Contrary to the efforts by several of our politicians and
numerous self-appointed Islamic experts to paint Islam as an
enlightened belief system based on pure, genteel precepts, the
religion founded by Mohammed during the first three decades of
the 7th century AD is not about peace and not about
tolerance. This assertion isn’t rooted in unfounded rhetoric
espoused by the opponents of Islam. Actually, the proof lies in
the Moslem holy book, the Qur’an (Koran). Persons professing
to know the true edicts of Islam and claim to know with
certainty that Islam doesn’t authorize or condone slaughter of
non-Muslims has simply not read his or her Koran thoroughly
enough. It seems they only repeat what Muslim clerics would have
them believe without any sort of investigatory perusal of their
own.
The American public has been reassured daily that the
terrorists who planned and carried out these September 11th
acts of war were operating on the fringes of Mohammad’s
religion. The Muslim apologetic contends these extremists were
peddling a counterfeit Islam, one that takes the Prophet’s
words out of context, and certainly one that the vast majority
of Muslims don’t embrace, or so we are told.
Well what about those passages in the Koran that purport to
command the wanton slaughter of the "infidels"
or unbelievers? Those sorts of messages are included in the
Muslim holy text, as Mohammad was prone to writing about what
should be done to those that rejected his claims. It’s
interesting to note, at this point, that his new faith
encountered much opposition in Mohammad’s hometown of Mecca.
And because of his rejection in Mecca, he and his followers
withdrew to the city of Medina or "City of the
Prophet," renamed from its original Yathrib. It was in
Medina that Mohammad faced even more resistance, this time from
inhabiting Christians and Jews. It was also from Medina that
Mohammad conveyed many of his views on violence and recruitment
of pagans, inspiring many of the more emphatic calls for
slaughter contained in the Koran. Indeed, the "Hijira"
(flight), as Mohammad’s fleeing to Medina and the accompanying
time period therein is called, marked the turning point in the
history of Islam. During this time, Mohammad rejected Jerusalem,
as the center of worship, choosing instead to install Mecca as
the place to worship what he contended was the one true God,
Allah. Of course, this meant that the Prophet had to conquer the
city. And conquer he did, putting to the sword anyone that
rejected his claims. As John Noss writes, "by his death in
632 he knew he was well on the way to unifying the Arab tribes
under a theocracy governed by the will of God. Between his
return to Mecca and his death, Mohammad zealously and militantly
propagated Islam."
And as was alluded to before, the Medina exile inspired
Mohammad to pen many of his most explicit calls for the killing
of infidels, several of which are in the Koran. Although many
Muslim clerics point to these verses as allegoric or analogous
to some other purpose, a reading of the text doesn’t suggest
anything but a literal interpretation. As an editorial in the
September 26th Dallas Observer Online Magazine
correctly posited, "these excerpts do not clash in any
obvious way with the broader message of the book, and even if
one were not a literalist, he might be forgiven for thinking
that the Prophet meant them to be taken literally."
So what exactly do these verses recommend for Mohammad’s
followers? Consider for yourself: Sura II, verse 191 tells the
reader that death in battle is the "reward" of those
who suppress the faith. Ostensibly, infidels are better off
dying in unbelief at the hands of jihadic Muslims then to live
on in the religiosity of their choosing; the former will land a
pagan in heaven without trying to convert the person here on
earth, while dying in unbelief from other causes apart from a
good hacking by sword-wielding Muslims ensures eternal
condemnation. This should strike us all as highly intolerant,
even xenophobic. Sura II, verse 216 says that fighting is good
for Muslims. Sura II, verse 217 says that war is to be preferred
to oppression, a theme echoed in Sura XXII, verses 39 and 40.
Sura IV, verse 74 promises a great reward to one who dies in
battle fighting on God's side. Sura VIII, verse 38 admonishes
faithful Muslims to kill unbelievers until there are no more of
them (see, too, verses 65 and 66 of the same Sura). Sura IX,
verse 5 encourages the faithful to use every stratagem of war to
slay pagans wherever they are found (one assumes terror is
included as a stratagem of war). Sura IX, verse 29 says that
even People of the Book -- that is, Jews and Christians -- can
be subdued by war. Sura XLVII, verse 4 assures the faithful
again that when they kill unbelievers in war they are doing
God's will. Mohammad demands that husbands beat their
disobedient wives in Sura IV, verse 31.
A general sentiment of violence serving both a retributive
and compassionate purpose is clearly evident after reading
through these verses. As the Dallas Observer editorial
points out, these teachings are "retributive because
they express God's judgment, and compassionate because they warn
infidels from worse disasters to follow." And it isn’t
as if only the most militant Muslims use these words to justify jihad;
Arab states like Syria, Jordan and Egypt have waged war against
Israel and the West via the instructions spelled out in the
Koran. Yassir Arafat, long fancied a moderate Arab by American
liberals, has said as much on a number of occasions. His views
once won him a place among the most hated Muslim extremists in
the Middle East, but now he enjoys amended status in liberal
circles as the voice of peace in contrast to militant Israelis
who (unthinkably to liberals) want to retaliate when
Palestinians litter the streets of Tel Aviv with the limbs of
innocent Israelis.
As a missionary acquaintance of mine told me, moderate Arab
states such as Egypt and Saudi Arabia will imprison and even
execute those that profess Christ (or any other figure besides
Mohammad), proselytize on Jesus’ behalf or blaspheme the name
of Allah. Lest I remind you, that these are supposedly moderate
nation states that enforce these strict, intolerant statutes and
not the rogues in Iran, Iraq or Afghanistan. Moreover, the
continent of Africa is rife with Muslim regimes slaughtering
Christians and other sects for the simple purpose that they
refuse to call Allah "God". Yet, we haven’t heard
even one leading Muslim cleric here in the United States or
elsewhere express outrage at this murder-with-impunity that
ravages the Dark Continent. So I ask, where are the supposed
legions of Muslims that seek peace and tranquility, who condemn
these terrorist acts both here and in places like Sudan, Sierra
Leone and Nigeria? (Cricket chirping)
The only answer you’ll hear are the dubious, equivocal
condemnations from Muslims who couch their misgivings in
anti-American nonsense, claiming ultimate blame lies at the feet
of American foreign policy.
Make no mistake about it: The Majority of the Muslim world
hates the United States and they hate Christ and His followers
and Jews. Read the Koran and you’ll understand this.
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