ISLAM AND TERRORISM

    Recently in the United States, there was a horrible terrorist attack in a nightclub in the state of Florida. A gunman who pledged allegiance to the terror group Isis, gunned down more than 50 people and injured many others. It is a heartbreaking travesty when we see things like this occur. And generally the aftermath is a slew of anti-Muslim articles on the Internet and hate posts on social media. On today's blog, I wanted to clear up a bit of confusion about Islam and terrorism. I am not a very politically correct individual, nor am I heavily steeped in the modern day liberal movement. So what you're about to read is as balanced as possible, and comes from a lot of hours of personal study on the religion of Islam. This will by no means be an exhaustive article, but will cover some of the important facets of the Muslim faith.

    To begin with, we will mention what some call the, "violent versus," of the Koran. Did you know, that most of these verses have a historic value? They were written to the Muslims who were being oppressed and killed by their enemies who were  trying to suppress and wipe out the religion? It is also interesting to note that the Koran does tell Muslims that they can defend themselves, but only in a defensive way. They may only fight if attacked, and if the enemy surrenders or drops his weapon, they are to show mercy and let him go. There isn't actually any verse in the Koran that tells a Muslim to go out and kill in the name of Allah. This may be shocking for some to hear, but is actually the truth. The Koran states many times over, those who make mischief upon the earth and do not do good to their fellow man will be companions of the fire. It doesn't get any more clear than that.

    Did you know that early Islam and many of the peaceful sects today respect all religions? They do not believe that if you are of a different faith that you should be killed. They actually believe that all religions have certain truths from God in them and have their prophets. Their belief is that God has guided mankind from the beginning of his inception and has shown him the way to truth. They believe that Islam is the religion that unites all other faiths under the banner of the universal sovereign. The Sufi Muslims say that there are as many paths to God as there are human beings upon the earth. Many of the peaceful Muslims believe that we are all brothers and sisters and all faiths should coexist together in peace.

     Did you know that Islam actually does not suppress women but gives them many rights? A woman can even file for a divorce if she finds that she does not get along with her husband or if he is violent or abusive in any way. This certainly squelches the idea that women need to completely submit to their husbands in Islam and even be beaten if they displease or disobey him.

    In actual Islam, jihad is the war against the self. It is the fighting of all tendencies in the human nature that would cause us to live or act in destructive or negative ways. It is a purifying of the self. This is called the great jihad. There is a lesser jihad and that does consist of fighting against your enemies, but again, only if you are attacked. You have a right to fight a holy war and defend yourself if an enemy comes upon you and tries to destroy you. But you are never to be the aggressor; this is stated clearly in the Koran.

    The form of "Islam," that we see waging war on people of different cultures and faiths, and engaging in acts of terrorism is actually a political/religious system that many Muslims do not even consider to be Islam. It was born out of a movement many years ago that was started by an individual who believe that Islam should not only engage in fighting for defensive purposes, but should also be the aggressor in the cause of Allah. The individual who started this movement, went against the words of the Koran and the Prophet Mohammed and began to interpret certain verses in a way that was contrary to the tenants of early Islam. Over time, the movement became even more violent and has evolved into what we see today. It is a sad fact that many many Muslims are killed by this group and executed for not converting to their brand of perverted Islam. We must understand, this dangerous movement is out to destroy anyone who will not bow to their demands or convert to their violent death cult. Many Muslims willingly bow their heads and except death at the hands of these monsters and refuse to convert to this perverted political religion. We must understand, all religions have had their dangerous fanatics who had no regard for human life. It does not matter what religion these individuals belong, or belonged to. When we see such hellish things being played out on the stage of the world, we must come to understand that it is the heart of the individual that drives them to do such things not necessarily the religion they follow. If there was no religion, that would be something else that would fuel the fires of those whose hearts are blackened.

    I truly hope that this post will be shared among many people. We must begin to educate ourselves and stop letting the tentacles of hatred and prejudice strangle our world. As stated earlier, I am not a politically correct individual. I am not a heavy duty liberal. I'm just a person who wants to know the truth and the truth is not always what we see in the media or on the Internet. Be blessed.