Posted on 06/13/2006 9:10:22 AM PDT by quidnunc
A video from an Islamist Web site shows Abu Musab al-Zarqawi and four other hooded men before they behead U.S. businessman Nick Berg in May, 2004.
The problem of Muslim radicalization has been on the agenda of all nations since 9/11. But Canada faces a unique dilemma because the doctrine of multiculturalism is seen as intrinsic to our national identity. The recent disruption of an alleged homegrown Islamist terror plot has caused many Canadians to ask: How can multiculturalism — which preaches tolerance above all else — be squared with a militant, intolerant creed that demonizes non-believers? This week, the National Post presents a week-long series of articles examining this question. In today's second instalment, Gordon Nickel examines the claim that Islam is inherently a 'religion of peace.'
Since the London bombings of 7/7, there has been a renewed effort among Muslims in the West to present Islam as a religion of peace. This has come in response to persistent probing of the relationship between Islam and violence. Here in Canada, this issue recently leapt to the front pages following news that all 17 suspects in an alleged Ontario-based terror plot are Muslim.
For some Muslims, the rise of homegrown terror has meant an interest in re-examining the foundational texts that extremists have used to justify their attacks — the Koran, the Hadith (traditions of what the prophet of Islam said and did), the Sira (earliest biography of the prophet), and works of Fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence). Some are challenging classical interpretations of these texts that have held sway for centuries.
When the Koran is cited by Muslims in response to questions about violence, it is often discussed in such a way as to shut down a meaningful exploration of the text. One or two mild passages are usually offered, as if these fully represented the contents of a scripture containing 6,000-plus verses. But the Koran — literally "recitation" — is a collection of diverse materials that include polemic, praise, eschatology, law, narrative, battle calls, and details of the domestic life of the Prophet.
In particular, the sourcebooks contain a great deal of material relating to violence. This article reviews that small part of the material that is directly relevant to any debate about the link between Islam and terror: the commands to fight and kill.
The Koran contains five commands to kill and 12 commands to fight (literally, "try to kill"). Most are found in the second (verses 190, 191, 193, 244), fourth (vv. 76, 84, 89, 91) and ninth (vv. 5, 12, 14, 29, 36, 123) suras.
The commands address a number of different situations, from "fighting those who fight you" to "fighting totally." The objects of the fighting and killing include the unbelievers, the "associators" (mushrikin, or polytheists) and "the friends of Satan."
In classical Muslim discussions of these verses, two verses attracted more attention than any others. They came to be known as "the sword verse" (9.5) and "the verse of tribute" (9.29).
The verse of tribute concerns the "people of the book" — generally understood by Muslims to be faith communities possessing a scripture, especially Jews and Christians. The command is to fight those who have been given the book "until they pay the tribute (jizya) out of hand and have been humbled." The command in the sword verse is to "kill the associators (mushrikin) wherever you find them, and take them, and confine them, and lie in wait for them at every place of ambush." At face value, therefore, polytheists appear to be at greater risk than Jews or Christians.
-snip-
'Fight in the way of Allah those who fight you'
What follows are selected Koranic references to fighting and killing infidels.
• Baqara (2):190 – "And fight (qaatiloo) in the way of Allah those who fight you."
• Baqara (2):193 – "Fight them (qaatiloohum), till there is no persecution and the religion is Allah's"
• Baqara (2):244 – "So fight (qaatiloo) in the way of Allah, and know that Allah is all-hearing, all-knowing."
• Nisaa' (4):76 – "Those who are believers fight (yuqaatiloona) in the way of Allah, and the unbelievers fight in the idols' way. So fight (qaatiloo) the friends of Satan; surely the guile of Satan is ever feeble."
• al-Anfaal (8):39 – "Fight them (qaatiloohum), till there is no persecution and the religion is Allah's entirely."
• al-Taubah (9):12 – "But if they break their oaths after their covenant and thrust at your religion, then fight (qaatiloo) the leaders of unbelief."
• al-Taubah (9):29 – "Fight (qaatiloo) those who believe not in Allah and the Last Day and do not forbid what Allah and his messenger have forbidden — such men as practise not the religion of truth, being of those who have been given the Book — until they pay the tribute out of hand and have been humbled."
• al-Taubah (9):123 – "O believers, fight (qaatiloo) the unbelievers (kuffaar) who are near to you, and let them find in you a harshness (ghilza)."
• Baqara (2):191 – "And slay them (aqtuloohum) wherever you come upon them"
• Baqara (2):191 – "But fight them not by the Holy Mosque until they should fight you there; then if they fight you, slay them (aqtuloohum) — such is the recompense of unbelievers."
• Nisaa' (4):89 – "then, if they turn their backs, take them, and slay them (aqtuloohum) wherever you find them"
• Nisaa' (4):91 – "If they withdraw not from you, and offer you peace, and restrain their hands, take them, and slay them (aqtuloohum) wherever you come on them; against them we have given you a clear authority."
• al-Taubah (9):5 – "Then when the sacred months are drawn away, slay (aqtuloo) the idolaters wherever you find them, and take them, and confine them, and lie in wait for them at every place of ambush."
• Nisaa' (4):74 – "So let them fight (yuqaatil) in the way of Allah who sell the present life for the world to come; and whosoever fights (yuqaatil) in the way of Allah and is slain, or conquers, we shall bring him a mighty wage."
• Muhammad (47):4 – "When you meet the unbelievers, smite (darba) their necks, then, when you have made wide slaughter among them, tie fast the bonds; then set them free, either by grace or ransom, till the war lays down its loads."
Yes. POS.
Excellent post and good to see ya, quid. Long time since our "alley" days.
I think the record speaks for itself.
Hasn't this topic already been hashed out? Islam sucks!
It appears that we ARE preaching to the choir, but at least this article has a wider base and may enlighten a few non choir members.
Uh - did this guy just have nothing to write about today?
"Exercise: Is it healthy?"
A good reminder never hurts from time to time! Peace of Death is the only thing that Islam stands for!
Is it really preaching to the choir? While we all agree that Islam sucks, what we don't talk about is our government's relationship to it nationally and internationally, and even our own(oil) relationship to it?
The US has been kissing Turkey's Muslim ass for the last thirty years -- to Greece's detriment. The US bitches to Russia about "human rights" in Chechnya, because when Russia has Muslims banging at its back-door -- they have the balls to bang back. Prince Bandar of Saudi Arabia spends more time at the White House and with our elected representatives than all of us on this board have ever spent with any one of the people we elected! And as we speak, the US & the Euros are helping establish Muslim countries (Bosnia & Kosovo) in the Balkans where none existed before -- one of whom even (Kosovo Albanians) was proven to have sold the semtex for the London & Madrid bombings -- so we are "giving them a country" for their efforts!
Any of that make sense to you? Me neither! But, for us to sit here and bitch about "how evil Islam is" is a joke when our own government is closer to them than to us -- and it isn't just Bush, this goes back decades, but it is getting far worse.
Well said. War on Terror? Exactly how do you wage war against a tactic? We need to put a better name to our enemy.
You've got a point there.
Exactly! And who exactly is that enemy? "Radical Islam"? That is an ideology not an identifiable group of people. "Perpetrators of terrorist acts? You want to wait around for them to "pepetrate" before we can identify who they are? How about "Sponsors of terrorism"? And who are these "sponsors"? Because from what I can see, one of the largest "sponsors of Islamic terrorism" is Saudi Arabia. So why has Saudi Prince Bandar been on the White House guest list for as long as I can recall? Oil!!!! Okay, so what's the deal with Saudi Arabia? We get oil in return for a few 9/11's once in a while? Meanwhile we allow the Saudis to build "Islamic Study" wings at our major US universitiies and let Islam "win a few" in the Balkans. Is that the bargain? So I ask again: What "War on Terror?" And with whom?
This is too stupid for words!
After 9/11, the President used the word "crusade" is at least one speech. I was ... disappointed ... when he recanted, and found more "politically correct" terms.
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