Islam and the "Killing of Innocents"
by Denis MacEoin
September 17, 2014 at 5:00 am
http://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/4702/islam-killing-innocents

"No religion condones the killing of innocents." =97 U.S. President Barack =

Obama, September 10, 2014.

"Islam is a religion of peace." =97 U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron, =

September 13, 2014.

"There is a place for violence in Islam. There is a place for jihad in =

Islam." =97 U.K. Imam Anjem Choudary, CBN News, April 5, 2010.

Regrettably it is impossible to re-interpret the Qur'an in a "moderate" =

manner. The most famous modern interpretation by Sayyid Qutb (d. 1966), the =

Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, leads the reader again and again into =

political territory, where jihad is at the root of action.

If they deviated from the true faith -- as we are seeing in the Islamic =

State today -- "backsliders," like pagans, were to be fought until they =

either accepted Islam or were killed.

In India alone, between 60 and 80 million Hindus may have been put to death =

by Muslim armies between the years 1000-1525.

Last week, before the Islamic State beheaded its third Westerner, U.S. =

President Barack Obama announced that, "ISIL is not Islamic. No religion =

condones the killing of innocents."

Well, not exactly.

How often -- despite the current spectacle of the Islamic State [IS, ISIL o=
r =

ISIS] in Syria and Iraq -- do we hear politicians and church leaders say =

that Islam is a religion of peace; that Islamic extremism is a modern =

innovation, a profound deviation from some imagined "true" Islam, and even =

that its very name, the word "Islam," means peace?

It is not just Muslims who say that Islam is a religion of peace: some =

Western politicians and churchmen repeat it too.

Britain's Prime Minister, David Cameron, emphasized it last week on BBC on =

Sept 13, in response to the beheading by ISIS of the British aid worker, =

David Haines.

Former U.S. President George W. Bush said so more than once, including in a =

speech he delivered on September 17, 2001.

So too, said British Prime Minister Tony Blair: "There is not a problem wit=
h =

Islam. For those of us who have studied it, there is no doubt about its tru=
e =

and peaceful nature."

U.S. President Barack Obama has previously been just as unquestioning as he =

is today. In November 2010, in Mumbai, India, he said: "The religion [Islam=
] =

teaches peace, justice, fairness and tolerance. All of us recognize that =

this great religion cannot justify violence."

Pope Francis I has made similar statements: "Faced with disconcerting =

episodes of violent fundamentalism, our respect for true followers of Islam =

should lead us to avoid hateful generalisations, for authentic Islam and th=
e =

proper reading of the Koran are opposed to every form of violence."

British Islamist Anjem Choudary, for one, however, in a 2010 interview with =

CBN News flatly rejected such interpretations of Islam:

"You can't say that Islam is a religion of peace," he said, "Because Islam =

does not mean peace. Islam means submission. So the Muslim is one who =

submits. There is a place for violence in Islam. There is a place for jihad =

in Islam."

Choudary is right. Although the Arabic word for peace, salam and the word =

for submission (islam) come from the same three-consonant root, they have =

quite distinct meanings and come from different forms of the verb. No-one =

who knows Arabic could mistake one word for another.

Islam does not mean "peace." Islam means "submission." Its root, salam, =

means peace, but not in the Western sense of the word. It means the peace =

that will prevail in the world once mankind converts to Islam, although =

which branch of Islam is apparently still in dispute.[1]

What is curious is that no-one, so far as I know, has placed much or any =

emphasis on the earliest history of Islam. By any measure, this early =

history sadly demonstrates that Islam has never been a religion of peace an=
d =

that modern jihadists, especially Salafis, take their inspiration directly =

from the actions of the first three generations of the faith, the Salaf =

(forefathers), the companions of the prophet, their children and their =

grandchildren. What is, or should be, worrisome, is that these figures serv=
e =

as constructive role models for Muslims today.

The Qur'an is replete with injunctions to fight jihad; modern radicals =

themselves say they take their inspiration from it. There are estimates of =

some 164 jihad verses in the Qur'an. And those do not include innumerable =

passages commanding or describing holy war in the Hadith, or the prophet's =

biography. A few examples (translations by the author) include:

"Let those who sell this world's life for the hereafter fight in the way of =

God. For whoever fights in the way of God, whether he is killed or lives =

victorious, We shall grant him a mighty reward." 4: 74

"I will cast fear into the hearts of the unbelievers. Therefore behead them =

and cut off all their fingertips." 8:12

"Slay the unbelievers wherever you come upon them, take them captives and =

besiege them, and waylay them by setting ambushes." 9:5

Regrettably it is impossible to re-interpret the Qur'an in a "moderate" =

manner. The most famous modern tafsir, or interpretation, of the holy book =

is a multi-volume work entitled, In the Shade of the Qur'an. It was written =

by Sayyid Qutb (d. 1966), the Muslim Brotherhood ideologue often regarded a=
s =

the father of modern radicalism. His interpretation leads the reader again =

and again into political territory, where jihad is at the root of action.

The Qur'an contains many peaceful and tolerant verses, and these could well =

be used to create a genuine reformation -- something several genuine =

reformers have tried to do. But there is a catch. All these moderate verses =

were written in the early phase of Muhammad's career, when he lived in Mecc=
a =

and had apparently decided to allure people. When he moved to Medina in 622=
, =

everything changed. He was soon a religious, political and military leader. =

During the next ten years, as his religious overtures were sometimes not =

welcomed, the peaceful verses gave way to the jihad verses and the =

intolerant diatribes against Jews, Christians and pagans. Almost all books =

of tafsir take for granted that the later verses abrogate the early ones. =

This means that the verses preaching love for all are no longer applicable, =

except with regard to one's fellow Muslims. The verses that teach jihad, =

submission and related doctrines still form the basis for the approach of =

many Muslims to non-believers.

One problem is that no one can change the Qur'an in any way. If the book =

contains the direct word of God, then the removal of even a tiny diacritica=
l =

mark or a dot above or beneath a letter would be blasphemy of the most =

extreme kind.[2] Any change would suggest that the text on earth did not =

match the tablet in heaven -- the "Mother of the Book," much as Mary is the =

Mother of Christ -- that is the eternal original of the Qur'an. If one dot =

could be moved, perhaps others could be moved, and before long words could =

be substituted for other words. The Qur'an itself condemns Jews and =

Christians for having tampered with their own holy books, so that neither =

the Torah nor the Gospels may be regarded as the word of God. The Qur'an =

traps us by its sheer unchangeability.

The besetting sin of modern Western politicians, church leaders, and =

multiculturalists is their ready acceptance of ignorance and their promotio=
n =

of their own ignorance to the rank of expertise. Islam is one of the most =

important topics in human history, but how many schoolchildren are given =

details such as the ones mentioned above in their history classes? How many =

textbooks paint an honest picture of how Islam began and how it continued a=
s =

a background to how it continues today?

Furthermore, how many real experts are denied contact with government and =

politicians so that lies are not made the basis for governmental decisions =

in the West? How many times will truth be sacrificed to fable while Muslim =

extremists bomb and shoot and behead their way to power?

These facts do not come from modern Western accounts; they are there in the =

founding texts of Islam, in the histories of al-Waqidi and al-Tabari. No-on=
e =

is making any of this up. Muslims who avoid their own history should be =

brought face to face with it in all future discussions.

Unfortunately, even many moderate Muslims still fail to see the reality =

behind some of the most elementary aspects of their own religion. Just afte=
r =

the 7/7 bombings in London, in July 2005, the Guardian newspaper asked =

several people for their views on the attacks. One, an amiable young Muslim =

leader, said he had been horrified by the murders committed by four of his =

co-religionists. He said that if only young Muslims were to read the Qur'an=
, =

they would back away from all forms of violent extremism.

All the world's jihadi fighters constantly read and quote from the Qur'an, =

where they find more than enough justification for violent assaults on =

non-Muslims, apostates and "hypocrites" (munafiqun =97 a word taken straigh=
t =

from the Qur'an, meaning something similar to backsliders).

Apart from the Qur'an, the six books of Hadith and the biography of the =

prophet (the Sira) represent a world born of violence. Muhammad, after =

taking up residence in Medina, led his followers into battles and on raids =

into tribal areas. He fought in major conflicts like the battles of Badr, =

Uhud, and al-Khandaq. Ibn Ishaq, his biographer, says he fought in =

twenty-seven battles. In addition, he sent out lieutenants to raid =

caravans -- raids are known as ghazwat. About 100 such raids took place, =

primarily to call Arabs to Islam. If they deviated from the true faith -- a=
s =

we are seeing in the Islamic State today =96 backsliders, like pagans, were=
to =

be fought until they either accepted Islam or were killed.

Muhammad ordered or supported some forty-three assassinations of opponents, =

including several poets who had challenged him in verse. Better known are =

his reprisals against three Jewish tribes, two of whom were expelled from =

Medina, while the men of the third, the Banu Qurayza, were condemned to =

death by Sa'd ibn Mu'adh, whose judgement was endorsed by Muhammad. As many =

as 900 male members of the tribe -- including boys of thirteen and =

upwards -- were beheaded; the women and children were sold into slavery, or =

else the women were made concubines for the Muslim men.[3] The Medinan =

period is nothing but rounds of violence piled on violence, all ordered or =

carried out by the "Prophet of Peace."

Muhammad died in 632, and was to be succeeded either by his father-in-law =

Abu Bakr (d. 634), regarded by Sunnis as the first Caliph, or by his =

son-in-law 'Ali, regarded by Shi'is as the first of the twelve Imams -- thu=
s =

placing the main split between Sunnis and Shi'is in Islam within days of =

Muhammad's death.

The first undertaking on which Abu Bakr embarked as Caliph was to launch a =

series of attacks across the Arabian Peninsula. The Bedouin tribes, who had =

followed their custom of withholding allegiance once the leader of an =

associated tribe died, apparently believed their fealty to Islam had ended =

when Muhammad departed this world. Abu Bakr treated this as apostasy and =

sent out cohorts to force the tribesmen back into the fold of Islam. These =

Wars of the Ridda resulted in fifteen battles. Once this had been settled, =

Abu Bakr sent Muslim armies out to conquer Iraq (a province of the Persian =

Sasanid Empire) and the Levant (part of the Christian Byzantine Empire).

When Abu Bakr, an old man, died of fever in August 634, he was succeeded by =

'Umar ibn al-Khattab (d. 644). Under his rule, the entire Sasanid Empire an=
d =

two-thirds of the Byzantine Empire were conquered for Islam. Battle followe=
d =

battle, bloodshed came after bloodshed. In 644, a group of Persians, =

outraged by the conquest, conspired to kill 'Umar and succeeded when a =

former slave best known as Abu Lu'lu' assassinated him during prayers.

Even though the third of the four "Rightly-Guided" Caliphs, 'Uthman ibn =

'Affan (d. 656), was already 65 on his ascension, battles to conquer or =

bring into line half of the known world took place during his reign. His =

conquests stretched as far as modern-day Pakistan, Iran, Afghanistan, =

Azerbaijan, Dagestan, Turkmenistan and Armenia. Sicily and Cyprus were =

captured. Armies moved into North Africa, and later into the Iberian =

Peninsula and southern Italy.

Towards the end of his life, however 'Uthman became unpopular with many. =

Medina, where he had his capital, became a hotbed of intrigue and unrest. I=
n =

656, an armed revolt broke out, and 1000 rebels, with orders to assassinate =

the Caliph, headed from Egypt to Medina. Some entered his house and =

assassinated him, after which his supporters turned on them and fighting =

broke out. The religion of peace was still on the march.

'Uthman was followed by Muhammad's son-in-law, 'Ali (d. 661), the last of =

the four Rashidun (Rightly-Guided) Caliphs. Almost immediately, 'Ali was =

caught up in a quarrel that ended in civil war. He faced the prophet's wife=
, =

A'isha, at the Battle of the Camel in 656, when reportedly 10,000 were =

killed. He also faced the forces of Mu'awiya (later the first of the Umayya=
d =

Caliphs) at Siffin (657), where 'Ali lost 25,000 men and Mu'awiya 45,000. =

'Ali himself was assassinated in his capital of Kufa by a Muslim extremist =

during prayers in 661.

The Umayyads took power and established their long-lived capital in =

Damascus. But violence swiftly followed. In 680, when Mu'awiya's son Yazid =

(d. 683) assumed the Caliphate, a grandson of Muhammad, Husayn the son of =

'Ali, rebelled and raised forces to attack Yazid. The two sides met at =

Karbala in 680; in the fighting, Husayn, his family and his followers all =

perished. This marks the most crucial moment in the split between the Shi'a =

(for whom Husayn is the third of their Imams) and the Sunni majority.

In the Battle of Karbala, depicted in Abbas Al-Musavi's painting, Husayn, =

the son of 'Ali and grandson of Muhammad, was killed along with his family =

and all his followers by the armies of the Umayyad Caliphate. It was the =

most crucial moment in the split between Shi'a and Sunni Islam. (Image =

source: Brooklyn Museum)

The rest of Islamic history is marked by annual jihads, wars between =

different Muslim rulers and empires. In India alone, between sixty and =

eighty million Hindus may have been put to death during the centuries of =

invasions by Muslim armies from 1000 to 1525.[4] Is this simply to be =

forgotten?

So long as the Qur'an is on the shelves of every mosque and Islamic =

bookstore, young men and women in their thawbs and hijabs can find in it th=
e =

perfect justification for their continuing endeavours in the path of jihad =

and the killing of innocents.
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D
[1] See http://www.religioustolerance.org/faisal01.htm; =

http://www.al-islami.com/islam/religion_of_peace.php; =

http://d1.islamhouse.com/data/en/ih_books/single/en_Islam_Is_The_Religion_O=
f_Peace.pdf; =

http://www.studymode.com/essays/Islam-a-Religion-Of-Peace-212736.html

[2] The dot or nuqta is of enormous importance in Shi'ism, where the Imam =

'Ali asserted that he is the dot beneath the letter b at the very beginning =

of the first word of the Qur'an, bismillah, which makes him the first of al=
l =

created beings. Sects such as the Nuqtavis and Babis in Iran have read deep =

meanings into this. It may be a dot, but it can mean the world.

[3] See William Montgomery Watt, Muhammad at Medina, pp. 208-216, Oxford, =

1956, the definitive study of this period. The present writer was a student =

of Watt's in the 1970s.

[4] K.S. Lal, Growth of Muslim Population of Medieval India (1000-1800). =

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