The Political Dimension of Religion in Shiism
- Islam and Terrorism ======================
After the burst of the Middle East crisis, in great part, caused by Israel's creation in 1948, the imminence of a conflict between Occidental civilization assimilated to Christianity and the oriental one dominated by the Islamic values has become obvious. The dispute between Jewish and Muslims for the Holy City reached its peak during crusades, this confrontation between the Occident and the Islamic world taking one of the most violent facets -the terrorism.
The Afghan mujahediins, disposing of American technology and funds generously offered by Saudi Arabia, have obtained a historical victory over the orthodox Russians. For Islam, this victory may be considered as important as Jerusalem's freeing by the caliph Sallahudin. This moment represented a turning point for Islam and gave hopes to the millions of Muslims to continue Jihad till the final victory over the Infidels.
Another reference point on the international terrorism spiral constituted 2001, September 11-th event, when the most representative symbols of American civilization embodied by The Twin Towers (bourse- finance) and The Pentagon (military force) were stricken.
It was obvious for everyone that Samuel Hungtington's prophecies were justifying the collision between civilizations which had reached its critical point.
The entire Islamic world was to suffer due to the anti-Islamic campaign, terms like Islamic terrorist and Muslim fundamentalist being associated to it.
In the Quran, the word "jihad" means "the supreme effort in order to accomplish a goal" and it also can be interpreted as "a means of sacrifice for God's cause in order to eliminate dishonest people and to re-establish a correct new system." The Jihad's goals are presented in the Coran as it follows:
o To broaden belief in God and to accept unconditionally his commands (Fight against your enemies in the way God asked you to.)
o To help weak and oppressed people (What indeed stops you to fight for God's cause and for vulnerable defenseless people?)
o To cease persecution (Fight against your enemies by believing in God and do not commit aggressions. Muslims are not allowed to use any weapons and burning people alive or committing acts of cruelty a^e forbidden by God when waging Jihad.) The notion of Islamism particularly used after 1980 by the ultra-nationalist Arab organization "Muslim Brothers" to which adept it was, should be very well understood. This term represents "the political measures resulting from Islam which pursues to use religion in freedom and fight's ideology".
Hence, the supreme expression of Islamism is fundamentalism, which is an infrastructure, common to radical movements, and able to generate resistance to the secularization and inequity process by the constant use of religious conditions." Moreover, Hassan Al-Banna, founder of "Muslim Brothers" organization released the doctrine: "neither west nor east, but Islamic republic".
Presently, the Islamic world is looking for a means of communication with the Occident and the Christian Values. Tradition and new philosophical Iranian thinking consider the dialogue is necessary because world relies on individual's liberty and independent will.
The fact that there is an iranian concept 'THE DIALOGUE BETWEEN CIVILIZATIONS", Teheran makes great efforts to calm the regional situation and to normalize Iran's relations with the International Community, represents a first step made by Islam for the inter-confessional reconciliation.
It is important to mention that International Community shows an increased interest in iranian's thesis, this representing one of the viable constructive solutions for Middle East crisis.
The fact that European sociologists among whom we find follow with great interest the present operative situation from Iraq and Autonomic Palestinian Territories is the natural result of Romania's involvement in the peaceful settlement of the conflicts which afflict the Islamic World.
The Publishing of some valuable papers, which I consulted as bibliographical source, made possible the elaboration of the present dissertation with regard to a new increased interest theme approached during the course.
It is not settled yet whether Pentagon's plans to destroy "The Axis of Evil" would continue in the future with an invasion in Iraq, plan stated also by the American president G.W. BUSH on his re-investiture at White House. It looks like the project is temporarily postponed from both circumstantial purposes (Iraqian crisis and the respect of the traveling warrant for the Palestinian problem) and diplomatic purposes.
Bibliography:
Samuel Hungtington - 'The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order" M. Hosein Tabatai - "Shiism in Islam" Mohammad Khatamy - "Fear of the Wave" Morteza Motahari - "Man and Belief Alvin Tofler-'The third Wave"
Ali Beman Eghbalizarch - "Religion and Politics in the Islamic World" April 2008, Bucharest BIRCA MIRCEA, FACULTY of SOCIOLOGY, from Bucharest University.