CRUSADE & TERRORISM

Bidyut Chakraborty
Crusade is a war mongering postulate for religious dominance over other
religious sects. Terrorism is the manner crusade acts upon for political
aggression over caste creed nation, it is a part and parcel of the strategy of
crusade. Actually they appear identical or seemed to have been made
identical. Interpretations by the different scholars may be different in
different and similar period of time.
The first crusade was accepted to have been occurred in 1096 CE and
second in 1146 CE the war waged on the Jews by the Christians.
But what about Jihad?
The ancient rivals of Christian Byzantium and Sussanian Persia were
locked in war from 602 CE to 528 CE. Similarly Arab army swept to
conquer Syria, Palestine, Persia and Egypt (known as Golden Crescent)
from 635 CE to 642 CE. In 638 CE Palestine surrendered the Holy City of
Jerusalem on the terms no shrines, churches and synagogues to remain
untouched.
Did crusade and Jihad bear identical vision? Religiously Crusade and Jihad
are in proximity of concepts.
In Ephesians 6: 11-17 (Epistle of St. Paul-New Testament) it is dictated to
put on the full armor of God to take the stand against the schemes of Devil
(rulers, authorities, powers of dark world, spiritual heavenly evil forces), to
stand firm with the belt of truth buckle around the waste with the
breastplate of righteousness and shield of faith and the helmet of salvation
and the sword of spirit. These were addresses to the children of god.
In Hindu epics the war was for self defense only. The humane sorrow
melancholy bereavement for close and distant relatives and for known or
unknown soldiers are labeled as temporary emotion and the constant is the

Lord of Universe ( Brahma/Brahman) and the Human Soul (

Atma/Atman ) the ultimate indestructible which resurrects to fight the
evils from ages to ages There are four ages in the Hindu scriptures). In so
called Hinduism ( Brahman, Vishnu, Shiva and Shakti cult) the God does
everything and the human being performs the rituals on the physically
invisible and unheard heavenly dictates of God. The internal battle
amongst the Hindu sects and cults were diminished after the reign and rule
of foreign dominance of Saka, Huns, Pathan, Mughal and British. All over
Asia, Buddhism and Jainism have its strong hegemony, their inner fight
among their diverse sects are also died down. An anecdote of Alexander
was very much popular in India.
Alexander won India in 325 BC. While passing by the road he met some
Jain monks walking past him without bothering his presence. He asked
the monks astonishingly about their audacity to neglect the great emperor
of the world. The monks replied calmly the King Alexander could occupy
that much earth as every man could , because he was also a human being
like them. The difference remained in kings preoccupation of making
nuisance to himself and to others and for that Alexander travelled so many
miles away from his home. His place in the earth after his death would be
as much he would take for permanent rest. Alexander was overwhelmed
and after going back his home he sermonized the lesson.
Indian Muslims had a glorious tradition of Indianisation and not merely
Islamisation. The second Akbar fought against the sectarian religious
administrative policies against of Emperor Aurangzeb - his father.
Aurangzeb killed his elder brother Dara Suko, a reverend Indian scholar of
east whose identity was not dignified by his religion, he translated so many
Hindu scriptures including Upanishads from Sanskrit to Arabic which then
transliterated to Latin.
To save Somnath temple in Gujrat so many Shia Muslims fought for the
Hindu kings against Muslim invaders. Gazni Mahmud had Hindu
commanders and soldiers also who helped him to attack Indian shrines.

In the freedom struggle of India, several Muslim leaders sacrificed for the
sake of India, neither for Pakistan nor for Islam.
In Islam, Jihad means a fight in two ways: one is against inner evil and the
other against outer evil.
Hindu king engaged themselves in war never in the name of religion.
Maratha king Shivaji took effort to establish a Hindu India fighting against
the Mughals; he took vow before his Guru Ramdas to behave like a
common man and not like a usual king. So Indian religious leaders and
kings despite their inner battles and internal fights preached for peace and
self defense for common people irrespective of religions. The history did
not record the fights amongst Shivaite, Baishnavas, Buddhists, Jains and
other religious sects although it was there but not in the name of Dharma
Yuddha (Holy War). Only kurukshetra war (epical not a historical one) was
called Dharma Yuddha. Other historical wars were all political wars.
Bimbishar (558491 BCE) , readying for battle surrendered and bowed to
Gautama Buddha (563483 BCE). In true sense the great emperor Ashoka
(269 BCE to 232 BCE) turned himself from Chandashoka to Dharmashoka.
H.G. Wells wrote of Ashoka in his book The Outline of History: "Amidst the
tens of thousands of names of monarchs that crowd the columns of history,
their majesties and graciousness and serenities and royal highnesses and
the like, the name of Ashoka shines, and shines, almost alone, a star."
Christianity and Islam waged wars after wars between themselves and also
against other sects in the name of Holy War whereas the war was meant for
aggression and invasion to foreign lands be that land belonged to their
own religion or else. So to those attackers Crusades and Jihad are identical
in meaning.
Now Jihad has been interpreted in so many ways. Crusades lost its
relevance due to the western enlightenment . Whatever good interpretation
comes about the word Jihad , as described as sixth pillar of Islam by Sunni
sect or tenth pillar by Shia sect, a lot of Islamic terrorists organization called

their guerrilla attack to infidels and to kafirs as Jihad. Some of the warriors
called themselves as Muhajeed ,some Jihadi .meaning remain the same.
Ahmadiyya view on Jihad : In Ahmadiyya Islam, jihad is primarily one's
personal inner struggle and should not be used violently for political
motives. Violence is the last option only to be used to protect religion and
one's own life in extreme situations of persecution.
Quranists do not believe that the word jihad means holy war. They believe
it means to struggle, or to strive. They believe it can incorporate both
military and non-military aspects. When it refers to the military aspect, it is
understood primarily as defensive warfare.
Sufic view classifies "Jihad" into two parts: the "Greater Jihad" and the
"Lesser Jihad". Muhammad put the emphasis on the "Greater Jihad" by
saying, "Holy is the warrior who is at war with himself". In this sense
external wars and strife are seen as but a satanic counterfeit of the true
"jihad", which can only be fought and won within. There is no salvation for
man without his own efforts being added to the work of self-refinement. In
this sense it is the western view of the Holy Grail which comes closest to
the Sufic ideal, for to the Sufis, perfection is the Grail, and the Holy Grail is
for those who, after they become perfect by giving all they have to the poor
then go on to become "Abdal" or "changed ones" like Enoch, who was
"taken" by God because he "walked with God" (Genesis:5:24). Here the
"Holy Ones" gain the surname "Hadrat" or "The Presence".
Bahs believe that the law of Jihad has been blotted out from the
scriptures [ Wikipedia].
Crusading reflected a social mentality grounded in war as a central force
of protection, arbitration, social discipline, political expression and material
gain .The crusades confirmed a communal identity comprising aggression,
paranoia, nostalgia, wishful thinking and invented history.
The crusades were and are controversial and contentious far beyond the
academic community. More than any other incident of medieval European

history they have entered the sphere of public history, where the past is
captured in abiding cultural myths of inheritance, self image and identity.
[Christopher Tyermans A New History of Crusade ].
In the Islamic area Caliphas words were the last one, it gets down to
Sultan and then to Sheikh. Mosque clergymen were consulted by the
Caliphas. In the Christian domain, Papal instructions were the last words.
Kings were consulted by the church authority. Both sides try to convert
their subordinates into their own faith. Islamic texts, sura 109 stated that
religion is personal matter no body will impose Islam on any non-Islamic
religious subjects but for that non-interference the subjects had to pay jiziya
and might embrace subjugation.
Martyrs and Shahids are respected with holiness because of the religious
fanaticism allow the crusade and Jihad as a pious act to reach to Heaven by
this shortcut. So violence was endorsed by society guided by the religious
leaders for self sacrifice. c
Rumour in the air currently whirls about sex sacrifice also. The system is
known as jihad al-nikah or sex jihad. Publicity first arose in 2013, and the
veracity of the alleged practice became the subject of greater debate in
September 2013 after the Interior Minister of Tunisia made a public
statement as a significant issue. In June 2014, it was reported by the
Egyptian Daily newspaper Al-Masry Al-Youm that the Islamist group ISIL
(the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant) put up posters calling on the
people of Mosul to bring them their unmarried girls to participate in jihad
al-nikah or sex jihad.[ Source: Wikipedia]
The Clarion Project News dated 26 Jul, 2015 (www.clarionproject.org)
claimed that ISIS has recently taken over vast territories in Iraq including
Mosul, Iraqs second largest city. Jihad al-nikah refers to women joining the
jihad by offering sex to the male fighters. Posters in public places in Mosul
read: We call upon the people of this county to bring their unmarried girls so
they can fulfill their duty in sex jihad for their warrior brothers in the city and
anyone who will not appear will feel the full force of the sharia [Islamic law] upon
him.

Malaysian women join Middle East jihadists as comfort women, reveals

intelligence report
http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/malaysianwomen-join-middle-east-jihadists-as-comfort-women-reveals-intelli
Of course it is naive to believe this narrative of a perfect family amid all
the destruction taking place in Syria and the atrocities committed by ISISs
beasts. But should we really be worried about cleaning up the language of
the news, which does include shameful and embarrassing terms such as
sexual jihad, or should we instead focus on the reality of an
unprecedented phenomenon that sees dozens of teenage girls leave their
parents homes each year in order to join jihadist groups? [Written by
: Abdulrahman Al-Rashed www.aawsat.net/2015/03/.../opinion-thereality-of-sexual-jihad].
In the name of God the priests and the preachers can do anything
interpreting the text of Holy books of their religion in their own convenient
way. Society and Religious Gurus give tacit empathy if not active support.
Several Hindu Sadhus and Christian Clergies get arrested and face trials
and jails being convicted on economic offences, social injustice and sexual
exploitation like criminal with multiple identity do. Most ridiculous are
Fatwa and Jihad which route to violence.
Dr. Amartya Sen mentioned the reason of violence is based on search of
identity what religion assured. He spoke against only one affiliation of
human being. The way Islam and Christianity spread over the worlds
nation they left with one identity and that is religious. There are a lot of
African communities converted to Islam saving the biggest muslim
population of India, Bangladesh , Pakistan (undivided India before 1947)
and Indonesia, Malayesia in eastern part of Asia saving the immense
population in China and Japan. Each and every case life style differs,
language differs, and dress code differs and nothing matches with that of
Middle East.
.we have to ask whether it is at all possible to define a trueMuslim in
terms of beliefs about confrontation and tolerance, on which Islam does not
dictate and on which different Muslims have taken widely different
positions over centuries.[Identity and Violence The Illusion of Destiny].

The Islamic identity did not work. Cultural variation and ethnic diversity
posed a big danger. As the conversion from one religion to Islam was the
basic concept, the customs and rituals of previous religious entity sustain.
So there are multiple diversity in the several nations of Africa and Arabia
and Persia and Turky. Apart from the developed economy of one place
brings thousands foreign traders and labors of various culture and
religions and languages the social customs become complex, the tribal
people and other subjects find no rooms for their own rituals of living. The
Mohicans of Canada- US border were vanquished this way and so many
tribal civilization wiped away like Dravidian, Maya etc. There was violence
subjugation but not in the name crusades. The similar thing is happening
by the Arab Muslim on the Non- Arab Muslims.
What is going on Sudan? Muslims are killing their Islamic brethren. Dar
fur,sized nearly of France, in Sudan ( 6 million muslim inhabitants of 100
tribes mostly nomads) was under civil war due to conflicts on arabs and
non- arabs differentiation although both were Africans. The pro-arab king ,
Omar Bashir of National Islamic Front took up reign in 1989 and started
torturing oppressing the non-arab nomads (Zhagwa, masalit and Fur)
killing 3 lakhs and displacing 30 lakhs of non-arab nomads(UN estimate),
in the name of ethnic cleansing. Zhagwas claimed apartheid by Arabs
against their tribes.
Daoud Hari, a sufferer zhagwa social worker and journalist in his book The
Translator, described the pitiful condition of zhagwas. Nearly all young
women are pregnant through rape .Possibly so that the kids will carry the
Arabian gene but with African descendance because rapists are all African
Muslims. In the refugee camp sheltered in the border of Sudan and Lybia
the men cannot go out to collect firewood in fear of being murdered
instead the young women are sent to get the firewood even being raped.
Lakhs of bastards are coming out every year from the womb of these
distressed women folks.
Similar condition prevails in Syria.
As of January 2015 the death toll had risen above 220,000, with estimates
in April 2015 as high as 310,000. International organizations have accused
the Syrian government, ISIL and other opposition forces of severe human

rights violations, with many massacres occurring. Chemical weapons have

been used many times during the conflict as well. The Syrian government
is reportedly responsible for the majority of civilian casualties and war
crimes, often through bombings. In addition, tens of thousands of
protesters and activists have been imprisoned and there are reports
of torture in state prisons.
The severity of the humanitarian disaster in Syria has been outlined by the
UN and many international organizations. More than 7.6 million Syrians
have been displaced, and more than 4 million have fled the country to
countries such as Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, and Egypt and have
become refugees. Millions more have been left in poor living conditions
with shortages of food and drinking water.[ Source: Wikipedia]
This is terrorism- the violence done by the government to its subjects in the
name of ethnic cleansing and similarly the violence undertaken by the
religious mercenaries of a certain religion.
Sharmeena Begum became one of the youngest British teenagers to join the
murderous IS terror group when she fled from her home in East London
and travelled to Syria last December aged 15.
Three months later, three of her closest school friends Amira Abase, 16,
Kadiza Sultana, 16, and Shamima Begum, 15 also fled to Syria, triggering
an international search to rescue them.
[OMAR WAHID FOR THE MAIL ON SUNDAY, 1 August 2015
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3182561/Britain-s-jihadi-bride-groomerSchoolgirl-radicalised-London-mosque-recruited-three-classmates-join-ISISSyria.html#ixzz3hex6O2gu ]

The conflict between Iraqs government and the Islamic State of Iraq and
Syria (ISIS) has begun to spread concerns throughout the region,
particularly in India. It is estimated that nearly 30,000 Indian Shia Muslims
have already signed up to fight and applied for visas to fly into Iraq.
(IraqiNews.com)

Some 30,000 Indian Shia Muslims have submitted their passports and are
ready to travel to Iraq to defend Shiite holy shrines from the advancing
Sunni Islamist insurgents by any means available.
"We are looking at a million volunteers to form a human chain around the
holy shrines of Karbala and Najaf, in case the Isis attacks. We will do
everything to stop the advance of the enemies." [ Syed Bilal Hussain
Abidi, leader of Anjuman E Haideri www.ibtimes.co.uk Society Politics]
170 millions of Muslims reside in India out of which some 60-70 millions
are Shia sects. What a fanatism ! Turkey and Iraqi Government are
conducting air raids on the militant fundamentalists and these people will
be there to save or make Islamic country there in that foreign land.
On the contrary religion was not an essential identity to create a stable
cultural and political nation in India.
In Bangladesh and West Bengal, before and after 1947, the most adorable
icons of Music and Poetry are Rabindra Nath Tagore, the first Asian Nobel
laureate, and Kazi Nazrul Islam. Bengali Hindus and Bengali Muslims
never uttered the word Hindu or Muslim for them. They are Poets of and
Lyricists and singers of Bengalis no other identity adored them. Indians
adore the ghazals of Mehdi Hasan and Fateh Ali khan of Pakistan, never
thought to differentiate between Sitarist Rabi Shankar and Ali Akbar.
Baba Allauddin Khan (1862-1972 CE ),a Bengali shorodi and multiinstrumentalist, ,was the father of sarod maestro Ali Akbar Khan
and Annapurna Devi (Roshanara Khan), and the uncle of Raja Hossain
Khan, as well as the guru of Ravi Shankar, Nikhil Banerjee, Vasant
Rai, Pannalal Ghosh, Bahadur Khan, Sharan Rani, Jyotin Bhattacharya and
other influential musicians. He himself was a disciple of many great
musicians, including Gopal Chandra Banerjee, Lobo, Munne Khan, and
most importantly after a lot of struggle managed to become a shagird of the
legendary Veena player, Wazir Khan. Baba learnt music from Gopal

Krishna Bhattacharya, alias Nulo Gopal, a very devout and orthodox

Hindu.
Zakir Hussain ,son of the legendary tabla player Alla Rakha , was awarded
as Tabla Maestro.
Taught by his father Haafiz Ali Khan Amjad Ali Khan is the pride of India
in Sarod recital, his wife Subhalakshmi had been a great exponent of the
Indian classical dance, Bharatnatyam
No Indian think the Indian Film stars Shah Rukh Khan( his wife is Hindu) ,
Amir khan and Salman Khan with their religious identity rather they are
popular to play role as an Indian fighter against Islamic jihadists. Again the
multiple identities take the first and foremost role in society.
So peculiar is that in the Twin tower destruction by Al Quaida several
muslims employess died and thearchtect of the tower was a Bangladeshi
Muslim.
Malala Yousafzai born 12 July 1997 is a Pakistani activist for female
education and the youngest-ever Nobel Prize laureate.[4] She is known
mainly for human rights advocacy for education and for women in her
native Swat Valley in theKhyber Pakhtunkhwa province of northwest
Pakistan, where the local Talibanhad at times banned girls from attending
school. Yousafzai's advocacy has since grown into an international
movement.
On the afternoon of 9 October 2012, Yousafzai boarded her school bus in
the northwest Pakistani district of Swat. A gunman asked for her by name,
then pointed a pistol at her and fired three shots. One bullet hit the left side
of Yousafzai's forehead, travelled under her skin through the length of her
face, and then went into her shoulder.[5] In the days immediately following
the attack, she remained unconscious and in critical condition, but later her
condition improved enough for her to be sent to the Queen Elizabeth
Hospital in Birmingham, England, for intensive rehabilitation. On 12

October, a group of 50 Islamic clerics in Pakistan issued a fatw against

those who tried to kill her, but the Taliban reiterated their intent to kill
Yousafzai and her father, Ziauddin Yousafzai.
The assassination attempt sparked a national and international outpouring
of support for Yousafzai.
Politics must not be polluted with fanatism of religion, race,caste and creed
and should not be corrupted by criminalization, black money and
dictatorship. What does it look like? A nice gospel indeed. But where you
can find such a nice polity? So rites and rights are different word in
religion. It needs a polish of democracy or socialism.
Even then who supplies arms to the militant groups? Suspicion goes to the
worlds biggest exporters of arms very naturally.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/28/Biggest_arms_sales_2013.png/300pxBiggest_arms_sales_2013.png

The companies approved for manufacturing weapons do not have much

employment in 2013 as disclosed by the Stockholm International Peace
Research Institute (SIPRI).

Yes USA is the country who supplies arms and ammunition to specific
countries more than 50% of the market. Second exporter is Russia. In the
importer list first is UAE then India. From a list of the world's largest arms
manufacturers and other military service companies who profit the most
from the War economy, their origin is shown as well.
The information is based on a list published by the Stockholm International
Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) for 2013. The list provided by the SIPRI
excludes companies based in China. (Wikipedia).
What is the use of selling arms if USA want peace all over the world and
what are the uses of buying arms is seen in the Middle East?
Arms control refers to international restrictions upon the development,
production, stockpiling, proliferation and usage of small arms,
conventional weapons, and weapons of mass destruction.
[Barry Kolodkin. "What Is Arms Control?" (Article). About.com, US Foreign Policy. The New York
Times Company. Retrieved13 May 2012].

It is typically exercised through the use of diplomacy, which seeks to

persuade governments to accept such limitations through agreements
and treaties, although it may also be forced upon non-consenting
governments.
Oscar Arias Sanchez President of Costa Rica (awarded the Nobel Peace
Prize in 1987 for his efforts to end civil wars across Central America
through the Esquipulas II Accords) has stated:
When a country decides to invest in arms, rather than in education,
housing, the environment, and health services for its people, it is depriving
a whole generation of its right to prosperity and happiness. We have
produced one firearm for every ten inhabitants of this planet, and yet we
have not bothered to end hunger when such a feat is well within our reach.
Our international regulations allow almost three-quarters of all global arms
sales to pour into the developing world with no binding international
guidelines whatsoever. Our regulations do not hold countries accountable
for what is done with the weapons they sell, even when the probable use of

such weapons is obvious. [ The Global Arms Trade: Strengthening International

Regulations. Interview with Oscar Arias Sanchez. Harvard International Review Date: Tuesday,
July 1, 2008 http://www.allbusiness.com/government/government-bodies-offices/116643351.html accessed 10 Feb 2010].

Written finished on 02/08 /2015 at 20-10 Salt lake.