Footnotes:

(1) Narrated in Saheeh Muslim, #1744, and Saheeh Al-Bukhari, #3015.

(2) Narrated in Saheeh Muslim, #1731, and Al-Tirmizi, #1408.

(3) Narrated in Saheeh Al-Bukhari, #3166, and Ibn Majah, #2686.

(4) Narrated in Abu-Dawood, #2675.

(5) Narrated in Saheeh Al-Bukhari, #6871, and Saheeh Muslim, #88.

(6) This means killing and injuring.

(7) Narrated in Saheeh Muslim, #1678, and Saheeh Al-Bukhari, #6533.

(8) Narrated in Saheeh Muslim, #2422, and Saheeh Al-Bukhari, #2365.

(9).  Narrated in Saheeh Muslim, #2244, and Saheeh Al-Bukhari, #2466.

(10) Narrated in Saheeh Muslim, #1955, and Al-Tirmizi, #1409

The kid is killed!! WHY????
 

This is what the Israelis would do to the uprising Palestinian civilians (the rock throwers, who have no weapons) when no reporters are present!!
 

Is Islam really a Religion of Terror?

Every time speculation arises that a bomb is responsible for a tragedy, such as the TWA Flight 800 crash, Non-Muslims & Muslims alike suspect the Islamic connection. Of course the disclaimers abound, but a lingering suspicion about Muslims is left in the general views of terrorism, even if other groups are identified as the main culprits for any particular incident. 

This perception is not due to any intrinsic resentment of Islam by the American people. It is understood that the mainstream of Muslims, the vast majority of them, like in every other faith, is peaceful and pay their taxes, trying to make America a better society, trying to improve relations with neighbors and colleagues. 

But images and terminology influence public opinion, and a bitter taste is left when Islam is reported in the daily headlines. The term "Islamic fundamentalism", whatever it means, has been repeated enough times in relation to violent incidents that naturally, any thinking human being has to be uncomfortable with the fact that America is home to a vibrant Muslim community. The problem stems from negative images about Islam. In the court of public opinion, Islam is guilty until proven innocent. 

Palestinian women lament in front of an Israeli Occupation tank as they inspect trees on their land which were destroyed by Israeli Occupation tanks in the Palestinian-ruled area of Beit Lahiya in the northern Gaza Strip October 8, 2001

Even though the Middle East was home to fewer terrorist incidents than Latin America and Europe, for example, it is still regarded as the region where terrorism is rooted. According to a recent US State Department report, Patterns of Global Terrorism, issued earlier this year, 272 terrorist events occurred in Europe, 92 in Latin America and 45 in the Middle East. Sixty-two anti-US attacks occurred in Latin America last year, 21 in Europe and 6 in the Middle East. These numbers represent the terrorist trend and not an anomaly, whereby the majority of perpetrators are not linked to the Middle East or Islam. The Red Army Faction in Germany, the Basque Separatists in Spain, the Tamil Tigers in Sri Lanka, the Shining Path in Peru and the National Liberation Army in Columbia are not viewed with the same horror as terrorist groups of Muslim background. 

There is no moral justification for terrorism regardless of the ethnic or religious background of the perpetrator or the victim, but the factual basis of terrorism has been either hidden or twisted in the public's perception of this policy problem, especially in congressional hearings on terrorism. The countries with the worst terrorist records in the world are not in the Middle East either. They are not even Muslim countries outside the Middle East. They are Columbia and Germany, havens for drug lords and neo-Nazis. 

The negative association of Islam with terrorism exists, but no one has ever asked "Why?". Could it be that American society cannot overcome the Khomeini phobia, even though he is dead? The US Congress found it necessary to push $20 million towards covert operations in toppling the Iranian government even at the dissent of people in the CIA. The Arab countries, both friend and foe, are run by tyrants who kill more of their own people than those outside their countries. The presumption that these countries represent a threat to American interests or that any one of them can dominate the region or even rival the only remaining superpower is indeed generous. So the issue is not these countries' hegemony in their region or the world, but about who can dominate their people and exploit their resources. 

Made a refugee in 1948 to create a homeland for European Jews, at 75 this Palestinian man from the Rafah refugee camp finds himself homeless once again, no thanks to Zionist ethnic cleansing policy and American indifference. 

The perception in the Middle East is that US policy does not serve the peoples interests; it protects Israel and friendly Arab dictators even when they violate human rights, while it slaps sanctions on and takes military actions against countries whose dictators misbehave, resulting in suffering, starvation and even slaughter, all in the name of teaching the tyrants a lesson. The priorities in the Middle East for the US are not human rights and democracy, but rather oil and Israeli superiority. Consequently, anti-American sentiment increases. This mood of the general public is then characterized as "Islamic fundamentalism", even though the resentment is not rooted in religion. When it turns violent, it is termed "radical Islamic fundamentalism" or "Islamic terrorism." The various "terrorism experts" promote linkage to the Middle East before any other possibility every time terrorism is speculated. They exploit the human suffering of the victims, their families, and the fears of the American public. 

Indeed, extremists of Muslim backgrounds are violating the norms of Islamic justice and should be held accountable for their criminal behavior, but we in America should not be held hostage to the politics of the Middle East or biased reporting. 

An Israeli journalist, Yo'av Karny, reporting on the events in Chechnya made a striking observation about this development: "The West will be told--and will be inclined to believe--that the oppression of the Chechens is part and parcel of a cosmic struggle against 'Islamic extremism' that rages from Gaza to Algeria, from Tehran to Khartoum. Russians will seek Western sympathy. They should not be given it." The issue is not Chechnya, and it is not even about Islam and the West. Debates about religious wars and cultural clashes only distract us from the real issue: the powerful want to continue dominating the powerless, manipulating facts to influence public opinion, hence maintaining the status quo.

Mass murder happened from Israeli soldiers on Palestinians and Leabanese
Civilians when the Israeli troops invaded a village in southern Leabanon.

ATTACK ON USA

THE MUSLIM RESPONSE

Whoever kills a soul, unless for a soul, or for corruption done in the land - it is as if he had slain mankind entirely. And whoever saves one, it is as if he had saved mankind entirely

[Qur'an 5:32]

One of the core meanings of Islam is peace. Therefore, the inhumane and horrific events at the World Trade Center which caused innocent casualties - including many Muslim victims - is clearly, without a doubt, completely un-Islamic.

However, it should be noted that the actions of an individual or a small group do not necessarily represent the beliefs of a particular religion, nor is that religion responsible for such actions. Therefore, the media’s labeling of those who are allegedly responsible for these actions as “Islamic Terrorists” and the linking of such actions to Islam or the Qur’an, is incorrect. Rather, such inhumane actions clearly contradict the teachings of Islam - just as the bombing at Oklahoma City by Timothy McVeigh and the killings that occurred at Ibrahim Mosque, Hebron by Dr. Baruch Goldstein clearly contradict the teachings of Christianity and Judaism, respectively.

This young civilian man was shot to death on his
head, neck and stomach by Israeli
soldiers.
 

It is inconceivable that the religion of Islam, which takes its teachings from the noble Prophets such as Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad - peace be upon all of them - would ever teach terrorism or suicide missions. In reality, Islam not only condemns terrorism and suicide missions, but also prohibits them completely. Thus, many Muslim nations, organizations, and communities all around the world have condemned such actions, hoping never to see its like again. The yellow journalism of the media showing the views of a small group of Palestinians (mostly children), who have been terrorized for years, does not represent the true feelings of Muslims worldwide.

It is also unfortunate that harassment of various kinds (including shootings, beatings, stone throwing, robberies, vandalism, death threats and hate language) has occurred against innocent Muslims resident in the United States – the elderly, women and children alike. In addition, Islamic places of worship and Muslim owned businesses have now become the targets of some peoples’ anger and ignorance, just as the American people had become the targets of the anger and ignorance of the perpetrators of the World Trade Center attacks. Such bigotry and hatred is inhumane and unjustified.

We denounce the killing of innocent civilians in the United States, just as we have patiently for many years denounced the killing of innocent civilians in Bosnia, Chechnya, Kashmir, Palestine, India and other countries.

May God, Almighty, the One without any associates or partners in His Divinity, guide us all to the Truth and spread peace throughout the earth. Ameen.

An Israeli boy kicks a Palestinian woman as a girl pulls her headdress in a market in the divided West Bank town of Hebron Thursday, Aug. 9, 200.

The picture is worth thousands of words!