A Reflective Summary Essay

The Connections Between Terrorism and Islam

The answers offered by the other group members taught me a lot, as you can probably tell. For instance, I've come to comprehend that, contrary to what the media has led us to believe, not all Muslims support terrorism per se. However, some organizations connected to the Islam religion have identified it as a retaliatory act for their own tactical advantage. The terrorists are thus propelled to retaliate for reasons such as power-lust and rebellion against ruling governments, a sense of marginalization or discrimination, and political differences. (Burns& Peterson, 2005).

The Misconception of Islamic Terrorism

The most convincing argument is that terrorism has nothing to do with Islam as a faith. The implication, therefore, is that religion or rather religious differences are not the cause of terrorism. The Islam doctrine condemns mass killings of the innocent hence it is a misconception as presented and encouraged by the sympathizers of terrorism perpetrators that such killings are done in the name of jihad. Conversely, jihad is a holy war, which means individual mediation to be closer to their God and not to kill other people. Therefore, terrorists are not part of the Muslim community and do not represent any ideologies of Islam. They hijacked the word Jihad, thus, use it to their advantage to radicalize the youth and recruit them. For instance, the Quran has thirty-six verses that use the word Jihad as well as its derivative terms such as jahada, yujahduna, and Jaahad in which none of them mentions or refers to any form of killings or ill motives.

The Benefits of Participating in Discussions

Participating in the discussion enhanced my understanding of the discussion board task by providing an opportunity to listen and share ideas with other people. Through sharing and herring, other people talk and defend their points of view; I was able to generate new insights into the issues of discussion and derived conceptions from different angles of approaches. In the discussion, I was able to single areas of which I had little or less understanding and build on my knowledge of the task by borrowing ideas and making links to connect the gaps I had. Through the discussion, I learned how to organize points and present them in a chronological order such that the first point had a connection with the second and so on. Above all, the discussion afforded me the opportunity to improve my communication skills both written and spoken.

Networking and Researching for Further Information

The other approach in the student's networking which could have led to obtaining further valuable information could be individual research on the selected topics. Thereof, each individual would be allowed to submit or present their findings in a forum such as posting the findings and enabling others to read while they ensure that they provide constructive feedback on each post. Constructive critique of other students gathered information enables them to make adjustments on the mistakes while their audience benefit by getting general information of the topical issues or tasks. Furthermore, a more advanced approach would be to take advantage of the internet of things and make use of social networks including the Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+, and e-mails to collect as well as share ideologies on the information gathered based on the topic recommended by discussion task board. Through using social networks, students are able to compare notes and insights not only with students within their geographical boundary but also with other students internationally. There are also online discussions platforms over which students pose questions for various suggestions of approach creating numerous possibilities of approaching a problem in a discussion group. The social networks also have students from different background with different levels of experience and exposure as well as talents. Such diversities enhance individuals' ability to think through sharing notions relevant and useful for discussion groups.

The Motive Behind Associating Jihad with Terrorism

One point that is unclear about the discussions is the motive or expectations of the terrorists in associating jihad with acts, which are based on greed for power, feelings of neglect and dissatisfaction (Howard, 1992). If really suppose it was true that all terrorism acts are in the name of jihad, then why do they call it Holy if it encourages killing and harming the innocent. For instance, if Osama was truly committed to fronting Holy war, then why cause massive destruction such as that witnessed during the 9/11. He had power, money and intelligence factors which if used in the right way could campaign and make his plight be known through forums and negotiations if really he meant well for the Muslim community. In conjunction, it is not understandable how he came to mobilize his sympathizers to believe in a course that they really did not perceive hence joined him by becoming suicide bombers. Could it be that he managed to brainwash them with money or took advantage of them by holding their families hostages.

References

Burns, V., & Peterson K. D. (2005). Terrorism: A Documentary and Reference Guide. Westport, Conn: Greenwood Press.

Howard, L. (1992). Terrorism: Roots, Impact, Responses. New York: Praeger.