The First Pillar Is The Creed Or Kalima Religion Essay Essay Example

The First Pillar Is The Creed Or Kalima Religion Essay Essay N.R. Kleinfeld, author for The New York Times, had this to state about September 11, 2001, and the onslaughts on the World Trade Center, A new explosions of terrorist act have brought decease and tattered nervousnesss elsewhere in the universe, the ghost of 9/11 continues to vibrate in the national consciousness. It was a twenty-four hours that marked the start of another clip that, six old ages subsequently, has had an wake but non an terminal. On September 11, 2001, multiple planes crashed into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon that killed about 3,000 American citizens. Americans turned their telecasting sets to the intelligence and witnessed Islamic fundamentalist groups dancing and throwing parties in the streets because the Great Satan , as America is called harmonizing to Islamic fundamentalist followings, spirit had taken a blow. The onslaughts were from an Islamic fundamentalist group called al-Qaida and that group, as Kleinfield puts it, altered peoples construct of what it means to experience safe in the modern universe. With the barbarous act of terrorist act by manner of plane highjacking, an Islamic fundamentalist group changed and unified one of the most powerful states in the universe. Yet, what Americans forget to look at the other side of the state of affairs and make non recognize what beliefs led to these terrorist onslaughts done on September 11, 2001, and all over the universe. In order to understand the footing of Islamic fundamentalism, one needs to research the basic cardinal beliefs this group has, the history on how it was started, and the effortless attempts that Islamic fundamentalist groups try to hold their beliefs spread throughout the universe. Before September, 11, 2001, some people may non hold heard of Islamic fundamentalism, but a group that bases their actions off of that belief system made their actions and beliefs heard when they killed about 3,000 incapacitated American citizens. We will write a custom essay sample on The First Pillar Is The Creed Or Kalima Religion Essay specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on The First Pillar Is The Creed Or Kalima Religion Essay specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on The First Pillar Is The Creed Or Kalima Religion Essay specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer In order for one to understand the significance and function of Islamic fundamentalists or extremists, one must understand the basic beliefs that these persons base their actions off of. Harmonizing to Jim Willis, writer of The Religion Book, Muslims believe there is one God, Allah, who has revealed himself through the Bibles. However, followings of Christianity and Judaism did non stay faithful to the book, so Allah took it upon himself to take his greatest prophesier, Muhammad, to order the Quran and give the universe its concluding warning. The footing of Islamic beliefs is that people will be judged on how good they submit to Allah during their one life and to follow the five demands called the five pillars of Islam. The first pillar is The Creed or Kalima. The credo states that There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is his courier. This is the confession that Muslims recite at least one time every twenty-four hours. The 2nd pillar is Daily Prayer or Salat. This pillar requires followings to pray five times a twenty-four hours and travel through a series of rites before supplication. First, the single washes themselves, face toward Mecca, and declaim Arabic supplications they learned in childhood. After a series of supplications, the worshipper will so bow, topographic point custodies on articulatio genuss, declare glorification to God, and after once more praising God in a standing place, descend to a position of complete entry with articulatio genuss, brow, and custodies on the land, praying, Glory to my Lord, the Most High, harmonizing to Willis. The following pillar is called Almsgiving or Zakat. During this pillar, it states that between 2 and 10 per centum of income is to be shared wi th the hapless of the community in order to retrieve the less fortunate. The following pillar is Fasting or Sawm. During the month of Ramadan, no nutrient, drink, smoke, or sex is allowed during daylight hours. The concluding pillar is called Pilgrimage or Hajj. At least one time in their life-times, followings of Islam are expected to do a pilgrims journey to Mecca in Saudi Arabia. Thos are the five footing beliefs that Islam followings are expected to follow in order for full entry to Allah. However, even though it is the basic beliefs of Islam, Islam fundamentalists view the Quran in a different, more actual manner. Harmonizing to Willis, the term fundamentalist can be applied to any who read the Bibles of their faith in a actual, non-metaphorical manner, as defined by recognized, conservative, Orthodox governments. Willis states that in today s society, the image of Islamic fundamentalist is one who seeks to assail the United States, naming it a kid of Satan. The term Islamic fundamentalists were given the name by the media after the Militant Islamics coup detat of Iran in the 1970s, which will be discussed in item subsequently. In Sura 4:95 of the Quran, it says, Not equal are those trusters who sit and receive no injury, and those who strive and battle in the cause of Allah with their goods and their individuals. God hath granted a class higher to those who strive and battle. The term fundamentalist would be applied to those who read the Quran literally in this poetry when they see the word battle , they believe the term to intend existent flesh-and-blood warfare alternatively of religiou s warfare, harmonizing to Willis. In 1979, the Islamic Revolution started due to the strong resistance against the Mohammad Reza Shah, and how he used the secret constabulary to command the state, harmonizing to the Iran Chamber Society. Ayatollah Khomeini led the resistance by administering his message through music and spread throughout Iran get downing the Islamic Revolution. Harmonizing to the New York Times, Iran s capital, Tehran was in rebellion on January 19, 1979, doing the Shah to fly the state and happen expatriate in the United States. The Shah decided to fly to America due to the strong international relationship he held with the United States authorities due to anterior battles in international personal businesss. Harmonizing to the New York Times, in 1953, the C.I.A. in secret helped subvert Iran s premier curate to reconstruct the Shah to his throne after being exiled for a short clip. As to why the American s helped convey a ruthless leader back to power was answered by the tallness of the Cold War b etween the U.S. and the Soviet Union. Iran was purportedly a sight that communism could be spread to, nevertheless, if the Shah was hand in glove working in positive dealingss with the United States, this helped forestall the spread of communism, the United States end in the Cold War. However, back in Iran, the Shah was viewed as a autocrat due to his autocratic manner of authorities controlled by his secret constabulary, as stated before. This culminated in 1979 when Khomeini s followings sought greater political freedom and 1000000s of people were in rebellion of the Shah, doing him to fly. It was President Carter of the United States of America that continuously denied the claim that the Shah was flying Iran but having malignant neoplastic disease intervention in the United States for his ailing and decreasing wellness. Ayatollah Khomeini vowed to return to organize an Muslim authorities in Iran and more than a million people protested in the streets and cheered Khomeini and denounced the Shah. When Khomeini gained power, persons in the Middle East believed it would convey freedom, yet Khomeini assumed control as Supreme leader of an Islamic theocratic government, harmonizing to the New York Times. Khomeini brought rigorous Islamic beliefs to the country of Iran in that adult females lost societal privileges, in Khomeini s position, and forced to have on head traditional Muslim caput coverings and full-body cloaks. Khomeini was assisted by a rolling ground forces of religious hatchet mans, as he called them, called the Mullah who held a bulk of the authorization under Khomeini s regulation. It was Khomeini who identified the United States as the Great Satan and an enemy of Islam, which are still used in today s society with Islamic fundamentalists. R.W. Apple, a letter writer to the New York Times, wrote people were intoning Death to the Shah! That slogan rapidly came to be Death to America, due to America s support of the Shah and finally culminated with 1000s of immature Iranians, most of whom were Islamic fundamentalists, took over the U.S. embassy compound in Tehran on November 4, 1979, and took 66 American sureties. Harmonizing to the New York Times article, the surety state of affairs lasted 14 months, led to the deceases of eight American soldiers in deliverance operations that were unsuccessful, and created a step of misgiving and choler that is still apparent in today s society. It was the actions of Ayatollah Khomeini that coined the term Islamic fundamentalist in his position that Americans were the enemy of Islam and seeking to convey about a western civilization to Islamic faith. Mohammad Mohaddessin, writer or the book Islamic Fundamentalism: The New Global Threat, elaborated on what he called the two pillars of Khomeini s regulation that allowed Khomeini to stay in power even though he used forceful and more barbarous tactics than the Shah of all time did in the part of Iran. Mohaddessin argues that Khomeini used the two pillars of panic and export of Islamic Revolution theories and thoughts. Within hebdomads, the Khomeini led Islamic Republic became one of the most barbarous signifiers of authorities with the Mullah mobilising panic squads on followings of the People s Mojahedin. The People s Mojahedin was yet another political group that believed in democracy and opposed the Islamic Republic. In old ages after Khomeini s coup detat of Iran, Massoud Rajavi, leader of the People s Mojahedin, become one of the most popular figures of Iran. However, utilizing his beginning of panic among the people of Iran, Khomeini issued a decree doing Rajavi ineligible to run for office. Khomeini took his power to a greater extent by taking several thousand political prisons, tormenting them, and killing about 100 protagonists of the People s Mojahedin motion, harmonizing to Mohaddessin. Even with his panic stamp downing the people of Iran to follow his beliefs, Khomeini knew that he must distribute his positions of Islam fundamentalism in order to others to follow his beliefs. One of Khomeini s first Acts of the Apostless of utilizing his panic and seeking to export fundamentalist beliefs, happened in the coup detat of the American Embassy in Tehran. Khomeini used his coup detat of the American Embassy to state the universe his ideas of anti-imperialism and his subdued positions on democracy. Harmonizing to Mohaddessin, he so accused the People s Mojahedin democratic party of close ties with the United States, which was the Great Satan harmonizing to Khomeini. Khomeini so decided to utilize his new belief of Islam fundamentalism motion and was a major cause of the eight twelvemonth Iran-Iraq War. It was the Acts of the Apostless of the Mullah s, Khomeini s religious hatchet mans as he called them, that was driven by the thought of spread outing the beliefs of Islamic fundamentalism that was one of the chief causes of the start of the war. Harmonizing to Mohaddessin, Khomeini stated that it was a necessity of holding Iraq go a bulk follower of the Islam R epublic, or Islamic fundamentalist group, because from a geopolitical point of view, if Iraq was to fall to Islamic fundamentalism, it would hold an outsource to all of the adjacent states. The eight twelvemonth war ended in a deadlock but Khomeini was left dejected because his hopes of doing Iraq a primary beginning of an Islamic fundamentalist group failed, even though the Mullah s strengthened their function in parts of Iraq and would finally be defeated yet once more in the Iranian Gulf War. The part of Iraq is still to this twenty-four hours a cardinal location that the Mullah s privation to assail and distribute the point of view of Islamic fundamentalism. Recently, British Petroleum ( BP ) has been in the intelligence, non to their liking, sing the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Oil is a valuable trade good in today s universe and it was a cardinal plus that allowed Khomeini to come into power during his overthrow of the Shah. One must inquire, How does a group of terrorists supply guns, preparation, candidacy, and all other aspects of their concern that require a great bulk of money? And that reply is oil. Harmonizing to Mohaddessin, the Persian Gulf part, where Islamic fundamentalism was started, has 65 per centum of the universe s entire oil militias. When Khomeini overthrew the Shah in 1979, Iran was the 2nd largest exporter of oil in the universe, doing Khomeini relevant when he decided to subvert the Shah government in Iran. Not merely did it do the country of Iran relevant, but besides provided Khomeini and his inheritor of Islamic fundamentalism with financess for political propaganda runs, webs to enroll and develop Islam ic fundamentalists, and allowed Islamic fundamentalists the gift of corrupting countries with free oil in return for leting Khomeini and his inheritor to hold the beliefs of Islamic fundamentalism be instilled in that part. Oil was one non merely a bargaining bit for Islamic fundamentalism to go on to distribute throughout the Middle East, but besides was the chief beginning of income to a group that relied itself on distributing its message and needed money to make so. The general location of Iran and the easy entree to a cherished trade good like oil in a oil booming part, allowed Islamic fundamentalism to go on to distribute throughout the Middle East and in states all around the universe. With all of the money that oil purportedly brings in to Islamic fundamentalist groups, what does that intend in footings of the panic message that Khomeini wanted to distribute along with the association of Islamic fundamentalism? One of the hallmarks of Islam fundamentalists or extremists is the usage of terrorist act to distribute the fundamentalist beliefs and invoke panic into people who do non believe in the fundamentalist manner. Following the wake of September 11 and the bombardments of the twin towers in New York City, there has been the impulse for some Americans to label all Islamic followings as terrorists, nevertheless, that is non the intended instance for this peculiar writer. Mohaddessin states that terrorist act has been one of the primary tools of the Mullah government to distribute fundamentalism. He points to specific events within the past 25 old ages such as the 1986 street bombardments in Paris, are closely tied to Islamic fundamentalist governments. Mohaddessin states that in today s society, many of the terrorist Acts of the Apostless that are done by Islamic fundamentalist followings can be dated back to the influence of Khomeini, or as Mohaddessin calls him, the godfather of terrori st act. The book contains a long list incorporating more than 100 terrorist activities done by Islamic fundamentalists within the past 40 old ages runing from surety pickings, bombardments in public topographic points, commandeering planes, suicide missions, and many more. In today s society, one of the more good known Islamic fundamentalist groups is Al-Qaeda, led by Osama bin Laden. As stated before, al-Qaida s terrorist onslaught on the World Trade Center was one that altered American security and international dealingss and made most Americans aware of the beliefs and Acts of the Apostless of Islamic fundamentalist groups. Harmonizing to Global Security, al-Qaida was established in 1988 by bin Laden to help Afghan opposition to get the better of the Soviet Union. The current end of al-Qaeda, much like other Islamic fundamentalism groups, is to set up a pan-Islamic Caliphate throughout the full universe by working with other Islamic extremist, or fundamentalist, groups to subvert non-Islamic trusters and throw outing Westerners. In February 1998, al-Qaeda issued a statement stating it was the responsibility of all Muslims to kill U.S. citizens. Besides in 1998, high ranking al-Qaeda leaders issued a declaration naming on Muslims to kill Americans an d, those who are allied with them from among the assistants of Satan, harmonizing to Global Security. Certainly, al-Qaida s positions are similar to other Islamic fundamentalist groups on the point of view of seeking to extinguish all of the Great Satan and seeking to distribute their beliefs and message throughout the universe. Al-Qaeda s terrorist Acts of the Apostless have been plenty and their leader, Osama bin Laden, stated public that he has a strong desire to obtain and use biological, chemical, and atomic arms. Mohaddessin states that there are legion undertakings within the Mullah s of Iran that are aimed at obtaining and the building of biological, chemical, atomic, and conventional arms every bit good. Harmonizing to his book, Mohaddessin stated that the Persian government bought three billion dollars deserving in weaponries from North Korea in the early 1990 s. His research and beginnings list legion specific sites and the huge building, proving, and research for doing arms of mass devastation available to Islamic fundamentalists to distribute their message throughout the universe. After Khomeini s decease in 1989, the new leader of the Mullah s in Iran and Islamic fundamentalist group was Rafsanjani who sharply pursued Iran s atomic capablenesss because of the studies that the United States and Soviet Union were actively doing and in control of atomic arms. After the Iranian Gulf War, Germany informed Tehran that it would non help the Mullah s government in the adjutant of atomic aid. Rafsanjani so publically vowed that the Islamic Republic, led by the beliefs of Islamic fundamentalism, would prosecute to do atomic arms. This study was made in the early 1990 s and one can merely conceive of the sort of weaponries and arms of mass devastation Islamic fundamentalist groups hold in today s society. There is an on-going menace by Islamic fundamentalist groups to the Western civilization and society because of the weaponries buildup over the past 20 old ages doing an onslaught against our society readily available. In correlativity to the Islamic fundamentalism beliefs, America would surely be one, if non the highest, points of involvement of be aftering an onslaught similar to September 11, 2001. One of the most hard things about observing and seeking to halt al-Qaida onslaughts, harmonizing to former CIA Director George Tenet, is that all of the Islamic fundamentalist groups have foster followings around the universe and is now an intricate web of confederations of extremists. Tenet stated that some of the terrorists are actively sponsored by national authoritiess that harbor great antipathy toward the United States. Al-Qaeda actively targets American, Jewish, and Muslim authoritiess that they see as corrupt and have been linked to legion terrorist onslaughts within the past 10 old ages that include: 2003 auto bomb onslaughts on three residential compounds in Saudi Arabia, 2002 auto bomb onslaught and failed effort to hit down Israeli jet line drive with projectile missiles, 2002 onslaught on a Gallic oiler off the seashore of Yemen, 2002 detonation of a fuel oiler outside of a temple in Tunisia, 2001 onslaughts on the World Trade Center, and many others. William Rashbaum, a uthor for The New York Times, reported that the cardinal figure in a failed self-destruction secret plan to bomb three New York City subways lines last twelvemonth had contact with a feared senior al-Qaeda secret agent. Najibullah Zazi, and two others admitted that he met with two senior al-Qaeda leaders, including Saleh al-Somali who is al-Qaida s caput of external operations, in Pakistan for arms and explosives preparation. Even though the metropolis bombardments did non travel through, these type of actions exhibit the sort of influence al-Qaida has in today s society on seeking to distribute their message of Islamic fundamentalism to the remainder of the universe. The group spreads their message the lone manner they know how to, much like their laminitis Khomeini, by utilizing beastly force and force. Harmonizing to Mohaddessin, research workers in the West have two common misunderstandings of Islamic fundamentalism. Research workers in the West believe that the outgrowth of fundamentalism is a byproduct of poorness and unequal distribution of wealth so the manner to work out this state of affairs and acquire rid of Islamic fundamentalism are societal and political reforms. Mohaddessin argues that even though fundamentalist does take advantage of societal want and the deficiency of economic chances in the country, the factor of authorities corruptness in the 1970 s besides caused Islamic fundamentalism to derive impulse among people. Even though Mohaddessin argues that all factors have had a factor distributing the beliefs and pulling others to Islam, two of the chief factors that seem to pull others to Islamic fundamentalism are a sense of belonging based on beliefs and economic chance. Lost Male childs: Why Our Sons Turn Violent and How We Can Salvage Them by James Gabirino was a book written about why troubled striplings boys turn to packs. Three of the chief factors that Garbirino pointed out as to why striplings turn to fall ining packs is the demand for power, sense of belonging, and the opportunity to acquire rich quick. Now, one understands that packs and a spiritual group are two different things, nevertheless, both hold certain qualities as to why they attract immature work forces. In 1998, al-Qaida was started by Osama bin Laden, who recruited 1000s of adolescent immature work forces from tonss of states who he trained to be combatants as portion of an Afghan opposition to get the better of the Soviet Union, harmonizing to Global Security. One of the chief grounds that Islamic fundamentalism was popular during the 1970 s was because of the promise of political freedom and freedom to make what the single wants. Khomeini promised, even though he did non ma intain that promise, and gave false hope that by subverting the Shah s secret constabulary and his tyrant leading, so the people would hold freedom to believe and make what they wish. However, when Khomeini came into power and put up assorted Mullah s to convey panic, force, and barbarous force to all who did non follow in the beliefs of Islamic fundamentalism while besides restricting adult females s power in society that they had gained during the epoch of the Shah s regulation. Khomeini s Islamic Republic gained impulse in the Middle East by promoting immature stripling male childs and small male childs to be portion of a new popular political motion by offering economic chances and a sense of belonging in a country where poorness and unemployment were common. Mohaddessin stated that, Muslim fundamentalism is based upon a medieval and totalitarian political orientation. It interferes in the most fiddling personal affairs of the people, enforcing a inhibitory system that eliminates all avenues for free, political, societal, and economic activities. Furthermore, owing to its nature, this political orientation recognizes no geographic boundaries, and, hence, elevates the export of revolution, crisis, and break of all norms of international dealingss. During a clip of political instability in the Middle East, Khomeini used his political orientation of Islamic fundamentalism to transform the lives of people throughout the full universe. Surely, the impressions and beliefs of Islamic fundamentalism affect people even in today s society, like the actions done by Islamic fundamentalist followings and how they crashed two planes into the World Trade Center in New York City. By killing about 3,000 guiltless American citizens, Americans were speedy to recognize the actions done by Islamic fundamentalists reflected their beliefs of the Western civilization, or harmonizing to them, the Great Satan . Since the beginning of the Islamic fundamentalist epoch, the point of view and belief of Islamic fundamentalist followings is to enforce force and beastly force as a agency of allowing the universe know their beliefs. They hold no compunction and do non keep their sentiment to themselves by go oning to voice their displeasure of Americans and America s Alliess claiming to extinguish the Great Satan . Osama bin Laden, leader of one of the most celebrated Islamic fundamentalist groups in al-Qadea, promises that there will be more onslaughts and with the weaponries buildup that Islamic fundamentalists are actively engaged in and the explicit hatred they hold for the Western civilization, there is a echt and on-going fright of yet another terrorist onslaught lay waste toing the West. It is of import to understand the basic beliefs of Islamic fundamentalism and the danger that these persons may posses with their terrorist act attitude and free entree to arms of mass devastation, because the Western civilization is ever at hazard due to the beliefs of the Islamic fundamentalists that base off the Quran, the Bible that Muslim fundamentalists take really literally. In Sura 4:95 of the Quran, it says, Not equal are those trusters who sit and receive no injury, and those who strive and battle in the cause of Allah with their goods and their individuals. God hath granted a class higher to those who strive and battle, hopefully the United States does non see another terrorist act onslaught like September 11, 2001, that devastated the state and made the Islamic fundamentalism beliefs universally known. Kyle