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Islaam Spread By The Sword
The common image of Islaam being spread by an Arab on camel back riding
in off the desert with a Quraan in one hand and a scimitar (a curved sword) in the
other offering a choice of either accepting Islaam or losing one’s head.
As mentioned earlier under the issue of apostasy, forcible conversion is prohibited in
Islaam. The religion did not spread by the sword. There were military confrontations
between the Muslim state and the existing world powers of Rome and Persia. However, the
areas conquered were put under Muslim administration and the populations were free to
maintain their own beliefs. Muslims ruled Egypt, Palestine and Lebanon from the 8th
century and sizeable Christian communities continued to exist over the past 13 centuries.
Muslims ruled Spain for 700 years and India for 1000 years without the vast majority of
the population converting to Islaam.
The largest Muslim country in the world today is Indonesia, having over 200 million
citizens, never saw a Muslim soldier. Islaam spread there and in Malaysia and Philippines
by trade. That was also the case of Islaam’s spread in West African countries like
Nigeria, Ghana, Senegal, Chad and Niger. Also, Islaam is the fastest growing religion in
America today with anywhere between 300 and 500 converts daily. This is taking place
without any soldiers or even missionaries.
Terrorism
Terrorism is defined by the American government as the threat or the
use of violence to advance a political cause by individuals or groups, whether acting for
or in opposition to established governmental authority, when such actions are intended
to shock, stun, or intimidate a target group wider than the immediate victims.
Actually such a general definition will include all wars of liberation from the American
War of Independence to the French Revolution. The worst aspect and perhaps the most common
feature of terrorism is the unleashing of violence against innocent civilians.
The State of Israel is the most recent example of the establishment of a state by
terrorism. It was established by Jewish terrorist groups, the most infamous of which was
the Stern Gang.
The term “Muslim terrorist” is used to label Islaam as a terrorist religion.
However, it is a misnomer. When IRA bombers struck, they were not labeled as
“Catholic terrorists” even though the struggle is between Catholic Ireland and
Protestant Northern Ireland supported by Protestant England. Likewise, when Timothy
McVeigh blew up the CIA headquarters in Oklahoma City in 1995 killing 168 people, he was
not labeled as a “Christian terrorist”, though he was Christian and a terrorist.
In fact the “Muslim terrorist” label was attached to the activities of the PLO
who were a mixture of Muslims, Christians and communists. The PLO is not, nor was it ever,
a Muslim organization. It is a nationalist organization working for the establishment of a
secular Palestinian state.
The face of terrorism can be seen in the extremist movements of Egypt. Al-Gama’a
Al-Islamiya (Islamic Group) and Jihaad Movements provided shock troops for a bitter
struggle with Egypt’s security forces that caused about 1,200 deaths from 1992 to
1997 but failed to topple Hosni Mubarak’s secular rule. The Gama’a claimed
responsibility for the Luxor massacre of tourists in November 1997. However, in March 1997
its exiled leaders declared a unilateral truce and renounced violence. The philosophy of
these movements and their program of action have been loudly condemned by leading Muslim
scholars internationally as well as local Egyptian scholars.
The case of Algeria is somewhat more complex. However, it is sufficient to say that the
Islaamic Salvation Front (F.I.S.) - which was poised to win the elections cancelled by the
Algerian military - renounced violent struggle over a year ago, yet the slaughter of
innocents still continues. From the beginning of the civilian slaughters, the F.I.S.
disclaimed them and identified the G.I.A. as the main culprit. Recent reports indicate
that the G.I.A. was created by government secret service agents to discredit the
F.I.S.’s military struggle by alienating them from the masses through atrocities.
Islaam opposes any form of indiscriminate violence. The Qur’aan states: “Anyone
who has killed another except in retaliation, it is as if he has killed the whole of
humankind.” (32:5) There are strict rules regulating how war may be conducted.
Prophet Muhammad forbade the killing of women, children, and old people and the
destruction of Churches and Synagogues or farms. Of course, if women, children or the
elderly bear arms they may be killed in self-defense.
Jihaad
Usually translated by the Western media as “holy war” is a
greatly misunderstood principle in Islaam. There is no term in Arabic which means
“holy war”. War is not “holy” in Islaam it is.
The meaning of jihaad is “striving” or “struggle”. It is used
in Islaam to refer to a variety of different efforts enjoined upon the believers. Striving
to keep God and His Messenger more important than loved ones, wealth and one’s own
self is the most basic form of jihaad prescribed on every Muslim. The Prophet said,
“No one has truly believed until Allaah and His Messenger becomes more beloved
than everything.” Doing the righteous deeds prescribed by God is itself a jihaad.
The Prophet was reported to have said, “The best jihaad is the perfect Hajj.”
On another occasion, someone asked the Prophet if he should join the jihaad. The
Prophet responded by asking him whether his parents were still alive and when he replied
that they were, he said, “Make jihaad by serving them.”
Defending Islaam and the Muslim community is a primary aspect of the physical jihaad which
involves taking up arms against an enemy. God states in the Quraan “Permission
to fight has been given to those who have been attacked because they are wronged. And
indeed, Allaah is Most Powerful.” (22:39) “Fight in the cause of Allaah
against those who fight against you, but do not transgress the limits. Indeed Allaah does
not love transgressors.” (2:190). Muslims are also enjoined to fight against
tyranny. The Qur’aan states, “Why shouldn’t you fight in the cause of
Allaah and for those oppressed because they are weak. Men, women and children who cry out,
‘Our Lord! Rescue us from this town of oppressors’” (4:75)
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