Terror Is Again at the Top of Yemen's Agenda

The great Soma disaster in Turkey, referendums in Ukraine, civil war in Syria, Boko Haram in Nigeria: These are the main headlines on the world news. In Yemen, on the other hand, one of the topics of the agenda is again terror.

Ali Asghar Asadi, Iran's economic attaché in Yemen, was fatally wounded in a drive-by shooting. The other terror acts that occurred in the country during recent weeks are as follows:

Colonel Salih ibn Sabid lost his life in front his house from an armed attack by some unidentified people. In the central al-Bayda province, two Yemeni soldiers were killed in an ambush by unidentified gunmen and two guards suffered injuries.

In the province of Shabwa an assassination attempt was made against the military convoy of the Yemeni Defense Minister Muhammad Nasir Ahmad.

Four al-Qaeda militants were killed in the vicinity of the presidential palace where they fought against security forces.

In the Azzan area of Shabwa province in the south of the country, more than 30 al-Qaeda militants were killed in operations carried out by the security forces with the slogan, "Altogether for a Terror-Free Yemen." There are those who perpetrate terrorism claiming that they supposedly act in the name of Islam in Yemen, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Nigeria – even in Europe and America – on one side and there are those sincere Muslims who say Islam is a religion of peace and commands compassion and justice.

Many world leaders, Islamic scholars, prominent media outlets, television channels and radio stations have several times conveyed to their own communities that Islam in no way allows violence and that it commands peace among people and nations. Those circles that examine Islam closely and know the true Islam commanded in the Qur'an clearly reveal that the words "terror" and "Islam" are definitely not compatible, and Divine religions never allow such savagery.

However it is not possible to say that all these efforts have accomplished the desired result. Those who commit acts of terrorism on behalf of so-called Islam continue to be propped up by some Muslim circles. Indeed, Jalal Baidi, one of the al-Qaeda leaders in Yemen, expressed for the first time that some armed men from local tribes joined them in their fight against the Yemeni army. The Islamic world needs to ponder upon the reasons for this and seek solutions.

For the Islamic world to get rid of the scourge of terror, an all-out spiritual campaign must be launched. Both international institutions such as the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and Muslim countries must make greater efforts to correct some misconceptions about Islam. They must explain that acts and practices of terror organizations such as al-Qaeda and Boko Haram are at odds with the Qur'an; that in the Qur'an killing an innocent person is equated to killing all of humanity; that Islam forbids terror, violence, oppression and tyranny; that according to the Qur'an peace, love, self-sacrifice, justice and compassion need to prevail. By employing state-of-the-art means of technology such as books, magazines, movies, and using the means of social media, newspapers, TV programs and voluntary speakers, the message of true Islam – which is based on love and peace – must be communicated to even the most remote corners of the Islamic world. This is the most urgent responsibility of Muslims. Without serious education efforts, it would be essentially impossible for the Islamic world to rid itself of terrorism through military operations or drone strikes. Against terrorism and the mistaken doctrines that produce it, a very robust scientific and philosophical campaign is essential. All televisions, radio stations, newspapers and the entirety of the media in Islamic countries must participate in this campaign.

In this campaign one point must be made clear: Although these terrorists have Islamic names and their religion is recorded as "Islam" on their identity cards, the murders they commit can never be referred to as the "Terror of Islam" just as how such acts would not be referred to as the "Terror of Christianity" if they were Christians or "Terror of Judaism" if they were Jews. It is impossible to kill people in the name of a Divine religion because as per the morality of religion, a human being is considered as a being who carries the soul of God and thus the utmost value is attached to them.

1. Yemen's cry for help - Daily Star, 06.04.2011 2. A suicidal attack in Yemen: 100 people killed  - Daily Türkiye, 22.05.2012 3. The specter of civil war in Yemen - Daily Taraf, 28.05.2011 4. A bloody attack at a parade rehearsal: at least 100 people killed - Daily Yeni Akit, 22.05.2012 5. Yemen's capital: a blood bath - Daily Cumhuriyet, 22.05.2012 6. Tragic death toll in Yemen: 360 people - Daily Milli Gazete, 22.05.2011

Unless otherwise forgiven by God, killing innocent people is a grave sin punishable by the torment of hell. A person who lives by the morality of the Qur'an and has a fear of God in his heart would never dare to kill a person. Being aware that a person will give an account of all his deeds he has done throughout his life in this world in God's Presence deters Muslims from assuming an attitude incompatible with the Qur'an, committing a deed proclaimed to be unlawful by God or resorting to violence and terror.

No matter the religion a perpetrator of such violence claims to belong to, an attack committed in the name of "religion" is actually also an attack against the religion itself. True religion commands love, compassion and peace. Terror, on the other hand, is merciless, and seeks only mindless bloodshed, killing and suffering. Consequently while seeking a perpetrator for a terror act, we need to seek the source not in genuine piousness, but in radicalism or irreligion. The names of the terrorists or their religion is not important; a terrorist who kills in the name of religion is simply a murderer with no fear of God whose sole purpose is to shed blood and to make afflict as much pain as possible on innocent people; the more proper definition of such an individual is a psychopath. Terrorist acts which kill innocent people can not be the product of Islam, but of a profoundly disturbed mindset which considers human beings as mere lumps of matter.

In Islam based on the morality of the Qur'an, there is by no means any room for terrorism. On the contrary, according to Islam the acts referred to as "terror" – that is acts of violence committed against innocent lives – is a great crime and it is incumbent upon Muslims to prevent these acts and instead bring about peace and justice to the world.

In Islam there is by no means any room for terrorism. On the contrary, according to Islam "terror" is a great crime and it is incumbent upon Muslims to prevent these acts and instead bring about peace and justice to the world.