Here we go again. This conflation is near-universal, but that doesn’t make it any more legitimate. The teachings of Islam are one thing and Muslims are another, just as the teachings of Christianity are one thing and Christians are another. Jesus said to love one’s enemies and turn the other cheek, but few Christians manage to do that. Their failure, however, doesn’t mean that Jesus didn’t say it, and it isn’t “anti-Christian” to point out that Christianity teaches that one should do so, or anything else that that it actually teaches. To point out that Islam in all its major forms teaches warfare against unbelievers is not “anti-Muslim,” it’s simply a fact. To wit: one might also get the impression that Islam is a religion of violence from these Qur’an verses:
2:191-193: “And slay them wherever you come upon them, and expel them from where they expelled you; persecution is more grievous than slaying. But fight them not by the Holy Mosque until they should fight you there; then, if they fight you, slay them — such is the recompense of unbelievers, but if they give over, surely Allah is All-forgiving, All-compassionate. Fight them, till there is no persecution and the religion is Allah’s; then if they give over, there shall be no enmity save for evildoers.”
4:34: “Men are the managers of the affairs of women for that Allah has preferred in bounty one of them over another, and for that they have expended of their property. Righteous women are therefore obedient, guarding the secret for Allah’s guarding. And those you fear may be rebellious admonish; banish them to their couches, and beat them. If they then obey you, look not for any way against them; Allah is All-high, All-great.”
4:89: “They wish that you should disbelieve as they disbelieve, and then you would be equal; therefore take not to yourselves friends of them, until they emigrate in the way of Allah; then, if they turn their backs, take them, and slay them wherever you find them; take not to yourselves any one of them as friend or helper.”
5:33: “This is the recompense of those who fight against Allah and His Messenger, and hasten about the earth, to do corruption there: they shall be slaughtered, or crucified, or their hands and feet shall alternately be struck off; or they shall be banished from the land. That is a degradation for them in this world; and in the world to come awaits them a mighty chastisement.”
5:38: “And the thief, male and female: cut off the hands of both, as a recompense for what they have earned, and a punishment exemplary from Allah; Allah is All-mighty, All-wise.”
8:12: “When thy Lord was revealing to the angels, ‘I am with you; so confirm the believers. I shall cast into the unbelievers’ hearts terror; so smite above the necks, and smite every finger of them!”
8:39: “Fight them, till there is no persecution and the religion is Allah’s entirely; then if they give over, surely Allah sees the things they do.”
8:60: “Make ready for them whatever force and strings of horses you can, to strike terror thereby into the enemy of Allah and your enemy, and others besides them that you know not; Allah knows them. And whatsoever you expend in the way of Allah shall be repaid you in full; you will not be wronged.”
9:5: “Then, when the sacred months are over, slay the idolaters wherever you find them, and take them, and confine them, and lie in wait for them at every place of ambush. But if they repent, and perform the prayer, and pay the alms, then let them go their way; Allah is All-forgiving, All-compassionate.”
9:29: “Fight those who believe not in Allah and the Last Day and do not forbid what Allah and His Messenger have forbidden, and do not practice the religion of truth, even if they are of the People of the Book — until they pay the jizya with willing submission and feel themselves subdued.”
9:111: “Allah has bought from the believers their selves and their possessions against the gift of Paradise; they fight in the way of Allah; they kill, and are killed; that is a promise binding upon Allah in the Torah, and the Gospel, and the Koran; and who fulfils his covenant truer than Allah? So rejoice in the bargain you have made with Him; that is the mighty triumph.”
9:123: “O believers, fight the unbelievers who are near to you; and let them find in you a harshness; and know that Allah is with the godfearing.”
47:4: “When you meet the unbelievers, smite their necks, then, when you have made wide slaughter among them, tie fast the bonds; then set them free, either by grace or ransom, till the war lays down its loads. So it shall be; and if Allah had willed, He would have avenged Himself upon them; but that He may try some of you by means of others. And those who are slain in the way of Allah, He will not send their works astray.”
There are some tolerant verses in the Qur’an as well — see, for example, sura 109. But then in Islamic tradition there are authorities who say that violent passages take precedence over these verses. Muhammad’s earliest biographer, an eighth-century Muslim named Ibn Ishaq, explains the progression of Qur’anic revelation about warfare. First, he explains, Allah allowed Muslims to wage defensive warfare. But that was not Allah’s last word on the circumstances in which Muslims should fight. Ibn Ishaq explains offensive jihad by invoking a Qur’anic verse: “Then God sent down to him: ‘Fight them so that there be no more seduction,’ i.e. until no believer is seduced from his religion. ‘And the religion is God’s’, i.e. Until God alone is worshipped.”
The Qur’an verse Ibn Ishaq quotes here (2:193) commands much more than defensive warfare: Muslims must fight until “the religion is God’s” — that is, until Allah alone is worshipped. Ibn Ishaq gives no hint that that command died with the seventh century.
The great medieval scholar Ibn Qayyim (1292-1350) also outlines the stages of the Muhammad’s prophetic career: “For thirteen years after the beginning of his Messengership, he called people to God through preaching, without fighting or Jizyah, and was commanded to restrain himself and to practice patience and forbearance. Then he was commanded to migrate, and later permission was given to fight. Then he was commanded to fight those who fought him, and to restrain himself from those who did not make war with him. Later he was commanded to fight the polytheists until God’s religion was fully established.”
In other words, he initially could fight only defensively — only “those who fought him” — but later he could fight the polytheists until Islam was “fully established.” He could fight them even if they didn’t fight him first, and solely because they were not Muslim.
Nor do all contemporary Islamic thinkers believe that that command is a relic of history. According to a 20th century Chief Justice of Saudi Arabia, Sheikh Abdullah bin Muhammad bin Humaid, “at first ‘the fighting’ was forbidden, then it was permitted and after that it was made obligatory.” He also distinguishes two groups Muslims must fight: “(1) against them who start ‘the fighting’ against you (Muslims) . . . (2) and against all those who worship others along with Allah . . . as mentioned in Surat Al-Baqarah (II), Al-Imran (III) and At-Taubah (IX) . . . and other Surahs (Chapters of the Qur’an).” (The Roman numerals after the names of the chapters of the Qur’an are the numbers of the suras: Sheikh Abdullah is referring to Qur’anic verses such as 2:216, 3:157-158, 9:5, and 9:29.)
Here again, obviously there is a widespread understanding of the Qur’an within Islamic tradition that sees it, and Islam, as a religion of violence. And we see Muslims who clearly understand their religion as being inherently violent acting upon that understanding around the world today, in Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, Burma, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Egypt, Israel, Nigeria and elsewhere. We can hope that those who embody the true, peaceful Islam that everyone seems to assume exists come forward and work against the Muslims who believe in violence, instead of just issuing pro-forma condemnations. So far we have not seen that. On the contrary, we see reformers threatened and cowed into silence. The Moroccan activist Ahmed Assid condemned violence in Islam’s name and was immediately declared an apostate and threatened with death by Muslim clerics. If the Ahmed Assids of the world represent the true Islam that is not inherently violent, the message has not gotten through to all too many of their coreligionists.
“DPP governor Paipi forced to apologise over anti-Muslim remarks,” by Zawadi Chilunga, Nyasa Times, June 24, 2018 (thanks to The Religion of Peace):
Malawi’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) eastern region governor, Julius Paipi, has apologised over his awkward remarks against Muslims when he described Islam as a religion of violence.
Paipi made the anti-Muslim remarks during campaign rallies in Namwera and Makanjira in an attempt to discourage people to vote for Malawi Congress Party vice president Sidik Mia, an ardent muslim.
His remarks invited backlash from Muslims and other belivers [sic] for ecounraging [sic] religious intolerance, [sic]
But Paipi speaking during the donation of various food items he made at Kandewu village in the area of Traditional Authority Ganya in Ntcheu district said he was deeply sorry for causing “misunderstanding”.
He said: “I apologise for the sake of those who really believed that I spoke those words.”
Paipi said he is a a firm believer in unity and charity because he has a Muslim background.
“I was raised by a Muslim family so all these sentiments are mere politics,” he said.
Muslim sheiks said Paipi had been “irresponsible” for his comments….
St. Manuel II Palailogos says
The truth, in other words.
john spielman says
isl;ma is the violent rantings of muhammed, a REPROBATE demon possessed mass murderer thief/robber liar and pedophile sexual pervert!
and since muslims believe he was the “perfect man”of islam and to be emulated, islam has been responsible for mass murder and suppression than any other religious ideology in the history of the human race ( 50-200 millions of Hindus slaughtered during the muslim conquest of the Indian sub continent alone)
john spielman says
oops sorry that should read : “islam! is the violent rantings…”
john spielman says
islam is the violent rantings of muhammed, a REPROBATE demon possessed mass murderer thief/robber liar and pedophile sexual pervert!
and since muslims believe he was the “perfect man”of islam and to be emulated, islam has been responsible for mass murder and suppression than any other religious ideology in the history of the human race ( 50-200 millions of Hindus slaughtered during the muslim conquest of the Indian sub continent alone)
RichardL says
some context: the gentleman is an African politician. Veracity, intellectual brilliance, and ethicality are not traits that I personally associate with this category.
Lisa Letto says
I admire those who have left the religion, but must admit I have little patience for Islam in any form.
jewdog says
You had it right the first time, Governor.
Kepha says
I wonder if Mr. Paipi belongs to an ethnicity or region that used to be subject to Arab and Swahili slave-raiding.
gravenimage says
Quite likely.
somehistory says
In the present climate of these “last days” of f this “system of things,” telling the truth is a “crime.”
Everyone telling the truth must be forced to apologize, recant, and then receive harsh punishment.
satan controls this “system of things,” and telling the truth is against everything for which he stands. The Truth must be persecuted until it exists no more.
This guy will most likely be forced to begin observing, since he admits to having been raised in a moslim family.
FYI says
You can sometimes get an idea of what a religion’s moral compass is by looking at what its prophet said.
So, let’s see what islam’s prophet muhammed said:after all,muslims are commanded to follow his (ungodly)example..what would muhammed say about islam being a religion of violence?
“I have been made victorious through TERROR”
bukhari 4:52:220
Oh.That’s a bit awkward:it seems muhammed wouldn’t disagree…. and it seems islam’s perfect man,its self-appointed prophet, is an avowed terrorist.That’s almost as awkward for islamic apologists as al tabari 6:111 where muhammed admits to being a false prophet [“I have fabricated things AGAINST God”}
gravenimage says
+1
gravenimage says
Malawi: Governor says Islam is religion of violence, then apologizes for “anti-Muslim remarks”
……………….
How is telling the truth about Islam “anti-Muslim”?
somehistory says
Because, as we all know, telling the truth about islam and its filthy ‘prophet’ is only acceptable to moslims if it is in *praise* of islam and its filthy, evil, ‘prophet.’ The truth is good if it is said in a bragging manner.
If one tells the truth, and it is said as condemnation or just criticism, then it is considered “slander,’ and “phobia.” And “anti moslim.”
UNCLE VLADDI says
Most pathetic continuing act of SUBMISSION, Robert.
You don’t get to define what a “muslim” is, does, thinks, and/or is not, does not do, and does not think.
Only the founder of islam, Muhammad, got to do that.
And he said:
Islam’s Qur’an only lists and sums up all the bad criminal acts everyone might become tempted into committing in the course of their lives anyway, and gives them the endorsement of “God” himself! So everyone already prone to indulge their criminal desires and turn them into criminal actions, will eventually embrace it (in prison, if not before)!
The Qur’an is exactly what you’d get if the spiritual ancestor of Adolf Hitler had written the bible.
The Qur’an is a clearly-written hate-crime expressing a permanent death-threat: it tells it’s muslim mind-slaves that they are in fact SO “superior” to all the non-members of their war and plunder cult, that it’s not only their right, but also their holy duty to their god, to extort, enslave, and murder all the non-muslims in the world, simply for the “crime” of not being muslims!
So “muslims” are nothing more than criminals, pedophile murderers who dress up in the robes and beards of religious men, waving fake bibles, yelling about “god” to cover up their criminal natures to get closer to their victims.
Islam has a standard: Qur’an & Sunnah. Its what Moe said and did according to the oral traditions of his companions.
2.85 prohibits dividing the Qur’an, its all or nothing.
2.216 ordains Jihad for Muslims.
8.39 commands perpetual war against pagans until Allah has a global monopoly.
8.57 & 8.60 command terrorism.
8.67 requires “great slaughter” as Moe’s price of admission to Allah’s celestial bordello. 9.120 promises Brownie Points for any “step” taken to “injure or enrage” disbelievers. 9.111 & 49.15 define believers as those who fight in Allah’s cause.
33.21 sets up Moe as a role model for Muslims to emulate. Read the TOC of “The Life Of Muhammad” to see what he did. One attack every six weeks for the last decade of his life.
A Muslim who does not support Jihad including terror as a battle tactic, is a hypocrite, one and whom the others should kill, 4.89; not a believer as described in 8.1-5, 9.111 & 49.15.
3.110 makes Muslims out to be the “best of peoples for the people”. Sahih Bukhari 6.60.80 explains that they are the best as they drag us to Islam with chains on our necks.
If they sincerely denounce terror, they are hypocrites or apostates, not Muslims. I direct your attention to “Reliance Of The Traveller” o8.0–8.7 which specifies the death penalty for any of a list of 20 attitudes and actions including denial of any part of the Qur’an. In this case 8.12, 57 & 60; 9.111, 120; 33.26-27 & 59.2.
So: According only to them SELVES, (and not according to some parochial Westerners who grew up been spoon-fed the Enlightenment ideals of universal human rights – and responsibilities – and free will, such as your self) all muslims are proud slaves of “allah,” who were deliberately created to Submit to his immutable, implacable will.
And – also according to them, not to any of you leftopaths reading this – “allah” also very deliberately created YOU, as an “infidel,” to vex him, and for his “muslim” mind-slave minions to therefore murder, as a test of their devotion to him.
Islam is a monolithic crime-creed, with instructions in their war and crime-manual applying to all aspects of their holy mobster “muslim” minions’ lives. Its management is not a top-down affair.
Each and every one of them knows their obligations to the tribe and knows they are at war with us. The Qur’an sentences us all to “Death By Muslim!” for our “crime” of simply not being muslims ourselves!