Whenever their is a bomb blast or a suicide bombing anywhere in the world the most likely perpetrators are Muslim youth. Photographs of young men in between their mid-twenties and thirties with small beard or a stubble carrying checked head scarf are a common sight on televisions and newspapers covering news of bombings. What does this indicate ? To any common observer this is a clear indication that the religion which is followed by some 1 billion people and which means peace and submission before the will of God, is the one responsible for all the acts of Terrorism in the world today.

The Terrorism is an act of using mass voilence to create an atmosphere of terror against a country or a select group of people so that they sucumb and the goals are met. If you judge the events taking place around the world according to this defination, impartially, your views are going to change a little. You will suddenly notice that those claimimg to be waging a war against terrorism are themselves involved in this gruesome act. Or you may say that their is war going on around the world between the two parties and none of them is ethical. In General, the ill treatment of Palestinians and Iraqis by the hands of Western Powers have made some of the muslims to believe that they are their enemies and so they have made groups to fight a kind of Gorilla war against them. However it is not sanctioned under Islam. 

Keeping in view the context of the discussion let us find out the relevent teachings of the Quran. Islam like any other religion calls on its followers to wage, a Jihad (see notes), a war against those causing injury, expelling muslims from their homes and not allowing them to practice peacefully but warns them to not to exceed limits (Quran al baqarah verse 190).  It never preaches to declare a war against people following other faiths in fact it tells them to respect them. " God doesn't forbid you from respecting those who have not raged a war against you on account of your religion..." (Quran 60: 8,9). Keeping good relations with ones neighbour is one of the most stressed teaching and that the neighbour can be a muslim or a non muslim. As far as Jihad is concerned Quran says "No bearer of burdens can bear the burden of another"  ( Quran al qamar verse 38) means no one should be punished for the crime of his near one, leave alone targetting a whole community for those who have waged a war against the muslims. Furthermore, it is mentioned in holy Quran (al maidah verse 32) that Killing an innocent human being is like killing whole humanity and saving a human being is like saving the humanity. Quran and prophet Muhammed told the muslims that  retalliation is a sin and that God is pleased with those who forgive. Prophet at the time of wars would repeatedly remind the armies to not to harm the women, children and elderly. Islam tells the Non Muslims    " To you be your way and to me mine" " Let their be no compulsion in religion"  ( Quran Al baqarah verse 256)

Question also arises as to who will decide that it is correct time to wage a Jihad. It is an established and elected body representing the Muslims which can decide upon the matters like this, an example is the P.L.O or any other elected government and so any fringe group cannot issue a fatwa to start Jihad even in the times of crisis.

Thus from above mentioned teachings of Quran and Prophet it can be said that killing of masses is not permitted in Islam. Car Bombings, attack over buildings, torture, kidnapping and suicide bombings are not permissible in Islam even in the case of Jihad. Or you can say that a holy war or Jihad can't be waged for narrow political gains and it doesn't authorise killing in the way the terrorists are doing. People like Zawahiri and Bin Laden are not educated in Islam so they neither have the qualification nor the intent and so they easily misinterpret certain verses of Quran which told the muslims of that period to fight against the infidels who had made it difficult for muslims to practice their faith. 

Jihad is defensive and not a weapon to be used to propagate Islam, if that had been a case their would n't be a single non-muslim living in Spain where the muslims ruled for 800 years and rather muslims form just about 2% of the Spain's population. Indonesia the country with highest number of muslims in the world never saw muslim armies on their lands, all the converts were the result of Sufism.

Darul Uloom Deoband the largest Institution of Islamic Studies in India and the second largest in the world on 25th febuary 2008 issued a declaration, in the presence of Islamic Scholars of all the School of Thoughts, denouncing all the forms of terrorism and killing in the name of Islam and declared that people participating in such acts can't  call themselves muslims.  

(Note:Jihad- According to Interpretation of Official Quran, by Custodian of two Holy Mosques, any pain staking effort sacrificing ones greed, person, property or life for leading a virtuous life according to will of God is called Jihad. Mere brutal fighting is opposed to the whole sprit of Jihad, while the sincere scholar's pen or preachers voice or wealthy man's contribution may be the most valueable forms of Jihad.)  

Yasser Iqbal Kidwai