Islam and Terrorism are not Synonymous.pdf

Since the 9/11 attacks in the United States, Islam and Muslim communities around the world have often been unfairly labelled as terrorists. However, this kind of labelling began even earlier, with Orientalists who studied Eastern cultures more than a hundred years ago. The late Palestinian-American professor Edward Said (1935–2003) from Columbia University explained that Orientalism—which was supposed to study the history, culture, religion, and way of life of Eastern people—mostly focused on Islam and Muslims. This shows that they had an agenda against Muslims.
In his well-known works Orientalism (1978) and Covering Islam (1981), Prof. Said exposed the condescending attitude of Orientalists, who often portrayed Islam and Arab culture negatively and disrespectfully. Muslims were painted as uncivilized and barbaric, ignoring the great contributions they made in the fields of revealed, natural, and social sciences.
During the golden age of their civilisation, Muslim scholars and scientists were regarded as custodians of knowledge and pioneers in various disciplines. Western media and leaders have often overlooked the fact that the progress made by the West in science and technology was significantly inspired by the works of early Muslim scholars, philosophers, and scientists.
The Qur’an, Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), and Muslims in general are often portrayed in Western media as advocates of violence and instigators of terror against those who do not share their faith or way of life. Allegorically speaking, the message conveyed through such broadcasts paints a picture of a world crying out for peace, while Muslims are cast as aggressors seeking war and bloodshed.

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Islam and Terrorism are not Synonymous

https://www.islamicity.org/105678/islam-and-terrorism-are-not-synonymous/
Mohd Abbas Abdul Razak
September 25, 2025
Since the 9/11 attacks in the United States, Islam and Muslim communities around the world have often
been unfairly labelled as terrorists. However, this kind of labelling began even earlier, with Orientalists
who studied Eastern cultures more than a hundred years ago. The late Palestinian-American professor
Edward Said (1935–2003) from Columbia University explained that Orientalism—which was supposed to
study the history, culture, religion, and way of life of Eastern people—mostly focused on Islam and
Muslims. This shows that they had an agenda against Muslims.
In his well-known works Orientalism (1978) and Covering Islam (1981), Prof. Said exposed the
condescending attitude of Orientalists, who often portrayed Islam and Arab culture negatively and
disrespectfully. Muslims were painted as uncivilized and barbaric, ignoring the great contributions they
made in the fields of revealed, natural, and social sciences.
During the golden age of their civilisation, Muslim scholars and scientists were regarded as custodians of
knowledge and pioneers in various disciplines. Western media and leaders have often overlooked the fact
that the progress made by the West in science and technology was significantly inspired by the works of
early Muslim scholars, philosophers, and scientists.
The Qur’an, Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), and Muslims in general are often portrayed in
Western media as advocates of violence and instigators of terror against those who do not share their

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faith or way of life. Allegorically speaking, the message conveyed through such broadcasts paints a picture
of a world crying out for peace, while Muslims are cast as aggressors seeking war and bloodshed.
The Truth in the Qur’an and Sunnah
One truth about Islam that is often overlooked or deliberately ignored by Western media is the meaning
of the word Islam itself, which refers to peace. Inner peace is achieved through submitting and
surrendering to the will of the Almighty God. As a religion that promotes peace and a philosophy of
coexistence, Islam does not support aggression or warmongering. Rather, Islam—being a faith that
upholds fairness and justice—permits war only as a means of self-defense. Even during times of war,
Muslims are required to follow the ethical principles of warfare outlined in the Qur’an and Sunnah.
These principles include refraining from targeting women, children, the elderly, devout worshippers,
religious leaders, and other non-combatant civilians. Additionally, Muslims are forbidden from destroying
food supplies, water sources, places of worship such as churches and synagogues, beasts of burden, crops,
and other essential resources. On the battlefield, if the enemy sincerely seeks peace and wishes to end
the conflict, the Muslim army should cease fighting and respond in kind. “And if they incline to peace,
then incline to it [also] and rely upon Allah” Surah Al-Anfal (8:61).
In contrast to Muslim war ethics, some religions promote the killing of innocent men, women, babies, and
animals like oxen, donkeys, sheep, camels, and asses. The followers of those religions are programmed to
think that they are superior and closer to God, and that the rest of humanity is like animals and deserves
no respect. Worse still, they believe that killing others outside their religion is not a sin in the sight of God.
Muslim Portrayal in Films and Media
For many decades, movies made in Hollywood, Bollywood, and other non-Islamic countries have often
portrayed Muslims as villains, hijackers, or terrorists. These characters are usually shown as men with long
beards, wearing traditional clothes, holding prayer beads, and speaking Arabic or an unfamiliar language.
As terrorists, they are often armed with chemical bombs and other deadly weapons. In the past, American
movies rarely showed Muslims with their true qualities, such as kindness, tolerance, generosity, charity,
equality, and social harmony. However, in recent times, this old stereotyping is slowly disappearing. This
positive change is the result of pressure from movie critics, the growing influence of Muslim filmmakers
and scriptwriters, public demand for truthful representation, social justice movements, and the increasing
presence of Muslim communities in the United States and Europe.
It’s not surprising that in Western media, Muslim freedom fighters are always called terrorists, while the
intruders or occupiers who starve and kill innocent women and children are called commandos. When
Muslims fight back, it is immediately called an act of terror, and the news is repeated again and again for
several hours or even days.
But when a non-Muslim commits a terrorist act, the media quickly says the person is mentally ill and needs
medical help. Many times, in the past, when a terror attack happened in the West, the Western media
rushed to blame Muslims. But even when later investigations proved that the criminal was not a Muslim,
no Western media came forward to admit their mistake or apologize for the wrong reporting.

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Bigotry Exists in All Religions
We have bigots in all religions. So, it is unfair to stigmatize Muslims alone. People who misinterpret the
holy scripture and act violently toward their co-religionists and others exist in all religions. Such
misinterpretation happens due to a poor understanding of the text or a failure to comprehend the
contextual meaning of the text. Very often, a bigot might just cherry-pick verses here and there in the
holy script and make up his own conclusion. Such individuals exist among Hindus, Buddhists, Christians,
Muslims and other religions. Sometimes, bigots consciously or subconsciously go through some sort of
brainwashing or indoctrination by their religious leaders.
The True Image of the Muslim Ummah
Not many non-Muslims know the true philosophy of life followed by Muslims. As previously mentioned,
Islam and Muslims stand for peace, harmony, and coexistence. In Islam, there is no caste system
separating one race or tribe from another. Everyone is equal in the sight of God, and all are called His
servants. An individual Muslim is only deemed superior in the sight of Allah based on the depth of their
faith and their commitment to the teachings of Islam.
Muslims live a God-centred life by worshipping Allah five times a day, either in congregation or
individually. Life for Muslims does not end in this world; they believe in life after death and the hereafter.
They observe a month-long obligatory fast during Ramadan and give Zakah and Sadaqah (charity) to those
in need. Once in a lifetime, Muslims are encouraged to perform the pilgrimage to Mecca for worship and
to join the Muslim reunion held annually during Hajj.
Muslims respect the sanctity of life, and everyone has the right to live in peace and harmony. Islam is
against racism and teaches that people outside the religion should be treated with dignity, fairness, and
justice. In the Qur’an and Sunnah, Muslims are asked to build good relationships with themselves, with
God, with nature (flora and fauna), and with fellow human beings.
Non-Muslims, minorities, and native people living in a Muslim country should be given their rights to
practice their religion and culture. The Muslim government should provide safety and security to non-
Muslim minorities, and no wrongdoing should be committed against them.
To live a blessed life, Islam prohibits its followers from alcohol, drugs, and immoral sexual behavior. It
encourages marriage to help individuals avoid sexual misconduct and to support the healthy growth of
the Muslim Ummah through family life.
The Role of Muslims in the West
The presence of an ever-growing Muslim population in the United States and Europe is having a significant
impact on the non-Muslim communities there. Both migrants and second-generation Muslims in the West
are doing a great service to Islam. By observing the lifestyle of Muslims and their practices—such as fasting
during Ramadan, congregational Taraweeh prayers performed in open-space, engaging in mosque
activities, celebrating Eid, organizing charity drives, conducting da’wah activities, distributing free Qur’ans
and literature on Islamic topics, holding interfaith dialogues, offering mosque tours, and other community
events—many non-Muslims are being drawn to learn more about Islam.

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Mainstream Western Media Is Losing the Narrative
With the rise of smartphones and social media platforms like Facebook, WhatsApp, YouTube, TikTok,
podcasts, AI, and other internet-based apps, mainstream Western media is losing control of its anti-
Muslim narrative. Through these platforms, Muslims and their supporters have been able to challenge
and break the negative propaganda about Islam and Muslims. Today, the internet and social media give
Muslim scholars and preachers many opportunities to share the true message of Islam with the world.
In addition, many non-Muslims are seeing Muslims firsthand—in mosques and in public spaces—which is
slowly changing their perception of Islam. More and more people are beginning to realize that Islam is a
peaceful religion, far from the negative image created by mainstream Western media.
(The views expressed are those of Dr. Mohd Abbas Abdul Razak, Department of Fundamental and
Interdisciplinary Studies, AHAS KIRKHS, IIUM, and do not necessarily reflect the views of IslamiCity).