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ISLAM: IS IT A RELIGION OF PEACE?
by Andrew J. Stunich
One of the enduring and seemingly impossible to resolve threats to World
peace and safety is terrorism carried out by Muslims who claim that
Islam authorizes their conduct. In response to that terrorism, a host of
Islamic experts, celebrities, and politicians such as Dr. Aziz (HSU
professor), Oprah Winfrey, and President Bush, have opined that Islam is
a religion of peace and that the terrorists are distorting Islamic
teachings to justify their conduct. Americans were inundated with this
message post- 9/11/2001 to such an extent that it has become
conventional wisdom and anyone who challenges that conventional wisdom
is often labeled a racist or a bigot. This is true even though Muslims
are hardly limited to any particular race. Arabs, for example, comprise
less than twenty-five percent of the World's Muslims.
Given the consequences of rendering any opinion that challenges the
proposition that Islam is a religion of peace, it is not pleasant to
feel compelled to voice a different conclusion. This is especially true
about a religious topic that engenders such an extreme emotional
response in so many people. However, it is important that we all know
the truth so that we can properly exercise our democratic rights. It is
ultimately the will of the majority (at least the majority of those who
vote) that determines the long-term direction of a democratic society
and if we are misinformed our votes will be equally misinformed and
misguided.
It is, therefore, crucial that we have an accurate understanding of
Islamic terrorists and what motivates them. This is especially true
given that Islam is not just a religion, but is a combined religious,
political, and social system. Understanding the true nature of Islam is
so important because there is a marked difference between a threat that
is based on false religious teachings and a threat that truly derives
from the actual doctrines of one of the World's most widespread
religious faiths. The latter is more likely to cause the threat to
endure and spread and to defy resistance.
After intensely studying the question of Islam, I have reached the
inescapable conclusion that Islamic doctrine easily supports terrorist
activity and offensive (not limited to defensive) warfare. It is
patently an error to assert that Islam is universally a religion of
peace. I reached my conclusions by, amongst other endeavors, simply
reading the Koran and hadiths (Muhammad's recorded life and deeds), both
of which are universally accepted as the basis for Islamic doctrine.
My opinion that Islam is not universally a religion of peace does not
mean that I believe all Muslims are terrorists. Obviously, most Muslims
are not terrorists. I further believe that most Muslims want peace;
however, there is a marked difference between certain Muslims as
individuals and Islamic doctrine. A writer named Theodore Dalyrymple, in
a June 4, 2006, article writing for City Magazine, eloquently assessed
the difference between moderate Muslims and Islamic doctrine as follows:
"It is important, of course, to distinguish between Islam as a
doctrine and Muslims as people. Untold numbers of Muslims desire little
more than a quiet life; they have the virtues and the vices of the rest
of mankind. Their religion gives to their daily lives an ethical and
ritual structure and provides the kind of boundaries that only modern
Western intellectuals would have the temerity to belittle."
Despite the peaceful and sometimes beneficial application of some parts
of Islam to some Muslims' lives, it is simply untenable to argue that
peace is the main characteristic of the faith of Islam and that Islam
offers no true support for some of the violence perpetrated in the name
of Islam. The opposite is true. Muslims become moderate by either being
unaware of the teachings that comprise Islamic doctrine, by ignoring
those doctrines, or by attributing strained meanings or interpretations
to the teachings of Islam and Islamic history. Because Islam does in
fact support terrorism, many "moderate" Muslims respect the
fundamentalists as true Muslims and are afraid to speak out against
them. I also acknowledge that fear is often a factor. However,
regardless as to the fear or other reasons for not speaking out, it is
hard for moderate Muslims to speak out because the undeniable fact is
that Islam alone among the World's religions commands the Muslim
faithful to wage war against non-Muslims until they submit to Islam.
Consider the following verses from the Koran translated from Arabic by
Yusuf Ali:
"But when the forbidden months are past, then fight and slay the
Pagans [Idolaters or polytheists] wherever ye find them, and seize them,
beleaguer them, and lie in wait for them in every stratagem (of war);
but if they repent, and establish regular prayers and practice regular
charity, then open the way for them: for God is Oft-forgiving, Most
Merciful." (Koran chapter 9, verse 5)
"Fight those who believe not in God nor the Last Day, nor hold that
forbidden which hath been forbidden by God and His Apostle [Muhammad],
nor acknowledge the religion of Truth, even if they are of the People of
the Book [Jews and Christians], until they pay the Jizya with willing
submission, and feel themselves subdued." (Koran chapter 9, verse
29)
To summarize the verses, collectively they mean that Pagans (some Koran
translations say idolaters) must convert to Islam or be killed and Jews
and Christians must, at a minimum, submit to Islam as the dominant
religion, government and social order, and pay a tax, or convert to
Islam or be killed. This doctrine comes from Islam's holiest book and,
as shown below, there are other aspects of Islamic doctrine that command
the same violent and intolerant approach.
These Sword Verses (some call verse 9:29 the "tribute" verse)
quoted above speak strongly to Muslim fundamentalists. Because most
people in the West are secular, it is often difficult for Westerners to
appreciate how deeply religious belief can impact individuals and
society. The impact of devout religious belief is magnified in the
Islamic World because of the duel nature of Islam as a religious and
political system that permeates nearly all aspects of life in most
Islamic countries. Try to understand how the foregoing verses would
affect you if you believed they were literally the word of God and you
lived in a society wherein Islam dominated your religious, political,
business and social pursuits. The Koran is the holiest book in Islam.
Muslims believe that the Koran is not just inspired by God, but that it
is literally the Word of God as revealed by God to Muhammad Ibn Abdullah
(Islam's revered seventh century Prophet or Messenger); consequently,
verses contained in the Koran impact Muslims' behavior in ways that
Westerners have difficulty grasping. The Koran lists four seemingly
contradictory ways in which God allegedly revealed his Word to Muhammad:
Directly by God (Koran chapters 53 and 81); by God via the Archangel
Gabriel (Koran chapter 2); by the Holy Spirit (Koran chapters 16 and
26); and by an Angel (Koran chapter 15).
Regardless as to how they believe the revelations were accomplished,
Muslims universally revere the Koran as the literal word of God and they
revere Muhammad as God's Prophet and his life and sayings, along with
the Koran, complete the core of Islamic doctrine. The University of
Southern California's Islamic web site teaches Muslims that Mohammad's
deeds and words were literally inspired by God. When Muhammad's life
history is studied, it is easy to see why Islamic fundamentalists can
justifiably say that Islam supports their actions.
It follows that in order to understand Muslim fundamentalists, we must
understand something about the Koran and the life of Muhammad and the
roles both play in establishing Islamic doctrine. The Koran differs
greatly in format from the Bible and the Koran tends to surprise Western
readers because the Koran is not written in a narrative form, it is not
in any chronological order, it has very little prophecy, no miracles,
very little history, no geography, no parables, and no biography of
anyone other than a limited insight into the character and life of
Muhammad. The Koran is simply a relatively small book (smaller than the
New Testament) of seemingly random verses of positive and negative
commandments and dire warnings that Muhammad claimed were revealed to
him over a twenty-two or twenty-three year period. One Islamic scholar,
Reza Aslan the author of No god, but God, aptly calls the Koran a rule
book for living.
Exactly what some of those Koranic rules for living are astonish or even
offend most readers who adhere to the type of Western values set forth
in the U.S. Constitution, Declaration of Independence, and the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights. The following paraphrased examples of the
teachings in the Koran are some of the most difficult for Westerners to
accept:
* There is no separation between Church and State. (Koran chapter 2,
verse 193)
* Fighting is prescribed for Muslims. (Koran, chapter 2, verse 216)
* Wives are a field to be used by their husbands as they desire. (Koran,
chapter 2, verse 223)
* Men are superior to women. (Koran, chapter 2, verse 228)
* Women have half the rights of men in court as a witness. (Koran,
chapter 2, verse 282)
* A man may marry up to four wives at the same time. (Koran chapter 4,
verse 3)
* Women have half the rights of men in inheritance rights. (Koran
chapter 4, verse 11)
* A man may beat his wife. (Koran chapter 4, verse 34)
* No opposition parties are allowed. (Koran chapter 4, verse 59)
* Stealing is punished by the amputation of the hands. (Koran chapter 5,
verse 38)
* A Muslim must not take a Jew or a Christian for a friend. (Chapter 5,
verse 51)
* Muslims must fight until their opponents submit to Islam. (Koran
chapter 9, verses 5, 29)
* A Muslim apostate (one who leaves the faith) must be killed. (Koran
chapter 9, verse 12)
* Muslims must make war on non-Muslims. (Koran chapter 9, verse 73)
* Adultery is punished by public flogging. (Koran chapter 24, verse 2)
* The Koran attributes many negative characteristics to Jews, such as
"falsehood" (3:71) and "distortion." (4:46)
* Among other things, the Koran teaches that the Jews have been cursed
by Allah, David, and Jesus. (2:61; 5:78-82)
* Allah was so disgusted with Jews that he transformed them into apes
and pigs. (5:60-65; 2:65; 7:166)
The life of Muhammad also has a major impact on Islamic doctrine as
Muslims are taught that any ambiguity in the Koran is resolved by
looking to Muhammad's words and deeds, which, as noted above, Muslims
are taught were inspired by God. The Koran expressly admonishes Muslims
in several verses to not only obey God, but to obey his Messenger or
Prophet, Muhammad. (See, e.g., 3:32, 3:132, 4:59, 5:92, 8:1, 8:20,
24:47) Hence, following what Muhammad said and did is mandated by the
Koran.
Accordingly, the Koran is just a part of Islamic doctrine. The hadiths
are the reports of Muhammad's words and actions that complete the core
of Islamic doctrine. The Koran and the hadiths are the foundations for
later Islamic legal rulings known as Sharia Law. The role of the hadiths
in Islam is properly explained in the University of Southern
California's web site:
"In Islam, the Arabic word sunnah has come to denote the way
Prophet Muhammad (saas), the Messenger of Allah, lived his life. The
Sunnah is the second source of Islamic jurisprudence, the first being
the Qur'an (another way Koran is spelled). Both sources are
indispensable; one cannot practice Islam without consulting both of
them. The Arabic word hadith (pl. ahadith) is very similar to Sunnah,
but not identical. A hadith is a narration about the life of the Prophet
(saas) or what he approved - as opposed to his life itself, which is the
Sunnah as already mentioned."
The hadiths, which set forth much of the life and deeds of Muhammad,
offer no refuge to those who would try to give Islam a softer image
outside the Islamic World by labeling it a religion of peace. One of the
most widely accepted hadith collectors and editors is Al Bukhari.
According to Bukhari:
Mohammed said, "I have been ordered to fight with the people till
they say, None has the right to be worshiped but Allah, and whoever
says, None has the right to be worshiped but Allah, his life and
property will be saved by me." (Al Bukhari Vol. 4:196)
Mohammed's last words at his deathbed purportedly were: "Turn the
pagans (non-Muslims as that was the practical application) out of the
Arabian Peninsula." (Al Bukhari, Vol. 5:716)
Mohammed said, "The person who participates in (Holy battles) in
Allah's cause and nothing compels him to 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). " (Al Bukhari, Vol. 1:35)
Mohammed once was asked: what was the best deed for the Muslim next to
believing in Allah and His Apostle? His answer was: "To participate
in Jihad in Allah's cause." (Al Bukhari Vol. 1: 25)
If anyone believes that I am simply taking a few negative portions of
Islamic doctrine from a sea of more enlightened Koranic verses, consider
the additional verses from the Koran set forth below. Once again, to try
to best understand Islam, imagine as you read these verses that you
believe they are not only commandments from God, but literally the word
of God as revealed to Muhammad whose words and deeds you also believe to
be inspired by God.
"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 God knoweth, and ye know not."
(2:216)
"Fight in the cause of God those who fight you, . . . And slay them
wherever ye catch them, and turn them out from where they have turned
you out; for tumult and oppression are worse than slaughter; but fight
them not at the Sacred Mosque, unless they (first) fight you there; but
if they fight you, slay them. Such is the reward of those who suppress
faith." (2:190-191)
"And fight them on until there is no more tumult or oppression, and
there prevail justice and faith in God; but if they cease, let there be
no hostility except to those who practice oppression." (2:193)
"Fight them, and God will punish them by your hands, cover them
with shame, help you (to victory) over them, heal the breasts of
Believers." (9:14)
"The Jews call 'Uzair a son of God, and the Christians call Christ
the son of God. That is a saying from their mouth; (in this) they but
imitate what the unbelievers of old used to say. God's curse be on them:
how they are deluded away from the Truth!" (9:30)
"O Prophet! strive hard against the unbelievers and the Hypocrites,
and be firm against them. Their abode is Hell, - an evil refuge
indeed.." (9:73)
"O ye who believe! fight the unbelievers who gird you about, and
let them find firmness in you: and know that God is with those who fear
Him." (9:123)
"The punishment of those who wage war against God and His Apostle,
and strive with might and main for mischief through the land is:
execution, or crucifixion, or the cutting off of hands and feet from
opposite sides, or exile from the land: that is their disgrace in this
world, and a heavy punishment is theirs in the Hereafter;" (5:33)
"Remember thy Lord inspired the angels (with the message): ‘I am
with you: give firmness to the Believers: I will instil terror into the
hearts of the Unbelievers: smite ye above their necks and smite all
their finger-tips off them.' This because they contended against God and
His Apostle: If any contend against God and His Apostle, God is strict
in punishment." (8:12-13)
"In order that God may separate the impure (non-Muslims) from the
pure, put the impure, one on another, heap them together, and cast them
into Hell. They will be the ones to have lost." (8:37)
"Muster against them [i.e. non-Muslims] all the men and cavalry at
your command, so that you may strike terror into the enemy of Allah and
your enemy, and others besides them who are unknown to you but known to
Allah." (8:60)
"Muhammad is the apostle of God; and those who are with him are
strong against Unbelievers, (but) compassionate amongst each other. .
." (48:29)
"When We decide to destroy a population, We (first) send a definite
order to those among them who are given the good things of this life and
yet transgress; so that the word is proved true against them: then (it
is) We destroy them utterly." (17:16)
"Therefore, when ye meet the Unbelievers (in fight), smite at their
necks [chop their heads off]; At length, when ye have thoroughly subdued
them, bind a bond firmly (on them): thereafter (is the time for) either
generosity or ransom: Until the war lays down its burdens. Thus (are ye
commanded): but if it had been God's Will, He could certainly have
exacted retribution from them (Himself); but (He lets you fight) in
order to test you, some with others. But those who are slain in the Way
of God, - He will never let their deeds be lost." (47:4)
Nicholas Berg was kidnapped in Iraq and later beheaded in May 2004 by
Islamic militants. Remember all those so-called Islamic experts that,
following the Nicholas Berg beheading, said there was no support within
Islamic doctrine for the cutting off of heads? Apparently the experts
forgot about chapter 47, verse 4, and chapter 8, verses 12-13 from the
Koran.
With respect to the verses regarding Jihad, note that Jihad is an Arabic
word which translates to English as "struggle." Jihad can mean
striving to be a better Muslim (known as the greater Jihad). The most
well known meaning, however, is fighting for Allah (also known as the
lesser Jihad). In this sense, Jihad is the struggle for the cause of
spreading Islam using all means available to Muslims, including force
and deception (Islamic doctrine known as Al Takeyya). The lesser Jihad
is what has become to be known as "Holy War." Some critics
describe the greater Jihad as trying to find peace after engaging in
violent Jihad.
Concerning Jihad, the Koran guarantees Paradise to those who fight for
Allah. (4:74) The Koran promises instant Paradise for those who die
fighting to advance Islam. (9:111 and 47:5-6) Dying for Allah is
presented as preferable to living: "And if ye are slain, or die, in
the way of God, forgiveness and mercy from God are far better than all
they could amass." (3:157)
Martyrs are promised a secure, sensual (sensual is expanded to erotic in
the hadiths) and luxurious life in paradise with beautiful women.
(44:51-56; 52:17-29) For example, chapter 44, verse 54 promises:
"So; and We shall join them to Companions with beautiful, big, and
lustrous eyes." Some disrupted homicide/suicide bombers have freely
admitted that it was the Koranic and hadith promises of virgins in
paradise that motivated them.
Based on the foregoing, one can begin to understand why Islamic
homicide/suicide bombers are willing to sacrifice themselves. In a
culture wherein women and men are largely kept separated, it is not
difficult to see how young men might become highly motivated by the
foregoing teachings. Muhammad Atta, for example, had a wedding suit
packed in one of his carry-on suitcases when he boarded what he knew to
be a suicide flight on 9/11 as he believed he would be marrying virgins
in paradise. We know this because the carry-on bag was not allowed on
the plane and it was subsequently searched by the FBI.
In the hadith, Mohammed also urges Muslims to practice Jihad. (See,
Bukhari 4:196, 5:716, 1:35, 1:25)
It is the foregoing Koranic verses and others, as well as numerous
hadith based on Muhammad's life and words, that have led to the Islamic
world view that divides humanity into two opposing spheres: Dar
al-Islam, House of Islam where Islam rules and Dar el Harb, the House of
War against non-Muslims. This world view mandates that war will continue
between these competing ideologies until the supremacy of Islam is fully
established everywhere. Jihad in Islamic theology is one of the
instruments to bring about the end of Dar el Harb. That is why we so
often hear terrorist leaders stating their goals as follows:
1. Overthrow the secular or partial secular rulers of Islamic countries
like Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Pakistan, and
Egypt. Note that Saudi Arabia and Iran are currently the only two
nations that have imposed full Sharia Law. Saudi Arabia is nonetheless
targeted because its rulers (Saudi Royal Family) are not religious
leaders and even though their support of fundamentalist Islam is nearly
as complete as the Caliphs of old, that is not considered good enough.
2. Exterminate Israel. (Drive the Infidels into the sea is a popular way
to express the sentiment in the Islamic World.)
3. Force the rest of the world to submit to Islam.
The foregoing goals were articulated by the late Ayatollah Khomeini of
Iran, a Shiite religious leader. In 1998, Osama Bin Laden, a Sunni
Muslim, stated the same goals. (Sheikh Usamah bin-Muhammad bin-Laden,
"Text of Fatwah Urging Jihad Against Americans," published by
Al-Quds al-Arabi on February 23, 1998. (Posted on the Internet at
www.ict.org.il/articles/fatwah.htm.)
Osama Bin Laden also defiantly declared that the United States is the
prime obstacle to the achievement of the foregoing goals and called on
Muslims everywhere "to comply with Allah's order to kill the
Americans and plunder their money wherever and whenever they find
it."
As can be seen, both Shiite and Sunni Islam have both incited some of
the exact same beliefs and goals in Islamic fundamentalists. The reason
is the Islamic doctrine set forth above.
So far I have made my case for the proposition that Islam is not a
religion of peace by citing Islam's own doctrines and showing how even
opposing branches of fundamentalist Islam adhere to and accept the Koran
as God's rules for living. However, a more secular analysis supports the
same conclusion. Consider the following:
1. Polls indicate that high percentages of our supposed allies in
Pakistan, Jordan, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia support Osama Bin Laden and
his terrorists acts. (The higher percentages are in Pakistan and Saudi
Arabia.) How could a religion of peace engender such support for random
acts of murder and violence in two of the more Islamic fundamentalist
countries of the World?
2. Post 9/11/2001, the name, "Osama" has attained a favored
name status for newborn male children in several Muslim nations. Why
would a religion of peace allow its adherents to honor such a man?
3. Numerous Mosques in Islamic states purportedly exhibit the photo of
Bin Laden as a hero of the faith. While I was watching news about the
Tsunami relief efforts, I personally saw Osama Bin Laden tee-shirts worn
by children.
4. In many nations where Muslims constitute a large percentage of the
population, the Islamic faithful gather in the streets yelling
"Allah Akbar" (Allah is greater or God is great) every time
America or Israel suffers from an Islamic terrorist attack. These street
demonstration occur in the West Bank and Gaza strip in Israel, Lebanon,
Afghanistan, Pakistan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Libya, Iran, Iraq,
Indonesia, Sudan, Nigeria, and the Philippines. In America, some Muslims
have been observed doing the same. One translator of Iranian descent
working at the FBI reported that even FBI translators celebrated 9/11 at
work.
5. Some Muslim spokesmen who in public spoke against 9/11 were recorded
in private supporting terrorism or terrorist acts. Some so-called
moderate leaders say the right buzzwords in English and then express
their true sentiments in Arabic when they think they will not be
exposed. Yasser Arafat was famous for such deceptive tactics.
6. Polls in England show that at least half of the Muslim population
would like to impose Sharia Law as the law of the land.
7. The leaders of the terrorists and or their religious advisers seem to
invariably come from backgrounds wherein intense Islamic study was
undertaken.
Islamic history also offers support and inspiration to Islamic
terrorists. Muhammad, the revered Prophet of Islam and the man whose
words and deeds are believed by Muslims to have been inspired by God and
his life held out as the perfect example for living, raided caravans for
booty and even asserted that one fifth of the booty was his with the
rest to be shared by his warriors. Chapter 8 of the Koran is actually
titled "Booty."
Muhammad attacked Arabian tribes who would not voluntarily submit to
Islam and slaughtered hundreds of captives. After one Jewish tribe
surrendered and sought Muhammad's mercy, he ordered 600-900 of the men
beheaded and the women and children sold into slavery except for the
women he and his followers took as "wives." Muhammad's
aggressive tactics continued after any significant resistance to Islam
was eradicated on the Arabian peninsula. Jewish tribes fared the worst
which, along with very negative verses about Jews in the Koran, is the
genesis of the seemingly ubiquitous, extreme anti-Semitic Muslim view
toward Jews.
Muhammad had critics and rivals alike assassinated. In fact, the word
assassin derives from a Muslim sect that specialized in terrorizing the
Muslim elite of their day with politically motivated assassinations. The
assassins were renowned for their willingness to sacrifice their life
for their cause. Sound familiar?
Muhammad ordered the execution of some people for nothing more than
satirical statements about him. There are currently web sites that
expressly advocate the killing of anyone that criticizes Muhammad. Is it
really surprising then that a devout Muslim named Mohammad brutally
murdered Theo van Gogh in 2004? (Theo van Gogh was a controversial and
inappropriately cruel and harsh critic of Islam and Muslims who was
killed by Mohammad Bouyeri who then left a five page note that
threatened Western governments and Jews.)
It should be parenthetically noted that there are several excellent
sources for the history of Muhammad. The oldest and most accepted
history of Muhammad was written by a devout Muslim named Ibn Ishaq. What
has been saved of Ibn Ishaq's work can be read in an easy to read
abridged version at www.faithfreedom.org/Articles/sira/index.htm.
William Muir's history of Muhammad is also an excellent source and can
also be found online, but its language has become dated. Robert
Spencer's book, The Truth About Muhammad, is also an excellent source
and it is very accurate and well supported.
The hadiths also show that Muhammad accepted one man's story that he
murdered his own wife and gestating child because the man alleged his
wife had blasphemed Muhammad. Muhammad ordered that the man should not
be punished. (This incident was recorded in a hadith.)
Before he died, Muhammad made preparations to attack Syria. After his
death, his followers, some of the Rightly-Guided Caliphs (Caliphs means
successors to Muhammad) as Islam calls them, spent ten years fighting to
force all of the Arabian tribes to covert to Islam or to return to Islam
when they tried to abandon Islam after Muhammad's death. Muhammad's
followers eventually conquered the Holy Land and other parts of the
Byzantine Empire (last of the Romans) and what remained of the Persian
empire. Muslims eventually conquered Spain, parts of France,
Constantinople, and, with some setbacks along the way such as the loss
of Spain, continued to conquer and subdue until the seventeenth and
eighteenth centuries.
One of Muhammad's generals, Walid Khalid, who also served some of the
successors to Muhammad known as the Rightly-Guided Caliphs, was known as
the Sword of Allah and was renowned for his military prowess and his
brutality. Even the highly regarded Saladin slaughtered captives at
Hatin (the battle that preceded the Muslim re-conquest of Jerusalem) and
motivated his warriors by having the Koranic verses set forth above read
to them. The exploits of Saladin, Muhammad, and Walid Khalid are well
known to Islamic fundamentalists and they draw inspiration from their
recorded actions. Osama Bin Laden seems assured of eventually taking his
place amongst these revered Islamic icons.
Critics of my position will argue that there are many verses in the
Koran that advocate peace and tolerance. They are correct. However, the
Koran was not presented as a complete book by Muhammad and to understand
it one must realize how the verses came into existence.
Koran literally means "recite" or "recitation" in
Arabic. Muhammad alleged that the angel Gabriel told him to recite. At
no time did Muhammad say that he was ordered to write nor was he ever
compelled to write down and collect his alleged revelations. He never
presented his complete revelations at one time as a complete rule book
for living. Rather, the Koran was created approximately twenty years
after Muhammad's death. Arab society in the seventh century was an oral
society with little writing. Most of the people, and perhaps Muhammad
himself, were illiterate. Hence, Muhammad verbally revealed verses
sporadically over a period of at least twenty-two years. The verses were
revealed based on the circumstances of the time and what Muhammad hoped
to accomplish.
The most famous peace verse in the Koran which states, "[t]here is
no compulsion in religion," was revealed while Muhammad was in
Mecca still trying to convince the people of Mecca (mostly polytheists)
to voluntarily convert to Islam. He had very little success and he and
his followers were eventually driven out of Mecca to Medina. When
Muhammad came to power in Medina, his entire approach changed from
trying to persuade others to convert solely by voluntary means and he
began to reveal the harsher verses of the Koran. These subsequent verses
were meant to replace early verses. "When We substitute one
revelation for another, - and God knows best what He reveals (in
stages), - they say, "Thou art but a forger": but most of them
understand not." (Koran, chapter 16, verse 101) "None of Our
revelations do We abrogate or cause to be forgotten, but We substitute
something better or similar: Knowest thou not that God Hath power over
all things?" (Koran, chapter 2, verse 106)
It follows that what was happening within the Muslim community at the
time verses were revealed plays an important role in interpreting the
Koran. Sadly, that history, as briefly set forth above, overwhelmingly
supports the fundamentalists' interpretation and leads to violence as
terrorists mimic the life of Muhammad that they are taught was inspired
by God and which constitutes the perfect example for living. The Sword
Verses were some of the last verses revealed by Muhammad and it is
difficult to convince fundamentalists that earlier verses revealed in
Mecca before the Hijrah (transfer to Medina) should guide their
behavior.
Regarding the interpretation of the Koran, to put the entire matter into
perspective by way of analogy, imagine a student telling a teacher that,
following a lecture, an order to take a test was ambiguous because
earlier in the day the teacher had said to pay attention to the lecture.
We would all agree such a position is strained at best. Those who
advocate that the harsher verses of the Koran are unclear because of the
earlier peaceful commands are simply ignoring how the Koran came into
existence and their position is equally strained.
Based on the foregoing, notwithstanding the diversity of belief in the
Islamic World, including those like Dr. Aziz that advocate a peaceful
interpretation of Islam, there will always be fundamentalists who adhere
to the "true faith" and advocate violence until the whole
World submits to Islam. Can we then honestly claim that Islam is
universally a religion of peace?
With so much Islamic terrorism in the World, and an entire nation such
as Saudi Arabia with at least nineteen million inhabitants in which
militant Wahabbi Islam (A Sunni branch of Islam) is the law of the land,
does it not seem logical that something within the Islamic religion is
inspiring terrorism? Fifteen of the 9/11 hijackers were Saudi nationals
wherein fundamentalist Islam is the only religion allowed. If the
militancy and terror generated by Wahabbi Islam is an aberration with no
relation to true Islam, then why is it that Shiite Islamic theology in
Iran has produced the same militant type of Islam and terrorism even
though the two sects are quite hostile to one another? Why were the
Taliban so intolerant and militant even though their very name derives
from them being students of Islamic theology? Why is there so much
Islamic militancy in Pakistan, Sudan, Nigeria, Lebanon, and the Aceh
province in Indonesia? Why did the Armenian genocide occur in which
nearly one and a half million Christians were slaughtered or deported in
1915 under Turkish Ottoman rule (now Turkey) in the 20th century? How
can Islamic militancy in such diverse parts of the World be explained if
it does not, at least in part, derive from Islamic doctrine?
It seems, at least to me, simply too plain for argument that Islam
promotes violence and cannot be said to be a religion of peace given
that it inspires so much terror and intolerance. That Islamic terrorism
threatens us daily. As technology and the capacity for terrorists to
cause mass destruction increases, the stakes are going up and we must
understand what the true root of the problem is if we are to have the
best possible chance of defending ourselves.
Many diverse individuals have reached similar conclusions. Salman
Rushdie, a renowned liberal, wrote the following in 2001:
"‘This isn't about Islam.' The world's leaders have been
repeating this mantra for weeks, partly in the virtuous hope of
deterring reprisal attacks on innocent Muslims living in the West,
partly because if the United States is to maintain its coalition against
terror it can't afford to suggest that Islam and terrorism are in any
way related.
The trouble with this necessary disclaimer is that it isn't true. If
this isn't about Islam, why the worldwide Muslim demonstrations in
support of Osama bin Laden and Al Qaeda? Why did those 10,000 men armed
with swords and axes mass on the Pakistan-Afghanistan frontier,
answering some mullah's call to jihad? Why are the war's first British
casualties three Muslim men who died fighting on the Taliban side?
Why the routine anti-Semitism of the much-repeated Islamic slander that
"the Jews" arranged the hits on the World Trade Center and the
Pentagon, with the oddly self-deprecating explanation offered by the
Taliban leadership, among others, that Muslims could not have the
technological know-how or organizational sophistication to pull off such
a feat? Why does Imran Khan, the Pakistani ex-sports star turned
politician, demand to be shown the evidence of Al Qaeda's guilt while
apparently turning a deaf ear to the self-incriminating statements of Al
Qaeda's own spokesmen (there will be a rain of aircraft from the skies,
Muslims in the West are warned not to live or work in tall buildings)?
Why all the talk about American military infidels desecrating the sacred
soil of Saudi Arabia if some sort of definition of what is sacred is not
at the heart of the present discontents?
Of course this is ‘about Islam.' The question is, what exactly does
that mean? . . ."
Through the centuries, other independent thinkers have arrived at the
same conclusion that Islam is not a religion of peace. Alexis de
Tocqueville, a nineteenth century political thinker, commentator and
historian, purportedly said:
"I studied the Kuran a great deal. I came away from that study with
the conviction that by and large there have been few religions in the
world as deadly to men as that of Muhammad. So far as I can see, it is
the principal cause of the decadence so visible today in the Muslim
world and, though less absurd than the polytheism of old, its social and
political tendencies are in my opinion more to be feared, and I
therefore regard it as a form of decadence rather than a form of
progress in relation to paganism itself."
The following quote from the sixth American President, John Quincy
Adams, (1825-1829) is revealing. Cited in The Politically Incorrect
Guide to Islam (and the Crusades) by Robert Spencer, page 83:
"In the seventh century of the Christian era, a wandering Arab . .
. [i.e., Muhammad], [.....] Adopting from the new Revelation of Jesus,
the faith and hope of immortal life, and of future retribution, he
humbled it to the dust by adapting all the rewards and sanctions of his
religion to the gratification of the sexual passion. He poisoned the
sources of human felicity at the fountain, by degrading the condition of
the female sex, and the allowance of polygamy; and he declared
undistinguishing and exterminating war, as a part of his religion,
against all the rest of mankind. THE ESSENCE OF HIS DOCTRINE WAS
VIOLENCE AND LUST.- TO EXALT THE BRUTAL OVER THE SPIRITUAL PART OF HUMAN
NATURE.... Between these two religions, thus contrasted in their
characters, a war of twelve hundred years has already raged. The war is
yet flagrant ... While the merciless and dissolute dogmas of the false
prophet shall furnish motives to human action, there can never be peace
upon earth, and good will towards men."
(Note that Robert Spencer's book, The Politically Incorrect Guide to
Islam (and the Crusades, notwithstanding the politically polarizing
title, is an excellent source for understanding the darker side of
Islam. It is accurate, well written, and interesting.)
The foregoing is just a small sampling of the people who have all
reached the same inescapable conclusion that Islam is not a religion of
peace. So many educated people from highly diverse backgrounds who
formed their opinions about Islam centuries apart have come to the same
conclusion for a reason. The reason is that Islam is simply not a
religion of peace and we must have the courage to say so and deal with
the problem in the most effective, humanitarian way that we can.
In a World where Iran, a universally acknowledged terrorist state under
Sharia Law, is on the cusp of developing nuclear weapons and has vowed
to share those nuclear weapons with the Islamic World, we must ponder,
as Mr. Rushdie did: "Of course this is ‘about Islam.' The
question is, what exactly does that mean?"
Andrew J.
Stunich
Islam Watch & Middle East Analysis
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