Islam or die!

It has been said by some the Islam is a peaceful religion, and that the violent and radical acts portrayed by some "extremist" Muslims do not reflect on the religion as a whole. But how can this be true, when in the writings of their own holy books, such as the Qur'an and the Surah, they, meaning people of the Islamic faith, are called to holy war against unbelievers; to kill anyone who rejects the Muslim faith?

"O ye who believe! Fight those of the disbelievers who are near to you, and let them find harshness in you, and know that Allah is with those who keep their duty (unto Him). " (Surah 9:123, Pickthal translation)

"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." (Surah 9:29)

"The Prophet 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 Apostles, will be recompensed by Allah either with a reward, or booty (if he survives) or will be admitted to Paradise (if he is killed in the battle as a martyr)." Sahih al-Bukhari Vol. 1, Bk. 2, No. 35

Now I realize it’s neither fair nor wise to pull out of context a few selected verses, but that’s not the case with these examples. In their context, they are commanding and encouraging violence and holy war to destroy the non-believer.

Many orthodox Islamic scholars and philosophers, whose intentions were far less restricted by concerns for portraying the Islam faith in a positive light to Western audiences, have elaborated on passages from the Muslim holy books, revealing the true violent nature.

"The chapter of Repentance was revealed to raise the level of security which the infidels enjoyed because Muhammad had earlier made a covenant with them not to kill them. After that, this verse was given (9:5) in order to free God and Muhammad from any covenant with the infidels. It gives them four months in which they will be protected, but by the end of the four months (the end of the grace period), the order comes: Kill the infidels wherever you find them. Capture them, besiege them in their castles and fortresses until they are forced to accept Islam or be killed." Al-Mahili,an Islamic scholar, on Surah 9:5

Historically influential Muslim jurists and quranic exegetes, al-Baidawi (d. 1286), gives a fairly common understanding of the doctrine, in regards to Surah 9:29,

"Fight Jews and Christians because they violated the origin of their faith and they do not believe in the religion of the truth (Islam), which abrogated all other religions. Fight them until they pay the poll-tax (Ziziya tax) with submission and humiliation."

Islamic philosopher and historian, Ibn Khaldun (1332-1406), affirmed the duty of Islam to gain power over other nations in his statement:

"In the Muslim community, 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. Therefore, caliphate and royal authority are united in Islam, so that the person in charge can devote the available strength to both of them at the same."

So how then can some say that Islam is a religion of peace? Many Muslims will acknowledge the “extreme” Muslims but will deny having any relation to them. They will say that they are not jihadist, meaning that they do not partake in holy war. Now that can only mean one of two things: they are either lying or not a true Muslim.

The North African jurist al-Qayrawani (d. 996, of the Maliki school) wrote:

"Jihad is a precept of Divine institution. Its performance by certain individuals may dispense others from it. We Malikis maintain that it is preferable not to begin hostilities with the enemy before having invited the latter to embrace the religion of Allah except where the enemy attacks first. They have the alternative of either converting to Islam or paying the poll tax (jizya), short of which war will be declared against them."

This interpretation explains how some Muslims can claim to be non-jihadists. They are “covered” by the violent acts of holy war committed by their jihadist comrades. This is such a clever twist in that on one hand, Muslims can continue to adhere to the holy books with the acts of holy war, and on the other hand, Muslims can be diplomatic in spreading their religion, claiming to be peaceful, and having no relation to those involved in the violence. That’s why we are seeing more and more positive propaganda by the media involving Muslims, such as the new show All-American Muslim. The media is trying to change the Islamic image when all they are really doing is masking it. Whether or not these “peaceful” Muslims will acknowledge such terrible and violent acts as “9/11” as an Islamic attempt at holy war, they secretly know the truth.

The violence that takes place every day in the Middle East should be an everyday reminder about how violent Muslims really are, yet so many remain blind to the facts, which is why Islam is the fastest growing religion in the world. If people will not acknowledge the facts, such as the one’s stated in this article, Islam will continue to grow, which could have unknown and dire consequences on the world as we know it.

(I encourage any readers, before posting angry and silly comments, to check out this website http://www.studytoanswer.net/islam_myths.html, which is from where I got most of the excerpts, and to read it with an open mind. The facts are there, and to disregard them would be to partake in willful ignorance.)