사진 : 피바람이 휘몰아쳤던 하마의 오론테스 강가엔 거대한 水車가 구경꺼리가 되고 있다.
현지 가이드에 따르면 하마 사람들은 잘 웃지 않는다고 한다. 여자는 검은 베일로 얼굴을 가린 사람이 많았다. 이슬람 원리주의자들이 뿌리를 내릴 만한 토양이 있는 도시이다.
1982년 시리아는 곤경에 처했다. 시리아는 레바논을 침공한 이스라엘과 대결하고 있었다. 레바논 베카 계곡 상공에서 일어난 공중전에선 이스라엘 전투기를 한 대 격추시키고 시리아 전투기는 80대가 격추되었다. 터키는 시리아가 터키내 쿠르드족의 반란을 사주한다고 군 동원령을 내려 위협하고 있었다. 이집트의 사다트 대통령은 암살당했다.
이런 시기에 시리아내에서 이슬람원리주의 단체인 무슬림 형제단의 테러가 격화되었다. 그들은 공무원과 아사드를 배출한 알라위파 사람들을 표적으로 삼아 잔인하게 공격했다. 이때 처음으로 목베기 숫법이 나왔다. 1979년 6월 형제단은 알레포에서 사관생도들을 공격하여 83명을 죽였다. 1980년 8월부터 11월까지 다마스커스에선 자동차 폭탄 테러로 수백 명이 죽었다.
이들의 목표는 아사드 대통령이었다. 1980년 6월26일 다마스커스를 방문한 말리 대통령 환영만찬이 벌어지고 있었다. 무슬림 형제단이 잠입하여 아사드를 향해 기관총을 쏘고 수류탄을 던졌다. 아사드는 발밑으로 굴러오는 수류탄을 발로 차냈다. 경호원 한 사람이 다른 수류탄 위로 몸을 날려 대통령을 보호하고 爆死했다.
아사드의 보복은 빨랐다. 감옥에 있던 수백명의 형제단원들을 불러내 처형했다. 형제단에 가입하는 것만으로도 사형에 처하는 법을 공포했다.
1982년 2월 무슬림 형제단은 원리주의적인 순니파가 많이 사는 古都 하마의 중심부를 장악하고 전국적인 봉기를 선동했다. 하마를 해방구로 선포했다. 아사드는 군부대를 투입하여 강경진압에 나섰다. 형제단에 대해서 최후통첩을 하고 일반 시민들도 도시를 떠나지 않으면 반란군으로 간주하겠다고 경고했다. 2월2일 진압군은 전투기와 탱크까지 동원하여 하마시를 공격하기 시작했다. 중심부의 골목이 좁아 탱크가 진입하지 못하자 폭격하여 길을 텄다. 2주간 계속된 시가전으로 쌍방에서 1만 명 이상이 죽었다. 형제단 여자들은 진압군 병사들 속에서 자폭하는 숫법을 썼다. 그 뒤 팔레스타인 지역과 이라크에서 유행이 된 自爆테러가 이때 처음으로 등장했다. 하마 중심부에 있었던 옛 궁전과 모스크도 사라졌다. 진압군은 하마 시내를 뒤지고 다니면서 부상자들까지 찾아내 확인사살했다.
이 무자비한 봉기와 진압은 그러나 시리아에서 원리주의자들의 반란을 근절시키는 효과를 보았다. 아사드의 진압은 많은 시리아 사람들의 지지를 받았다. 형제단은 테러숫법이 너무 잔혹했기 때문에 민심을 잃었다. 내가 만난 한 시리아 여성은 “서방세계는 아사드에 대해서 감사해야 할 것이다”고 말했다.
이 사건 뒤 ‘하마의 교훈’이란 말이 유행했다. 이슬람 원리주의를 이기는 유일한 방법은 아사드가 하마에서 했던 식으로 하는 것이란 뜻이었다.
하마 도심부로 들어서니 거리에 사람들이 넘쳐나고 있었다. 실업률이 12%라는 증거이다. 시리아를 여행하면서 가장 안쓰러웠던 것이 할 일 없이, 유령처럼 오가는 사람들의 모습이었다. 시리아 사람들은 키가 날씬하게 크고 얼굴이 길다. 중동에서 가장 잘 생긴 민족이라는 평을 듣는다. 그런 사람들이 無爲徒食하고 있다. 인간에게 할 일이 없다는 것만큼 기막힌 일은 없을 것이다. 이탈리아가 부럽지 않은 유적으로 가지고도 시리아는 관광을 통해서 연간 10억 달러도 벌지 못하고 있다.
우리가 하마에 들린 것은 노리아스라는 水車를 구경하기 위해서였다. 하마를 지나는 오론테스 강물을 끌어올리는 이 장치는 지름이 20~30m나 된다. 서기 5세기부터 가동했다고 한다. 지금은 관광거리이다. 움직이지 않는 水車 너머 언덕 위엔 호텔이 서 있다. 시가전에서 죽은 반란군을 집단 매장한 땅 위에 세운 것이라고 한다.
오랜 역사와 문화적 축적으로써 중동의 지식인 사회를 이끌었던 시리아는 한때 중동을 풍미했던 汎아랍주의 바트당을 만들어냈다. 1947년에 창당한 바트당은 汎아랍주의-사회주의를 이념으로 하면서 공산주의와 이슬람 원리주의를 반대했다. 시리아의 바트당은 중동의 여러 나라에 지부를 두었다. 집권에 성공한 것은 시리아와 이라크이다. 후세인도 물론 바트당 출신이다. 이라크를 점령한 미군은 이라크 군대와 함께 바트당을 해산해버렸다. 이것이 권력의 공백을 초래하여 이라크의 시아파-순니파 내전을 통제불능사태로 몰았다고 주장하는 이들도 많다. 바트당은 민족주의적인 성향이 강해 이슬람 원리주의를 억제하는 역할을 했다. 아사드와 후세인은 무자비한 탄압과 反美정책으로 미국을 괴롭혔지만 동시에 이슬람 원리주의를 억제했다. 이라크가 종교내전으로 빠져들어가는 것을 지켜보면서 “차라리 후세인을 그냥 두는 것이 나을 뻔했다”고 말하는 이들도 있다.
역사와 전통을 자랑하는 아랍사람들과 이슬람 문화는 근대 국민국가를 만들어 운영해본 경험이 日淺하다. 이슬람은 교리상 종교공동체를 강조하므로 종교와 계급의 차이를 극복해야 하는 국민국가와는 맞지 않는 면이 너무나 많다. 그 점에서 이슬람 원리주의와 공산당식 계급투쟁을 다 같이 거부하는 바트당은 상당히 진보적이다. 미국의 정책입안자들은 바트당이나 아사드와 후세인의 그런 역할을 看過하는 경향이 강했다. 중동을 지배해본 경험이 있는 영국 사람들은 비교적 정확한 시각을 갖고 있지만 세계를 움직일 힘이 없다.
사진 : 2주간의 시가전으로 수만 명이 희생되어 묻힌 곳엔 고층건물이 올라갔다.
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Its population numbers 410,000 inhabitants, making it the fifth-largest city in Syria, after Damascus, Aleppo, Homs and Latakia.
Hama is an important agricultural and industrial center in Syria, with 3,680 square kilometres (over a third of the governorate's area) under cultivation. The governorate produces over half of the national crop of potatoes and pistachio nuts, as well as growing a variety of other vegetables and supporting a healthy livestock ranching industry besides.
The city proper is renowned for its 16 norias used for watering the gardens, which—it is claimed—date back to 1100 BC. Though historically used for purpose of irrigation, nowadays the norias are almost entirely aesthetic and traditional.
[edit] Ancient history
The ancient settlement of Hama was occupied from the early Neolithic to the Iron Age. It was excavated between 1931-1933 by a Danish team under the direction of H. Ingholt. The stratigraphy is very generalised, which makes detailed comparison to other sites difficult. Level M (6 m thick) contained both white ware, vessels made from lime-plaster and true pottery. It may be contemporary with Ras Shamra VA and B (6000-5000 BC). The overlying level L dates to the Chalcolithic Halaf-period.
The Hittite levels are overlain by Aramaic remains which date to the end of the 11th century. At this time, Aramaic tribes seem to have taken over the whole Orontes and Litani-valley.
Iron age Hama (Hamath) seems to have been a centre of ivory-working. It shows strong Egyptian influence. Together with Aram (Damascus) Hama formed an important Aramaic state in the Syrian interior. As the Aramaic script was written on paper, very few records have been recovered in Hama itself.
Biblical reports are scarce, but state that Hamath was the capital of a Canaanite kingdom (2 Kings 23:33; 24:21) whose king, Thou, congratulated king David on his victory over the king of Soba (2 Samuel 8:9-11; 1 Chronicles 13:9-11). Solomon, it would seem, took possession of Hamath and its territory (1 Kings 4:21-24; 2 Chronicles 8:4). The prophet Amos (vi, 2) calls the town 'Hamath the Great'. The Assyrians took possession of it in the seventh century B.C.
When the Assyrian king Shalmaneser III (858-824 BC) conquered the North of Syria he reached Hama in 835 BC; this marks the beginning of Assyrian sources on the kingdom. Irhuleni of Hama and Im-idri of Aram (biblical Bar-Hadad) led a coalition of Syrian cities against the encroaching Assyrian armies. According to Assyrian sources, they were confronted by 4,000 chariots, 2,000 horsemen, 62,000 foot-soldiers and 1,000 Arab camel-riders at the fortress of Qarqar. The Assyrian victory seems to have been more of a draw, although Shalmaneser III continued to the ocean and even took a ship to open sea. In the following years, Shalmaneser III failed to conquer Hamath and Aram as well. After the death of Shalmaneser III the former allies Hamath and Aram fell out, and Aram seems to have taken over some of Hama's territory.
An Aramaic inscription by Zakir, king of Hamath and La'ash, tells of an attack by a coalition under Bar-Hadad, son of Hasael, king of Aram, including Sam'al. Zakir was besieged in his fortress of Hazrak, but saved by intervention of the God Be'elschamen. Later on, Ja'udi-Sam'al came to rule both Hamath and Aram.
In 743 BC Tiglath-Pileser III took a number of towns in the territory of Hama, but not the town itself. In 738 Hama is listed among the towns conquered by Assyrian troops. Over 30,000 Syrians from the environs of Hama were deported to the Zagros-mountains.
In 605 BC, the remains of the Egyptian garrison of Carchemish was annihilated at Hama by the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar.In 554/553 Hama was the target of a campaign by Nabonidus of Babylon.
At the time of the Macedonian conquest it was given the name Epiphania, no doubt in honour of and probably by king Antiochus Epiphanes. The inhabitants took no notice and continued to use the old name. Aquila and Theodoretus call it Emath-Epiphania.
The city later came under the control of Rome and of the Byzantine Empire, as part of the province of Syria Secunda.
[edit] Muslim and crusader feudal era
Conquered by the Arabs in A.D. 638 or 639, the town regained its ancient name, and has since retained it, under the form Hama(h), meaning a fortress.
Tancred took it in 1108, but in 1115 the Franks lost it definitively. The Arab geographer Yaqut al-Hamawi (1179-1229), was born there. Christian Crusaders held Hama briefly (1108), but in 1188 it was re-taken by Saladin, under whose Ayyubid family it remained until it passed to Egyptian Mamluk control in 1299. An early Mamluk governor of Hama was Abu al-Fida (reigned 1310–30), the historian and geographer.
In the early 16th century the city came under the control of the Ottoman Empire, during which period a variety of Khans, and a beautiful Palace (the Al-Azem Palace - still existent), were built. Hamah (in Turkish) was a town of 45,000 inhabitants, prettily situated on the Orontes, and the residence of a Mutessarif (governor), depending on Damascus. The main portion of the population was Muslim, besides about 10,000 Christians of various rites.
[edit] Modern history
After World War I Hama was made part of the French Levant States League of Nations mandate, and in 1941 it became part of independent Syria.
Main article: Hama Massacre
Political insurgency by Islamic groups, particularly the Muslim Brotherhood beginning in the early 1980s culminated in an uprising in February, 1982. Government forces led by the president's brother, Rifaat al-Assad, quelled the revolt, but destroyed much of the old part of the city in the process. The town was shelled by the Syrian military, and the estimated deaths numbered more than 20,000 and may have been as high as 30,000 or 40,000. The story is suppressed in Syria.
[edit] Ecclesiastical history
Hamatha or Amatha is still a Roman Catholic titular see, suffragan of Apamea. It is as Epiphania that it is best known in ecclesiastical documents. Lequien (Oriens Christianus, II, 915-918) mentions nine Greek bishops of Epiphania. The first of them, whom he calls Mauritius, is the Manikeios whose signature appears in the Council of Nicaea (Gelzer, 'Patrum Nicaenorum Nomina', p. lxi).
It has two Catholic archbishops, a Greek Melchite and a Syrian, the one residing at Labroud, the other at Homs, reuniting the titles of Homs (Emesus) and Hamah (Missiones Catholicae, 781-804). The Orthodox Greeks have a bishop of their own for either see.
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Robert Fisk: Conspiracy of silence in the Arab world
Where are the sheikhs when the Iraqi dead are fished out of the Tigris?
Published: 10 February 2007
Could Rifaat al-Assad's day in court be growing closer? Yes, Rifaat - or Uncle Rifaat to President Bashar al-Assad of Syria - the man whose brother Hafez hurled him from Damascus after he tried to use his special forces troops to stage a coup. They were the same special forces who crushed the Islamist rebellion in Hama in February 1982, slaughtering up to - well, a few thousand, according to the regime, at least 10,000 according to Fisk (who was there) and up 20,000 if you believe The New York Times (which I generally don't).
Either way, I've always regarded it as a war crime, along with the massacre of Palestinians in the Sabra and Chatila camps in Beirut by Israel's Lebanese militia allies a few months later. Ariel Sharon, who was held personally responsible by Israel's own court of enquiry, is an unindicted war criminal. So is Rifaat.
That's why the faintest breeze blew through my fax machine this week when I received a letter sent to the UN Secretary General by Anas al-Abdeh, head of the London-based Movement for Justice and Development in Syria. Abdeh left his Syrian town of Zabadani before the Hama massacres - he works now as an IT consultant for a multinational - so he's hardly able to breathe the air of Sister Syria. But then again nor can Rifaat, who languishes - complete with bodyguards - in that nice EU island of refuge called Marbella. And refuge he probably needs. Because Abdeh is asking the UN to institute an enquiry into the Hama bloodbath in the same way that it is powering along with its tribunal into the murder almost two years ago of Lebanese ex-prime minister Rafiq Hariri.
Ouch. In the letter Abdeh describes how 'warplanes and tanks levelled whole districts of the city (of Hama) ... the evidence clearly suggests that government forces made no distinction between armed insurgents and unarmed civilians ... the assault on the city represents a clear act of war crimes and murder on a mass scale'. The letter has now been passed to the UN's legal head, Nicolas Michel, who is also involved in the Hariri murder case. The sacred name of Rifaat has not been mentioned in the letter but it specifically demands that 'those who are responsible should be held accountable and charged...'.
Now, of course, there are a few discrepancies in the facts. The Syrians did not use poison gas in Hama, as Abdeh claims. They certainly did level whole areas of the city - they are still level today, although a hotel has been built over one devastated district - and when Rifaat's thugs combed through the ruins later, they executed any civilians who couldn't account for their presence.
But of course, the Hama uprising was also a Sunni Muslim insurrection and the insurgents had murdered entire families of Baath party officials, sometimes by chopping off their heads. In underground tunnels, Muslim girls had exploded themselves among Syrian troops - they were among the Middle East's first suicide bombers although we didn't appreciate that then. And the Americans were not at all unhappy that this Islamist insurgency had been crushed by Uncle Rifaat. Readers will not need any allusion to modern and equally terrible events involving Sunni insurgents to the east of Syria. And since the Americans are getting pretty efficient at killing civilians along with gunmen, I have a dark suspicion that there won't be any great enthusiasm in Washington for a prosecution over Hama.
But still... What strikes me is not so much the force of Abdeh's letter but that it was written at all. When the Hama massacre occurred, neighbouring Arab states were silent. Although the Sunni prelates of the city called for a religious war, their fellow clerics in Damascus - and, indeed, in Beirut - were silent. Just as the imams and scholars of Islam were silent when the Algerians began to slaughter each other in a welter of head-chopping and security force executions in the 1990s.
Just as they are silent now over the mutual killings in Iraq. Sure, the mass killings of Iraq would not have occurred if we hadn't invaded the country. And I do suspect a few 'hidden hands' behind the civil conflict in a nation which never before broke apart. In Algeria, the French spent a lot of time in the early 1960s persuading - quite successfully - their FLN and ALN enemies to murder each other. But where are the sheikhs of Al-Azhar and the great Arabian kingdoms when the Iraqi dead are fished out of the Tigris and cut down in their thousands in Baghdad, Kerbala, Baquba? They, too, are silent.
Not a word of criticism. Not a hint of concern. Not a scintilla (an Enoch Powell word, this) of sympathy. An Israeli bombardment of Lebanon? Even an Israeli invasion? That's a war crime - and the Arabs are right, the Israelis do commit war crimes. I saw the evidence of quite a few last summer. But when does Arab blood become less sacred? Why, when it is shed by Arabs. It's not just a failure of self-criticism in the Arab world. In a landscape ruled by monsters whom we in the West have long supported, criticism of any kind is a dodgy undertaking. But can there not be one small sermon of reprobation for what Iraqi Muslims are doing to Iraqi Muslims?
Of course, but the real problem the Arabs now face is that their lands have been overrun and effectively occupied by Western armies. I worked out a few weeks ago that, per head of population - and the world was smaller in the 12th century - there are now about 22 times more Western soldiers in Muslim lands than there were at the time of the Crusades. How do you strike back at these legions and drive them out? Brutally and most terribly, the Iraqis have shown how. I used to say the future of the Bush administration will be decided in Iraq, not in Washington. And this now appears to be true.
So what should we do? Allow the Rifaats of this world to go on enjoying Marbella? And the killers of Hariri go free? And the Arabs remain silent in the face of the shameful atrocities which their brother Muslims have also committed? I'll take a bet that Rifaat will be safe from the UN lads. In Iraq right now, he'd be on 'our' side, wouldn't he, battling the Islamic insurgency as he did in Hama? And that, I fear, is the problem. We are all Rifaats now.
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Hama massacre
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The Hama massacre (Arabic: مجزرة حماة) occurred on February 2, 1982, when the Syrian army bombed the town of Hama in order to quell a revolt by the Muslim Brotherhood, and in the process thousands of people were killed. Amnesty International claims that 10,000-25,000 were killed at Hama, though many figures exist and the number could be considerably smaller or larger than this. The Syrian government has made no official claim about the number killed at Hama.
Contents [hide]
1 Background
2 The Massacre
3 After the Massacre
4 Further reading
5 External links
[edit] Background
At the time, the Middle East was in deep turmoil and Syria had been deeply involved in Lebanon's Civil War since 1976 and the beginning of the 1982 Lebanon War. Problems also arose from Turkey, which mobilized troops on its borders with Syria primarily to deal with Kurdish rebels and accused Syria of supporting and training the PKK rebels within Turkey. The Muslim Brotherhood took advantage of this situation to start defying Hafez al-Assad's rule. It undertook guerrilla activities in multiple cities within the country targeting officers, government officials and infrastructure. The anti-regime violence included the killings of eighty-three young military cadets at an artillery school in Aleppo in June 1979, and three car bomb attacks in Damascus between August and November 1980 that killed several hundred people. In July 1980, membership in the Muslim Brotherhood was made a capital offense punishable by death, with the ratification of Law No. 49. Throughout the early 1980s the Muslim Brotherhood staged a series of bomb attacks against the government and its officials, including a nearly successful attempt to assassinate president Hafiz al-Assad on June 26, 1980, during an official state reception for the president of Mali. When a machine gun salvo missed him, al-Assad ran to kick a hand grenade aside, and his bodyguard sacrificed himself to smother the explosion of another one. Surviving with only light injuries, al-Assad's revenge was swift and merciless: only hours later many hundreds of imprisoned Islamists were murdered in a massacre carried out by his brother Rifaat al-Assad in Tadmor Prison.
[edit] The Massacre
Calls for vengeance grew within the brotherhood, and bomb attacks increased in frequency. Events culminated with a general insurrection in the conservative Sunni town of Hama in February 1982. Islamists and other opposition activists proclaimed Hama a 'liberated city' and urged Syria to rise up against the 'infidel'. Brotherhood fighters swept the city of Ba'thists, breaking into the homes of government employees and suspected supporters of the regime, killing about 50. The goal of the attack on Hama was to cease the rebellious activities of the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood. The assault began on February 2 with extensive shelling of the town of 350 000 inhabitants. Before the attack, the Syrian government called for the city's surrender and warned that anyone remaining in the city would be considered as a rebel. Robert Fisk in his book Pity the Nation described how civilians were fleeing Hama while tanks and troops were moving towards the city's outskirts to start the siege. He cites reports from fleeing civilians and soldiers of mass death and shortages of food and water.(Pity the Nation, pages 185-86)
According to Amnesty International, the Syrian military bombed the old streets of the city from the air to facilitate the introduction of military forces and tanks through the narrow streets, where homes were crushed by tanks during the first four days of fighting. They also claim that the Syrian military pumped poison gas into buildings where insurgents were said to be hiding.
The army was mobilized, and Hafez again sent Rifaat's special forces and Mukhabarat agents to the city. After encountering fierce resistance, they used artillery to blast Hama into submission. After a two-week battle, the town was securely in government hands again. Then followed several weeks of torture and mass executions of suspected rebel sympathizers, killing many thousands, known as the Hama Massacre. Journalist Robert Fisk, who was in Hama shortly after the massacre, estimated fatalities as high as 10,000 (Pity the Nation, pages 186). The New York Times estimated the death toll as up to 20,000.[1] According to Thomas Friedman (From Beirut to Jerusalem, pages 76-105) Rifaat later boasted of killing 38,000 people. The Syrian Human Rights Committee estimates 30,000 to 40,000 were killed. Most of the old city was completely destroyed, including its palaces, mosques, ancient ruins and the famous Azzem Palace mansion. After the Hama uprising, the Islamist insurrection was broken, and the Brotherhood has since operated in exile. Government repression in Syria hardened considerably, as al-Assad had spent in Hama any goodwill he previously had left with the Sunni majority, and now was compelled to rely on pure force to stay in power.
[edit] After the Massacre
Western countries denounced the attack as a breach of human rights and a massacre. In an official speech, Al-Assad called on those countries and the world not to harbour those who fled Syria and to consider them as a threat and terrorists. His calls fell on deaf ears. Most members of the Brotherhood fled mainly to Jordan, the U.S, England and Germany. Large numbers of them settled in the latter two, which granted them political asylum.
Locally, within Syria, the attack was publicized in order to act as a deterrent. However, even the most conservative (but not radical) elements within Syria did not rise to the aid of the Brotherhood, nor strongly expressed sympathy, largely because of the Brotherhood's violent means and actions, compared to Al-Assad's initial patience in dealing with the them, until the attempt on his life and Hama's uprising. Thomas Friedman points out that never again have Muslim extremists threatened the Syrian government.
Even today the public at large is not well informed on the events in Hama, especially when compared with comparable or smaller events in Iraq, Lebanon, or in the Israeli-Palestinian dispute. Occurring eight months before the Sabra and Shatila Massacre, in comparison, Hama is heavily underdiscussed in both the media and in academic circles.
Hama, which had some small tourist attractions like open parks and water wheels, turned into a poor city. After the massacre most of its inhabitants moved away, and instead came commoners from nearby villages.
[edit] Further reading
Robert Fisk (1990) Pity the Nation, London: Touchstone, ISBN 0-671-74770-3— pp. 181-87
Thomas Friedman (1998) From Beirut to Jerusalem, London: HarperCollins Publishers, ISBN 0-00-653070-2— includes a chapter on the Hama Massacre; 'Hama Rules'
The Economist (Nov. 16th, 2000) Is Syria really changing?, London: 'Syria’s Islamist movement has recently shown signs of coming back to life, nearly 20 years after 30,000 people were brutally massacred in Hama in 1982' The Economist
Routledge (Jan. 10th, 2000) Summary of the January 10, 2002, Roundtable on Militant Islamic Fundamentalism in the Twenty-First Century, Volume 24, Number 3 / June 01, 2002: Pages:187 - 205
Jack Donnelly (1988) Human Rights at the United Nations 1955-85: The Question of Bias , International Studies Quarterly, Vol. 32, No. 3 (Sep., 1988), pp. 275-303
[edit] External links
'Hama Rules' by Thomas Friedman
The Battle within Syria: An Interview with Muslim Brotherhood Leader Ali Bayanouni
Syrian Human Rights Committee (SHRC), The Massacres of Hama: Law Enforcement Requires Accountability, 01 February 2005 [2002].
Conspiracy of silence in the Arab world, Robert Fisk, The Independent, 10 February 2007
Retrieved from 'http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hama_massacre'
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HOW TO BECOME A CHRISTIAN?
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'Towards an Understanding of Jihad in Muslim Thought and a Christian Response' by Dr. N.S.R.K. Ravi, NAMB, SBC (9-01)
September 11, 2001 was the bloodiest day in U.S. history on American soil. Two of the largest office towers in the world, The World Trade Center Twin Towers, were destroyed. In addition, the Pentagon, the center of American military might, took heavy damages and casualties. As a result, American complacency has been shattered to its core. In the past number of months we have seen terrorist acts in many places: A bomb goes off in a crowded marketplace in Jerusalem, a suicide bomber blows up a bus full of women and children in Tel Aviv, and villages get annihilated in Algeria. The list of events worldwide, which have come to symbolize this kind of 'Islamic terrorism', is endless.
Recently, the British government has identified twenty-one organizations as notorious terrorist organizations. A vast majority of them are Islamic terrorist organizations. The twenty-one groups are: Al-Qaida (bin Laden), Armed Islamic Group (Algeria), Salafist Group for Call and Combat (Algeria), Islamic Jihad (Egypt), Al-Gamaat al-Islamiya (Egypt), November 17 (Greece), Mujahideen Khalq (Iranian dissidents/Iraq), Hamas (Israel/PA), Islamic Jihad (Israel/PA), Harkat-ul-Mujahideen (Kashmir), Jaish Mohammed (Kashmir), Lashkar e-Toiba (Kashmir), Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (Sri Lanka), Hizballah (Lebanon), Babbar Khalsa (Sikh/India), International Sikh Youth Federation (Sikh/India), Abu Nidal (Palestinian), ETA (Basque separatists/Spain), Kurdistan Workers' Party (Turkey), Revolutionary Peoples' Liberation Party - Front (Turkey), and Islamic Army of Aden (Yemen). The U.S. State Department has designated fifteen of these organizations as Islamic terrorist groups.
Some of these organizations in the name of Islam spread hate, recruit, and raise funds in the name of Jihad. Here is an example of a banner in their own words showing how a Jihadi group lures Muslims for their cause:
DEAR BELIEVERS: ISN'T IT ABOUT TIME TO PERFORM THE FORGOTTEN ISLAMIC DUTY OF JIHAD??… DO YOU HAVE PLANS TO GO TO JIHAD LAND BUT UNSUCCESSFULLY UNABLE TO REACH… ARE YOU LOOKING FOR A WORTH TRUSTY PARTY/ORGANIZATION TO DELIVER YOUR DONATIONS TO SUPPORT JIHAD, MUJAHIDEEN AND THE VICTIMS OF OPPRESSION??… FINALLY!!!… THROUGH OUR HOME PAGE … YOU WILL BE ABLE TO REACH YOUR DESTINATION INSHA`ALLAH… HERE YOU WILL FIND THE ANSWERS TO YOUR QUESTIONS AND NECESSARY INFORMATION.' [sic]
We find many references to this understanding of 'Jihad' against the West, and America in particular, in the news today. This raises serious questions: Is Islam a religion of terror? Do these cases represent true Islam? To find the truth we must examine the very source of the concept of Jihad.
Jihad is an Islamic ideology, which is revealed in the Qur'an, the Islamic Holy Book. Throughout history, Islamic and non-Islamic scholars have debated the concept of Jihad. Even among Islamic scholars there are various interpretations of this principle. Some Islamic scholars consider Jihad as the sixth pillar of Islam. According to The Qur'an, Jihad assures various rewards, even paradise itself. Muslims believe that Jihad is the best thing that a Muslim can voluntarily offer. Some Islamic scholars consider Jihad superior to the obligatory acts of salat (prayers), sawm (fasting), Zakat (almsgiving), and Hajj (pilgrimage). Clearly, the concept of Jihad is worth examining in view of its crucial place in Islamic doctrine.
What is Jihad?
The term Jihad is derived from the Arabic verb 'Jahada' which means, 'to endeavor, to strive, to struggle.' It is sometimes translated as 'holy war.' The closest Arabic words for 'war' are 'harb' or 'qital' which are found in the Qur'an and its companion commentary the Hadith. In religious contexts Jihad means to struggle against one's evil inclinations, or to strive for the moral uplift of society or to promote the spread of Islam. However, in many circles Jihad is understood in a military sense rather than its universal meaning in the Qur'an and Hadith.
Muslims Must Make Jihad
According to Islamic teachings Jihad is fard (an obligation) for every individual Muslim. The Qur'an says: 'Jihad (fighting) is prescribed for you (Muslims), and ye dislike it. But it is possible that ye dislike a thing which is good for you, and that ye love a thing, which is bad for you. But God knouted [sic] (knoweth), and ye know not' surah, al-Baqarah 2:216 (Y). The Qur'an says that believers who participate in Jihad will be rewarded. 'Let those fight in the way of Allah who sell the life of this world for the other. Whoso fighteth in the way of Allah, be he slain or be he victorious, on him we shall bestow a vast reward.' surah, an-Nisa' 4:74.
In Islam, the world is divided into two spheres: 1) al-Jahiliyyah (the way of ignorance) and 2) al-Islam (the way of submission to God). Human beings have a choice to live in ignorance or to submit and be obedient to God. Those who live in ignorance and disobey God live in a land called 'dar al harb'(lit. the abode of war). Those who submit and are obedient to God live in a land called 'dar al Islam'(lit. the abode of peace). According to Islam, non-Muslims are divided into two types. The Kafir are those who refuse to see the truth, infidels who worship idols, unbelievers, or the enemies of God. The ahl-al-kitab (the dhimmi, the people of the book) are protected non-Muslims -- Christians and Jews.
The Purpose of Jihad
Muslims contend that the main purpose of Jihad is to protect and preserve the haqq (truth). Some believe that the way to deal with those who pose obstacles to the propagation of Islam is to declare Jihad against them. They find support for this position in the Qur'an. 'We shall show them our portents on the horizons and within themselves until it will be manifest unto them that it is the Truth. Doth not thy Lord suffice, since He is Witness over all things?' surah, Ha Mim Sajdah 41:53.
Islam teaches that Muslims have a twofold responsibility. The first responsibility is to bring those who are in al-Jhiliyyah (way of ignorance) to al-Islam (way of submission) by various means. The second obligation is to put Allah ahead of loved ones, wealth, or worldly ambitions, and to strive to maintain dedication to Allah by a range of means, including inner spiritual struggle. The Qur'an states, 'And strive for Allah with the endeavor which is His right. He hath chosen you and hath not laid upon you in religion any hardship; the faith of your father Abraham (is yours). He hath named you Muslims of old time and in this (scripture), that the messenger may be a witness against you, and that ye may be witnesses against mankind. So establish worship, pay the poor-due, and hold fast to Allah. The Qur'an also states, 'The (true) believers are those only who believe in Allah and His messenger and afterward doubt not, but strive with their wealth and their lives for the cause of Allah. Such are the sincere.' surah, al-Hujurat 49:15 Jihad is personal and community commitment to spread and defend the faith of Islam.
Jihad Through Peaceful Means
For many Muslims, Jihad is a holy campaign to bring about a spiritual revolution in the world. This struggle can be both defensive and offensive. The spread of Islam is encouraged through peaceful means and by force. Muslims believe that peaceful Jihad can be achieved in three ways:
1) Jihad with tongue (speaking the truth). The Qur'an states, 'Call unto the way of thy Lord with wisdom and fair exhortation, and reason with them in the better way. Lo! thy Lord is Best Aware of him who strayeth [sic] from His way, and He is Best Aware of those who go aright.' surah, An-Nahl 16:125. The Qur'an says even if parents encourage their children to follow a religion other than Islam they need to disobey them. 'We have enjoined on man kindness to parents: [We have enjoyed on man goodness to his parents (Shakir translation)] but if they (either of them) strive (jahadaka) thee to join with Me (in worship) anything of which thou hast no knowledge, obey them not. Ye have (all) to return to me, and I will tell you (the truth) of all that ye did.' al-'Ankabut 29:8 (Y).
2) Jihad with heart (feeling and intentions). The Qur'an states, 'And strive (jadihu) for Allah with the endeavor (jihad) which is His right. He hath chosen you and hath not laid upon you in religion any hardship; the faith of your father Abraham (is yours) . . ..' surah, al-Hajj 22:78. Al-`Ankabut 29:6 says, 'And whosoever striveth (jahada), striveth (yujahida) only for himself, for lo! Allah is altogether Independent of (His) creatures.'
3) Jihad with hand (good works). The Qur'an encourages good works: 'As for those who strive (jahad) in Us, We surely guide them to Our paths, and lo! Allah is with the good.' surah, al-`Ankabut 29:69.
Jihad Through Offensive Means
However, the Qur'an also encourages Jihad with a sword, which includes not only defensive but offensive measures. In a defensive posture Jihad is often taken to mean merely war, which is caused by conflicting national interests. However, in Islam, war (Qital) can be undertaken in an offensive posture for the sake of Allah and carried out according to the instructions of the Qur'an. Qital is one form of struggle to achieve the establishment of Islam. Here, Jihad has a broader sense. Qital should occur when there is an Islamic state to carry it out.
Jihad can be against disbelievers. The Qur'an says 'O Prophet! Strive against the disbelievers and the hypocrites! Be harsh with them. Their ultimate abode is hell, a hapless journey's end.' surah, at-Taubah 9:73 (P). Surah, Al-Furqan 25:52 says, 'So obey not the disbelievers, but strive against them herewith with a great endeavor.'
Jihad is God's cause. The Qur'an says, 'Lo! those who believe, and those who emigrate (to escape persecution) and strive in the way of Allah, these have hope of Allah's mercy. Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.' surah, al-Baqarah 2:218.
Jihad is against idolaters. It says, 'Then, when the sacred months have passed, slay the idolaters wherever ye find them, and take them (captive), and besiege them, and prepare for them each ambush. But if they repent and establish worship and pay the poor-due, then leave their way free. Lo! Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.' Surah, at-Taubah 9:5.
Jihad may be against the people of the Book. According to the Qur'an, Jihad can be implemented even against the People of the Book - Christians and Jews. In surah, at-Taubah 9:29 the Qur'an states, 'Fight against such of those who have been given the Scripture as believe not in Allah nor the Last Day, and forbid not that which Allah hath forbidden by His messenger, and follow not the Religion of Truth, until they pay the tribute readily, being brought low.'
Jihad is allowed against oppression and aggression. The Qur'an says, 'Fight in the cause of Allah, those who fight you, but do not transgress limits; for Allah loves not transgressors, And slay them wherever you catch them, and turn them out from where they have turned you out; For tumult and oppression are worse than slaughter; . . . And fight them on until there is no more tumult and oppression and there prevails justice and faith in Allah. But if they cease, let there be no hostility except to those who practice oppression.' Surah, al-Baqarah 2:190-193)
Rewards of Jihad
Islam says that those who participate in Jihad will receive rewards. However, only martyrs are assured paradise. According to Sahih Bukhari 1.35, 'The person who participates in (Holy battles) in Allah's cause and nothing compels him to do so except belief in Allah and His Apostles, will be recompensed by Allah either with a reward, or booty (if he survives) or will be admitted to Paradise (if he is killed in the battle as a martyr). Had I not found it difficult for my followers, then I would not remain behind any sariya going for Jihad and I would have loved to be martyred in Allah's cause and then made alive, and then martyred and then made alive, and then again martyred in His cause.' Volume 1, Book 2, Number 35: Narrated Abu Huraira, Sahih Bukhari 1.35.
How Should Christians Respond?
This brief study reveals that Islam does not offer Paradise to all Muslims. It only assures paradise those who die in Jihad. No wonder some extremist Muslims are willing to die in the name of Jihad. They believe that as long as they are fighting Allah's cause and they die for it, they go to Paradise. However, Christians would contend that acts of terrorism do not assure anyone of Paradise, because those who do them are not fighting for God's cause, rather they are committing a great sin. Jesus said: 'Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.' (Matt. 5:3).
Jesus reaffirmed the Old Testament teaching that murder would bring God's judgment. 'You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.'' (Matt. 5:21). Jesus also warned that many people who believe they are doing God's will are self-deluded, 'Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name, in thy name have cast out devils? And also in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.' (Matt. 7:21-23).
Islam does not promise heaven to all of its followers. It is only in Christianity that a repentant sinner is given absolute assurance of salvation. 1 John 5:13 says. 'These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life.' Heaven is a free gift for those who believe in him. 'For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God … not by works, so that no one can boast.' (Eph. 2:8-9).
CONCLUSION
America is a land of immigrants. Here we find people from all around the globe. America is committed to religious freedom and has thus opened its doors to adherents of many divergent faiths. The vast majority of Americans say that they are religious. America is not only a mostly religious land but it is also a land of most religions. America's religious freedom is reducing the geographical distance between religions. It has given sanctuary to nearly every religion in the world. When we look in any local telephone directory or newspaper we find ads for various and sundry religious groups.
In our neighborhoods we see people from various religious backgrounds. They may look different, dress different, and eat their customary foods, yet they are our neighbors. They shop in the same stores we do, work in the same offices where we work, and their children attend the same schools as ours. A vast majority of them hold the same family values as Christians and their ethical and moral beliefs are similar.
Many of these non-Christian people appear to be happy and satisfied with their religious practices. Many believe that they may go to heaven or even become gods themselves. This creates a dilemma for many religious people in North America. However, the Christian message is unique, and the people of these divergent faiths must be given an opportunity to hear it. The problem is that the vast majority of these people have never had a chance to respond to the love of Jesus Christ. Few immigrants are exposed to the love of Christ and His Word.
This raises a few troubling questions for Christians. Why have Christians failed in their responsibility to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ to those who have never had a chance to hear it? Also, what is the role of those who are saved by his grace in communicating the Good News (Romans 10:13-15)? Where and when do obedient Christians start proclaiming the Good News of Jesus Christ? (Acts 1:8).
North American Christians should realize the implications and responsibilities that come with living in a pluralistic society. We are called to share the love of Jesus Christ with followers of these divergent religious groups.
Christians need to follow a few practical principles in order to effectively to communicate the Gospel.
1) Respect the religious freedom that the United States and Canadian constitutions guarantee to followers of Islam and other religions.
2) Be aware of Islam and other religious groups and their followers who live among us.
3) Study the beliefs and practices of Islam and other faiths in order to understand what and why they believe.
4) Realize that only Christ can fulfill the spiritual hunger experienced by all people.
5) Build bridges of friendship to communicate the Gospel, in Christ's love, to Muslims and other religious adherents.
6) Share the unique message of Jesus Christ with non-Christian religious people in ways that are appropriate for their cultural backgrounds.
7) Co-operate with other religious people in matters of social needs, societal ethics, and personal morals in ways that do not compromise the gospel or the unique Lordship of Jesus Christ.
*Note: This study used Pickthall Translation of The Qur'an. (Y) Yusufali translation of The Qur'an
