Islamic Terror

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses the question of whether Islamic terror is a myth or reality. The paper states that in the modern world, Islam is equated with terror, at least in Western nations and especially in the United States. The paper agrees that it is difficult to argue with that assessment, in view of the World Trade Center destruction, the Spanish train bombing, the Indonesian nightclub attack and more. The paper explains that the Quran itself and centuries of interpretation permit two paths in one religion, that of peace and that of jihad - holy war. According to the paper, this distinction adds to the correlation between Islam and terror.

From the Paper:

"In New Thought, there is a statement apropos of the conflict between the (primarily) Christian West and Islam: You can only recognize that which you are. If there is a kernel of truth in that, then the West, recognizing terrorism in Islam, is simply recognizing aspects of itself. Indeed, there are numerous scholars who posit precisely that. One, Shedia Drury, notes that a "Biblical way of thinking and speaking remains prevalent, not only among the Islamic fundamentalists, but also among the Christian fundamentalists that dominate the Republican Party--and that includes President George W. Bush" (2003). For Drury, Biblical thinking is the good against evil, black/white dichotomous pattern that forces each side of an argument to cast the opponent as the incarnation of evil. Drury makes the point that the Western religious right is precisely equivalent to militant Islamism, or worse. Drury notes: "We must remember that the God of the Jews, Christians, and Muslims is the same Biblical God. To skeptics, this God may appear wrathful and cruel, but to believers, He is just.""

More papers on Islamic Terror:

• Analytical Essay # 58209 : "The Ideologue of Islamic Terror"
• Research Paper # 147199 : "The Causes of Islamic Terrorism"
• Term Paper # 20162 : "Islamic Terrorism"

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