We asked Professor Omar Shahin about his thoughts on Islamic terrorism and the conflict in the Middle East.

The terrorists say that they are following Jihad, but we need to first understand the true meaning of Jihad. Jihad means to fight within yourself and the weakness of your own faith, to fight for God, and fight against non-believers using words.

The Islamic State is using Jihad to suit their ends.

Those like ISIS switched Allah’s word to fit their own personal agenda. But you can see from how the Crusaders killed many people under the name of Christianity, that there are always people in all times where they use violence in the name of God. But no one has the right and the authority to fight in the name of God and kill a human being.

I know some people say that Koran contains verses from a God that sounds violent. But God is simply showing us to use love and peace to deal with good people, and fight and stop evil people. God is giving us the right to protect the most important things in our lives, religion, family, wealth, and homeland, against evil people.

The Islamic world wants to see Justice from the West

In order to resolve the conflict in the Middle East, we need justice. Peace without justice doesn’t work. Do you think that the Palestinians that have been displaced by the creation of Israel is being treated in a just manner? Israel was created on land that belonged to the Palestinians. But those same Palestinians that are resisting the occupation are being branded as terrorists.

People need to understand that Islam doesn’t have any problems with Jews. Muslims, Jews, and Christians lived next to each other for hundreds of years. But to live in peace, people need to be treated fairly.

Islamic Law can be adapted to the time and place

I know there are also criticisms of Islam in terms of human rights. But people need to differentiate between religion and tradition. For example, what prohibits women from doing certain things isn’t the teaching of Islam, but rather the tradition of the particular country or region. According to those traditions, the fact that women aren’t allowed to drive, or that they have to walk behind men merely means that men have the responsibility to protect and serve those women.

Also, Islamic Law needs to be established in the right time, the right way, in the right place, such that it fits the time, place, and the individual. Islam allows that level of flexibility. In fact, there is a group of Muslim scholars right now that are trying to get the Islamic rules to fit the Western and Eastern cultures.

To achieve peace in the Middle East, we need to apply Islamic Law in a way that fits the region and the time, and to realize justice.