“Terrorism has no religion” is a phrase you’ve probably encountered in social media discussions, TV debates, and newspapers. It’s often used as a shield by individuals including liberals, leftists, Muslim moderates, and some politicians to downplay or rationalize a wide range of offenses. Whether it’s the disturbing cases of “Love Jihad,” sexual assaults, targeted killings, attacks on Hindu temples, or violence against security personnel, this assertion of “terrorism has no religion” is employed to distance offenders from their heinous actions.
In this report, we won’t wade into the debate on whether terrorism is linked to any religion. Instead, we will draw your attention to terrorist groups that consistently disrupt global peace. Driven by their extreme religious convictions, these groups commit the most heinous crimes against innocent people, exhibiting NO remorse. These individuals are among the worst offenders against humanity, and their actions are unforgivable in any civilized society.
We’ll start our report by discussing the terrorist organization that has been making headlines lately due to its barbarism in the entire Middle East region, Hamas.
The Hamas terrorist organization in Israel has committed acts so horrible and inhumane that they have shocked the world. They have carried out the killings of innocent citizens, murdering newborns in their cribs, burning young women after subjecting them to mass sexual assault, and taking them as hostages. Currently, Hamas is holding hundreds of young women, children, and men as hostages, using them as a human shield against Israel in the ongoing conflict.
This isn’t the first time that Hamas has resorted to such brutal acts. If we look back at their history, there is a long list of their atrocities. Since seizing power in Gaza through violence in 2007, Hamas has consistently launched terrorist attacks on Israeli civilians. From firing rockets into Israel, abducting and killing Israeli citizens, and committing a series of heinous acts, Hamas has shown absolutely NO mercy.
The terrorist organization has dug more than 32 tunnels near the Gaza-Israel border, with the sole aim of infiltrating Israel and carrying out terrorist activities. Their strategy includes using schools, homes, hospitals, and mosques in Gaza to spread terror and as bases for their attacks on Israel. This unrelenting violence and terror, fueled by Hamas’s extremist ideology, continue to pose a significant threat to the peace and stability of the region.
However, Israel isn’t the only country that has experienced attacks from terror outfits like Hamas, and Hamas is not the only organization engaging in acts of terrorism. Various regions around the world have faced similar challenges with different terrorist groups.
Another widely recognized terrorist organization that gained global attention, especially after the abduction of more than 250 schoolgirls in April 2014, is Boko Haram. The terror outfit has been responsible for carrying out acts of violence and terrorism in Nigeria’s northern regions, particularly in states such as Borno, Yobe, and Ada-mawa, where they imposed Sharia law and conducted attacks on non-Muslim populations, leaving a trail of destruction in homes, businesses, schools, churches, markets, and hospitals.
Since the violence was initiated by Boko Haram in 2009, nearly 6,000 citizens lost their lives, with over 2,563 killed just in 2014 alone. This extremist organization has a long list of atrocities to its name, including the complete destruction of 250 schools, the abduction and subsequent sexual violence, forced marriages, and forced religious conversions of more than 500 women and girls in Nigeria’s northwestern regions.
Boko Haram’s attacks on schools in Nigeria not only targeted female students but also male students. These attacks often led to the killing, abduction, and enslavement of male students, and those who resisted or opposed the group’s actions were often subjected to summary executions. The terrorist group’s actions have had a devastating impact on the educational system and the safety of students in the affected regions.
A third prominent terrorist organization that made global headlines when it carried out the most serious terrorist attack in U.S. history on September 11, 2001 is Al-Qaeda. – a global terrorist network led by Salaafi jihadists within Islam, with the ultimate goal of establishing Islamic dominance through a global Jihad movement. While most of its members originate from Arab countries, the terror network’s membership is remarkably diverse. Before the tragic events of 9/11, Al-Qaeda had previously been linked to a significant bombing attack on a US embassy in 1998.
Since its inception, Al-Qaeda has carried out attacks on civilian and military targets in several countries. Al-Qaeda is recognized as a terrorist group by the United Nations Security Council, NATO, the European Union, and numerous countries worldwide. Their list of offenses is extensive. In 1992, they targeted American soldiers in Somalia, leading to attacks on hotels in Yemen in 1993. In 1993, a bomb detonated in the World Trade Center’s underground garage, resulting in six casualties and thousands of injuries. In 1995, Al-Qaeda bombed a U.S. military training facility in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, killing five Americans and two Indians while injuring over 60 people. In 1996, they carried out an attack on the Khobaar Towers in Saudi Arabia, where American Air Force personnel were stationed, killing 19 and injuring hundreds. In the year 2000, they attacked the USS Cole, a U.S. Navy ship, killing 17 sailors.
Al-Qaeda’s most destructive act was a series of coordinated attacks on September 11, 2001, in the United States when it seized four commercial jetliners, crashing two of the planes into the Twin Towers while causing them to collapse, resulting in the destruction of a significant portion of the World Trade Center complex. The third plane crashed into the Pentagon during a struggle between passengers and hijackers, while the fourth crashed in an open field. The 9/11 attacks claimed the lives of nearly 3,000 people and left over 6,000 others injured. It marked one of the deadliest terrorist acts in history.
In 2004, Osama bin Laden took responsibility for this brutal attack. However, this wasn’t Al-Qaeda’s final act; It may have weakened, but Al-Qaeda is far from extinct, and reports of its involvement in terrorist activities continue to surface globally.
Moving further in this list, another dangerous name that comes to light is that of the Taliban. The Taliban emerged as one of the major factions during the Afghan Civil War in September 1994, primarily students from the Pashtun regions of Eastern and Southern Afghanistan, who had received education in Islamic madrasas. Under the leadership of Mullah Omar, the Taliban rapidly expanded their control across Afghanistan and, in 1996, they established the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, governing almost three-fourths of the country.
During their rule from 1996 to 2001, the Taliban implemented strict Sharia law. Their regime was characterized by widespread human rights abuses, brutal treatment of Afghan citizens, and severe gender discrimination. They engaged in ethnic and religious persecution, targeting religious and ethnic minorities. Non-Pashtun minorities were subjected to harsh discrimination and given the choice to convert to the Taliban’s interpretation of Islam or leave the country. Humanitarian aid, including UN food supplies, was often denied to starving Afghan citizens. Cultural and historical landmarks were destroyed, and women were forbidden from attending schools and most employment opportunities, music was banned, and severe consequences were imposed for any violations of these oppressive rules. The Taliban not only executed gruesome violence in Afghanistan but also carried out cultural genocide by destroying the historical and cultural texts, artworks, and sculptures of the Afghan people.
Coming to the next terrorist organization that sent shockwaves across the world is a name that united extremists on a global scale… and that’s ISIS, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria.. Born out of a complex web of political, religious, and sectarian conflicts in the Middle East, this network, in a short span, became one of the most menacing terror groups…The extent of the atrocities committed by ISIS is horrifying, and they have left deep scars on the collective memory of the affected regions and the world.
11. Upon its inception, ISIS unleashed chaos in Iraq and Syria, committing heinous crimes against humanity that may never be forgotten. The terrorist organization engaged in the mass murder of thousands of civilians.. carried out numerous abductions, and forced tens of thousands of people into exile.
They were responsible for mass killings, forced conversions, abductions on a massive scale, and the displacement of countless innocent people. ISIS imposed a brutal form of Sharia law in their territories, enforcing inhumane practices and draconian laws that included public beheadings, crucifixions, floggings, amputations, and even burning people alive. ISIS subjected thousands of children, mainly girls, and women, particularly from non-Sunni minority groups and families, to unspeakable horrors.
The scars left by ISIS run deep, both in the affected regions and in the collective memory of the world, also serving as a stark reminder of the need, for global unity against such threats.
In the initial period of ISIS attacks, UNAMI, the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq, collected evidence that proved that ISIS deliberately attacked and killed the Yazidi community. Reports published by the organization show that ISIS militants separated the captured Yazidis into groups. Men and boys were placed in one group, while women and children were placed in another. Subsequently, the men and boys were later executed. ISIS demanded that the captured men convert to Islam three times, and upon their refusal, they were killed. As for the remaining Yezidi women, after young women were separated from elderly ones, the latter were promptly executed. These horrific actions are a testament to the extreme brutality displayed by ISIS against the Yezidi population
According to a report, at least 95 mass grave sites have been found in Mosul, particularly in the Sinjar district, which is predominantly inhabited by members of the Yazidi community, The smallest mass grave that was unearthed contained the remains of eight individuals, while the largest one is believed to have contained the bodies of approximately 4,000 people who were systematically gathered and executed by ISIS.
The most horrific aspect of ISIS’s treatment of the Yazidis is the sexual and domestic slavery of thousands of Yazidi women. Girls and unmarried women who escaped captivity described the process by which they were raped and turned into sexual slaves. ISIS members gave some Yazidi girls to militants as “gifts”, and others were sold to local or foreign ISIS militants. Some girls said they were raped multiple times by ISIS terrorists before being sold. For many, this abuse continued for years, often resulting in death.
These horrific acts were nothing short of a deliberate attempt to permanently shatter the hopes of these women and children to have families and children within the Yazidi community. It was an atrocity that aimed at erasing their future and extinguishing their heritage.
This is only the tip of the iceberg. As these names are just a few – there are hundreds of regional terrorist organizations that have committed inhuman atrocities at all levels due to their extremist ideologies. Among these are Abdullah Aazam Brigades in Lebanon, Abu Sayaf in the Philippines, Aaden Aabeyan Islamic Army in Yemen, Al-Ittihad Al-Islami in Somalia, Al-Mourab-e-toun in Africa, Al-Nusra in Syria, Ansar al-Sharia in Libya, Ansar Dine in Mali, Ansaru in Nigeria, Armed Islamic Group of Algeria, Egyptian Islamic Jihad in Egypt, Haqqani Network based in Afghanistan, Harkat-ul-Jihad al-Islami in Pakistan, Harkat-ul-Mujahideen in Pakistan, Jamaat-ul-ehrar in Pakistan, Jaish-e-Mohammed, Jamaat-ul-ehrar, Tehrik-i-Taliban, Lashkar-e-Taiba, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, and in Pakistan, there is the Turkish Islamic Party. Unfortunately, Bharat also has some networks involved in terrorist activities, such as Al Badar, Al-Umra Mujahideen, Deendaar Anjuman, Dukhtaaran-e-Milaat, Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen, and many more. All these organizations are driven by extremist religious ideologies.
Terrorism is a global menace, and some extremist organizations indeed harbor ambitions to promote Islam worldwide. Their methods often involve religious conversion, death, or slavery for those who oppose their ideology. Bharat has a long history of experiencing the devastating effects of religious terrorism, dating back nearly 800 years. This fanaticism contributed to the partition of Bharat, leading to the creation of Pakistan and Bangladesh. Tragically, the poisonous influence of religious extremism continues to afflict many regions within Bharat, with the aim of imposing Islamic dominance.
However, another ominous dimension exists in the realm of global terrorism. It is the specter of state-sponsored terrorism, where certain nations support and nurture terrorist activities in foreign countries. Bharat, Israel, and even the United States have encountered this sinister form of terrorism. Countries like Pakistan, Iran, Iraq, and Qatar are frequently mentioned in this context. Suspicion of Pakistan’s involvement looms large in nearly every significant terrorist attack that Bharat has faced.
According to a report, between 2007 and 2022, around 66,000 terrorist incidents happened worldwide, resulting in the deaths of millions of people and extensive financial losses. Speaking of recent Hamas terrorism, in the past 10 days, more than 1,500 Israeli citizens have lost their lives, and a similar number of casualties have been reported in Gaza. In the wake of this attack, several countries, such as the United States, Germany, France, and Britain, have fully supported Israel, while other countries like Iran, Iraq,
Lebanon, Jordan, Kuwait, Pakistan, and Ireland have taken the side of Gaza/Hamas.
The world is also witnessing ongoing conflicts such as the Russia-Ukraine war, as well as the ongoing clashes between Armenia and Azerbaijan. The current tension between Russia, the United States, and NATO countries is reminiscent of the days of the Cold War.
China and Bharat, Bharat and Pakistan, North Korea and South Korea, China and Japan, China and Australia, China and Vietnam, and China and Taiwan have had strained relations for some time. A new form of cold war is unfolding between China and the United States.
In this context, there are several critical questions that demand our attention to avoid witnessing a third world war. Shouldn’t the countries that have become safe havens for terrorists face international pressure? Shouldn’t the nations that harbor and train terrorists within their borders be held accountable?
In a world where terrorism knows no political boundaries, it’s essential that we unite against this common threat, setting aside political convenience for collective action. The dual threat of religious extremism and state-sponsored terrorism poses a grave danger not only to the affected nations but also to global stability. Whether one identifies as a liberal, leftist, moderate, extremist, or any other political affiliation, the truth remains: “Terrorism benefits no one.” People and organizations that call terrorism “activism” and terrorists merely “activists” often forget that they are playing with fire, that may ultimately consume them.
In these critical times, we must move beyond superficial declarations like ‘terrorism has no religion’ and instead, adopt uncompromising measures to dismantle extremist ideologies that seek to impose a single belief system upon the world.
It is our duty to uproot this toxic thinking at its very foundation, for the sake of a more peaceful and secure world.
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