"Terrorism Is Not A Religious Problem; It Is An Issue Of The Mind"

Written by Sir Article, Founder and CEO of Sircle Communications.

I saw an embarrassing post in one of my WhatsApp groups, which sought to propagate religious politics of equalisation about terrorism.

It argued that a large chunk of terrorist activities committed in world history were done by so-called Christians, and not Muslims as most folks think.

The basis of that argument seems accurate on a superficial level, yet it is fundamentally flawed — and I will soon prove why.

My point is: terrorism is not a religious problem. Really? Oh yes. It is an issue of the mind.

Of course, terrorism is entirely an issue of ideology — be it religious or political. But ideology is a small subset of the human mind.

Alright, those leaders named in the post such as Adolf Hitler especially, who killed millions of innocent people were not Christians.

And those Islamist militants too, I believe, are not Muslims.

In fact, they are all professed Christians and Muslims who do not practise the righteousness their respective faiths teach.

Remember, it is one thing professing a particular faith or religion, and it is another thing living righteously as the faith or religion teaches.

Therefore, they just camouflage their depraved mentalities with religion!

Besides, true, holy and sound faith or religion cannot engineer terrorism. It cannot happen in the Christian faith or even in the Islamic religion.

For a Christian who actually lives a Christ-like life cannot kill people in the name of Christianity.

Well, a true Muslim who really lives an upright life will not kill people in the name of Islam or Jihad.

Hey, have you ever heard or seen the National Chief Imam of Ghana condoning or facilitating Islamist insurgency? No, because he is an extremely mature Muslim.

The problem with Jihad, or stated appropriately, the problem of Jihadists is that they interpret Islamic doctrines erroneously and carry them to extremes.

Moreover, let me delve into why terrorism is largely an issue of the mind.

I am now a student of medical literature. And I read in a medical science book where the author — who is a very experienced doctor — remarked that Adolf Hitler probably suffered from paranoid schizophrenia.

He wrote, "Paranoid people turn up in the most surprising places, even in high government positions at times. They are often very clever people. Some of the most frightful wars have been started by these deluded people, most of whom appear to have a 'persecution complex' from early childhood. Adolf Hitler is an outstanding example of paranoid behavior" (Anderson, 1967).

So we have to start treating terrorism as a mental problem, and not a religious problem which only breeds stereotype.

If you have learnt more about nervous disorders, you could assert that the most dreadful crimes in the world are committed by psychotic personalities.

Interestingly, most terrorists are "paranoid people who may outwardly appear quite sane and sensible. Their thinking is so disordered that they actually believe the whole world is against them. They carry deep grudges and will stop at nothing in their determination to 'get even' with their 'enemies'" (Anderson, 1967).

I hereby encourage psychologists, psychiatrists and even counsellors to teach young people about basic neuroscience. The youths should strive to learn it on their own too.

The general public should also advice both neurotic and psychotic personalities to seek psychiatric treatment at the hospital.

In biology, the brain controls the human body. In philosophy, the mind controls the human soul.

I, however, believe that a malfunctioning mental faculty is a huge threat to society, because it is the root cause of all terrorism.

Lastly, say no to terrorism.
Source: sirarticle.blogspot.com