“When I stopped hating, I realized how hate poisons you and distorts your world view.” Here is a fascinating interview in which an ex-Muslim speaks honestly about how he was indoctrinated into a world view of hatred and violence. “The Jihadist – Former Convicted Jihadi talks about Homosexuality & Women,” by Saif R. Rahman, the Telegraph, August 17, 2014:
I talk to a previously convicted Jihadist (a teenage convert to Islam and now an exmuslim) about his earlier views on homosexuality and women. I’ve known him for some time now, but he wishes to keep his identity secret for fear of reprisals from his former brethren.
Saif Rahman: In your jihadi phase, how did you feel about homosexuals?
Ex-Jihadi: I thought they were sexual deviants. People who lavished in sin and who were so perverted that they spend their sexual energy on all kinds of perverse ways (as you know for a Muslim ‘morality’ is almost completely identical sexual morality).
In my perception gays suffered from an extreme lack of manliness and were further characterized by debauchery, lack of sexual discipline, cowardice and worldliness. They were the polar opposite of what a Muslim man should be. I also regarded them as subversive and dangerous, a threat to the fabric of the Ummah. The presence of gays only spreads sin and vice in the Muslim community, and they corrupt Muslim youth by their example of being effeminate. In my mind a Muslim man had only one single purpose in life: he is a born soldier whose whole existence has no other purpose than to wage and to die in war. Gays are dangerous since they undermine national morale and give an example of cowardice. Being gay and soldier at the same time was simply unimaginable to me.
Next to that gays were a national security threat because I regarded them as people who commit excessive sins, thereby corrupting the Ummah by their presence and driving away the divine favor. In the worst case they would invite divine wrath and punishment to fall on the entire community. In jihadi circles for examples it is commonly excepted that Muslims lost Andalus because worldliness spread, homosexuality increased and men ceased being men. Therefore Allah withdrew his blessings and divine help and the Muslims of Andalus were destroyed.
Because of this we thought suppression and punishment for gays was fully justified. This only went for male gays by the way. As far as i can remember we never held similar view on female gays.
Ex-Jihadi: Because of the meaning it carried for us, the label ‘gay’ was applied wider then it should be. We considered men who dressed too smoothly (and thus worldly), and especially those that displayed cowardice and a reluctance to wage jihad as ‘gays’. Gay-ism was not a natural state or an orientation which is hard-wired in the brain, but a sin that came forth from weakness, cowardice, worldliness and hypocrisy (in the religious sense). Any man could become gay if his faith slackened. Homosexuality was just a state of extreme perversion and sinfulness.
Saif Rahman: And you felt this way about gays before you became an Islamist too, or was this a sudden change?
Ex-Jihadi: I converted at quite a young age. I cannot really remember if I had any views on homosexuals at all. Of course, as a kid you are amazed when you find out about its existence, and you consider it as unnatural. But when you’re 13 its not something which you give very much thought about. I only seriously started to develop views on the issue when my skepticism of Islam was seriously undermining my imaan {faith} and I felt the strong urge to provide all my beliefs a rational foundation. It was at that moment that I decided there were no good arguments to justify being against homosexuality: it is not a threat to demographics (too few to have an impact), it is not unnatural (its hard wired into the brain, and its common in nature), there is no reason to assume gays are morally sick or perverted, the idea they are cowards has no foundation, etc.
Ex-Jihadi: The latter change was relatively sudden. It was a total revaluation, which was made possible because I didn’t bother to confirm to already established beliefs anymore. Actually, from the moment I left Islam I stopped being an anti-semite, homophobe and mysogynist in an instant. The hate simply disappeared. The revaluation of values was radical but liberating.
Saif Rahman: Yes, i found the hatred uncomfortable & unnatural too, particularly when i interacted with the kuffar & thought many of them were alright.
Ex-Jihadi: When I stopped hating, I realized how hate poisons you and distorts your world view.
For example, my views on women were never stable but always oscillated between extremes. Sometimes I regarded them as cunning devils that invited to sin, constantly lay traps for men and should be dealt harsh with. At other times I saw them as innocent, pure, angel-like children which were oblivious to sin and which should be locked up and protected in order to prevent them from being corrupted by the evils of the world (many extremists don’t talk about sex with women in order not to spoil their ‘purity’). At times I thought that women who were not docile enough should be raped as a way of disciplining them (the attitude that rape is a way of setting women straight, especially when they talk back is widespread among Islamists of Arab descent in my experience) , at other moments I found they should be treated more mildly then men when they sin, since they are ignorant and immature and thus less responsible for their actions (like children or the mentally ill).I held all these conflicting beliefs at the same time, without ever coming to terms with them, based on islamic ideals. Only when I shed the yoke of dogmas I could finally regard women as ordinary people (not as angels or demons) and responsible for their actions like men. The idea that women were big children soon also vanished.
Jay Boo says
Hate is Islam’s foundation rock
Extra crispy Muslims
Those who seek it, will receive Allah’s praise.
Shouting Allahu akbar, they commit butchery, killing, and rape.
They will reap Allah’s final reward.
They bow to show to Allah their Islamic faith.
With vile deeds they seek Allah’s praise.
Now they complain, “But Allah, it is so hot in here; we are roasting”
“Please help us”
But Allah merely replies
“Well Done Muslims”
“Well Done”
George says
Like.
Jay Boo says
And let’s not forget the poor Muslim women in Saudi Arabia who were forced back into a burning building by their ‘Muslim brothers’ because in their panic to escape flames they had not properly affixed their veils.
Once again,,,
Muslims bow your disgraceful heads in shame
Crawl about the floor like a dog in heat and howl “Allah”
Sing out the disgrace of Muhammad
Bradamante says
Fascinating. I’m glad to see this appeared in the Telegraph. I hope a lot of people read it. The recent news about ISIS may be removing the blinkers from some people. One of my friends who used to argue with me and tell me that I should see what the Southern Poverty Law Center has to say about Islam and counterjihadist groups now says “I see what you were talking about.”
Mirren10 says
” The recent news about ISIS may be removing the blinkers from some people. ”
Yes. Let’s hope the trend continues. As Tolkien says; ”oft evil will, will evil mar”.
On the other hand, what’s the betting our Western ‘leaders’ (puke, spit) don’t decide to do a deal with the devil ? I’m afraid it wouldn’t surprise me.
Beagle says
Ah? What’s going on? It used to be saying anything like this got one banned from the comments sections of British newspapers. It’s too late really, but something of a relief to see the pod people moving towards reality a bit.
Appalled By The World says
Easily the feel good story of the day.
One has to wonder at just how peaceful the world would be today if Mo never heard that goofy voice in that cave 1400 years ago. Islamania has proven to be the longest lasting and most bloody form of totalitarianism ever created in world history-all others combined have killed less people.
dumbledoresarmy says
From the sounds of it, this guy started out non-Muslim, then converted to Islam, and then…*woke up*, per miraculum, spun round and **got out**. Renouncing the Religion of Blood and War. And now, warning others about what it’s *really* about.
Just like our own Saleem Smith and Istanbul Chick, who also started out as non-Muslims, foolishly converted to Islam, and then…*something* shook them awake, and they got outta dodge in a cloud of dust.
hey, there’s hope! *Within the West*, not all those who “convert” to Islam will *stay* there.
God bless and protect all apostates from Islam. To any such who may be lurking here: my hat’s off to you, because you are people of courage. You have chosen Life and Truth and Love, and turned your backs on a deadly cult that teaches the worship and practice of Murder, Falsehood and Hatred.
PJG says
I have been thinking about Islamic hatred quite a bit recently because of facebook pages I have been commenting on. If Muslims comment, they tend to start off sweet…suspiciously sweet. They pronounce themselves caring, lovers of equality and justice and so on. They brag that they follow our laws (how marvellous is that!?) After a polite question or two from myself or others, they start to change, call me a “hater”, and end up demanding respect (a particular interest of theirs is to be “respected”) or coming out with wildly illogical assumptions about and accusations against me (or the other commenters) and often bring up Israel, as if Israel is relevant to any topic under the sun. We are supposed to conclude that because Israel is a “terror state” that somehow everything Muslims say about anything at all is correct. In short…the hatred is not very far under the surface.
saturnine says
Scratch a Muslim and a Jihadist bleeds …
TH says
“I held all these conflicting beliefs at the same time, without ever coming to terms with them, based on islamic ideals”. This type of dualism and holding contradictory positions at the same time is one of the principle characteristics of Islam. There is one morality for muslims and another for “kafur”. They say that Islam is a religion of peace, and at the same time it orders them to kill “kafur”. Which is it? It is both. However, how do they understand peace? It will only arise, according to them when the whole world is submitted and forms part of the umhah. However, this like practically everything in Islam is a lie and a logical contradiction. Not surprising when you see how they debate, as Robert well knows. They let loose a long list of logical fallacies, such as red herrings and personal attacks, with no attempt to responde to arguments logically.