By Jon Pattee
Senior English Editor - Albawaba.com
If the official story is to be believed, the killers of over 5,000 people in New York and Washington were self-proclaimed Muslims. Therefore, many non-Muslim Americans now think that Islam is as ruthless and vicious as the attackers.
But in order to live in peace with their millions of Muslim neighbors, all Americans must know that the recent attacks say no more about the true message of Islam than the Crusades and the Inquisition say about the true message of Christianity.
Especially given the rising number of attacks on Arabs and followers of Islam in the US, non-Muslim Americans must know that it was not just people that the terrorists burned alive, but also the laws and traditions laid down by the Prophet Mohammed.
How? The attackers obviously thought that only terrorism could defeat overwhelming US military power. But the Prophet Mohammed also confronted foes with devastating numbers and weapons, and rallied his followers around heroism – not terrorism.
This tradition was laid down nearly 1,400 years ago, when Islam was struggling to just to survive. A tiny band of 300 Muslims, short on weapons and supplies, faced a huge and well-equipped army of 1,000 enemies from the city of Mecca.
In the face of what looked like certain death, these Muslims could easily have despaired and run away from the battlefield called Badr. Instead, they mustered up their faith in God and listened to the words of their prophet.
The Prophet Mohammed did not advise them to sneak around behind the huge enemy army, enter Mecca, and slaughter the wives of their enemies.
He did not advise them to retreat, and then send assassins into the city to spread terror by killing Meccan children under the cover of darkness.
He did not advise them to poison Mecca’s wells so that all the inhabitants, young and old, men and women, would die in agony.
In short, the prophet did not advise Muslims to kill unarmed people – not even in order to save their own lives. In doing so, he elevated Islam and its flesh-and-blood followers to a level of civilization and respect for human rights that is rarely seen in human history. That the Muslims won the ensuing battle is almost incidental to the moral victory.
It may turn out that the terrorists in New York and Washington claimed to be answering the call of their prophet. But history shows that what they actually did was insult his memory, while failing miserably to live up to the heroism of their ancestors.
Now it is up to all Americans – particularly the friends and families of the 5,000 people killed on Tuesday – to treat their Muslim neighbors with respect. There must be no more reports of harassment, no more assaults, no more attempts to burn down mosques.
Remember: Islam is not what the attacks were about. In fact, nothing could be farther from the truth.
