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Guest Columnist

Today we have something a little different. Dr. Bukay is from Israel and is not commonly read on the Web. His work is very authoritative.

David Bukay (Ph.D.), teaches at the School of Political Science in the University of Haifa. his main fields are: International Terrorism and Islamic fanaticism; al-Qaeda and World Jihad; Inter-Arab Relations and the Arab Israeli Conflict; State and Conflict in the Middle East; the Arab State: Militarism vs. Islamism; Syria, Lebanon and Israel: the Politics of Power Politics.

His last two books are: Yasser Arafat: the Politics of Paranoia (Mellen Press, 2005); and From Muhammad to Bin Ladin (Transaction, 2007). He has written numerous articles (mostly in Hebrew). his forthcoming book is Arab-Islamic Colonialist Expansionism: Islamization and Arabization of the Dar al-Islam

Islamic Propaganda (da`wah) Towards the West
David Bukay

The Islamic propagation is very highly pronounced, and one can find it in numerous publications, written and electronic. One can sum up their main arguments: all individuals in Islam are equal. No authority may deprive any citizen of his rights and powers, and his opinion should be decisive in the formation of the government. The political system of Islam is a democracy, even if it is not secular. Islam does not accept a system which involves any kind of dictatorship, nor does it accept a system of monarchy. Islam was the first institution ever to advocate and implement such human rights as universal equality. In fact, Islam promoted the universality of the human experience over 1,300 years before the United Nations declared it to exist. Islam grants basic human rights to all people, Muslims and non-Muslims, regardless of their race, nationality, ethnic origin or language. Islam grants the individual the right to freedom. It is categorically forbidden to capture a free person and make him a slave or sell him into slavery. Islam recognizes absolute equality between people. There is no superiority of Arab over non-Arab, white over black. Islam protects the rights of the citizens, whether they are Muslim or non-Muslim, the right of freedom of thought and expression; the right to freedom of association and formation of parties or organizations; and the right to participate in the affairs of state. Islam is strongly opposed to all forms of injustice and takes all measures to ensure that justice prevails in every field.

In time of war, Islam decreed humane rules of war, many centuries before such ideas were put into conventions and agreements in the West; it is prohibited to kill anyone who is in captivity; residential areas should not be pillaged, plundered or destroyed; treaties must not be broken, and Muslims are prohibited from opening hostilities without properly declaring war against the enemy. Islam set an unprecedented standard for the ethics of dealing with captured enemies. They treated prisoners of war in a manner that has yet to be imitated in history. It instructs Muslims either to free captives who cannot offer ransom or to ransom prisoners of war. Prisoners of war have the right to their human dignity and to be protected. The Islamic ethic of treating prisoners of war is part of the whole system of Islamic ethics, which places utmost importance on the preservation of human dignity and rights. All forms of barbarism, unnecessary acts of violence and unjust aggression are forbidden by Islam. The use of the concept of "jihad" for acts of aggression against innocent people that is for terror would be unjust and a great distortion and it is quite different from the wars of Joshua. Religiously, Islam proved a more tolerant religion, providing greater religious freedom for Jews and indigenous Christians.

Islamic propaganda towards the West uses mainly verses from the Qur'an and related sayings of Muhammad in the Hadith - to prove their case of a peace-loving Islam. The ultimate and overall message of the Qur'an is only peace.

1) The Prohibition of Killing Women and Children
Muslim propagandists quote verses from the Qur`an and Hadith to prove that in Islam there is the prohibition of killing of women, children and the elderly. Then they attack the Old Testament to prove that this is not the case in Judaism and in Christianity.1

From the Qur`an:

Surah 5 verse 32
If any one slew a person - unless it be for murder or for spreading mischief in the land - it would be as if he slew the whole people: and if any one saved a life, it would be as if he saved the life of the whole people.

In this noble verse we clearly see that Allah almighty honors all the innocent souls that he created. Killing an innocent soul is so hated by Allah that he considers it as a crime against all of mankind.

Nevertheless, it is so typical to quote only part of the verse, ignoring the other which is the opposite. The full verse is:

That is why we decreed for the Children of Israel that whosoever kills a human being except for murder or for spreading corruption in the land it shall be killing all humanity. And whosoever saves a life saves the entire human race. Our apostle brought clear proofs to them, but even after that most of them committed excesses in the land.

The next verse reveals the whole issue clearly:

The punishment for those who wage war against Allah and his prophet and perpetrate disorder in the land is to kill and hang them or have a hand on one side and a foot on the other cut off. Or banish them of the land. Such is their disgrace in the world, and in the hereafter their doom shall be dreadful.

To this horrific and violent commandment, the Islamic propagandists explain that killing any innocent soul is hated by Allah and he considers it as a crime against mankind.

Surah 2 verses 190-191,
...order to "fight in the cause of Allah those who fight you, but do not transgress limits, for Allah loves not transgressors".

However, not transgressing the limits of war can mean anything but not exactly to love peace and be compassionate. Moreover, who determines the limits? According to what? The promise is that Islam prevails and will dominate all other religions:

It is he who sent his messenger with the guidance and the true faith, in order to make it superior to other religions, even though the idolaters may not like it.2

It is he who sent his messenger with the guidance of the true faith, so that he may exalt it over every other creed...3

The radical change to offensive jihad was exemplified by Surah 9, the only Surah which does not open with bismillah al-rahman al-rahim: in the name of Allah the benevolent, merciful. We find "the verse of the sword" (ayat al-sayf):
But when the sacred months prohibited for fighting are over, slay the idolaters wheresoever you find them, and take them captives or besiege them, and lie in wait for them at every likely place. But if they repent and fulfill their devotional obligations and pay the zakat, then let them go their way.4

We then find then that the behavior towards the Jews and Christians also changed drastically:

Fight those People of the Book who do not believe in Allah and the last day, who do not prohibit what Allah and his messenger have forbidden, nor accept divine law, until all of them pay the poll tax (al-jizyah) out of hand (`an yadin) in submission (wahum saghirun).5

After fighting the idolaters, the unbelievers and the "People of the Book", came the turn of the hypocrites:
Fight, O prophet, against the unbelievers and the hypocrites and deal with them firmly. Their abode is hell and what a wretched destination.6

We also find the command of fighting all the abovementioned enemies of Islam, which is the basis of the horrific acts of beheadings:

When you clash with the unbelievers, smite their necks (fadarb al-riqab) until you overpower them... until war (al-harb) shall have come to an end.7

From the Hadith
The Islamists bring narrations from the Hadith, which relate to the same one event: 8

Narrated by `Abdullah: Allah's Apostle forbade the killing of women and children, by al-Bukhari and Muslim.9
Narrated by Ibn `Umar: Allah's Apostle forbade the killing of women and children, by al-Bukhari and Muslim.10

Then come three narrations:

Narated by Rabah Ibn Rabi`: the apostle of Allah told Khalid ibn al-Walid not to kill a woman or a hired servant. 11

Malik brings prohibition against killing women and children in military expeditions, but if there is no choice to kill the enemy, than it is possible. 12

Narrated by Ahmad al-Tirmidhi: Ibn `Abbas says: The messenger of Allah, when dispatching his troops, would tell them, "Do not behave treacherously, nor misappropriate war-booty, nor mutilate those whom you kill, nor kill children, nor the people in cloisters." 13

However, according to al-Tirmidhi himself, the main reason for sparing the life of women and children is to take them captives, to convert the children to Islam and take the women as concubines:

And there is no group of people on earth in which you cannot bring to me from them Muslims. And the best I like that you bring their wives and sons and kill their men.14

Taking part in jihad with soul and body is the utmost recommended action for the Muslim believer. The mujahid's best prize is paradise:

Muhammad said: Nobody who dies and finds good from Allah would wish to come back to this world even if he were given the whole world and whatever is in it, except the shahid who, on seeing the superiority of jihad, would like to come back to the world and get killed again (in the way of Allah).15

Mohammad: Nobody who enters paradise likes to go back to the world even if he got everything on the earth, except the mujahid who wishes to return to the world so that he may be martyred ten times for of the dignity he receives.16

al-Miqdam b. Madikarib reported Allah's messenger as saying: the shahid receives six good things from Allah: he is forgiven at the first shedding of his blood; he is shown his abode in paradise; he is preserved from the punishment in the grave; he is kept safe from the greatest terror; he has placed on his head the crown of honor a ruby better than the world and what it contains; he is married to seventy-two wives, comprised of the maidens with large dark eyes; and he is made intercessor for seventy of his relatives.17

Muhammad said: No doubt I wish I could fight in the way of Allah and be a shahid and come to life again to be shahid and come to life once more.18

Muhammad said: paradise is under the shadow of the swords.19

One should also pay attention to the amount of energy devoted to proving something which is very common, acceptable and an integral part of Western civilization (not to kill civilians, especially women and children). And still, the question is, why do they boast of something which is obvious? Indeed, from the "no" (not to kill women and children), one can deduce the "yes" (it is permitted to kill males, youngsters and elders).

2) "Verses which Refute the Terrorism Lie in Islam"

Surah 8 verse 61:
But if the enemy inclines towards peace, do thou (also) incline towards peace, and trust in Allah: for he is one that hears and knows (all things).

This is really interesting, because the verse which precedes it (verse 60) explains it all:

…strike terror in the hearts of the enemy of Allah and your own, and others beside you not known to you but known to Allah…

Now verse 61 can be understood: "if they are inclined to peace", means, if they accept the rule of Islam, by conversion or submitting to Islam, "make peace with them". This is really the Islamic peace.

Surah 5 verse 28:
If thou dost stretch thy hand against me, to slay me, it is not for me to stretch my hand against thee to slay thee: for I do fear Allah, cherisher of the worlds.

However, the problem is that this is the story of Adam and his two sons, Cain and Abel, and the quotation is the answer of Abel to Cain before he was murdered. What is the connection to the refutation of terrorism in Islam?

Surah 60 verse 8:
Allah does not forbid you from showing kindness and dealing justly with those who have not fought you about religion and have not driven you out of your homes. Allah loves just dealers.

This is perplexing if not amusing, because the correct meaning of the verse is: it is possibly showing kindness and dealing justly towards those who do not fight the Muslims over faith and do not drive the Muslims out of their homes. If the Muslims attack the enemy territory, and there is no issue of religion and/or territory - there is no problem, since it means that the enemy was defeated or subdued. If the enemy attacks the Muslims, surely the issues of religion and territory become crucial. Moreover from the "no" (when and whom the Muslims are ordered not to fight), one can deduce the "yes" (against whom Muslims can fight). If any, this verse shows precisely the aggressive face of aggressive occupying Islam.

Surah 2 verse 193
And fight them until persecution is no more, and religion is for Allah. But if they desist, then let there be no hostility except against wrongdoers.

This is amazing. The commandment is to fight the unbelievers "until persecution is no more and religion is for Allah", which means there is no resistance to Islam as a supreme religion. Now, most important are the words "if they desist". This means stop fighting the Muslims, which includes accepting the rule of Islam either by conversion or by submitting to it. Indeed, now it is understood - accepting Islam means no hostility, and only those who resist are fought by jihad.

Surah 2 verse 256
Let there be no compulsion in religion. Truth stands out clear from error: whoever rejects evil and believes in Allah hath grasped the most trustworthy handhold that never breaks. And Allah hears and knows all things.

This verse was delivered by Muhammad at the beginning of his career in Medina, when he needed the Jewish and Christian support to organize his small community (Muhajirun) and to expand the number of his new supporters (Ansar). He encouraged avoidance of conflicts with the Jewish and Christian communities and to accept them as legitimate. This attitude was changed shortly after, when Muhammad had his military success. Moreover, this is a request and not a commandment ("let there be..."), and the question is how does it stands with other commandments from the same period at Medina. For example:

So fight them until opposition ends and obedience is wholly Allah's.20

So when you clash with the unbelievers smite their necks until you overpower them and hold them in bondage...21

Surah 15 verses 2-3
Again and again will those who disbelieve, wish that they had bowed (to Allah's will) in Islam. Leave them alone, to enjoy and to please themselves: let (false) hope amuse them: soon will knowledge (undeceive them).

These verses are from Meccan period, when Muhammad was weak and persecuted, and his followers were small in number. Muhammad had a modest conception of his duty. His religious views had evolved: at first it was the "Lord" who had been the source of his revelation. After about two years he began to use "al-Rahman", the merciful one, and finally, "Allah", which was originally the pagan Quraysh god.22 Muhammad kept moderation with regard to war, and kept preaching to Arabs on the spiritual level, as a da`wah. They were too small and too weak to fight. As a general rule, all the Surahs from Mecca (90 out of 114) are the same regarding this issue.

Surah 18 verse 29
Say, "The truth is from your Lord": Let him who will believe, and let him who will, reject (it)…

Surah from the Meccan period. See above.

Surah 10 verse 99
If it had been thy Lord's will, they would all have believed - all who are on earth! wilt thou then compel mankind, against their will, to believe.

Surah from the Meccan period.

Surah 24 verse 54
Obey Allah, and obey the messenger: but if ye turn away, he is only responsible for the duty placed on him and ye for that placed on you. If ye obey him, ye shall be on right guidance. The messenger's duty is only to preach the (message).

This is almost a joke. The question relates to the connection between this verse and the ambition to prove the claim of refuting terrorism? The verse is simple but out of context.

Surah 109 verses 1-6
Say: O ye that reject faith! I worship not that which ye worship, nor will ye worship that which I worship… To you be your Way, and to me mine.

Surah from the Meccan period.

Surah 25 verses 68-69
Those who invoke not, with Allah, any other god, nor slay such life as Allah has made sacred except for just cause, nor commit fornication; - and any that does this (not only) meets punishment. (But) the penalty on the Day of Judgment will be doubled to him, and he will dwell Therein in ignominy.

Surah from Meccan the period. The verses are deliberately misquoted:

...who do not invoke any god apart from Allah; who do not take life which Allah has forbidden except for a cause that is just, and do not fornicate, and any one who does so will be punished for the crime. Whose punishment will be doubled on the Day of Judgment and he will live forever in disgrace.

The verses do not say innocent souls, whether Muslim or not. Moreover, it insists on "except for a cause that is just", which is only Islamic. All in all these are rules for the community of believers on how to behave (notice the fornication mentioned, as a proof), and has nothing to do with peace and compassion towards the others, the unbelievers.

Surah 2 verse 178
O ye who believe! the law of equality is prescribed to you in cases of murder: the free for the free, the slave for the slave, the woman for the woman. But if any remission is made by the brother of the slain, then grant any reasonable demand, and compensate him with handsome gratitude, this is a concession and a Mercy from your Lord. After this whoever exceeds the limits shall be in grave penalty.

This is part of Muhammad's moral legislation for the Muslims, and takes its sources from the Bible. There is no connection whatsoever to refuting terrorism, and one cannot deduce anything from this issue.

Surah 16 verse 126
And if ye punish, then punish as ye were punished (by them). But if ye show patience, that is indeed the best (course) for those who are patient.

Surah from the Meccan period. It deals with domestic moral legislation.

Surah 4 verse 90
Except those who join a group between whom and you there is a treaty (of peace), or those who approach you with hearts restraining them from fighting you as well as fighting their own people. If God had pleased, He could have given them power over you, and they would have fought you: Therefore if they withdraw from you but fight you not, and (instead) send you (guarantees of) peace, then Allah has opened no way for you (to war against them).

This verse is deliberately misquoted.

Except those who take refuge with a people allied to you, or those who, weary of fighting you or their people, come over to you. If Allah has so willed he would surely given them power over you and they would have fought you. If they keep aloof and do not fight and offer peace, Allah has left you no reason to fight them.

This Surah deals with the issue of the hypocrites among the Muslims, so disturbed Muhammad's followers. After declaring in the previous verse to "seize them wherever they are and do away with them", Muhammad encourages his community to believe in Allah's abilities to overpower the hypocrites. That is all, and nothing is connected to refuting terrorism.

Surah 9 verse 7
How can there be a league, before God and His Apostle, with the Pagans, except those with whom ye made a treaty near the sacred Mosque? As long as these stand true to you, stand ye true to them: for God doth love the righteous.

The verse means the opposite of peace-loving. It says there can be no treaty between the idolaters, on the one side, and Allah and his apostle, on the other. And there is no need to fight those who have made treaties, meaning they have joined Islam, or are in alliance with the Muslims. The next verse clearly shows that the idolaters cannot be trusted, since they neither observe pacts nor good faith, and accordingly their fate is death.

3) "Verses that Deal with Peace"
For the Islamic propagators, Islam commands the Muslims to offer peace to the enemy, so that he can become a friend. Muslims are prohibited to kill people in churches or temples, or in hospitals, or children and elderly, or the enemy soldiers who are not carrying weapons. For that, they quote Surah 2 verse 190; Surah 5 verse 32; Surah 25 verses 68-69; Surah 8 verse 61; Surah 5 verse 28; Surah 60 verse 8; Surah 2 verse 193; Surah 2 verse 256; Surah 15 verses 2-3; Surah 18 verse 29; Surah 24 verse 54; Surah 109 verses 1-6; and Surah 10 verse 99.

We have already analyzed all these verses, and found most of them to be irrelevant to the subject matter. Moreover, the Muslim propagators use the same verses to refute terrorism and to prove that Islam means to love peace. Refuting the terrorism lie, if proven, is not synonymous to peace. We would also like to add that Surah 10 verse 99, we have analyzed, if any, is most aggressive in nature, and hints that mankind should come to believe in Islam, that its fate is to be subdued to Islam if not converted.

Surah 18 verse 86
Until, when he reached the setting of the sun, he found it set in a spring of murky water: Near it he found a People: We said: "O Zul-qarnain! (thou hast authority) either to punish them, or to treat them with kindness."

However, again, the verse is clear: even in far away regions, the Muslim community has permission to fight them or treat them with kindness. Where is the peace-loving issue? If any, it means aggression, since the commandment declares: when Muslims meet the unbelievers they should:

Invite them to three courses of action. If they respond to any one of these, you also accept it and withhold yourself from doing them any harm. Invite them to Islam; if they respond, accept it and desist from fighting against them (which means conversion to Islam). If they refuse to accept Islam, demand from them the jizyah. If they agree to pay, accept it from them and hold off your hands (which means, subduing to Islam and accepting its rule). If they refuse to pay the tax, seek Allah's help and fight them.23

A substantial part of the doctrine includesjihad among the very pillars of Islam, along with prayer and fasting:
Muhammad said: there is no hijrah after the conquest of Mecca, but jihad and good intentions (to fight in jihad). If you are called for fighting in jihad in the way of Allah, go forth immediately.24

A man came to Muhammad and asked, "A man fights for war booty; another fights for fame, and a third fights for showing off. Which of them fights in the way of Allah?" Muhammad said: "He who fights that Allah's word should be superior, fights in the name of Allah."25

Surah 45 verse 14
Tell those who believe, to forgive those who do not look forward to the days of Allah: It is for him to recompense (for good or ill) each people according to what they have earned.
This Surah is from the Meccan period.

Surah 2 verse 182
But if anyone fears partiality or wrong-doing on the part of the testator, and makes peace between (the parties concerned), there is no wrong in him: For God is oft-forgiving, most merciful."

This verse is a continuation of set of moral commandments to the community. The relevant section begins in verse 177 and ends in verse 182. Moreover, the verse does not say "makes peace between (the parties concerned)", as it is quoted, but instead brings about a settlement. That is all, and nothing relevant to peace concerning the others outside of Islam.

Surah 2 verse 224
And make not Allah's (name) an excuse in your oaths against doing good, or acting rightly, or making peace between persons; for Allah is one who hears and knows all things.

The verse is totally misquoted. The section begins in verse 211 and ends in verse 216. The crucial issue is to see the parallel between the fate of the Children of Israel and the Muslim believers. The relevant verse says: do you think (the Muslim believers) your way to paradise even though you have not known what the others before you have gone through? They (the Children of Israel) had suffered affliction and loss, so that even the Apostle (Moses) had to cry out: the help of God arrive? Remember (you, the Muslim community) the help of Allah is ever at hand.

Again, even not to mention the misquotation, where is the connection to peace-loving in Islam?

Moulavi Ali Cheragh constitutes a typical example
Almost all Muslim and European writers think that the religious war of aggression is one of the tenets of Islam, and prescribed by the Qur`an for the purpose of proselytizing. I do not find any such doctrine enjoined in the Qur`an or preached by Muhammad. His sole mission was to enlighten the Arabs to the true worship of one Allah. These have nothing to do with popular jihad and exterminating the idolaters. All the verses of the Qur`an are related only to defensive war without exception, and none of them has any reference to make warfare offensively. All fighting injunctions within the Qur`an are only in self-defense, none of them has any reference by which to make warfare offensively. There are several passages in the Qur`an which forbid taking offensive measures and enjoin only defensive war.26

So you see, the issue is very simple - there is nothing in the Qur`an, which relates to aggression and expansionism, and Muhammad was totally compassionate with his enemy and never shed their blood, this is the nature of Islam.

In a booklet "The Basics of Islam at a Glance" prepared by The Islamic Cultural Center in Tempe, Arizona, we read:
There is no historical proof that Islam was "spread by the sword". Even non-Muslim scholars now admit that this is nothing more than a vicious myth which cannot be substantiated by historical fact. Islam is a religion of love and peace and forgiveness.27

Murad Hoffmann, a German converted to Islam, declares shamelessly:
In almost every Surah, the Qur`an also encourages man to contemplate, to use his powers of reason, to harvest the fruits of his thought, instead of simply repeating the authorities parrot fashion. Islam rejects extremism, excessive emotions and hatred, violence and revolution.28

He quotes verses from the Qur`an to prove Islamic tolerance, yet the problem is that he quotes only part of them, neglecting the full text, which denotes a different reality. He quotes Chapter 18 verse 2929

Say: the truth is from your Lord, so believe if you like, or do not believe if you will.
Yet, the verse continues as such:
We have prepared for the sinners a fire which will envelope them in their tents. If they ask for water, they will be helped to liquid like molten brass that would scald their mouths. How evil the drink and evil the resting place.
Moreover, the record reaches its peak by his statement: "I could complete a chapter with a single sentence: the concept of holy war, even the phrase, does not exist in Islam."30

This brings us to a prominent exegete of Islam: Mahmoud Shaltut:31

Whenever the truth is clear and simple and easy, it speaks for itself and does not require further means to enlist adherents. However, when a truth is contradictory and complicated, it is obscure and repulsive to people. Now consider to which of these two categories the Islamic mission belongs?

Muhammad revealed a book containing the principles of happiness. It commands to judge by reason, it propagates science and knowledge, it gives clear rules, it proclaims mercy, it urges to do good, it preaches peace, it gives firm principles concerning politics and society, it fights injustice and corruption. The Islamic community is commanded to do only what is good and is forbidden to do what is reprehensible and evil. The Islamic mission is clear and evident, easy and uncomplicated. It is digestible and intelligible for any mind. It is a call of natural reason, and therefore not alien to human intellect. This is the mission of Muhammad to humanity.32

Now, if Islam, according to Shaltut, claims to be a religion that has all these traits, where should we look to find an example of what true Islam should look like? Where do we find peaceful harmonic relations even between Arabs states themselves? And as for human progress and development, where can we find an example of a modern developed democratic liberal Arab and/or Muslim state? What about Arab and Muslim leaders; which of them represent the Islamic values of peaceful, egalitarian, civil rights' religion and tolerance? What about any Arab-Muslim contributions to humanity, or to science and progress? How many scientific breakthroughs and inventions were revealed and introduced by them in the last centuries?

This is the political language of the Islamists, and Muslim scholars and spokesmen. They declare, without blushing, that jihad is only a defense and a last resort mechanism. But, is this really the case? If it is, then what about the processes of Arabization and Islamization imposed by the Arabs after the invasion from Arabia, by conquering the vast areas from Morocco to India? Between the years 710 and 712, Islamic troops were battling jihad wars in the territories of India and China in the east, and Spain and France in the west. Were these defensive wars of jihad? The same are the Islamic conquests during the Ottoman Empire, in the 15th and the 16th centuries. Indeed, these jihad wars had nothing to do with defense of the Muslim religion or Arabs' souls, but were all aggressive-expansionist imperialist ones.

4) "The Old Testament is Different and Legalizes Killing"
After bringing verses to prove their case, the Islamic propagators turn to the issue of killing women and children according to the Bible, and to prove that it permits terrorism. They bring the story of the Midianites in Numbers, 31: 17-18; in Deuteronomy 20: 16; and the Amalekites in Samuel 15: 2-3.

Indeed, this is true. The Jews were ordered to kill the seven nations of Canaan, but with a big difference as compared to Islam; the Jews fought for Eretz-Yisrael, because it belongs to the People of Israel alone, which is also stated in the Qur`an.33 If one can equate this situation to Islam, then it is as if the Muslims were to perpetrate jihad war in Arabian territory. The problem is that Islam is not confined to Arabia but its ideology extends to the whole world. Their definition of Dar al-Islam includes the territories conquered, from India to Spain (Andalusia), and they wish to bring these territories back to the fold of Islam.

Muslim propagandists also turn the charge against the Jews, by quoting Ezekiel, Chapter 23 verses 45-47, as if it is a general commandment. However, this is a private story of two prostitutes: Ahola and aholibah, and the command from God is to dispatch them with swords, to slay their sons and daughters, and burn their houses. Why this harsh measures? Verse 48 explains: I will cause lewdness to cease out of the land. The other one is from 2 Chronicles, Chapter 15 verse 13, which tell the story of those from the Children of Israel who transgressed during the reign of Asa, and the command was to slay all the Jews whosoever would not seek the Lord, God of Israel. These two stories relate to interior issues of sinners among the Jewish community who have sinned and their punishment. What is the relevance to violence and terrorism which allegedly is permited in the Bible? Then they bring the story of "Mighty Samson" in Judges Chapter 16 verses 26-30. The Muslim's challenge to Jews and Christians is to prove that the in the Bible one cannot find that God condemned Samson's actions.

The only problem with this claim, that it shows a total ignorance. "Mighty Samson" was imprisoned. He was tortured and stood before his death, and commit suicide out of the inevitable. He did not come willingly and freely to murder the innocents and civilians.

The next stage the Muslim propagators bring is the story of Saul and his Children in 1 Samuel, Chapter 31 verses 1-6. However, this is the story of the Philistines fighting Israel on Mount Gilboa, and Israel's defeat. The Philistines killed Saul sons, and he was injured. Out of this desperate situation, Saul wished to die and fell on his own sword. Where is the connection to the Muslim homicide bombers? But the Muslim propagators boast happily by declaring that in reality suicide bombings were allowed in the Bible.

1 http://www.answering-christianity.com/karim/pregnant_women_ripped_open.htm, http://www.islamonline.net/English/introducingislam/politics/Politics/article05.shtml, http://www.islamonline.net/English/introducingislam/politics/Politics/article04.shtml, http://www.islamonline.net/English/introducingislam/politics/Politics/article02.shtml
2 Surah 9 verse 33; the same as Surah 61 verse 9.
3 Surah 48 verse 28.
4 Surah 9 verse 5.
5 Surah 9 verse 29. It is qualifying Surah 9 ayah 5 in severity: Meir Bravermann, "The Ancient Arab Background and the Qur`anic Concept of al-Jizyatu `an Yadin", Arabica, vol. 11, 1964, pp. 307-314; and ibid., vol. 14, 1967, pp. 90-91, 326-327.
6 Surah 9 verse 73.
7 Surah 47 verse 4.
8 http://hadith.al-Islam.com/Display/Display.asp?Doc=0&Rec=4747. The ahadith below-mentioned are quoted in many Muslim internet sites with variety of narrations, but from the same source.
9 Muhammad Ibn Isma`il, al-Bukhari, Sahih al-Bukhari, Lahore: Kazi, 1979, Vol. 4, Book 52, Hadith 257; Ibn al-Hajjaj Muslim, Sahih Muslim, Cairo: Dar al-Kitab al-Misri, n.d, Book 19, Hadith 4319.
10 Sahih al-Bukhari: Vol. 4, Book 52, Hadith 258; Sahih Muslim, Book 19, Hadith 4320.
11 Ibn Majah Abu-Da`ud al-Sijistani, Sunan Abu Da`ud, Cairo: Dar al-Misriyah, 1988, Book 8, Hadith 2663. See also http://hadith.al-islam.com/Display/Display.asp?Doc=4&Rec=3291
12 Malik Ibn Anas, al-Muwatta`: The First Formulation of Islamic Law, London: Kegan Paul, 1989, Book 21, ahadith 8, 9, 10. See also Imam Nawawi: http://hadith.al-islam.com/Display/Display.asp?Doc=1&Rec=4215
13 It does not bring any footnote, but we take it as it is reliable.
14 Al-Tirmidhi, Sahih. Vol. 7, p. 36.
15 Al-Bukhari, Sahih, vol. 4, no.53; Muslim, Sahih, vol. 11, no. 2013.
16 Al-Bukhari, Sahih, vol. 4, no.72.
17 Transmitted by al-Tirmidhi and Muslim: According to Mishkat al-Masih, Lahore: Ashraf, 1975, Vol. 1, no. 808.
18 Al-Bukhari, Sahih, vol. 4, no. 216.
19 Ibid., vol. 2, no. 70; Muslim, Sahih, vol. 5, no. 1841.
20 Surah 8 verses 39 and 67.
21 Surah 47 verse 4.
22 Francis E. Peters, Muhammad and the Origins of Islam, Albany: State University of New York Press, 1994, p. 160.
23 Muslim, Sahih, Book 19, no. 4294.
24 Al-Bukhari, Sahih, vol. 4, nos. 42, 311.
25 Ibid., vol. 4, no. 65.
26 Ali, A Critical Exposition of the Popular Jihad, pp. 114-119. See also pp. 16-27.
27 Surah 23 ayah 96; Surah 28 ayat 54-55; Surah 41 ayah 34; Surah 42 ayah 40. Of course all these are from the Meccan period. See below in Chapter 2.
28 Ibid., pp. 74, 85 respectively. See also pp. 33-42.
29 This Surah is from the Meccan period.
30 Hoffmann, Islam the Alternative, p. 161.
31 Mahmoud Shaltut, al-Qur`an wal-Qital, Cairo: Matba`at al-Nasr wal-Ittihad al-Sharqi, 1948.
32 According to: Surah 2 ayat 136-138; Surah 3 ayah 64; Surah 6 ayat 101-103; Surah 29 ayah 46; Surah 30 ayah 30; Surah 42 ayah 13.
33 Surah 5 verse 21; Surah 7 verse 137; Surah 17 verse 104; Surah 10 verses 93-94.

Bill Warner

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