We must not tolerate murder in the name of Allah

Like the Pakistani gunmen, the perpetrators of this Indonesian hate crime, no doubt, believe in Allah. They probably claim to love Allah as well, and yet, they willingly kill in His name. But the Allah whom they hail does not sanction their senseless killing of innocents.

Ahmadiyya Times | News Watch |
Source/Credit: National Post | Canada
By Mohsina Islam | March 9, 2011

What makes a Muslim kill another Muslim in the name of Allah? What makes a Muslim seethe with such hatred that he resolves to beat another Muslim incessantly, even though that other Muslim is already dead? These were the questions I asked myself after watching what can probably be considered one of the most traumatizing hate crime videos on the internet.

The footage, captured by a young man now in custody, shows a throng of Indonesian villagers chanting “Allah-o-Akbar” as three different men try their hand at thrashing dead bodies to a bloody pulp. After a few attempts, and with the overwhelming support of bystanders, the men succeed in turning two Ahmadi Muslim men—two human beings—into dead meat.


Perhaps even more appalling than the blood and gore itself is the fact that the brutal attack was unprovoked. Reports say that on Feb. 6, 2011, in the town of Cikeusik on Java, more than a thousand villagers attacked the house of an Ahmadi leader where almost 20 Ahmadi Muslims were gathered. Many of the assailants were armed with spears, machetes and sticks. Although the Ahmadi Muslims were not engaged in any provocative activity, three Ahmadi Muslim youth were brutally beaten and killed, while six others were injured.  All of this mayhem erupted and continued unimpeded under the watchful eye of nearly 30 Indonesian police officers, who had been forewarned of an imminent attack on the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community.

Aside from revealing the downright ugly side of humanity, the attack unveils a chilling pattern of religious persecution and human rights violations in Muslim-majority countries. It was only last May that gunmen stormed two different Ahmadiyya mosques in Lahore Pakistan, killing almost 100 Ahmadi Muslims and injuring another 125. As with the Indonesian attack, Pakistani police had been forewarned about threats to Ahmadi Muslims but took little action to prevent the attacks, and did virtually nothing once the attacks were underway. In fact, due to either the Pakistani police force’s indolence or apathy, the Ahmadi Muslims were left to defend themselves.

Like the Pakistani gunmen, the perpetrators of this Indonesian hate crime, no doubt, believe in Allah. They probably claim to love Allah as well, and yet, they willingly kill in His name. But the Allah whom they hail does not sanction their senseless killing of innocents. Instead, the Allah they worship and supposedly love says, “…whosoever killed a person — unless it be for killing a person or for creating disorder in the land — it shall be as if he had killed all mankind” (Koran, 5:33).

Like other Ahmadi Muslims, I have reflected enough on the actions of the murderers. I believe that now it is time for the murderers to reflect. So, I ask of those men who ruthlessly took the lives of three youth: would the same Allah who forbids the slaying of innocents and urges the doing of good be proud of your actions? Would He be pleased to know that, as Muslims, you have killed other Muslims in His name? Would He love you for knowing that you killed innocent human beings and then deprived their dead bodies of peace and dignity?

Regardless of how the murderers would respond one thing should be clear: like all other acts of evil, murder in the name of Allah can never be justified, and nor should it be tolerated. But as long as we remain silent and oblivious to atrocities in distant countries, murders will turn into massacres, and massacres, into holocausts. That is precisely what happened in Nazi Germany. For a long time, people outside the country believed that Hitler’s Final Solution did not concern them. For a long time, people remained silent, allowing Hitler to execute his nefarious agenda. When people finally awoke from their slumber, it was far too late: the world’s Jewish population had been reduced by a substantial amount.

Let’s not forget the grave lessons history has taught us. Let’s not allow geographical boundaries to prevent us from honouring our duties as world citizens. Instead, let’s become mindful of what transpires in the global village. Let’s demolish the walls of apathy, and in their place, build bridges of empathy.

- Mohsina Islam is an aspiring journalist, currently in her third year of the Professional Writing program at York University.


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