How interesting to get hate mail from Christians for a change. Here is a choice one I received, thrillingly paradoxical in its lustily slung insults combined with its self-righteous pious posturing and castigation of me for insulting Mr. Kristof. My reply follows, along with another exchange.
These are not posted, however, just for entertainment value: it is instructive to note that these attitudes are still held by large numbers of Americans, and that they obstruct anti-terror efforts. Thus it is important, I believe, to reply to them whenever the opportunity presents itself.
Also, a little State-of-the-Union note: all of the mail I have received about this column, and it has been considerable, has been either from haters or skeptics. Not one message of support or agreement. (UPDATE: I have now received a few very kind notes. Thanks to all who sent them.)
Dear Mr. Spencer,
It’s very interesting how many times you mentioned Mr. Kristof’s name
and followed it by an insult of some sort. Instead of sharing an
intelligent and thought provoking opposite perspective you made
yourself look like someone with their head up their a–.After reading your view point of “Are Left Behind Books Dangerous?”,
in the Wednesday, July 21, 2004 edition of The Dallas Morning News, I
was ashamed and embarrassed that I share the faith of Christianity with you. Somehow, your warped sense of self has been allowed to be shared with the mass public and spread uneducated and yes, ignorant hate against all Muslims.It is extremely ignorant to take short passages out of any book, let
alone a holy book such as the Quran, and say “See…this is what all
Muslims believe”. Many American and world Muslims do NOT believe in
the extremists actions the radical Islamic Militants have taken. The
reason I am told, is because of their holy book, the Quran. Do some
further research and you will find many passages that encourage peace, faith and tolerance in the Quran. That way, Mr. Spencer, you would have spared yourself the embarrassment of looking like a moral and racist imbecile.It is amazing how you seem to forget all the atrocities that have
been conducted against non-Christians in history and in present day by people who share our love in Jesus. Grow up and get a grip on reality Mr. Spencer.The several people in my office who read the article (primarily a
Christian group) felt disturbed by what you wrote and how it came
across. Your random spewing has shamed all Christians into looking like archaic fools who can’t tell their behind from their head.I praise our Savior Jesus that there are MANY intelligent, thoughtful
Americans who think of how their words, thoughts and actions effect
other people before they speak and will realize that what you wrote was exactly that….YOUR viewpoint.I thank Jesus, that by sharing himself in love by HIS thought, word
and action that many Americans understand that we need to remain
tolerant and humble always. Really, it takes so much time and effort to remain daily in the love and light that Jesus taught us and conduct ourselves in a “Christian manner”, that we don’t have time to stupidly slam others.I am not sure how you got this far in life Mr. Spencer, but it is
clear that you have some serious doubts in yourself, your faith and
your own confidence as a human being. Our actions have a funny way of coming back to visit us and I pray, Mr. Spencer that you are spared the hate that you have spewed in your article.May God Bless you,
[Name deleted], Dallas TX
And my reply:
Dear [Name deleted],
Thanks for your note. Please specify where in this article or in any of my books or other articles I have ever said: “See…this is what all Muslims believe.”
I would invite you to study the Qur’an, as well as Islamic theology,
jurispudence, and history, and tell me whether you can still maintain
that Islam has no doctrine mandating violence against non-Muslims. You can find these documents readily, or see them quoted abundantly in my book “Onward Muslim Soldiers.” Does this mean that all Muslims believe this? Of course not. Nor have I ever said that they do. But to ignore or gloss over this fact is to take away the principal weapon that Muslim reformers have: they can’t repair what no one will acknowledge is broken.Cordially,
Robert Spencer
And another:
How convenient for you to mention only the New Testament when talking about Christians killing other people. You fail to note, my friend, that Christians very frequently refer to Jesus’ Jewishness and Christians very carefully study the Old as well as the New testaments.
And in that Old Testament are many instances where God commanded his people to go out and kill entire communities!
Also, you take a tremendous amount of literary license when you
castigate Mr. Kristof, implying that he lumps Christians and Islam so
conveniently in the same bag.[Name deleted]
Reply:
Dear [Name deleted],
Please specify the Christian churches that teach that Christians have
the responsibility to kill non-Christians. Most Christian churches
actually teach that the Old Testament passages to which you refer have been superseded by New Testament passages such as Matthew 5:38, etc.Also, please point out to me the existence of a global network of
Christian terrorists that take their justification from the Old
Testament, analogous to the many jihadist groups that take their
justification from the Qur’an — not just Al-Qaeda, but Hamas,
Hizballah, Islamic Jihad, Jemaah Islamiyah, etc. etc. etc.Please also specify any specific statement I made that misrepresents
anything Mr. Kristof said.Cordially,
Robert Spencer
Plus this exchange, which is not hate mail but which I put up for the information contained therein:
Mr. Spencer,
I read your column (Dallas Morning News, July 21) and appreciate your
efforts, but I have do have two questions.(1) The citations from the Quran are obviously translations. Can we be sure the word translated “fight” means a physical, armed conflict? Even our word “fight” can mean to struggle or contend, as in fighting a disease, fighting to succeed in business, etc. When I was young, we sometimes sang hymns entitled “The Fight is On” and “Onward Christian Soldiers.” I don’t think anybody interpreted these to go get a gun to literally fight the non-Christians.
Further, I have heard Muslims say that “jihad” means “the struggle to be a good Muslim.” The context of at least one of the references you cite suggests the meaning is not a physical battle: the one about making war on non-Muslims until they either become Muslims or pay the tax. If the purpose of the war was to literally kill them, they could hardly become Muslims OR pay a tax.
(2) To my knowledge, all Christians accept the Old Testament as
Scripture. Go back and read Exodus through Judges, and see how much war you find.Not only that, but the command to “wipe out” the enemies (non-Israelites), sometime men, women, and children, is frequently heard. Is this substantially different from what is in the Islam Scriptures?
Answers to these two sets of questions would be most important if we are to assess your overall thesis.
[Name deleted] (retired minister)
Dallas, Texas
And my reply:
In Islamic tradition, jihad has all these meanings, including physical, armed struggle. I have written a whole book about this, but in any case, the context is clear in this and many other Qur’anic verses: “Therefore, when ye meet the Unbelievers (in fight), smite at their necks; At length, when ye have thoroughly subdued them, bind a bond firmly (on them): thereafter (is the time for) either generosity or ransom: Until the war lays down its burdens.” (47:4). “Smite at their necks” is not the language of dialogue and preaching, but of warfare.
“Further, I have heard Muslims say that ‘jihad’ means ‘the struggle to be a good Muslim.'”
That is true. However, the legal manual to which I referred, Umdat al-Salik, devotes one paragraph to this meaning of jihad, and ten pages to warfare. It is clear where the emphasis lies, and this is not an isolated or unusual text in this regard.
“The context of at least one of the references you cite suggests the meaning is not a physical battle: the one about making war on non-Muslims until they either become Muslims or pay the tax. If the purpose of the war was to literally kill them, they could hardly become Muslims OR pay a tax.”
Right. 9:29 makes it clear that the purpose of the jihad is NOT solely to kill them, but to subjugate them. As is clear from Islamic theology and law, unbelievers have three choices: conversion, submission, or death.
“(2) To my knowledge, all Christians accept the Old Testament as Scripture. Go back and read Exodus through Judges, and see how much
war you find. Not only that, but the command to “wipe out” the enemies (non-Israelites), sometime men, women, and children, is frequently heard. Is this substantially different from what is in the Islam Scriptures?”Yes. Neither Christians nor Jews believe that those were commandments to the believers that were valid for all time. Radical Muslims, however, regard the martial verses of the Qur’an, because they were revealed later than those counseling peace and tolerance, as superseding the verses of peace and mandating a belligerent posture towards unbelievers. This is also the traditional teaching of Islamic divines.
UPDATE: For a further exchange with the first letter-writer above, read on. Once again, I believe the exchange is instructive, as exchanges like this take place every day in America nowadays. I hope you find my responses to all these helpful.
Mr. Spencer,
I have read the Quran , all 114 chapters. I have also studied the
Hadith as well. These are books similar to our Gospel. I did this an
attempt to understand Islam and where Muslims are coming from instead
of being fearful and reacting out of that fear.And yes, there were passages, when translated into English from
Arabic that seemed harsh. One must remember the time frame in which
this book was transcribed (over 1400 years ago).“Left Behind” books, however, are written in this day and age. Whether one likes it or not, people are going to take this information to heart. Just like some misguided souls have taken parts of the Quran and interpreted it to fit their own agenda. There are such people as Wahabists and radicals. Do not lump all Muslims together Mr. Spencer.
You are in a very privileged position Mr. Spencer, you can use your
words wisely, or you can use them to destroy. It is unfortunate in what you have chosen thus far.I invite you, Mr. Spencer to look at our Christian history (assuming
you are a Christian) and take the opportunity to learn from it. It seems you have conveniently chosen to look the other way with our own history. Then, take a step even further and remember what Jesus did for us. It was the ultimate lesson, not man-made by greed and fear, but God-made, for us to learn. The lesson: No matter what happens, move forward with love. Stick to what speaks to your heart and do not let others intimidate you if they believe differently. Go forward by the Grace of God, in peace.Our Savior, Jesus, sacrificed everything for us and your realm of
thinking dishonors that by spreading hate through insults and ignorance.Yes, there are differences between Muslims and Christians, but get
over it! We live on planet earth together and there is not a lot of
room for adults who behave like spoiled children who don’t know any
better.I see that you used this opportunity to plug your book, “Onward
Muslim Soldiers”. It may be a terrific book! On the other hand, if it
is anything like your viewpoint Mr. Spencer, then no thanks….I am not
into hate literature.God Bless,
[Name deleted]
And the reply:
“I have read the Quran , all 114 chapters. I have also studied the Hadith as well. These are books similar to our Gospel.”
Please specify where in the Gospel there are passages similar to Qur’an 9:5, 9:29, 8:12, 8:39, 5:51, 48:39, 2:191, 98:6, etc. etc. etc.
“And yes, there were passages, when translated into English from
Arabic that seemed harsh.”Are you suggesting they are not harsh in Arabic? I must inform you that unfortunately this is not the case.
“One must remember the time frame in which this book was transcribed (over 1400 years ago).”
That would be nice, were it not for the fact that radical Muslims
worldwide do not subscribe to this kind of historical interpretation.
No doubt you are familiar with the Islamic doctrine of naskh, or abrogation, which holds that verses revealed later cancel those revealed earlier in cases of disagreement. On that basis many traditional Islamic teachers have held that the verses of violence and intolerance canceled those of peace. Cf. the Tafsir of Ibn Kathir, Ibn Juzayy, Tafsir al-Jalalayn, Ibn Khaldun, etc.“‘Left Behind’ books, however, are written in this day and age. Whether one likes it or not, people are going to take this information to heart. Just like some misguided souls have taken parts of the Quran and interpreted it to fit their own agenda. There are such people as Wahabists and radicals.”
Are you aware that there interpretation represents a broad and constant tradition within Islam? I document this amply in “Onward Muslim Soldiers.”
“Do not lump all Muslims together Mr. Spencer.”
Please specify where and when I have ever done this.
“You are in a very privileged position Mr. Spencer, you can use your words wisely, or you can use them to destroy. It is unfortunate in what you have chosen thus far.”
You seem to know quite a bit about me. Regarding this and your other
comments, I would ask how it is that you can profess such Christian
life while behaving in such an intemperate, judgmental manner, and how you can be so self-righteous about insults when you have done nothing but insult me in two messages now.Everything I have said in every one of my published writings about
Islam, I have carefully documented from Muslim sources themselves, so
that people could know the truth about what is being said and taught in the Islamic world. Islam is not a monolith, and I have never said
otherwise. But to act as if these elements of it do not exist only
stymies legitimate reformers and plays into the hands of the radicals.The fact that you choose not to consider these things, but instead to
heap abuse on me while knowing very little about what I say, or how or why I say it, speaks volumes about you.Cordially
Robert Spencer