Origins of Terrorism in the Middle East
Middle East is a region synonymous with instability and terrorism. It is believed that radicalism and fundamentalism are products of this region and combined with religious and ideological differences, they have turned into a major threat for the West. The origins of terrorism in the Middle East are commonly found in the division of Palestine when the state of Israel was created in 1948. However the conflict between Arabs and Zionists go back much further to the time of first Zionist Congress in Basel, Switzerland in 1897. The meeting held in August of that year attracted 204 Jews from 15 countries and was chaired by the founder of Zionism, Theordor Herzl. The creation of first Jewish state and hence the conflict between Palestinians and Zionists have their origins in this meeting as it evident from various documents. For one this delegation had agreed that: "Zionism aims at the creation of a home for the Jewish people in Palestine to be secured by public law," and for this reason emigration to Palestine would be encouraged. When this meeting ended, Herzl noted in his dairy: "If I were to sum up the Basel Congress in a single phrase -- which I would not dare to make public -- I would say: in Basel I created the Jewish State."
At that time, Arabs owned 99 percent of the land as well and it was thus important that they were reduced in numbers. It is true that even though bona fide Islamic teachings have nothing to do with violence or terrorism, the lion's share of terrorist acts are committed by followers of Islam. But reform in the form of Sufism and mysticism has offered Muslims in South Asia and other regions a more balanced religious outlook. Jews have been known for committing violent acts of terrorism against innocent Muslims in the Middle East and this is done primarily because of religious differences. For years, it was the Jew extremism that committed brutalities against the Arab majority it was then only natural that Muslims resorted to similar tactics by subscribing to radicalism. " [5] Religion now plays an important role in defining terrorism in this region. This extremism has taken birth because Sunni Islam as it exists in the Middle East has never undergone any reform. But the reasons have already been explained above. In South Asia where ijtihad is not unheard of but Sufism is more dominant, Islam had always been a source of peace and harmony. This is an interesting point which accounts for why radicalism in the Middle Eastern region is spreading faster than it is in other parts. Such activities are not as common in the Middle East as they are in other parts of the world. But it would be still unfair to associate radicalism with Islam alone. However in the last decade or so, radicalism has also entered this region and Muslim youth in some areas is rapidly embracing fundamentalism accounting for the rise of violence in Kashmir and other areas. Apart from Jewish extremism that has its roots in false ideological beliefs; Islamist extremists have also caused serious religious divisions in the region.
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