
onsists of winning the battle over definition.
Therefore, Terrorism literally means the use of violence action in order to achi
eve political aims or to force a government to act on a particular direction whi
ch the terrorists desire in this regard. It also defined as the systematic use o
f force/ terror especially in a coercive manner in order to intimidate a group o
f people or sub-national entity of a state government into the terrorist’s demands
Terrorism according to the United states department of defence in the calculated
use of unlawful violent, fear, intended to coerce or to intimidate government o
r societies in the purist of goals that are generally political, religious or id
eological” within this definition, there are three key element that is, violence,
fear and intimidation, each of these elements produces terror in its victims. Fu
rthermore, Federal bureau of investigation (FBI) sees terrorism as the “unlawful u
se of force and violence against persons or property to intimidate or coerce a g
overnment, the civilian population or any segment thereof in furtherance of poli
tical and social objectives. The US Department of State further defines terroris
m as “a premeditated politically motivated violence perpetrated against non-combat
ant targets by sub-national groups or clandestine agents usually intended to inf
luence an audience.” Outside the united state government there are greater variati
on in what features of terrorism are emphasised in definitions. For example the
united nation in 1992 define terrorism as an anxiety-inspiring method of repeate
d violence action employed by (semi) clandestine individual group or state actor
s for idiosyncratic, criminal or political reasons, whereby in contrast to less
verbose definition in 1974 sees terrorism as “the use of violence for political
ends and includes any use of violence for the purpose of putting the public or a
ny section of the public in fear.
Terrorism is not a recent development but as old as the commencement of recorded
history. Terrorism has been described variously as both a tactics and strategy,
as a crime and holly duty: as a justified reaction to oppression and the inexcu
sable abomination. Terrorism has often been an effective tactics for the weaker
side in a conflict. As an asymmetric form of conflict it confers coercive power
with many of the advantages of the military force at a fraction of the cost due
to the secretive nature and small size of terrorist organisations they offer opp
onents no clear organisation to defend or to deter. This is why pre-emption is n
ow so important in some cases, terrorism has been a means to carry on a conflict
without the adversary realising the nature of the threat, mistaking terrorism f
or criminal activity consequently, terrorism has become increasingly common amon
g those pursuing extreme goals throughout the world, irrespective of its popular
ity
Terrorism is a criminal act that influences an audience beyond the immediate vic
tim. The strategy of terrorist is to commit acts of violence that draws the atte
ntion of the local populace, the government, and the world to their cause. The t
errorists plan their attack to obtain greatest publicity, choosing targets that
symbolise what they oppose. The effectiveness of the terrorists act lays not in
itself, but in the public government reaction to the act for example in 1972 at
Munich Olympics, the black September killed 11 Israelis. The Israelis were the i
mmediate victims. But the true target was the 1 billion people watching the tele
vised event. The black September organisation used the high visibility of the Ol
ympics to publicise its views on the plight of the Palestinian refugees. Similar
ly, in October 1983, Middle Eastern terrorists bombed the marine battalion landi
ng team headquarters at Beirut international airport. Their immediate victims we
re the 241 US military personnel who were killed and over 100 others wounded. Th
eir through target was the American people and the US congress. Their act of vio
lence influences the United States’ decision to withdraw the marine from Beirut an
d was therefore considered terrorist success.
There are three perspective of terrorism: the terrorists, the victims and the re
ception general public the phrase “one man’s terrorist is another man freedom fighte
r” are a view terrorists themselves would accept. Terrorist do not see themselves
as evil. They believe they are legitimate combatants, fighting for what they bel
ieve in, by whatever means possible. A victim of terrorism act sees the terroris
t as criminals with no regards for human life. The general public’s view it the mo
st unstable. The terrorists take great pains to forester a Robin Hood image in h
ope of swaying the general public point of view towards their cause. This system
atic view of terrorism has become an integral part of their psychological warfar
e and need to be countered vigorously. The term terrorism came into the European
language in the wake of the French revolution in 1789, in the early revolutiona
ry years; it was largely by violence that governments in Europe try to impose th
eir radical new order on a reluctant citizenry. As a result, the first meaning o
f terrorism was a system or rule of terror” This historical meaning serves as an a
id memory that terror is often at its pits when used by government against their
own citizens or other individuals; as it become war by other means, as this sec
tion of this dissertation underscores some facets of terrorism, we argue that th
e west identify terrorist act with Islam and the Muslims, although, it is exigen
t that most of terrorist are desperate adherents to a political cause Marc Gopin
Contend that despite the legitimate western fear of terrorism, it is time to r
ecognise that there is nothing unique about Islam when it comes to the choice of
war or peace, pluralism or authoritarianism.
Gopin in his argument compares Islam with other religions including Christianity
, which according to him have gone through a period of utilizing repressive reli
gion’s law to commit horrendous acts of brutality and terror. At the same time, ho
wever, he agrees that in this twenty first century terrorism is employed by the
west as a weapon to exhibit the pessimistic aura of Islam and its distorted cult
ural and political principles. From recognising other factors which inflame terr
orism the world remains misled. For these reasons the inability to define terro
rism and religion are the focus of this section. In the early human history, the
national interest of the nation-states was viewed as secondary to that of relig
ion or morality. To engage in a war, rulers needed to justifies the action, but
now through building the international relation, a new theory on the basis of th
e national interest instead of religion or tradition that result political and e
conomical harbour. For example, after September 11 attack on the World Trade Ce
ntre in the New-York 2001, the European Union was able to organise a rapid but c
oordinate response to the event within days, in which UK playing significant rol
e:
The European union agreed on a long and substantive counter terrorism agenda, in
cluding for example a common legislative framework on definition of terrorism an
d a -European arrest warrant to replace national extradition procedure and Europ
ean was able to mobilise massive humanitarian assistance for Afghanistan and mov
e to re-establish an EU presence in Kabul as soon as it became possible to do so
.
They also agreed to become the co-chairman of the international task force overs
eeing afghan reconstruction and made the biggest single donation to Afghanistan
reconstruction.
3.2. TRACING THE CAUSE OF TERRORISM
Terrorism has being more disturbing phenomenon in the international arena. Its f
orm and characterized continually changing. While at the surface it remains “the c
alculated use of unlawful violence or threat of unlawful violence to inculcate f
ear” it is rapidly becoming the predominant strategic tool open to distinguish cit
izens in nation states. As terrorism evolves into the principal irregular warfar
e strategy of the 21st century, it is adapting to changes in the world’s social-po
litical environment. Some of these changes facilitate the abilities of terrorist
s to operate, procure funding and develop new capabilities. Other changes are gr
adually moving terrorism into difference relationship with the world at large
The current issues of terrorism are driving by the ongoing developments in the n
ature of conflict and international relations. Therefore, it is necessary to con
sider some of the possible causes of failure conflict in other to understand the
actors and their motivations. Since after the Second World War, terrorism has a
ccelerated its development into a contemporary conflict. Since then it has becom
e a far reaching weapon capable of effecting changes in the global arena which t
he intercontinental bomber or missile cannot accomplish. It has thus proven to b
e a significant tool of diplomacy and international power for states inclines to
use it. The seemingly quick results and shocking immediacy terrorism has made s
ome observers to consider it as a short victory. Some revolutionaries groups not
willing to invest their time and resources to organise political activities wou
ld rely on this “propaganda of the dead” to energise mass action, this suggests that
a tiny core of activists could topple any governments through the use of terror
. The result of this belief by both the revolutionaries and governments all over
the world has led to the global war against terrorism. In order to fully apprec
iate the operations of terrorism organisation we need to learn of the purpose of
their action and this has been identified bellow.
Produce widespread fear.
Obtain worldwide, national, or local recognition for their cause by attracting t
he attention of the media
Harass, weaken , embarrass government security forces so that the government ove
r reacts and repressive
Steal or extort money and equipment, especially weapons and ammunitions vital to
the operation of their group;
Destroy facilities or disrupt lines of communication in order to create doubt th
at the government can provide for and protect its citizens
Discourage foreign investments, tourism or assistant programmes that can affect
the target country’s economy and support of the government in power
Influence the government decisions legislation or other critical decisions
Free prisoners
Satisfy vengeances and
On that account, there are about 85 prominent ant-terrorist organisations all ov
er the world (UN 2005). And also, there is other micro terrorist’s organisation op
erating in different countries and in geo-political zones across the world. Thes
e prominent ant-terrorism organisations operate all over the world. The activiti
es of these organisations have prominence in Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, Kenya, Ire
land, Israel, USA, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, United Kingdom, Cambodia, France, El
-Salvador Somalia, Sudan, Ethiopia, Nicaragua, Syria, Angola, Lebanon, Mozambiqu
e, Egypt etc in the recent times. However, thorough all these events and the att
acks of Terrorism has led to different meanings.
3.3 Fundamentalism and Extremism
3.3.1 Fundamentalism. Today s media constantly invoke the term fundamentalism in
referred to militant Islam. To extent that some western scholar has "Defined fu
ndamentalism’ as notorious, that seen as the enemy among more liberal expressions
of Islam, that claim to win the battle for legitimacy and orthodoxy in the publi
c sphere, that competing for the right guided interpreter of [sacred texts] afre
sh, and this led to greater radicalism and extremism in Islam.
This was relate to the conspiracy of, “Bin Laden’s that struggles not only pit of
Islam against America, the West as a whole and ultimately the rest of the non-I
slamic world, also seeks to overthrow the contemporary Muslim states and mainstr
eam views of Islamic tradition among the great majority of contemporary Muslims.
As a result of these the word Islam-phobia has coined to a new terms, distorting
their actual meanings. "Islamic fundamentalism" is one such term widely used to
label the deeds of Islamist extremist groups. But historically the term fundam
entalism is used even in Christian theology with a somewhat positive connotation
. During 1865-1910 a group of Protestants in the US initiated a platform named "
The World Fundamentalist Association." This association was widely publicised af
ter the1920s, and their main objective was to uphold the originality of their sc
ripture by opposing its new interpretations.
However, in the case of Islam, the word fundamental is being misused in differen
t ways among the media, researchers, and politicians, frequently use the term de
viating from its original meaning. Islamic dogmatise theologian stresses the uph
olding of the fundamental beliefs in Islam. These five cardinal tenets of Islam,
 in fact, cause no harm to any non-Muslim community in the world. Further, these
fundamental beliefs in Islamic theology have no links with terrorism. .
Whereas, Islamic theology objective is to set up a bridge between mankind and th
e Creator, following the guidelines given in the Qur’an. Muslims believe they woul
d achieve greater success in the hereafter, through the good deed in this life.
But deviating from teaching of Islam has led and even vested some quarters in Mu
slim societies in different countries to overemphasise the political aspects of
Islam rather than theology by following the required four school of fiqh in Isla
m [schools of Shar’iah] are: Maliki [718-96] the first of four orthodox schools of
Islamic jurisprudence. Hanafi, [699-767] the second orthodox school in Islam,
shafi’i, [768-820] and Hambali [d. 855] the fourth and last orthodox school of Isl
amic law. On many issues verdicts given by the school of fiqh contradict each ot
her in some occasions. This contradiction, in fact, is due to time and context d
ependency of Shar’iah and it regard as blessing in Islam. Although this also has
led to political cohesion within the Muslim community that raised relevantly the
issues in our contemporary Medieval that Shar’ia is not enough to provide appropr
iate solutions of many problems in our present complex social structure and soci
al relationships
3.3.2 Extremism: is defined as any attitude, action or reaction that led to the
absolute deviation from the norms that make human coexistence possible. It is th
e malfunction or the breaking of the valve that calibrates our emotions, intelle
ct, decency, bigotry, greed, and self-righteousness. Extremism is the root cause
of the proliferation of violence throughout the world. It is the impetus pushin
g lawlessness, gluttonous greed and downright disregarding of human rights. It i
s a massive boulder blocking the path to peace.
Today extremism manifests in all fronts of life. In the religious front, the pro
motion of puritanical zealot and the moralization of hate continue to divide fai
th communities and set the stage for religious wars. In the socio-political fron
t, tribalism, ethno-centrism, patriotism and such have been galvanizing brutal v
iolence and paving the way for genocide campaigns. The worse attack by al-Qaida
was regards has an extreme act of aggression, the reaction it generated subseque
nt trend of violence and chaos that leading to collective suicide through the ac
t and tool of suicide. On this fact, Islam cannot be equated with extremism in a
ny circumstances. Islam is a very wide culture and flexible enough to accommodat
e new ideas, new thoughts and new developments. In the next chapter we shall dis
course view on suicide and martyrdom.
3.4 Suicide and Martyrdom
3.4.1 Suicide is against Islam . Martyrdom is not. "Suicide bomber" is a dero
gatory term invented in the West to describe what in Islam is known as a Shahid
(martyr.) The point of the bomber isn t suicide. The Contemporary suicide terr
orists from the Middle East are publicly deemed bent on senseless destruction th
at thrives in poverty and ignorance. While is purposefully to harm the community
.
Suicide bombing is really an act of homicide. Muslims in the West of the view th
at Islam is against such practices by pointing to the hadith that oppose killing
oneself, such doer are being disingenuous to themselves and others as well. Mu
slims in the Arab world, who are less concerned about public relations, celebrat
e and revere suicide bombers, and knowing that martyrdom is battle glorified by
the religion. I will like to point out some Qur’anic point of views and prophetic
traditions as well.
The Qur anic Points of view: Let those fight in the way of Allah who sell the li
fe of this world for the other. Whoso fighteth in the way of Allah, be he slain
or be he victorious, on him We shall bestow a vast reward.
Qur’an further that: Allah hath purchased of the believers their persons and their
goods; for theirs (in return) is the garden (of Paradise): they fight in His ca
use, and slay and are slain: a promise binding on Him in truth, through the Law,
the Gospel, and the Qur an: and who is more faithful to his covenant than Allah
? then rejoice in the bargain which ye have concluded: that is the achievement s
upreme. And to consider view from the Hadith perspective, narrate as fellow: O’ M
uhammad: "I would love to be martyred in Al1ah s Cause and then get resurrected
and then get martyred, and then get resurrected again and then get martyred and
then get resurrected again and then get martyred."
Suicide is the deliberate destruction of one’s own life. It is always an internati
onal act which can cause death either through the individual’s own deliberate acts
or from his or her choice not to avoid a threat to life. Modern thinker definin
g suicide as “all cases of death resulting directly or indirectly from a positive
or negative act of the victim himself, which he knows will produce suicide”.
However, In the classical study, suicide has been classified into three categori
es namely: 1. Altruistic, 2. Egoistic, and 3. Anomie suicide. For examples in th
e Muslim world, where individuals giving their lives in time of war like what ha
ppened in Pakistan and Iraq society of the 20s in order to accomplish some goals
involving group values. Such behavior is judged as suicidal by outside observer
s. What has been tagged as suicide bombing among the Muslims is someone giving
his life in attempt to destroy or kill their targets or opponents. It is apparen
tly clear from Islamic perspective as unacceptable. As well as egoistic suicide
is not acceptable under any guise in Islam so also the anomie suicide, in Islam
, no one is allowed to take his life because of downward social mobility as test
and trials, this are part of the teachings which Muslims are expected to imbibe
for their faith to be considered genuine.

3.4.2 Martyr
A martyr is the name given to those who, in fearless profession of their religio
n or in an effort of establishing or propagation it, prefer to die rather than a
bandon it or its teachings or practices. Martyrdom identified the exemplary ethn
ical model of moral action in a show of struggle (jihad) for the sacred, manifes
ted in the ultimate act of self-sacrifice and to die for one’s faith is the highes
t form of witness to Allah . The (male) martyr (shahid) encountered the scared b
y fighting against the enemies of the true religion; and in the process giving u
p his life in exchange for a higher, and celestial existence. In this regard, it
was not merely the event of death that identified martyrdom, but the very fulfi
llment of the duty of obedience to the will of God that brought one to the level
of sacred. Martyrdom can also signify the honorable defense of the faith. The c
ode of honor, which reflects a Defensive derive to protect the pietistic themes
of virtue.
In recent times, a violent culture of martyrdom has arisen that glorifies suicid
e terrorism as a means to salvation. In the last five years alone, starting with
the September 11tragedy, there has been a significant increase in suicide terro
rist attacks across the Muslim world. Claim the victim of self-destructive act i
n the name of Islamic salvation, whereas there is no Qur’an evidence to support th
e act. The Qur’an unequivocally condemns the perpetrators of suicide to Hell: And
do not kill yourselves. Surely, God is Most Merciful to you. And whoever commits
that through aggression and injustice, we shall cast him into the Fire, and tha
t is easy for God.
Islam teaches that life is a sacred trust given to human beings by the Creator.
Abu Hurairah narrated that the Prophet said:
Whoever kills himself with an iron tool, then his tool will be in his hand and h
e will be stabbing himself with it in the Fire of Hell, forever and ever.” And, “Who
ever kills himself with poison, then his poison will be in his hand and he will
keep taking it in the Fire of Hell, forever and ever. Whoever kills himself from
a mountain, will keep falling in the Fire of Hell, forever and ever. (Bukhari a
nd Muslim)
3.5. Conclusion
Suicide Bombing is not Islamic message. It must be made clear, however, that wha
tever the pretence, these acts are in dire violation of the teachings of Islam.
There is no Qur’an support for taking one’s own life to kill and maim innocent child
ren and women, even when in a state of war with the enemy. There is no evidence
from the life of the Prophet that such acts were encouraged or permitted by him.
Therefore, a shift in focus from external to internal, or vice versa, does not
exonerate these mass producers of suicide bombers. Riding high on the booty of e
ternal salvation, the jihad incarnations of Osama bin Laden and his group have i
nfiltrated deeply into the Muslim world. Totally oblivious of the natural face o
f Islam they are busy painting a picture tainted with the blood of innocents, bo
th Muslim and non-Muslim.
It is ironic that their acts are beginning to transform many deeply-held notions
about salvation, martyrdom, ethical conduct of war, and combatant, and the over
all concept of jihad. Otherwise the firm before the dominating power of the enem
y, they rejoice looking at the civilian carnage caused by suicide terror. It is
the crowning affirmation of defeat when religious scholars take it upon themselv
es to defend the suicide terrorist achieving eternal salvation through the very
act of murder and mayhem. The argument that the deprived and the dispossessed ha
ve suicide as their final weapon against the all-powerful enemy is nothing but b
ankrupt logic, and crippled morality. At one time or another, all nations have t
ransgressed the rules of war. What distinguishes the war waged by the suicide te
rrorist from the rest is that the combatant serves as a metaphor for a grotesque
vision of Islamic doctrine of human salvation. The commission of sin by suicide
and the vengeful murder of innocents notwithstanding, this is the ultimate deba
sement of Islamic ideals and teaching. In the next chapter am going to examine c
ritically the concept of Jihad in Islam content.

CHAPTER FOUR: the effect of 7/7 on Muslims in Britain

4.0 INTRUDUCTION
One of the things that attracted a lot of attention in the clash of civilisation
was the use of the phrase ‘the bloody borders of Islam’, by looking around the Mus
lim world it realise that in the 1990s Muslim were fighting non Muslims. Huntin
gton’s article titled “The ‘Clash of Civilisations’...” was published in 1993, the intelle
ctual community seems not to welcome the ideal dismissed it as somewhat strange
if not downright wrong then the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001 media in
the USA automatically implicitly and unanimously adopted Huntington’s paradigm to
explain the terrorist attacks.
Similarly, the late Pope John Paul II once observed: a clash ensues only when Is
lam or Christianity is misconstrued or manipulated for political or ideological
ends in the interview given to al-jazeera in October 2001 the month after he had
 authorised the most notorious terrorist atrocity of all time, Osama bin Laden
took it as axiomatic that Huntington’s idea was correct; there is no doubt about t
his the people of Islam had awoken, he asserted, that they were the main target
of the Zionist and the crusaders; and decided to fight back. When on 16th Septe
mber 2001 on the south lawn of the White House, George W Bush declared the ‘war on
terror’ a crusade he took the words out of Osama’s mouth according to bin laden him
self. In an address in Atlanta Georgia on 8th November 2001, President Bush defi
ned his war to save civilisation itself as a campaign against terrorist operatin
g in more than sixty different countries, and for that, this struggle has been c
alled a clash of civilisation. In truth, it is a struggle of for civilisation.
Increasingly, voices in America and Europe proclaims, “the Muslims are coming, the
Muslims are coming!” not only as a political but as a demographic threat. Similar
attitudes lay behind the initial response of those experts who saw the Oklahoma
bombing as the handiwork of Middle East terrorists or Islamic fundamentalists.
What is the source of such fears? Tremendous questions have been raised about t
he explanation for the alleged propensity of Muslims for violence. Whatsoever th
ese has nothing to do with the Qur’an and any other traditional religious teaching
. I think it is largely a response to unsuccessful modernisation in most Muslim
societies, a product of the absence of pluralism and liberty and open politics i
n those societies. It is also a product of historic resentment, particularly amo
ng Arabs, over what they feel have been great injustices imposed on them by the
west. This also confirmed the statement of Osama bin Laden:
The American people have chosen, consented to, and affirmed their support for th
e Israeli oppression of the Palestinians, the occupation and usurpation of their
land, and its continuous killing, torture, punishment and expulsion of the Pale
stinians.. the freedom and democracy that you call for is for yourselves and for
the white race only, as for the rest of the world, you impose upon

them your m
onstrous, destructive policies and government, which you call the American fri
ends’. Yet you prevent them from establishing democracies...
In which president George Bush also affirmed in his speech remarks to the Air fo
rce academy in 2004, that:
History is once again witnessing a great clash. This is not a clash of civilisat
ions. The civilisation of Islam, with its humane traditions of learning and tole
rance, has no place for this violent sect of killers and aspiring tyrants. This
is not a clash of religions. The faith of Islam teaches moral responsibility tha
t ennobles men and women, and forbids the shedding of innocent blood. Instead th
is is a clash of political visions.”
And it is also result to fragmentation under the impact of sectarian or tribal a
llegiances of division within Islam itself. (Sunni and shi’a)
Having critically looked at the issue of terrorism from a diverse perspectives,
including the diplomacy, and clash of civilisation, these has beyond any doubt t
hat the influencing on the methods, techniques or approach at which each countri
es had been adopting in combating the act of terrorism, either collectively as a
group within a geographical zones, or as an individual countries. Hence, in ord
er to streamline our concern within the scope of this dissertation, we need to l
ook at the record of the terrorist attacks, issues and the approaches which Unit
ed Kingdom as been using in combat the issues of terrorism within the Muslim sym
bolic metropolis.
4.1. 7/7: The Britain Terrorist Attacks Overview
In the late 1990s, established terrorism legislation was reviewed by the British
government as it considered the new requirements of international terrorism. Co
ming as the review did end, another watershed in 2005 of the worst Qaida terrori
st violence attack against London, UK on 7 July, a fatal experience. Bombings oc
curred on the underground in Algate, Edgware Road and Russell Square, and on a b
us in Tavistock Road. In December, a jury at Woolwich Crown Court in South Londo
n convicted Bilal Abdullah, a doctor who had been practicing medicine in Scotlan
d, of conspiracy to murder and conspiring to cause explosions in the June 30, 20
07 car bomb attack at Glasgow International Airport and in failed car bomb attac
ks in London. He was sentenced to life in prison and is expected to serve at lea
st 32 years before being eligible for release. Abdullah was accused of planning
two attacks in London and Glasgow just days after Prime Minister Gordon Brown to
ok office. A paramedic became suspicious of the contents of one of the vehicles,
(the other had already been towed away for parking illegally), which led to the
discovery of the plot. Neither vehicle detonated as police managed to defuse th
em. The following day, two terrorist suspects, Abdullah and Kafeel Ahmed, believ
ed to have fled from London, attempted to drive a vehicle filled with gas cylind
ers into an entrance of Glasgow airport. The vehicle caught fire and did limited
damage to the building. The driver, Ahmed, died later as a result of injuries s
ustained at the scene, while an airport employee apprehended Abdulla as he exite
d the vehicle. Abdulla, who is of Iraqi origin, had associated with a Sunni terr
orist cell in Baghdad before returning to Britain to plan the 2007 attacks.
Similarly, In December, Manchester Crown Court convicted Rangzieb Ahmed of being
a member of al-Qaida (AQ) and directing a terrorist organization in Britain. He
was sentenced to life in prison and is expected to serve a minimum of ten years
. A co-defendant, Habib Ahmed, was also found guilty of belonging to AQ. Rangzie
b was accused of leading a three-man terrorist cell that was planning a terroris
t attack overseas, and his conviction marked the first of its kind in the United
Kingdom since directing terrorism became an offense under the Terrorism Act of
2000. The prosecution presented evidence that Rangzieb was in contact with senio
r AQ members. Both men s arrest and the disruption of their cell was the result
of a three-year international investigation by police.
More so, on November 8, police re-arrested radical cleric and terrorist suspect
Abu Qattara at his home in west London after a Special Immigration Appeals Commi
ssion revoked his bail over concerns that he was a flight risk and was in danger
of breaching his bail conditions. This was suspected of being Osama bin Ladin s
"right-hand man in the UK" and an AQ recruiter in Europe, Qattara had been rele
ased from prison to house arrest in June after successfully contesting UK plans
to deport him to Jordan where he was convicted in absentia of planning terrorist
attacks. Between his release in June and his re-arrest in November, Qatada had
been living under strict bail conditions, including a 22-hour per day curfew and
a ban from using mobile telephone and the Internet. The Home Office continued a
ttempts to secure his deportation to Jordan.
The government was forced to throw out one provision of the Act which would have
extended the detention period for terrorist suspects before being charged to 42
days. A heavy defeat in the House of Lords voted down the controversial measure
309 to 118 in October. In the wake of defeat in the House of Lords, Home Secret
ary Jacqui Smith indicated that new legislation would be brought forward to allo
w the director of public prosecutions to apply to the courts for the right to qu
estion terrorist suspects for up to 42 days if necessary. All this was led to "
CONTEST" Counterterrorism Strategy, and Islam-phobic provocation. This will be d
iscoursed detail in the net chapter.
4.2. 7/7: Britain Reaction and Counterterrorism Strategy
The moral panic that consumes the US as constant reflected ally with UK, which b
oth took a serious potential target on policies and actions. They continued to h
one its response to terrorism under its CONTEST and Counterterrorism Strategy. D
avid Blunkett, Home Secretary, introduced the government’s Anti-terrorism, Crime a
nd Security Bill into the Commons on November 12. It was a big Bill, containing
118 pages, 126 clauses and 8 Schedules. After a protracted House of Lords savagi
ng, it became law on December 15. The CONTEST strategy divides government resou
rces under four thematic response areas: Prevent Pursue, Protect, and Prepare. I
n December the government hosted its second annual "Prevent" conference, drawing
together over 700 participants from national and local government, community an
d civil society organizations, law enforcement agencies, and social service prov
iders to review progress in the government s counter-radicalization efforts at t
he local level.
The conference was an opportunity for stakeholders to take stock of efforts to d
evelop and implement local government-funded programs aimed at countering extrem
ism in communities throughout the United Kingdom. Participants shared informatio
n on best practices and discussed programs as varied as cultural and sports work
shops, discussion forums, and joint police-social service partnerships focused o
n identifying young people vulnerable to messages of extremism. The Home Secreta
ry opened the conference by calling on participants to confront radical ideology
that contends that being British and being Muslim are incompatible.
Following the London bombings on 7 July 2005 with the aim of getting to the trut
h about what really happened on the day that 56 people were killed and over 700
injured on London transport. Initial train operating company reports on the day
announced the devastation on the Underground was the result of a power surge ,
and this continued to be reported until shortly after the explosion of a number
30 seater buses in Tavistock Square at 9.47am. After the bus incident a very dif
ferent version of events began to unfold, involving everything from military gra
de explosives with timers or remote detonators, placed on, or under, train floor
s, right through to highly-volatile, home-made explosives allegedly carried by f
our young British men. From four years on, the events are sort of endeavours to
examine and debate about 7/7event is now hinges on whether or not there should b
e an independent public inquiry. Or, whether a Birmingham pub bombings flimsy, s
hoddily researched, factually incorrect, and anonymously penned and published do
cument that sketches should suffice as an explanation for how 56 lives were take
n.
Several notable precedents exist in which the State and police colluded in at le
ast one of the following despicable acts: the deliberate manufacture of evidence
to secure a conviction; the suppression of evidence that would clear the accuse
d; the extraction of false confessions through violence and intimidation. Some o
f those that have fallen victim to such underhand tactics include the Birmingham
6 in the case of, the Guildford 4 with respect to the Guildford pub bombings, t
he Maguire 7, Danny McNamee and Judith Ward, among others, the latter of whom su
ffered 18 years imprisonment for a conviction that the appeal court quashed, con
cluding that the conviction had been "secured by ambush". Another act of terrori
sm for which nobody has ever been charged, much less justly and honestly prosecu
ted, is the Manchester Andale Centre bombing of 1996, about which Greater Manche
ster Police Deputy Chief Constable Dave Wharton made the announcement, shortly b
efore the tenth anniversary of the bombing, that there was "no realistic possibi
lity of a prosecution". History more than amply demonstrates that there exist a
concerning number of terrorist attacks in Britain from which much political and
legislative capital has been made by the State for which the actual perpetrators
have never been arrested, charged, prosecuted or brought to justice. In order
to address these issues and to try and get to the truth about what happened on 7
July 2005, J7 have one simple demand, that the government release the evidence
which serve as conclusively proves or disproves, beyond reasonable doubt. Despit
e this, some argue that we know what happened on 7/7, and that a Public Inquiry
is an unnecessary waste of money. Former British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, sha
mefully dismissed the early calls for an inquiry as a "ludicrous diversion". Oth
ers argue that we know exactly what happened but that we still need a public inq
uiry to discover why the attack wasn t prevented. So, whatever way the story pla
ys out, the guilt of the accused is automatically and implicitly assumed, in a w
ay quite contrary to a fundamental tenet of British law, the presumption of inno
cence.
The 7/7 inquiry being called for by everyone other than J7 is not an inquiry int
o what actually happened, how it happened and who made it happen, but instead a
proposed inquiry into the possible failings of government, police and intellige
nce services that resulted in them being unable collectively to prevent what ha
ppened. On the basis those charged with crimes are "innocent until proven guilty
", J7 are the only group that has proposed the notion of a public inquiry into t
he events of 7 July 2005 in which the guilt of the four accused is not implicitl
y assumed, particularly not without any judicial or public scrutiny of all the e
vidence. Should the evidence corroborate the official story, and prove conclusiv
ely the case against the accused, then we would be perfectly happy to accept tha
t conclusion; if the official story is true, then there should be no problem wit
h making all the evidence available for public scrutiny. However, with specific
reference to instances of terrorism on mainland Britain, the British State s rec
ord of honestly and justly bringing the perpetrators of terrorist attacks to jus
tice is shockingly poor. .
4.3 7/7: THE EFFECT ON MUSLIMS IN BRITAIN
The bombings provoked a wave of Islamophobic attacks across the country, includi
ng attacks on mosques, assaults on Muslims, anti-Muslim graffiti and, for exampl
e, the murder of a Muslim man in Nottingham. Along the line, Muslim safety Forum
[MSF] a coalition of Muslim groups, issued a press release announced examples o
f the backlash: ‘Arson, Bomb hoaxes, Criminal Damages, Graffiti, Assault, Abuse, T
hreats. After the 7/7 attacks, there was a large of increase in Faith Hate and R
ace Hate crime. It was recalled nationally, that the figure for hate incidents d
irected at Muslims has passed 1,200 as a backlash continues.
Similarly, In October, the Home Secretary announced new measures aimed at streng
thening the government s power to exclude foreign extremists from entering Brita
in. The so-called "preachers of hate" rules are expected to extend to anyone sus
pected of advocating illegal activity to stir tensions in the UK. The new rules
will give the Home Office new powers to "name and shame" extremists blocked from
entering Britain and to share their details with other countries. The rules, wh
ich could apply equally to radical clerics as well as animal-rights protesters a
nd far-right groups, are expected to see an increase in the number of people ban
ned from entering Britain and will shift the burden of proof from the government
to suspected individuals, by demanding that they refute accusations made agains
t them by publicly denouncing or retracting their reported views. By year s end,
it was not clear whether the measures had been applied to anyone will be a fina
l solution, nor was it clears whether the measures would survive a court challen
ge of human right.
In testimony to the House of Commons Defense Committee in October, government Se
curity Minister Lord West warned that Britain faced a 30-year struggle to counte
r radicalization among extremist elements of the country s young Muslims. West p
raised the government s efforts to open dialogue with young British Muslims, ins
isting that engagement was beginning to pay dividends, but cautioned that there
was still a long way to go, and that it would take decades to win the battle of
ideas against terrorism and extremism. Lord West s testimony before the committ
ee investigating Britain s preparedness to defend itself against terrorism drew
strong reaction when West, a former Royal Navy admiral and First Sea Lord, raise
d concern over the UK s ability to monitor all the vessels entering British wate
rs and to patrol the 11,000 miles.
In October, the Secretary of State for Schools announced plans to issue guidance
to UK primary and secondary schools requiring teachers and school administrator
s to play a key role in getting young people to reject extremism. The goal was t
o empower young people to expose and refute extremist ideology through classroom
discussions, short courses, and anti-hate seminars. The guidance would require
teachers to report students to the police if there is suspicion of them being dr
awn to violent extremism. Similarly, in November, the Home Office requested in N
ovember that universities monitor the attendance and movements of international
students in an attempt to counter student visa scams. This gradually led direc
tly to how,
in the current crisis, the Britain had constructed terrorism measure
, both as a network and as well as identity all in the name of security. The fo
llowing topic we more detail.
4.3.1 CCTV Surveillance
The general negative action of British’s attitude toward the Muslims in the UK, bo
th the media and general public viewed British Muslim as intolerant. Britain new
arrangements, accompanied by increased surveillance measures for the police and
intelligence agencies, allow the state to monitor and focus on Muslims and othe
rs in UK. Since 7/7 events most Muslims in UK have faced a series of socio- pol
itical marginalisation, condemnation and discrimination, assault, abuse and thre
at. The finger of suspicion has been pointed to Muslims as being responsible for
the atrocity, to the extent that the so call counter–terrorism measures on Muslim
s has caused the denial or lock up people indefinitely, stop and search people i
ndiscriminately, make them go along with identity cards for one group in the soc
iety only, state has further institutionalised xeno-racism against Muslim . In v
iew and adapt one of our Prime minister’s own comment, we need to be tough on terr
orism, and tough on the causes of terrorism. All these led to massive surveilla
nce CCTV cameras program, conjuring up the bogeymen of terrorists, Muslims envir
ons, surveillance CCTV in mosques vicinity, tracking Muslim people online paedop
hiles and their cyber installation.
In the UK a comprehensive surveillance law allows "the interception of communica
tions, carrying out of surveillance, and the use of covert human intelligence so
urces" to help prevent crime, and to cause restriction for Muslim on their socio
- political and religious lives.
To date, and despite the release of some CCTV footage purporting to be from the
day of 7 July 2005, not one piece of evidence has been released to the public th
at could be legitimately used to convict someone in a court of law for what happ
ened, yet the government still has no plans to organise an Independent Public In
quiry. Four years on and the inquests into the 56 deaths that occurred have not
been held, and it is unclear whether full inquests will ever be held, giving ris
e to concerns that "families of July 7 bombing victims fear they may never learn
the truth.
Similarly, there was occasion of Police and media accused of double standards ov
er anti-Muslim violence, in Journal Entry by Martin Sullivan on June 21,2009 A S
cottish man who describes himself as a "proud racist" has admitted threatening t
o bomb Glasgow Central Mosque and engage in targeted killings of Muslims. Neil M
acgregor has been convicted of a breach of the peace but there has been surprise
in some quarters that he was not charged with terrorist. Britain is more suspic
ious of Muslims than Americans and other Europeans nation.
4.3.2 Stop and Search
There are a series of cases of stop and search of Muslims in UK, to mention a vi
ew of it, in fact the use of counter-terrorism stop and search powers has increa
sed sevenfold since the July 7 attacks on Britain, with Asian people bearing the
brunt of the increase. People of Asian appearance were five times more likely t
o be stopped and searched than white people. Secondly, Police use of anti-terror
stop and search powers trebled, prompting fears that the policy is alienating L
ondon s Muslim communities. Officers in England and Wales used Terrorism Act pow
ers to search 124,687 people in 2007/8, up from 41,924 in 2006/7, figures. Third
ly Hazel Blears, the minister responsible for counter-terrorism, that Muslims wi
ll have to accept as a "reality" that they will be stopped and searched by the p
olice more often than the rest of the public. Lastly, the head of Scotland Yard
s anti-terrorist branch admitted that police use of controversial stop and searc
h powers under the terror laws needs to be much more tightly focused. Peter Clar
ke told a London conference of security experts there had been difficulties with
the use of powers under counter –terrorism.
4.3.3 Immigration Agency
Several issues have been recalled for many Foreign Muslim scholars and missionar
ies who face a lot of delay or even deported on their way coming to UK. There is
critical scrutiny in Muslim documentation whenever they apply for any necessary
visas, through immigration rules in UK.
Please let me reiterate briefly a personal experience, on my first trip to Unite
d Kingdom at Gatwick Airport, September 16th 2006 to Muslim College London. I wa
s stopped and asked about my course of study, once they heard about intention to
study Islamic Studies they flared-up immediately and asked series of embarrassi
ng questions and tried to equate Islamic Studies with terrorism. Sadly to say, t
hat I was detained for three days for no just cause. I was released at the inte
rvention of Prof. Noibi, OBE, and my mentor. Similarly, one Muslim from Libya m
et me there upon arrival, after his country have already paid his school fees he
was detained, fingerprinted and deported, after they claimed that he cannot spe
ak English.
There also a case of Prof Zaki Badawi, who has travelled throughout the World o
ver 30years without trouble, a world recognised Islamic scholar on his trip to U
S for international conference he was denied at boarder of entry and deported, a
ll in the name of Islam. Islam is now regarded in the west as the epidemic, a d
angerous disease in the universe. Immigration after they’ve achieve what they tent
to, then they are fun of apologizing for their profusely. Daniel Webster, parli
amentary officer of the Evangelical Alliance, said the new immigration regulatio
ns had been introduced last November to counter illegal immigration and the thre
at of terrorism.
The scholars and missionaries Alliance are working on a full scale to help Musli
ms have better understanding of the laws and regulations, so that they can live
comfortable in the society. This main concern of misinterpretation and misapplic
ation of immigration law has resulted in many Muslims being refused to come to t
he UK in the future, because Muslims are now regarded as objects of ridicule and
criticism. Consequently, immigration policing became a major source of suspicio
n and mistrust between the police and Muslim minority communities.
4.4. 7/7: THE RESPONSE OF MUSLIMS IN BRITAIN

Islam has been made into an elephant into the universe. Some have grabbed its tr
unk, others its legs, tail or ears, and each thinks that they are in sole posses
sion of Islam and have no idea of its totality. So with all the prayers being of
fered every day in the mosques in Britain and many other rituals of Islam being
followed, we shall able to consolidate and triumph the so called Islam phobia at
titude of west towards us and as well evacuating the scorpion at within Islamic
set-up in Britain, that is the extremism.[AL- Qaida].
Muslim need to stand as indefatigable Ummah (united Islamic communities) in Isla
m in order to exposes a sense of security and the real content of Islam to the g
lobal. Any Muslim can pray five times a day but if he or she does not have a str
ong sense of belonging with the community then they lack an understanding of the
spirit of faith. In fact the prophet’s understanding of community (Ummah) was suc
h that he stated: ‘Muslims are like one body; if one part of the body hurts, the w
hole become sick. The message here is clear: that principle of unity is not onl
y essential but crucial to the survival of the Muslim community in Britain.
Therefore, there are two components that very important in Islamic community: th
e Leadership and followers. While leadership is the most important unity in the
development of a community, without leadership, a community is like a ship witho
ut a rudder. While the ship is like followers without it, the leadership cannot
function. Meanwhile both are twin brother of each other in state of progress and
security.
During the formidable event of 7/7, Islamic groups and Muslim organizations aros
e and quickly build a basis of response among the masses. The response from Musl
im organisations to the bombings was swift. The Muslims community in Britain [MC
B] stated propagate and utter a total condemnation towards discriminate acts of
terror in London. Both scholars and the Mosque leaders and their media teams aro
und the country started brainstorming ideas to counter a rise in Islamophobia, a
nd started condemning the attacks and calling for a rethink in the root cause of
these horrific incidents that affect our country. The UK’s Muslim community, MAB
[Muslim Association of Britain] and including MAN [Muslim Association of Nigeria
n) in Britain was uncompromising in its condemnation of the attacks, and was con
cerned to address the need for more emphasis to be placed on tackling the causes
of terrorism. They work collectively as British Muslims, with a great responsib
ility on them, by uniquely placed roles in the global fault line between Islam a
nd the west, to help bridge this gap. They acknowledged the fully understanding
of the psychology event and background both of this country and the Muslim world
.
A MAB spokesman, Osama Saeed, rejected the idea that mosques and community orga
nisations have tolerated extremism in their midst: the position of Muslim organi
sations and mosques has been consistent for years. Killing civilians is murder,
and a crime in Islam. Similarly, A former Chairman and the chief missioners’ of M
AN in person of Prof. Noibi Dawuud, and the present one known as professor Mosh
ood badurin, in series of Friday sermon, and as well as professor Ali Ahmid in
series of his academic lectures at Muslim college London consistently condemn th
e awful act of terrorism attacks in London. They all regards it mischievous beha
viour in the land and must dealt with in all way to stand as deterrent to other
in the world.
Interestingly, the generation gap in British Muslim society reactions of 7/7 was
best expressed in the response of MPAC. MPAC enjoining all mosques to educate t
heir youth, and lay more emphasising the need to educate them against undefined
extremism; it demanded that mosques educate their youth in the British political
process as a way of addressing issues of concern. Since 7/7 MPACUK has carried
out a survey of over a hundred Mosques to check if Mosque leaders had in fact ta
ken any serious steps to stop this happening again by educating the youth and ch
annelling their anger into a mere constructive route. Working in the anti-Islam
ic context the Muslims to have to adopt various sophisticated ways of social pro
grammes, educational programmes: such as seminars, conference and political part
icipation. So that Muslims in Britain can be well active in the following strate
gies:
1. Active participation in local councils.
2. Active participation in British political parties at local and national level
s.
3. Active work with political parties to learn mobilisation and participation ta
ctics.
4. Attempts to get Muslim candidates into various political positions.
4.5. CONCLUSION
Undoubtedly, Muslims living in British, a secular society for that matter, are l
iving in a more vulnerable position, because the whole of society is challenging
at every step. For that, Islamic education must open the door of knowledge for
both sexes. They must be able to learn any skill, vocation or profession in the
secular context and not only be competent but also excel in them. So that the na
me and meaning of Islam as the religion of peace
and the compendium of all

knowl
edge must be proclaimed and symbolised in Ummah united Muslim community in an
equally manner with self-sufficient package of a civilisation within universe wh
ich that comprises much more than five pillars of Islam.

CHAPTER FIVE
Summary and Conclusion
5. 0
5.1. Conclusion
The religion of Islam: It defines itself in terms not of freedom but of submissi
on to God. Islam, salm, and salaam – “submission,” “peace,” and “safety”- all derive from t
verb salima, whose primary meaning is “to be secure,” “unharmed” or “blameless,” but which
as a derived from meaning “to surrender.” The Muslim is the one who has surrendered,
submitted, and so obtained security. All Muslim should aspire to please God by
performing good deeds, and as well to observe the fundamental principles of the
Five Pillars of Islamic faith:1) Shahadah: bearing witness that there is no deit
y but God and Muhammad is His messenger; 2) Salat: performing the prescribed fiv
e daily prayers; 3) Sawm: observing fast throughout the month of Ramadan;4) Zaka
t: contributing to regular charity to help the poor; 5) Hajj: going on pilgrima
ge to Makah at least once in a lifetime.
Similarly, Good Muslim were to obey a number of additional mandates by abstainin
g from alcoholic, maintaining sexual fidelity within the bounds of polygamy, yie
lding all fealty to authority, and observing certain dietary restrictions, but t
he crux of Islamic piety was concentrated in these five signs of submission to A
llah. Islam is the religion of peace, morality, humility and tolerance, more so.
Islam is a huge array of complex and sometimes contradictory layers amidst a re
ligion that permeates all areas of life: political, social, education, economic
and religious. Islam is a “socio-cultural and religio-economic political system. T
oday it has approximately a quarter of the world’s population, already boasting ne
arly 1.5 billion adherents world-wide, who represent perhaps as many races, nati
onalities, and ethnic groups as any world religion.
Islamic civilisation involves a common religious belief, based on a sacred text
whose application of law may be distinguish within the school of thought but nev
er altered the goal and objective of Islamic teaching. The contemporary situatio
ns have made an ill reputation on the Islamic culture, norm and civilisation. Th
e people, who fully misunderstood the way of Islam, are trying to construct unim
aginable and unacceptable stories about this religion, While Jihad is the emphas
izing of human struggle for progress, to lead a good life, to make society more
moral and betterment, and to spread Islam through preaching, teaching, or armed
struggle, that means to exert or to strive in the path of God. It does not mean
holy war . It should be emphasized that there is no concept of holy war in I
slam. Holy war was a term associated with the Christian Crusades which seeped
into medieval European literature as it maligned and vilified Islam. It is true
that from the early days of Islam, striving or struggling against an aggressor o
r oppressor on the battlefield was regarded as among types of jihad. But jihad a
lso meant right at the outset striving to live according to the will of God. Thu
s, the struggle with the conscience over the right course of action of a human b
eing to lead an honest life would be a jihad just as a government s endeavour to
eradicate corruption in society can also regards as jihad in Islam. But the tru
th lies far beyond these speculations. The delicate blur between ‘Jihad’ and terror
acts has been a phenomenon that has resulted from those unqualified in the scien
ce of arced law or Islamic law. Whoever seeking the real concept of Islam should
try to approach an original Muslim or Islamic scholar who knows the laws of Isl
am. Islam is the comprehensive way of human life.
Similarly, the lack of understanding of Islamic theology, Islamic fundamentalism
and political Islam in the media, even the researchers, politicians, and academ
ics frequently use the term deviating from its original meaning has contributed
much toward creating a negative impression in the very psychology of the secular
world towards Islam today. Consequently most of the average people from Muslim
and Non-Muslim communities view fundamentalism in context of religion as a form
of terrorism. Whereas, fundamentalism in Islam stresses the upholding of the fun
damental beliefs in the five cardinal tenets of Islam, in fact, cause no harm to
any non-Muslim community in the world. Further, these fundamental beliefs in Is
lamic theology have no links with terrorism. So there is nothing wrong if any gr
oup from Islamic communities advocates for Islamic fundamentalism.
Muslims should strive to achieve greater success in this life and hereafter, thr
ough the good deed in this life. But by deviating from real teaching of Islam ha
s led and even vested some quarters in Muslim societies in different countries t
o overemphasise the political aspects of Islam rather than theology that led man
y Muslim to radical Islamism or extremism.
As a matter of fact, today extremism manifests in all fronts of life. In the rel
igious front, also continue to divide faith communities and set the stage for re
ligious wars.
In any event, extremism is not based on Islam. This is because Islam is a very w
ide culture and flexible enough to accommodate new ideas, new thoughts and new d
evelopments. It is fundamentally wrong to equate Islam with extremism or radical
fundamentalism in any circumstances. Therefore whosoever among the Muslims who
commit acts of violence and terror in the name of Islam will find ample justific
ation for their actions based on the teachings of Islam?
Martyr is the name given to those who, in fearless of their religion or in an ef
fort of establishing or propagation it, prefer to die rather than abandon it or
its teachings or practices.
In that complex etymological knot is tied a vision of society and its rewards fa
r different from anything that has prevailed in modern Europe, Middle East and A
merica. For the general public in America, Britain and Europe today, Islam is “new
s” of a particularly unpleasant sort. The media, the government, the geopolitical
strategists, and although they are marginal to the culture at large, the academi
c experts on Islam are all in concert: Islam is a threat to western civilisation
. Now this is by no means the same as saying that only derogatory or racists car
icatures of Islam are to be found in the west, I mean the negative images of Isl
am are very much more prevalent than any others, and that such images correspond
not with what Islam “is” but to what prominent sectors of a particular society take
it to be: Islam and the west: a clash of civilisation? Those sectors have the p
ower and the will to propagate that particular image of Islam, and this image th
erefore becomes more prevalent, more present, than all others. War does not mean
terror. Islamic teachings, and more specifically Islamic law, regulate the cond
uct of warfare, requiring respect for the laws of war and humane treatment of wo
men, children, and other non- combatants. They do not countenance actions of the
type now designated as terrorism.
Islam doctrine and law forbids suicide, which is regarded as a major sin, earnin
g eternal damnation. The suicide, according to Islamic teaching, even if he has
lived a life of unremitting virtue, will forfeit paradise and will go to hell, w
here his punishment will consist of the eternal repetition of the act by which h
e committed suicide.
Muslims, and also many of their non-muslin compatriots, did not see it that way,
but thought of toleration in somewhat different terms. When Muslim immigrants c
ame to live in Europe they had a certain expectation, a feeling that they were e
ntitled to at least the degree of toleration which they had accorded to non-musl
ins in the great Muslim empires of the past. Both their expectations and their e
xperience were very difficult. Coming to European countries, they got both more
and less than they expected. More in the sense that they got theory and often in
practise equal civil rights, equal access to the professions, welfare, freedom
of expression, and other benefits.
The Western diplomacy through which they introduce democracy of their own belief
to be the best form of government made them to invade or intervene in the affai
rs of other civilisations especially of an Islamic country to force it to adopt
democratic reforms is democratic imperialism. Is probably the single most danger
ous source of instability and potential global conflict in a multi-civilization
world today?
This is believed to be mismanagement of concept of diplomacy which equally gradu
ally contributed to the wake of terrorism attacks of 7/7.
In fact, this is another watershed in 2005 of the worst Qaida terrorist violence
attack against London, UK. Bombings occurred on both the underground and over g
round in Britain. The attention of many Londoners, both policy-maker and the ord
inary citizens, even the foreigners has been captured by a vision of Islam that
appears to be militant, reactionary, violence and terrorism. Without wasting tim
e, the government continued to hone its response to terrorism under its "CONTEST
" Counterterrorism Strategy. The Home Secretary opened the conference by calling
on participants to confront radical ideology that contends that being British a
nd being Muslim are incompatible. With this specific reference to instances of t
errorism on mainland Britain, the British State s record of honestly and justly
bringing the perpetrators of terrorist attacks to justice is shockingly poor.
About their amply demonstration that there exist of a concerning number of terro
rist attacks in Britain from which much political and legislative capital has be
en made by the State for which the actual perpetrators have never been arrested,
charged, prosecuted or brought to justice. Both the police and intelligence s
ervices that resulted in them being unable collectively prevent what happened. U
pon all, the bombings provoked a wave of Islamophobic attacks across the country
, including attacks on mosques, assaults on Muslims, anti-Muslim graffiti and, f
or example, the murder of a Muslim man in Nottingham. Along the line, Muslim saf
ety Forum [MSF] a coalition of Muslim groups, issued a press release announced e
xamples of the backlash: ‘Arson, Bomb Hoaxes, Criminal Damages, Graffiti, Assault,
Abuse and Threats. Similarly After the 7/7 attacks, there was a large of increa
se in Faith Hate and Race Hate crime. It was recalled nationally, that the figur
e for hate incidents directed at Muslims has passed 1,200 as a backlash.
To date, and despite the release of some CCTV footage purporting to be from the
day of 7 July 2005, not one piece of evidence has been released to the public th
at could be legitimately used to convict someone in a court of law for what happ
ened, yet the government still has no plans to organise an Independent Public In
quiry. The demand of the inquests into the 56 deaths that occurred have not been
held, and it is unclear whether full inquests will ever be held, giving rise to
concerns that "families of July 7 bombing victims fear they may never learn the
truth. There are a series of cases of stop and search of Muslim in UK, and seve
ral issues have been recall for many Foreign Muslim scholars and missionaries wh
o face a lot of delay or even deported on their way coming to UK. to extent that
the so call counter–terrorism measures on Muslims has cause the denied or lock up
people indefinitely, stop and search people indiscriminately, make them go alon
g with ID cards. Even mere their name and dressing as symbolise the act of terro
rising, suspicious and criticism.
Anyway, the solid basis teaching of Islam is for eliminating all sorts of immor
ality, indecency, ethnocentric behaviours, egoism, discrimination and racism in
the global, and call for one ummah and the nation, through shaping of a pluralis
t, just, and inclusive society, all these aforementioned should not only be in p
ersonal convictions or morality, but also the need to establish good atmosphere
and an ethical public order consistent with Islam’s role as a faith in public real
m, so that Islam would not seen as a religion of war or terrorism.
Muslims states have not recently posed threat to the west. If they seem to do so
, it is only cause and engineer by some who form shield around some crazy tyrant
, whose power reaches no further than his weapons. Islam came as a guiding light
into a dark world, a world that needed a lightning bolt to wake up from its dee
p slumber. It came in an age of truth-defying ignorance when the worship of one
true God from China and Japan in the East to Morocco, and Island in the West was
replaced by worship of myriads of demigods, and worship hallowing in the United
Kingdom.
Whatever the psychological, social and political factors that trigger violence i
n the fringe or mainstream of terrorism, the religious mindset is itself an impo
rtant factor that needs to be acknowledged and understood if durable solutions a
re to be found for many current conflicts. In this context, Islam is more than j
ust a tool for protest or useful marketing and political ploy, to mobilise recru
it more worldly cause. In addition Islam is not is a passive agent waiting to be
ignited into a political by some unscrupulous, political, tribal, and religious
extremist chauvinists.

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