TERRORISTS: DELUSIONS AND DILEMMA

INTRODUCTION:

The existence of terrorism dates back from historic times. Causes, trends, and tactics change with time. The cause is often surrounded by, thick clouds of the dilemma, delusions and misgivings. These factors shape the thought process of every terrorist.  An in-depth understanding and research into the psychology will help us to devise tools, to contain terrorism. We will examine some of the important incidents and their real motives behind the act.  

THE KHALISTAN MOVEMENT:

 Punjab insurgency started in 1917 for the recognition of Sikhism as a separate cult. The cause was an insecure identity .Partition of India in 1947, crippled the community with the fear of losing their identity and the homeland. The demand for a separate state was thought to be an important prerequisite, which could restore identity to this community. Government permission was ultimately granted and the dream of a separate state soon materialized. Leaders envisaged that only autonomy could empower them. Thus, Khalistan movement came into force. The demand for a separate country, Khalistan (The land of the pure) escalated. They resorted to militancy when the unethical demand was put down by the government.

Sikhs had fought Mughals who had coerced them to accept Islam. The fight was justifiable. Up to some extent, the demand for a separate state was also acceptable. But, the demand for Khalistan was far from being realized.

What was the cause? And why did the dilemma of insecurity prevail upon the so-called leaders of Khalistan movement? 

The war for an autonomous country finally came to an end with “Operation Blue Star” in June 1984. Hardcore militant leader, Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale was killed. Peace was finally restored to Punjab.

Could it be a diplomatic deception by the government? Or due to the failure of bureaucratic negotiation? Or a lack of wisdom to reconcile?

Whatever it was? The aftermath was devastating. Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated by her own Sikh guards and Hindu-Sikh riots claimed millions of lives.

  Formation of Khalistan certainly couldn't have bought more Independence and peace to Punjab than it is today.

TALIBAN IN AFGHANISTAN:

The Government in Afghanistan was weak and undermined.The Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan to annex the rich oil fields and establish its rule. However, US interception forced their retreat after a 10-year long turmoil. The "soviet adventure" had cost millions of Afghan lives and forced them to take refuge in neighboring countries. Ultimately the dilapidated and shattered Afghanistan slipped into the hands of Taliban. Taliban, an Islamic fundamentalist group invoked Sharia law and promoted Al-Qaida (1980) on its soil. Osama bin Laden established a terrorist training base to launch its attacks worldwide.   

Numerous heinous and unethical terrorist attacks were launched: The 1988 US Embassy bombings, the September 11 attacks and 2002 Bali bombings. Terrorists were under the conviction that a Christian- Jewish Alliance conspired against them and threatened their community. The aim was forced expansion of Islam globally.

Salafist jihadists believe that the killing of noncombatants is religiously sanctioned. But, scholars of Islam never supported this view. Prophet Muhammad had waged war against Quraysh tribe(Battle of Badr) in 624 C.E. It was to suppress the propaganda against Islam. The clan leaders opposed his claim to prophethood. The killings were intentionally kept to minimum.This fight was for a noble causeand not terrorize the mankind. Prophet Muhammad , most of the time used his diplomatic skills and preachings to expand Islam.

Holy Quran states: “Take the tooth for tooth and eye for an eye, but don’t harm innocents.”(Quran 5:45)

   

Be there a real threat to the Muslim community in Afghanistan? Even if it was, did Islam favored the killing of innocents?

“Killing of one innocent soul amounts to the Killing of entire mankind”(Quran 5:32) 

“Holy Quran clearly writes, combative Jihad in the name of God should be fought with those who fight against you and not the civilians” (Quran2:190).

Terrorists and their followers are victims of their own non-Islamic ideologies. The unethical man- made law is slowly eroding true Islamic values.

 Be the Muslim community still under threat? Did the innocent killings bring peace and prosperity to the land of so-called jihadists?  Dilemma continues unabated!!!

THE MUMBAI ATTACK:

 November 2008, evening 9:30, Mumbai shook with a series of attacks launched by Lashkar -e-Taiba. This was the worst of the attacks Mumbai had experienced. It left a permanent nonhealing wound in the heart of every Indian. 164 were killed and more than 600 were injured in the incident.

The main objective behind this act was to create terror and get some key terrorists released from Indian prisons.

 The captured terrorist, Ajmal Kasab revealed incredible and shocking facts. He narrates about the teachings in training camps:

·        Jihad is the only gateway to Paradise.

·        Jihadist is pardoned for all the sins they commit.

·        Holy death brings glory and peace to the soul.

·        The corpse of Jihadist is surrounded by a Devine Aroma and doesn’t stink.

·        Red carpeted welcome awaits them in paradise that commits Jihad.

·        They are showered and bathed with milk and honey.

·        Beautiful angels are deployed, to provide care and all sorts of pleasure.

 The poor and uneducated Muslims are subjected to brainwash. They hardly get an opportunity to read holy books and understand the ideologies of Islam. Hence, they fall easy prey and get victimized. Brainwashing with non-Islamic verses results in willful acceptance of killing and self-demolition with no protest.

 During the Mumbai attack, the so-called leaders guided the gunmen on the phone. The hues and cries of innocents fascinated them. They call it “Jihad.”

Jihad, an idiomatic expression, is defined in the Holy Quran as “Striving in the way of God, and for his noble purpose to be served on earth.”

 The mentally sick, with no respect for human values, find ways and means for morbid pleasure in the name of community and religion and term it “Jihad.”

MEDINA EXPLOSION:

This was clearly evident by the attempt on the mass killing of civilians on 4th July 2016 in Saudi Arabia. An attack on the most revered and sacred place for Muslims. Attack during Ramadan confirmed that terrorism knows no religion, has no belief in God and has no understanding of humanity.

 Human values are by no means, of any importance to them.

 I wonder why they talk about peace and Paradise?

The ideologies of Islam are simple to read, understand and remember in its entirety. "Holy Quran," writes about Jihad, its applications, and limitations, at least 41 number of times.The dilemmas and delusions of a terrorist can be resolved only with a meticulous understanding of the basic principles mentioned in Holy Quran.  The global joint venture, multilateral co-operations,and communications with the affected states can only mitigate the escalating menace.Its time now, lets unite and pledge for jihad on terrorism to save and  preserve human values, instead of idividualattempts.

MYTH

MYTH - A TRANSCENDENT TRUTH

Winter had just begun. Grandfather with myself was returning from the usual village tour. We were the lonely riders on the desolate road, a normal phenomenon after 7 pm. About five kilometers from the village was an isolated and derelict pond, used infrequently by the washer men for their laundry work. The driver suddenly jammed on the wheels, the car jolted, screeched and stopped. There stood an old man, clad in dhoti, staring at the head lights. Within seconds he crossed the road, went to the pond, turned back at us and plunged with an audible splash.

Grandfather stepped out and shouted “help, help the man will drown.” No one turned up. He almost  ran to the pond with the driver. I also followed them. The pond was placid to our dismay. A bystander shouted, “come back, don’t go near the pond, he will kill you.” We retreated and learned that it was a bad spirit of a “Dhobi”, who had died by drowning some 4 years back.

It was an incredible fact which our eyes had seen but the mind refused to believe. Was it a nightmare?  How could a dead man cross the road? Why did he jump back into the pond? Scores of such brain storming questions are still waiting for a logical answer.

Similar is the story of the historical Bhangarh Fort in Rajasthan.  It is famous for all its historical glory and demeanor. The famous tourist destination in Rajasthan is now declared restricted site by the Government. People call it haunted. They have stories to justify the truth but no hard facts to prove anything.

Should one stamp these as great Myths or should we go for unprecedented challenges to unravel the truth?  

Myth is not all that is false and fabricated. Truth changes into myth with change of time, belief and faith.

The story of Adam and Eve can be true but is not necessarily a truth today. It simply depends on the logical perception, the belief and the understanding of an individual to stamp it truth or myth.

Russel Kirk an American political philosopher explains, “Great myths are not merely susceptible to rational interpretation: they are truth, transcendent truth.” Myth descends from the word mythology. They are not stories structured by an insane. Great men and Women framed them based on facts that came from the forces of good and evil.

This is the age where people believe only on hard facts or the facts which has a logical and scientific bearing. People have started questioning the very existence of God. The so-called messiahs of God have distorted the facts in Holy books and replaced the original verses with their own to showcase as great scholars.   

We tend always to forget that myths came long before religions. The religious philosophies retell the same mythical themes to reshape our belief and personality.

Myths can be imaginative but are not necessarily imaginary. It should not be associated with false belief and superstitions. False belief and superstitions are non-constructive and damaging in nature. Myths, on the other hand, shape our culture and address some of the very fundamental and difficult questions of life. They help us to reform the thinking towards life and human relationships and generate the inspirational drive to journey through the spiritual world.

Science can’t define myth but myths can give an in-depth understanding of science. Let’s take the example of “DASAVTARA of VISHNU.” It has explained the evolution of life on earth and gave the concept of evolution of man from apes. ‘Matsya-avatar’ tells us that the life started in water; ‘kurma avatar’ shows how terrestrial life came to thrive so on and so forth. Scientific researchers proved that the facts stated in mythology were correctly justified. Our scientific Knowledge is still infantile compared to those hundreds and thousands of years ago.  We still can’t fly “Pushpaka  vimana” which sailed the sky without a pilot. Critics may call it all myth.

What is truth then?

The myth is the essence of truth and cannot be denied. It should not be termed bogus and imaginative. Science is still striving to define fourth dimension. But, there exists something beyond the confines of all the dimensions. The reality at present cannot be fathomed because it is not within the confines of scientific equations which we can understand. We need to rise above the limits of physics to understand the science of supernatural.

    

         

  

“AFTER-LIFE”- Experiences beyond incredible

AFTER LIFE -  Experiences beyond incredible

Death is a frightening reality. It is a depressing and inevitable consequence of life. Scholars say that death is the part of divine law, governed by nature and cannot be denied. Life after death is hard to discern in the civilized world. Religious barricades and philosophies have pushed the limits of sensible understanding beyond one's comprehension. The more we imagine the more we get confused and hardly can do anything to fathom reality.

What is the truth?  Be there any ray of light beyond the darkness of death?  

    

Let’s examine some of the real life experiences.

 A man from India narrates:

‘I was travelling through the forest to reach the nearby city for my daily work. The terrain was as usual, muddy due to heavy downpours, the previous night. Two men clad in red clothes were approaching from the opposite end.  They were tall and of strong built.  Thick  moustache and stern face gave them a terrible look. 

 “The dacoits”, I thought.   

One of them motioned  me to stop and said, ‘don’t fear us.’  I was frightened and was searching for options to flee and save the life. There were none and nobody, who could be called for help.  

Hesitatingly, I moved towards them and dared to ask, ‘What do you want from me?’

The taller of the two beckoned and whispered, ‘You keep away from the road. A Bullock cart is coming and we are here to check on it.’

I could see nothing ahead. There was no sign of any such vehicle.

 ‘Are you from the police?’ I asked. 

 The taller of the two stared at me and smiled for the first time.

‘Driver on that cart will die here and we will take him.’ The other man replied with a frown. I was stunned. It was unbelievable. There was a complete silence. I was recalling his words, trying to figure out the meaning.

We waited patiently;

 A bullock cart appeared at the other end of the road, pacing towards us at medium speed. The Bulls were controlled by a short height lean person clad in Dhoti. It approached us and then all of a sudden one of the wheels of the cart sunk deep in the mud.  Bulls Stood Still. The driver shouted at them to steer out off the ditch but the animals didn't move. Angry and agitated, he jumped out of the cart and stood near the beast.

The man shouted again, whipped and pushed them forwards.  All his attempts to roll the stuck wheel out of the ditch went futile. The man was both infuriated and helpless. All of a sudden the beast tore the belt around the neck ,set free from the cart and charged the driver straight on his chest, hurling him up in the air.  The victim stayed in the air for a few seconds, dropped down on the nearby Bush and died on the spot. The two men looked at each other and kept quiet. They didn't make any move.

 What happened?  I asked in dismay.

 ‘We can't take him now’ the man replied.

 ‘Why?’ curiosity had begun to grow.

He pointed towards the bush and said, ‘His body touched the sacred Tulsi leaves. We can't take him anymore.’

'The carriers from “ DEVLOK”  have come and there they are.’ muttered the taller one.

 I was unnerved. Fear and anxiety dissuaded me to converse any further.

  

Can we  figure out anything sensible? Did it really happen? Is everything cooked and concocted? Certainly, judgment is at your discretion.

 Scientists at the University of Southampton spent four years studying and examining two thousand subjects that suffered from cardiac arrest at various hospitals in UK and US.  Working on awareness after death revealed some very incredible but interesting facts. It was found that 40% of the studied subjects described some form awareness during the time when they were clinically dead and resuscitated Back To Life.

 One man vividly recalled, leaving his body and watching the resuscitation from the corner of the room.

 It is known that the brain can't function if the heart stops beating. The brain will stop transmitting impulses within 20 - 30 seconds after the heart has stopped.

How is it possible that despite being unconscious and dead for 3 minutes, 57 -year - old man from Southampton could recount the action of doctors and nursing staff in detail?

Some recalled seeing a bright light, a golden flash or the shining Sun. Some of them shared the experience of being levitated while others recounted their unpleasant feeling of being ‘dragged’ through deep waters.

 Scientist termed these experiences as Hallucination and illusions corresponding to actual events.

A lady recalls  similar type of experience when she had died and preparations were on, for the last rights.

 “I was taken and made to stand in a Que. A crowned man, the Maharaj, was calling everyone by their names and checking the records. He called my name and shouted at the subordinates. ‘Take her back quickly or it will be too late. Her days are not over yet’. The soldiers took me by hand and dragged me back to this place.” She was panting and sweating after waking up. The relatives were astonished and dumbfounded.

 It is difficult to understand life after death without a very good piece of evidence. None of the available gadgets today can specifically account for or measure the truth.

SRIMAD Bhagavad Gita States that the spirit is neither born nor does it die at any time. It is  Unborn, eternal, permanent and primeval. The spirit is not destroyed when the body is destroyed. Swords cannot cut it, fire cannot burn and water doesn't make it wet. They put on new garments after discarding the old ones.

Lord Krishna told Arjuna “both you and I have taken many births.  I remember them all, O Arjuna but you do not remember any. God and after life are not meaningless as long as there is an empirical evidence in the form of experiences.

JIHAD ON TERRORISM

JIHAD  ON  TERRORISM.

26^th of November 2008, 21:30 hours, Mumbai was laughing, frolicking and enjoying when suddenly gunmen pull the trigger, death dawns on Mumbai and fear cripples the heart of India. Why did it happen? Some call it Jihad and some term it terrorism.

Are they synonymous terms? Is Jihad done by terrorists? Is it the sole domain of a patriot? 

Jihad is understood by mass, as an exclusively Islamic term thought to benefit the followers of Islam only. Jihad, an idiomatic expression, is defined in Holy Quran as “Striving in the way of God, and for his purpose to be served on earth”.

Some believe that Jihad is the tool and the gateway to paradise. Is it really so?

If so, we need to testify, by going for Jihad on ONESELF AND ALSO ON TERRORISM!

I am sure those who follow Islam, with all its purity, have a better definition of Jihad. They will defend jihad and offend terrorism. Sacred Quran mentions about Jihad at least 41number of times. It defines it, classifies it, mentions the uses and gives the limitations too. Reading Holy Quran and memorizing it, is not all that are sufficient. It is the understanding which strikes the real deal and its application of strict sense makes all the difference.

Now, it’s time to differentiate between Jihad and Terrorism. It is not really feasible to explain all in its detail but few points, I believe, will clarify the doubts about hundreds of mind.

In layman term:

Jihad is a war on self, to kill the devil within and purify the soul (The nonviolent form of Jihad). Jihad is also the war on the battlefield with enemies, who oppress and make you suffer like slaves. It in no way should harm innocents, kill children or a civilian (The violent form of Jihad). The last line differentiates it from terrorism.   

This oversimplified meaning, I believe, explains what a common man should know and remember.  It is derived from Holy Quran which is read but hardly understood. As far as my understanding for Jihad goes, everyone should practice it in his day to day life, irrespective of cast or creed.

Having understood the concept of Jihad. Why should we fear it? Should we not inculcate it in our life?

Now let’s try to find the answers to some of the frequently asked questions.

• ·       Is Jihad the gateway to paradise?

The answer to this question is complicated as is the meaning itself. In very simple terms those who live for their own benefits and die for a need intended only for self-benefit may not at all qualify for paradise. This group of persons cannot use Jihad in its purest sense. But, those who intend to live for a noble cause and die for it, find paradise on earth itself. Every action of this group is Jihad.

• ·         Should it avenge any religion?

Religion to me means something very sacred and pure. No religion on earth preaches violence. It only promotes peace and preaches love for all, those who inhabit the earth. Jihad in its purest sense is the protector of a religion. If it protects one religion how can it harm the other one?

• ·         Does it punish nonbelievers?

Who are nonbelievers by the way? I believe, probably those who don’t believe in existence of God. Who qualifies to punish them? How to decide the type and nature of the punishment for the so-called nonbelievers? I am a bit skeptical at this juncture. Let us leave the answers to Almighty. All we can do is to pray for them.

This article is not intended to harm religious sentiments. If at any point it trespasses the barriers, please pardon and accept my apologies.