Muslims must fight terrorism

In his article “Gulf between perception and reality of Muslims” (Oct.3), Aijaz Zaka Syed has once again echoed the feelings of all Muslims around the globe who feel bad about the way the entire community is being blamed for the wrongdoings of a few, who in the name of Islam are wreaking havoc around the world and giving a bad name to Islam and Muslims at large.
It is sad to hear and read reports about killings and violence perpetrated by deviant groups who claim to be waging a “holy war.”
The writer has rightly stressed that the word Islam means peace and mercy, and Islamic teachings and prophetic traditions are very much in accordance with the meanings of the word Islam.
The other day, I listened to a lecture wherein a scholar laid emphasis that the essence of Islam could be better understood by studying the peace treaties Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) entered into with various communities on different occasions even at a time when Islam had gained substantial influence in Arabia.
I believe that true Muslims should now wage their own war against terror by siding with the nations already up in arms against the menace.
Apart from that all Muslim organizations should strongly denounce terror attacks and issue a unanimous edict (fatwa) against all those groups or elements terrorizing the world.
All Muslim states and organizations should take measures to improve the literacy level among Muslims without gender discrimination. — Safi H. Jannaty, Dammam