Why is Islam linked to terrorism and violence by global media? [closed]

Question

Islam claims itself as the ideology of peace. (“ …whosoever killeth a human…, it shall be as if he had killed all mankind, and whoso saveth the life of one, it shall be as if he had saved the life of all mankind…” — Qur’an, Chapter 5: Verse 32). Meanwhile, Islam is linked to terrorism, violence and extremism by global media. Why?

Answer 1

Islam claims itself as the ideology of peace and humanity. Meanwhile, Islam is linked to terrorism, violence and extremism by global media. Why?

For whatever reasons, there are people who commit terrorism in the name of Islam. Terrorists facilitate the linking of terrorism and Islam by journalists by acting in highly visible ways, e.g.:

• Islamic State's flag is the shahada (image available from Wikimedia commons: Flag of Islamic State of Iraq). Indeed, the variants of this name "Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant", "Islamic State of Iraq and Syria", and "Islamic State" all refer to "Islam" (and Daesh is an acronym also identifying them as Islamic).

• The phrase Allahu Akbar being used repeatedly in terrorist attacks (Wikipedia, jihadist usage)

• Terrorist groups identifying as Islamic: Al-Qaeda, Hamas, the Taliban.

• Terrorists are noted for being active on social media (YouTube, Facebook, etc.) See, e.g. Wikipedia, Terrorism and social media.

In this sense, there is a connecting element, or "link" between Islam and terrorism. Reporters are doing their job as best they can, which involves reporting what they see. They don't exactly go to Afghanistan to report on e.g. Afghan cuisine and hospitality.

This link is contested. Terrorism is incompatible with the teachings of Islam (as described below), so the "link" between Islam and terrorism is considered false. Someone who commits e.g. murder (one of the worst possible sins) is acting directly against the Qur'an, e.g.:

But whoever kills a believer intentionally - his recompense is Hell, wherein he will abide eternally, and Allah has become angry with him and has cursed him and has prepared for him a great punishment. -- Qur'an 4:93

Because of that, We decreed upon the Children of Israel that whoever kills a soul unless for a soul or for corruption [done] in the land - it is as if he had slain mankind entirely. And whoever saves one - it is as if he had saved mankind entirely. And our messengers had certainly come to them with clear proofs. Then indeed many of them, [even] after that, throughout the land, were transgressors. -- Qur'an 5:32

Say, "Come, I will recite what your Lord has prohibited to you. [He commands] that you not associate anything with Him, and to parents, good treatment, and do not kill your children out of poverty; We will provide for you and them. And do not approach immoralities - what is apparent of them and what is concealed. And do not kill the soul which Allah has forbidden [to be killed] except by [legal] right. This has He instructed you that you may use reason." -- Qur'an 6:151

Indeed, the Qur'an repeatedly stipulates (I think over 100 times) that one should be striving to do good deeds. This is what Muslims do.

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So how is Islam a religion of peace?

• Terrorism is not compatible with Islam. Islam teaches the complete opposite:

  "It is written in the Quran that killing one innocent person is equivalent to killing all humanity," said Mohammed Ehsan Raza Khan, Sajjadanasheen (hereditary head) of this shrine. -- 70,000 clerics issue fatwa against terrorism

  Islam, which is a religion of peace and tolerance, condemns this act and sees this is as a wounding scar on the face of humanity. -- Shaikh Muhammad Yusuf Islahi in response to the September 11 attacks (and many other scholars, Islamic Statements Against Terrorism)

  and many, many more condemnations can be found by a Google search.

• Sadly, violence happens even in generally peace-loving countries like the USA (e.g. the US Gun Violence Archive).

There are surely many complex and evolving factors in play here. (See e.g. The Sociology and Psychology of Terrorism, Library of Congress, which includes terrorism motivated by religions, including Islam.) But it should be pretty clear that Muslims want terrorism stopped:

In cases where the religious affiliation of terrorism casualties could be determined, Muslims suffered between 82 and 97% of terrorism-related fatalities over the past five years. -- U.S. National Counterterrorism Center, Report on Terrorism, 2011