RESEARCHING RELIGION-TERRORISM NEXUS FOR SUSTAINABLE GLOBAL SECURITY MANAGEMENT: IS ISLAM BEING FALSELY ACCUSED?

Is Islam Being Falsely Accused?

Abstract

There is no doubt that terrorism is a peculiar and serious threat to global peace, security and by extension human well-being. Despite concerted military efforts by governments that have borne the brunt of its attacks, suppressing let alone elimination of terrorism has remained elusive. This limited success that has been achieved by seemingly targeting the terrorist per se implies that the root cause may not have been identified. While terror attacks have been done by people of various political and religious persuasions, the frequencies with which perpetrators appear to directly or indirectly invoke the great religion of Islam is worrying. Accordingly, it is this paper’s hypothesis that the root cause of terrorism particularly the kind meted in non-Muslims is inherent in the religious doctrine that the terrorists have embraced. Therefore, independent global research agenda needs to focus on this dimension in order to prove or dispel the above hypothesis. This paper makes reference to reported terror attacks where responsibility has been somehow claimed by people who profess the Islamic faith, whether rightly or otherwise in order to hopefully open debate on the possible role doctrine in directly or indirectly encouraging violence against people of other faiths – whether for religious or socio-political goals. Ultimately this dialogue should yield insights on how to effectively eliminate terrorism from its root causes and enhance peaceful coexistence in today’s multi-cultural dispensation across the world and in particular, Kenya.