A Culture of Terrorism

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِيمِِ
A Culture of Terrorism

It was surely only a matter of time before terrorism hit the national British obsession: football. The pastime they call “the beautiful game” is watched and followed by millions in the UK and is punctuated by weekly ritual whereby hundreds of thousands attend football matches, to cheer on their favourites. It was against this backdrop, and in the current heightened climate of fear, that the UK populous were subjected to saturation coverage of the sensational arrests of “suspected” suicide psychopaths. In mid April these terrorists were planning to wreak death and destruction by killing and maiming innocent spectators among the tens of thousands of football lovers crammed into the confined enclosure of Old Trafford stadium to see the upcoming Manchester United vs Liverpool. A game where 67,000, many of which were families, would attend. The reports pronounced that the British authorities had heroically halted their horrendous plan. 400 police officers had been drafted into dangerous and deadly situations. Ten were arrested in daring dawn raids and the day was saved. The suspects all held tickets for United v Liverpool and they all originated from that terribly troublesome land known as Iraq. In the following days the paranoia had reached fever pitch. Football supporters interviewed on the day of the match, which “had to go on” expressed gratitude for the inconvenience of being body searched on match day – “a small price to pay for our safety”. The media expressed outrage and indignation that three of the suspects had been released early when a local judge had the temerity to question their detention.

Could it be that the suspects were merely local football fans? It transpired that the tickets they held were old. As Iraqis they were more likely to be the victims of terrorism than the perpetrators. Those that have been following the outrageous allegations and the targeting of Muslims in the war on terror will not be at all surprised to know that the suspects have been quietly freed. The profile given to their release may be contrasted with the fanfare that heralded their arrests. However, they have fared better than the 500 odd Muslims that have been held on the draconian anti-terrorist provisions, to languish in UK prisons without charge and in many cases without knowing their fate. The football scare story is also notable in that the Observer newspaper reported that the British Attorney General, Lord Goldsmith although aware of the impending newspaper scare stories (and presumably well aware that the football tickets were old) did not issue an injunction against the story’s publication.

The propaganda campaign to besmirch Islam is only one part of the war on terror. In this respect it is totally analogous to the efforts made by the Quraysh to discredit Islam and Muslims in Makkah. Their evil propaganda ploys were merely part of an orchestrated onslaught involving intimidation and boycott as well as slander. No nation can sustain such a poorly argued, and weakly justified onslaught without the appearance of a real threat. Where this threat doesn’t exist, it is not difficult to manufacture. Capitalist nations with little to strive for, but material advancement and regional domination, will not stop short of implementing terror tactics on their own populations. The Americans in their project Northwood of the 1960’s (recently declassified state department documents) signalled a willingness to manufacture terror attacks on their own citizens, which could be blamed on the Cubans to justify an unpopular foreign policy. The British have not been slow to jump at every opportunity to roll out their forces as they did in surrounding Heathrow airport (London) with tanks and armoured personnel carriers late last year in response to a perceived threat. Meanwhile the thinking population grows tired of constant reminders of 9/11 and every other terror bomb, whether the perpetrators are known or not. The public is now also questioning the fact that the only party that seems to be benefiting from such attacks are those that use them to justify the curtailment of basic rights within what are fast becoming police states.

Muslims in the west must remain calm in the face of this onslaught. Their responsibility and priority remains the call and work for the resumption of the Islamic way of life in the Islamic lands. This is sorely desired and it is surely a clear challenge and alternative to western interests and hegemony. This work is intellectual and political in nature and does not involve terror. Rasool-Allah (Sallallahu alaihi wasallam) did not take up arms or indulge in material action against the slur campaigns of the oppressive authorities that ruled Makkah. Nor did he take up arms to fight the injustices of the biting boycott or the bitter abuses against the bodies of the Muslims. He Rasool-Allah (Sallallahu alaihi wasallam) attacked them with words and called them to the just way of life. The bombardment of brainwashing, brutality and embargo that we experience today is not dissimilar to that experienced by the Rasool-Allah (Sallallahu alaihi wasallam) and the Sahaba (ra) over 14 hundred years ago. We should look to that period for inspiration and lessons on how to exercise patience. Moreover we should look to that period for an answer to the question of how we should act to get out of this situation. Our condition is dire and there is no way out other than that path laid down by Rasool-Allah (Sallallahu alaihi wasallam).

Khilafah.com Journal
17 Rabi al-Awwal 1425 Hijri
06 April 2004

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