The Quran contains at least 109 verses that call Muslims
to war with nonbelievers for the sake of Islamic rule. Some are quite graphic, with commands to chop
off heads and fingers and kill infidels wherever they may be hiding. Muslims who do not join the fight are called
'hypocrites' and warned that Allah will send them to Hell if they do not join
the slaughter.
Unlike nearly all of the Old Testament verses of
violence, the verses of violence in the Quran are mostly open-ended, meaning
that they are not restrained by the historical context of the surrounding
text. They are part of the eternal,
unchanging word of Allah, and just as relevant or subjective as anything else
in the Quran.
The context of violent passages is more ambiguous than
might be expected of a perfect book from a loving God, however this can work
both ways. Most of today's Muslims
exercise a personal choice to interpret their holy book's call to arms
according to their own moral preconceptions about justifiable violence. Apologists cater to their preferences with
tenuous arguments that gloss over historical fact and generally do not stand up
to scrutiny. Still, it is important to
note that the problem is not bad people, but bad ideology.
Unfortunately, there are very few verses of tolerance and
peace to abrogate or even balance out the many that call for nonbelievers to be
fought and subdued until they either accept humiliation, convert to Islam, or
are killed. Muhammad's own martial
legacy - and that of his companions - along with the remarkable stress on
violence found in the Quran have produced a trail of blood and tears across
world history.
The Quran:
Quran (2:191-193) -
"And kill them wherever you find them, and turn them out from where they
have turned you out. And Al-Fitnah [disbelief or unrest] is worse than
killing...
but if they desist, then lo! Allah is forgiving and
merciful. And fight them until there is
no more Fitnah [disbelief and worshipping of others along with Allah] and
worship is for Allah alone. But if they
cease, let there be no transgression except against Az-Zalimun (the polytheists,
and wrong-doers, etc.)" (Translation
is from the Noble Quran) The historical
context of this passage is not defensive warfare, since Muhammad and his
Muslims had just relocated to Medina and were not under attack by their Meccan
adversaries. In fact, the verses urge
offensive warfare, in that Muslims are to drive Meccans out of their own city
(which they later did). The use of the
word "persecution" by some Muslim translators is thus disingenuous
(the actual Muslim words for persecution - "idtihad" - and oppression
- a variation of "z-l-m" - do not appear in the verse). The actual Arabic comes from
"fitna" which can mean disbelief, or the disorder that results from
unbelief or temptation. Taken as a
whole, the context makes clear that violence is being authorized until
"religion is for Allah" - ie. unbelievers desist in their unbelief.
Quran (2:244) -
"Then fight in the cause of Allah, and know that Allah Heareth and knoweth
all things."
Quran (2:216) -
"Fighting is prescribed for you, and ye dislike it. But it is possible
that ye dislike a thing which is good for you, and that ye love a thing which
is bad for you. But Allah knoweth, and ye know not." Not only does this verse establish that
violence can be virtuous, but it also contradicts the myth that fighting is
intended only in self-defense, since the audience was obviously not under
attack at the time. From the Hadith, we
know that this verse was narrated at a time that Muhammad was actually trying
to motivate his people into raiding merchant caravans for loot.
Quran (3:56) -
"As to those who reject faith, I will punish them with terrible agony in
this world and in the Hereafter, nor will they have anyone to help."
Quran (3:151) -
"Soon shall We cast terror into the hearts of the Unbelievers, for that
they joined companions with Allah, for which He had sent no
authority". This speaks directly of
polytheists, yet it also includes Christians, since they believe in the Trinity
(ie. what Muhammad incorrectly believed to be 'joining companions to Allah').
Quran (4:74) -
"Let those fight in the way of Allah who sell the life of this world for
the other. Whoso fighteth in the way of Allah, be he slain or be he victorious,
on him We shall bestow a vast reward."
The martyrs of Islam are unlike the early Christians, who were led
meekly to the slaughter. These Muslims
are killed in battle as they attempt to inflict death and destruction for the
cause of Allah. This is the theological
basis for today's suicide bombers.
Quran (4:76) -
"Those who believe fight in the cause of Allah…"
Quran (4:89) -
"They but wish that ye should reject Faith, as they do, and thus be on the
same footing (as they): But take not friends from their ranks until they flee
in the way of Allah (From what is forbidden). But if they turn renegades, seize
them and slay them wherever ye find them; and (in any case) take no friends or
helpers from their ranks."
Quran (4:95) -
"Not equal are those believers who sit (at home) and receive no hurt, and
those who strive and fight in the cause of Allah with their goods and their
persons. Allah hath granted a grade higher to those who strive and fight with
their goods and persons than to those who sit (at home). Unto all (in Faith)
Hath Allah promised good: But those who strive and fight Hath He distinguished
above those who sit (at home) by a special reward,-" This passage criticizes "peaceful"
Muslims who do not join in the violence, letting them know that they are less
worthy in Allah's eyes. It also
demolishes the modern myth that "Jihad" doesn't mean holy war in the
Quran, but rather a spiritual struggle.
Not only is the Arabic word used in this passage, but it is clearly not
referring to anything spiritual, since the physically disabled are given
exemption. (The Hadith reveals the
context of the passage to be in response to a blind man's protest that he is
unable to engage in Jihad and this is reflected in other translations of the
verse).
Quran (4:104) -
"And be not weak hearted in pursuit of the enemy; if you suffer pain, then
surely they (too) suffer pain as you suffer pain..." Is pursuing an injured and retreating enemy
really an act of self-defense?
Quran (5:33) -
"The punishment of those who wage war against Allah and His messenger and
strive to make mischief in the land is only this, that they should be murdered
or crucified or their hands and their feet should be cut off on opposite sides
or they should be imprisoned; this shall be as a disgrace for them in this
world, and in the hereafter they shall have a grievous chastisement"
Quran (8:12) -
"I will cast terror into the hearts of those who disbelieve. Therefore
strike off their heads and strike off every fingertip of them" No reasonable person would interpret this to
mean a spiritual struggle.
Quran (8:15) -
"O ye who believe! When ye meet those who disbelieve in battle, turn not
your backs to them. (16)Whoso on that day turneth his back to them, unless
maneuvering for battle or intent to join a company, he truly hath incurred
wrath from Allah, and his habitation will be hell, a hapless journey's
end."
Quran (8:39) -
"And fight with them until there is no more fitna (disorder, unbelief) and
religion should be only for Allah"
Some translations interpret "fitna" as
"persecution", but the traditional understanding of this word is not
supported by the historical context (See notes for 2:193).
The Meccans were simply refusing Muhammad access to their city during
Haj. Other Muslims were allowed to
travel there - just not as an armed group, since Muhammad had declared war on
Mecca prior to his eviction. The Meccans
were also acting in defense of their religion, since it was Muhammad's
intention to destroy their idols and establish Islam by force (which he later
did). Hence the critical part of this
verse is to fight until "religion is only for Allah", meaning that
the true justification of violence was the unbelief of the opposition. According to the Sira (Ibn Ishaq/Hisham 324)
Muhammad further explains that "Allah must have no rivals."
Quran (8:57) -
"If thou comest on them in the war, deal with them so as to strike fear in
those who are behind them, that haply they may remember."
Quran (8:67) -
"It is not for a Prophet that he should have prisoners of war until he had
made a great slaughter in the land..."
Quran (8:59-60) -
"And let not those who disbelieve suppose that they can outstrip (Allah's
Purpose). Lo! they cannot escape. Make ready
for them all thou canst of (armed) force and of horses tethered, that thereby
ye may dismay the enemy of Allah and your enemy."
Quran (8:65) -
"O Prophet, exhort the believers to fight..."
Quran (9:5) - "So when the
sacred months have passed away, then slay the idolaters wherever you find them,
and take them captive and besiege them and lie in wait for them in every
ambush, then if they repent and keep up prayer and pay the poor-rate, leave
their way free to them." According
to this verse, the best way of staying safe from Muslim violence is to convert
to Islam (prayer (salat) and the poor tax (zakat) are among the religion's Five
Pillars). This popular claim that the
Quran only inspires violence within the context of self-defense is seriously challenged
by this passage as well, since the Muslims to whom it was written were
obviously not under attack. Had they
been, then there would have been no waiting period (earlier verses make it a
duty for Muslims to fight in self-defense, even during the sacred months). The historical context is Mecca after the
idolaters were subjugated by Muhammad and posed no threat. Once the Muslims had power, they violently
evicted those unbelievers who would not convert.
Quran (9:14) -
"Fight against them so that Allah will punish them by your hands and
disgrace them and give you victory over them and heal the breasts of a
believing people." Humiliating and hurting non-believers not only has the
blessing of Allah, but it is ordered as a means of carrying out his punishment
and even "healing" the hearts of Muslims.
Quran (9:20) -
"Those who believe, and have left their homes and striven with their
wealth and their lives in Allah's way are of much greater worth in Allah's
sight. These are they who are triumphant."
The Arabic word interpreted as "striving" in this verse is the
same root as "Jihad". The
context is obviously holy war.
Quran (9:29) -
"Fight those who believe not in Allah nor the Last Day, nor hold that
forbidden which hath been forbidden by Allah and His Messenger, nor acknowledge
the religion of Truth, (even if they are) of the People of the Book, until they
pay the Jizya with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued." "People of the Book" refers to
Christians and Jews. According to this
verse, they are to be violently subjugated, with the sole justification being
their religious status. This was one of
the final "revelations" from Allah and it set in motion the tenacious
military expansion, in which Muhammad's companions managed to conquer two-thirds
of the Christian world in the next 100 years.
Islam is intended to dominate all other people and faiths.
Quran (9:30) -
"And the Jews say: Ezra is the son of Allah; and the Christians say: The
Messiah is the son of Allah; these are the words of their mouths; they imitate
the saying of those who disbelieved before; may Allah destroy them; how they
are turned away!"
Quran (9:38-39) -
"O ye who believe! what is the matter with you, that, when ye are asked to
go forth in the cause of Allah, ye cling heavily to the earth? Do ye prefer the
life of this world to the Hereafter? But little is the comfort of this life, as
compared with the Hereafter. Unless ye go forth, He will punish you with a
grievous penalty, and put others in your place." This is a warning to those who refuse to
fight, that they will be punished with Hell.
Quran (9:41) -
"Go forth, light-armed and heavy-armed, and strive with your wealth and
your lives in the way of Allah! That is best for you if ye but knew." See also the verse that follows (9:42) -
"If there had been immediate gain (in sight), and the journey easy, they
would (all) without doubt have followed thee, but the distance was long, (and
weighed) on them" This contradicts
the myth that Muslims are to fight only in self-defense, since the wording
implies that battle will be waged a long distance from home (in another country
and on Christian soil, in this case, according to the historians).
Quran (9:73) -
"O Prophet! strive hard against the unbelievers and the hypocrites and be
unyielding to them; and their abode is hell, and evil is the destination." Dehumanizing those who reject Islam, by
reminding Muslims that unbelievers are merely firewood for Hell, makes it
easier to justify slaughter. It also
explains why today's devout Muslims have little regard for those outside the
faith.
Quran (9:88) -
"But the Messenger, and those who believe with him, strive and fight with
their wealth and their persons: for them are (all) good things: and it is they
who will prosper."
Quran (9:111) -
"Allah hath purchased of the believers their persons and their goods; for
theirs (in return) is the garden (of Paradise): they fight in His cause, and
slay and are slain: a promise binding on Him in truth, through the Law, the
Gospel, and the Quran: and who is more faithful to his covenant than Allah?
then rejoice in the bargain which ye have concluded: that is the achievement
supreme." How does the Quran define
a true believer?
Quran (9:123) -
"O you who believe! fight those of the unbelievers who are near to you and
let them find in you hardness."
Quran (17:16) -
"And when We wish to destroy a town, We send Our commandment to the people
of it who lead easy lives, but they transgress therein; thus the word proves
true against it, so We destroy it with utter destruction." Note that the crime is moral transgression,
and the punishment is "utter destruction." (Before ordering the 9/11 attacks, Osama bin
Laden first issued Americans an invitation to Islam).
Quran (18:65-81) -
This parable lays the theological groundwork for honor killings, in which a
family member is murdered because they brought shame to the family, either
through apostasy or perceived moral indiscretion. The story (which is not found in any Jewish
or Christian source) tells of Moses encountering a man with "special
knowledge" who does things which don't seem to make sense on the surface,
but are then justified according to later explanation. One such action is to murder a youth for no
apparent reason (74). However, the wise
man later explains that it was feared that the boy would "grieve" his
parents by "disobedience and ingratitude." He was killed so that Allah could provide
them a 'better' son. (Note: This is one
reason why honor killing is sanctioned by Sharia. Reliance of the Traveler (Umdat al-Saliq)
says that punishment for murder is not applicable when a parent or grandparent
kills their offspring (o.1.1-2).)
Quran (21:44) -
"We gave the good things of this life to these men and their fathers until
the period grew long for them; See they not that We gradually reduce the land
(in their control) from its outlying borders? Is it then they who will
win?"
Quran (25:52) -
"Therefore listen not to the Unbelievers, but strive against them with the
utmost strenuousness..."
"Strive against" is Jihad - obviously not in the personal
context. It's also significant to point
out that this is a Meccan verse.
Quran (33:60-62) -
"If the hypocrites, and those in whose hearts is a disease, and the
alarmists in the city do not cease, We verily shall urge thee on against them,
then they will be your neighbors in it but a little while. Accursed, they will be seized wherever found
and slain with a (fierce) slaughter."
This passage sanctions the slaughter (rendered "merciless" and
"horrible murder" in other translations) against three groups:
Hypocrites (Muslims who refuse to "fight in the way of Allah" (3:167)
and hence don't act as Muslims should), those with "diseased hearts"
(which include Jews and Christians 5:51-52), and "alarmists" or
"agitators who include those who merely speak out against Islam, according
to Muhammad's biographers. It is worth
noting that the victims are to be sought out by Muslims, which is what today's
terrorists do. If this passage is meant
merely to apply to the city of Medina, then it is unclear why it is included in
Allah's eternal word to Muslim generations.
Quran (47:3-4) -
"Those who disbelieve follow falsehood, while those who believe follow the
truth from their Lord... So, when you meet (in fight Jihad in Allah's Cause),
those who disbelieve smite at their necks till when you have killed and wounded
many of them, then bind a bond firmly (on them, i.e. take them as captives)...
If it had been Allah's Will, He Himself could certainly have punished them
(without you). But (He lets you fight), in order to test you, some with others.
But those who are killed in the Way of Allah, He will never let their deeds be
lost." Those who reject Allah are
to be killed in Jihad. The wounded are
to be held captive for ransom. The only
reason Allah doesn't do the dirty work himself is to to test the faithfulness
of Muslims. Those who kill pass the
test.
Quran (47:35) -
"Be not weary and faint-hearted, crying for peace, when ye should be
uppermost (Shakir: "have the upper hand") for Allah is with
you,"
Quran (48:17) -
"There is no blame for the blind, nor is there blame for the lame, nor is
there blame for the sick (that they go not forth to war). And whoso obeyeth
Allah and His messenger, He will make him enter Gardens underneath which rivers
flow; and whoso turneth back, him will He punish with a painful
doom." Contemporary apologists
sometimes claim that Jihad means 'spiritual struggle.' Is so, then why are the blind, lame and sick
exempted? This verse also says that
those who do not fight will suffer torment in hell.
Quran (48:29)
-
"Muhammad is the messenger of Allah. And those with him are hard
(ruthless) against the disbelievers and merciful among themselves"
Islam is not about treating everyone equally. There are two very
distinct standards that
are applied based on religious status.
Also the word used for 'hard' or 'ruthless' in this verse shares the
same root as the word translated as 'painful' or severe' in verse 16.
Quran (61:4) -
"Surely Allah loves those who fight in His way" Religion of Peace, indeed! The verse
explicitly refers to "battle array" meaning that it is speaking of
physical conflict. This is followed by
(61:9): "He it is who has sent His Messenger (Mohammed) with guidance and
the religion of truth (Islam) to make it victorious over all religions even
though the infidels may resist."
(See next verse, below). Infidels
who resist Islamic rule are to be fought.
Quran (61:10-12) -
"O You who believe! Shall I guide you to a commerce that will save you
from a painful torment. That you believe in Allah and His Messenger (Muhammad
), and that you strive hard and fight in the Cause of Allah with your wealth
and your lives, that will be better for you, if you but know! (If you do so) He
will forgive you your sins, and admit you into Gardens under which rivers flow,
and pleasant dwelling in Gardens of 'Adn - Eternity ['Adn (Edn) Paradise], that
is indeed the great success." This
verse refers to physical battle in order to make Islam victorious over other
religions (see above). It uses the
Arabic word, Jihad.
Quran (66:9) -
"O Prophet! Strive against the disbelievers and the hypocrites, and be
stern with them. Hell will be their home, a hapless journey's end." The root word of "Jihad" is used
again here. The context is clearly holy
war, and the scope of violence is broadened to include "hypocrites" -
those who call themselves Muslims but do not act as such.
Other verses calling Muslims to Jihad can be found here
at AnsweringIslam.org
From the Hadith:
Bukhari (52:177) -
Allah's Apostle said, "The Hour will not be established until you fight
with the Jews, and the stone behind which a Jew will be hiding will say.
"O Muslim! There is a Jew hiding behind me, so kill him."
Bukhari (52:256) -
The Prophet... was asked whether it was permissible to attack the pagan
warriors at night with the probability of exposing their women and children to
danger. The Prophet replied, "They (i.e. women and children) are from them
(i.e. pagans)." In this command,
Muhammad establishes that it is permissible to kill non-combatants in the
process of killing a perceived enemy.
This provides justification for the many Islamic terror bombings.
Bukhari (52:65) -
The Prophet said, 'He who fights that Allah's Word, Islam, should be superior,
fights in Allah's Cause. Muhammad's
words are the basis for offensive Jihad - spreading Islam by force. This is how it was understood by his
companions, and by the terrorists of today.
Bukhari (52:220) -
Allah's Apostle said... 'I have been made victorious with terror'
Abu Dawud (14:2526) -
The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) said: Three things are the roots of faith: to
refrain from (killing) a person who utters, "There is no god but
Allah" and not to declare him unbeliever whatever sin he commits, and not
to excommunicate him from Islam for his any action; and jihad will be performed
continuously since the day Allah sent me as a prophet until the day the last
member of my community will fight with the Dajjal (Antichrist)
Abu Dawud (14:2527) -
The Prophet said: Striving in the path of Allah (jihad) is incumbent on you
along with every ruler, whether he is pious or impious
Muslim (1:33) -
the Messenger of Allah said: I have been commanded to fight against people till
they testify that there is no god but Allah, that Muhammad is the messenger of
Allah
Bukhari (8:387) -
Allah's Apostle said, "I have been ordered to fight the people till they
say: 'None has the right to be worshipped but Allah'. And if they say so, pray like our prayers,
face our Qibla and slaughter as we slaughter, then their blood and property
will be sacred to us and we will not interfere with them except legally."
Muslim (1:30) -
"The Messenger of Allah said: I have been commanded to fight against
people so long as they do not declare that there is no god but Allah."
Bukhari (52:73) -
"Allah's Apostle said, 'Know that Paradise is under the shades of
swords'."
Bukhari (11:626) -
[Muhammad said:] "I decided to order a man to lead the prayer and then
take a flame to burn all those, who had not left their houses for the prayer,
burning them alive inside their homes."
Muslim (1:149) -
"Abu Dharr reported: I said: Messenger of Allah, which of the deeds is the
best? He (the Holy Prophet) replied: Belief in Allah and Jihad in His
cause..."
Muslim (20:4645) -
"...He (the Messenger of Allah) did that and said: There is another act
which elevates the position of a man in Paradise to a grade one hundred
(higher), and the elevation between one grade and the other is equal to the
height of the heaven from the earth. He (Abu Sa'id) said: What is that act? He
replied: Jihad in the way of Allah! Jihad in the way of Allah!"
Muslim (20:4696) -
"the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: 'One who died but
did not fight in the way of Allah nor did he express any desire (or
determination) for Jihad died the death of a hypocrite.'"
Muslim (19:4321-4323) -
Three separate hadith in which Muhammad shrugs over the news that innocent
children were killed in a raid by his men against unbelievers. His response: "They are of them (meaning
the enemy)."
Muslim (19:4294) -
"When the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) appointed anyone as
leader of an army or detachment he would especially exhort him... He would say:
Fight in the name of Allah and in the way of Allah. Fight against those who
disbelieve in Allah. Make a holy war...
When you meet your enemies who are polytheists, invite them to three
courses of action. If they respond to any one of these, you also accept it and
withhold yourself from doing them any harm. Invite them to (accept) Islam; if
they respond to you, accept it from them and desist from fighting against
them... If they refuse to accept Islam, demand from them the Jizya. If they
agree to pay, accept it from them and hold off your hands. If they refuse to
pay the tax, seek Allah's help and fight them."
Bukhari 1:35 "The person who participates in (Holy
Battles) in Allah’s cause and nothing compels him do so except belief in Allah
and His Apostle, will be recompensed by Allah either with a reward, or booty (
if he survives) or will be admitted to Paradise ( if he is killed)."
Tabari 7:97 The morning after the murder of Ashraf, the
Prophet declared, "Kill any Jew who falls under your power." Ashraf was a poet, killed by Muhammad's men
because he insulted Islam. Here,
Muhammad widens the scope of his orders to kill. An innocent Jewish businessman was then slain
by his Muslim partner, merely for being non-Muslim.
Tabari 9:69 "Killing Unbelievers is a small matter
to us" The words of Muhammad,
prophet of Islam.
Tabari 17:187 "'By God, our religion (din) from which
we have departed is better and more correct than that which these people
follow. Their religion does not stop them from shedding blood, terrifying the
roads, and seizing properties.' And they returned to their former
religion." The words of a group of
Christians who had converted to Islam, but realized their error after being
shocked by the violence and looting committed in the name of Allah. The price of their decision to return to a
religion of peace was that the men were beheaded and the woman and children
enslaved by the caliph Ali.
Ibn Ishaq/Hisham 484: -
“Allah said, ‘A prophet must slaughter before collecting captives. A
slaughtered enemy is driven from the land. Muhammad, you craved the desires of
this world, its goods and the ransom captives would bring. But Allah desires
killing them to manifest the religion.’”
Ibn Ishaq/Hisham 990: -
Lest anyone think that cutting off someone's head while screaming 'Allah
Akbar!' is a modern creation, here is an account of that very practice under
Muhammad, who seems to approve.
Ibn Ishaq/Hisham 992: -
"Fight everyone in the way of Allah and kill those who disbelieve in
Allah." Muhammad's instructions to
his men prior to a military raid.
Saifur Rahman, The Sealed Nectar p.227-228 -
"Embrace Islam... If you two accept Islam, you will remain in command of
your country; but if your refuse my Call, you’ve got to remember that all of
your possessions are perishable. My horsemen will appropriate your land, and my
Prophethood will assume preponderance over your kingship." One of several letters from Muhammad to
rulers of other countries. The
significance is that the recipients were not making war or threatening
Muslims. Their subsequent defeat and
subjugation by Muhammad's armies was justified merely on the basis of their
unbelief.
Additional Notes:
Other than the fact that Muslims haven't killed every
non-Muslim under their domain, there is very little else that they can point to
as proof that theirs is a peaceful, tolerant religion. Where Islam is dominant (as in the Middle
East and Pakistan) religious minorities suffer brutal persecution with little
resistance. Where Islam is in the
minority (as in Thailand, the Philippines and Europe) there is the threat of
violence if Muslim demands are not met.
Either situation seems to provide a justification for religious
terrorism, which is persistent and endemic to Islamic fundamentalism.
The reasons are obvious and begin with the Quran. Few verses of Islam's most sacred text can be
construed to fit the contemporary virtues of religious tolerance and universal
brotherhood. Those that do are earlier
"Meccan" verses which are obviously abrogated by later ones. The example of Muhammad is that Islam is a
religion of peace when Muslims do not have the power and numbers on their
side. Once they do, then things change.
Many Muslims are peaceful and do not want to believe what
the Quran plainly says. They reach
subjectively for textual context across different suras to try and mitigate the
harsher passages. Even though the Quran
itself claims to be clear and complete, Muslim apologists speak of the
"risks" of trying to interpret the verses without their
"assistance." Like many
religious people, they want the text to fit their pre-established moral
framework.
Far from being mere history or theological construct, the
violent verses of the Quran have played a key role in very real massacre and
genocide. This includes the brutal
slaughter of tens of millions of Hindus for five centuries beginning around
1000 AD with Mahmud of Ghazni's bloody conquest. Both he and the later Tamerlane (Islam's
Genghis Khan) slaughtered an untold number merely for defending their temples
from destruction. Buddhism was very
nearly wiped off the Indian subcontinent.
Judaism and Christianity met the same fate (albeit more slowly) in areas
conquered by Muslim armies, including the Middle East, North Africa and parts
of Europe, including today's Turkey.
Zoroastrianism, the ancient religion of a proud Persian people is despised
by Muslims and barely survives in modern Iran.
So ingrained is violence in the religion that Islam has
never really stopped being at war, either with other religions or with itself.
Muhammad was a military leader, laying siege to towns,
massacring the men, raping their women, enslaving their children, and taking
the property of others as his own. On
several occasions he rejected offers of surrender from the besieged inhabitants
and even butchered captives. He actually
inspired his followers to battle when they did not feel it was right to fight,
promising them slaves and booty if they did and threatening them with Hell if
they did not. Muhammad allowed his men
to rape traumatized women captured in battle, usually on the very day their
husbands and family members were slaughtered.
It is important to emphasize that, for the most part,
Muslim armies waged aggressive campaigns, and the religion's most dramatic
military conquests were made by the actual companions of Muhammad in the
decades following his death. The early
Islamic principle of warfare was that the civilian population of a town was to
be destroyed (ie. men executed, women and children taken as slaves) if they
defended themselves. Although modern
apologists often claim that Muslims are only supposed to attack in self-defense,
this is an oxymoron that is flatly contradicted by the accounts of Islamic
historians and others that go back to the time of Muhammad.
Consider the example of the Qurayza Jews, who were
completely obliterated only five years after Muhammad arrived in Medina. Their leader opted to stay neutral when their
town was besieged by a Meccan army that
was sent to take revenge for Muhammad's deadly caravan raids. The tribe killed no one from either side and
even surrendered peacefully to Muhammad after the Meccans had been turned
back. Yet the prophet of Islam had every
male member of the Qurayza beheaded, and every woman and child enslaved, even
raping one of the captives himself (what Muslim apologists might refer to as
"same day marriage").
One of Islam's most revered modern scholars, Sheikh Yusuf
al-Qaradawi, openly sanctions offensive Jihad: "In the Jihad which you are
seeking, you look for the enemy and invade him. This type of Jihad takes place
only when the Islamic state is invading other [countries] in order to spread
the word of Islam and to remove obstacles standing in its way." Elsewhere, he notes: "Islam has the
right to take the initiative…this is God’s religion and it is for the whole
world. It has the right to destroy all obstacles in the form of institutions
and traditions … it attacks institutions and traditions to release human beings
from their poisonous influences, which distort human nature and curtail human
freedom. Those who say that Islamic Jihad was merely for the defense of the 'homeland
of Islam' diminish the greatness of the Islamic way of life."
The widely respected Dictionary of Islam defines Jihad as
"A religious war with those who are unbelievers in the mission of
Muhammad. It is an incumbent religious duty, established in the Qur'an and in
the Traditions as a divine institution, and enjoined specially for the purpose
of advancing Islam and of repelling evil from Muslims…[Quoting from the Hanafi
school, Hedaya, 2:140, 141.], "The destruction of the sword is incurred by
infidels, although they be not the first aggressors, as appears from various
passages in the traditions which are generally received to this effect."
Dr. Salah al-Sawy, the chief member of the Assembly of
Muslim Jurists in America, stated in 2009 that "the Islamic community does
not possess the strength to engage in offensive jihad at this time,"
tacitly affirming the legitimacy of violence for the cause of Islamic rule -
bound only by the capacity for success. (source)
Muhammad's failure to leave a clear line of succession
resulted in perpetual internal war following his death. Those who knew him best first fought to keep
remote tribes from leaving Islam and reverting to their preferred religion (the
Ridda or 'Apostasy wars'). Then, within
the closer community, early Meccan converts battled later ones. Hostility developed between those immigrants
who had traveled with Muhammad to Mecca and the Ansar at Medina who had helped
them settle in. Finally there was a
violent struggle within Muhammad's own family between his favorite wife and
favorite daughter - a jagged schism that has left Shias and Sunnis at each
others' throats to this day.
The strangest and most untrue thing that can be said
about Islam is that it is a Religion of Peace.
If every standard by which the West is judged and condemned (slavery,
imperialism, intolerance, misogyny, sexual repression, warfare...) were applied
equally to Islam, the verdict would be devastating. Islam never gives up what it conquers, be it
religion, culture, language or life.
Neither does it make apologies or any real effort at moral
progress. It is the least open to
dialogue and the most self-absorbed. It
is convinced of its own perfection, yet brutally shuns self-examination and
represses criticism.
This is what makes the Quran's verses of violence so
dangerous. They are given the weight of
divine command. While Muslim terrorists
take them as literally as anything else in their holy book, and understand that
Islam is incomplete without Jihad, moderates offer little to contradict them -
outside of opinion. Indeed, what do they
have? Speaking of peace and love may win
over the ignorant, but when every twelfth verse of Islam's holiest book either
speaks to Allah's hatred for non-Muslims or calls for their death, forced
conversion, or subjugation, it's little wonder that sympathy for terrorism runs
as deeply as it does in the broader community - even if most Muslims personally
prefer not to interpret their religion in this way.
Although scholars like Ibn Khaldun, one of Islam's most
respected philosophers, understood that "the holy war is a religious duty,
because of the universalism of the Muslim mission and (the obligation to)
convert everybody to Islam either by persuasion or by force", many other
Muslims are either unaware or willfully ignorant of the Quran's near absence of
verses that preach universal non-violence.
Their understanding of Islam comes from what they are taught by others. In the West, it is typical for believers to
think that their religion must be like Christianity - preaching the New
Testament virtues of peace, love, and tolerance - because Muslims are taught
that Islam is supposed to be superior in every way. They are somewhat surprised and embarrassed
to learn that the evidence of the Quran and the bloody history of Islam are
very much in contradiction to this.
Others simply accept the violence. In 1991, a Palestinian couple in America was
convicted of stabbing their daughter to death for being too Westernized. A family friend came to their defense,
excoriating the jury for not understanding the "culture", claiming
that the father was merely following "the religion" and saying that
the couple had to "discipline their daughter or lose respect."
(source). In 2011, unrepentant
Palestinian terrorists, responsible for the brutal murders of civilians, women
and children explicitly in the name of Allah were treated to a luxurious
"holy pilgrimage" to Mecca by the Saudi king - without a single
Muslim voice raised in protest.
For their part, Western liberals would do well not to
sacrifice critical thinking to the god of political correctness, or look for
reasons to bring other religion down to the level of Islam merely to avoid the
existential truth that this it is both different and dangerous.
There are just too many Muslims who take the Quran
literally... and too many others who couldn't care less about the violence done
in the name of Islam.
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