N.C. Asthana is a retired Indian Police Service officer and a writer on many topics. Here he gives us the usual denials, deflections, detours and deceptions. He claims that “had there been any religious sanction for terrorism as we understand it today, someone was bound to have discovered it sometime in the past.”
Oh, they did, they did! Asthana should consult The History of Jihad, which provides abundant evidence that Islamic jihad terrorism has been practiced for 1,400 years. The technology has changed, but not the underlying ideology.
He also claims that “terrorism as we find it today simply did not exist in the early days of Islam when its religious concepts were crystallised for posterity. Hence, there is no question of there being any support for the modern phenomenon of terrorism in the Qur’an or the Hadis, a record of the words, actions, and the silent approval of the Prophet.”
That depends on how one defines the “modern phenomenon of terrorism.” Yes, there weren’t the weapons and explosives we have now. But the Qur’an is quite clear about the imperative to strike terror in hearts of the enemies of Allah.
“Against them make ready your strength to the utmost of your power, including steeds of war, to strike terror into the hearts of the enemies of Allah and your enemies…” (8:60)
“When your Lord was revealing to the angels, ‘I am with you; so confirm the believers. I shall cast terror into the hearts of the unbelievers; so strike the necks, and strike every finger of them!” (Qur’an 8:12)
“We will cast terror into the hearts of those who disbelieve for what they have associated with Allah of which He had not sent down authority. And their refuge will be the Fire, and wretched is the residence of the wrongdoers.” (Qur’an 3:151)
“And kill them wherever you find them, and drive them out from where they drove you out; persecution is worse than slaughter. But fight them not by the Holy Mosque until they should fight you there; then, if they fight you, kill them — such is the recompense of unbelievers, but if they give over, surely Allah is all-forgiving, all-compassionate. Fight them until there is no persecution and the religion is Allah’s; then if they give over, there shall be no enmity save for evildoers.” (Qur’an 2:191-193)
“They wish that you should disbelieve as they disbelieve, and then you would be equal; therefore do not take friends from among them, until they emigrate in the way of Allah; then, if they turn their backs, seize them and kill them wherever you find them; do not take for yourselves any one of them as friend or helper.” (Qur’an 4:89)
“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 killed, or crucified, or their hands and feet shall be struck off on opposite sides; or they shall be exiled from the land. That is a degradation for them in this world; and in the world to come awaits them a mighty chastisement.” (Qur’an 5:33)
“Fight them, till there is no persecution and religion is all for Allah; then if they give over, surely Allah sees the things they do.” (Qur’an 8:39)
“Then, when the sacred months are over, kill 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.” (Qur’an 9:5)
“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.” (Qur’an 9:29)
“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.” (Qur’an 9:111)
“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.” (Qur’an 9:123)
“When you meet the unbelievers, strike 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.” (Qur’an 47:4)
“Terrorism Is a Political Phenomenon. To Blame it on Islam is Wrong: Scholars have shown that there is no evidence that Islam has ever preached the use of terror, yet this narrative doesn’t stop.” by N.C. Asthana, The Wire, October 1, 2021:
Ever since the victory of the Taliban in Afghanistan, Islamophobia in the world in general and India in particular has received a fresh impetus. A common refrain, which you are quite likely to hear even from those who are not self-proclaimed anti-Muslims is, “All Muslims are not terrorists but all terrorists are Muslims.”
The insinuation implicit in this belief is that there is something such and fundamentally wrong with Islam per se, which predisposes Muslims towards becoming brutal terrorists. In fact, even the brutal beheadings of captives by ISIS terrorists like Jihadi John are, in popular Islamophobic perception, attributed to them being Muslims and not to the individuals’ perversity.
Indiscriminate use of a term like ‘Islamic terrorism’ has created an impression in the minds of a large number of people that terrorists who happen to be Muslims exist because Islam, somehow ‘approving’ of terrorism, drives them inexorably towards it.
The notion is so widespread that even scholars are not immune from it. An Israeli scholar Shmuel Bar, for example, while admitting that terrorism is not an Islamic phenomenon, still provocatively and misleadingly titled his study ‘The Religious Sources of Islamic Terrorism’.
This is a dangerous misconception – a vicious myth that is rooted as much in ignorance as in prejudice. Terrorism as we find it today simply did not exist in the early days of Islam when its religious concepts were crystallised for posterity. Hence, there is no question of there being any support for the modern phenomenon of terrorism in the Qur’an or the Hadis, a record of the words, actions, and the silent approval of the Prophet.
Had there been any religious sanction for terrorism as we understand it today, someone was bound to have discovered it sometime in the past. There is no reason to believe that some people discovered them only in the 20th century and have gone berserk….
jim says
Well, the author would be a good lawyer. He can prove anyone innocent who has enough to pay his fees. Islam is a political phenomenon, an ideology that teaches violence as a means to acquire wealth, land and power.
It is not a matter just of what its books teach or proclaim. It is also a matter of what they suggest and imply. And the practice of Islamists shows how the texts are understood.
Sherif says
He has asserted but proved nothing!
Jim K. says
He has quoted the Qur’an and that’s all the proof needed. Not all Muslims are terrorists. In fact according to my professors for my Master’s Degree in National Security with concentrations in Intelligence Analysis and Counterterrorism the true number could be as low as 10% of the Islamic population. But with overall numbers at about 1.5 BILLION, that’s 150 Million folks!
There is no such thing as “Radical Islam. There is only Islam.
You might be able to differentiate by classifying them as either Modernist or Traditionalist.
Modernists are like modern Christianity, disavowing the more brutal edicts of the Old Testament such as found in Leviticus.
Traditionalists take every word as a command and they are determined to slay the Jew and the Infidels until none exist. They are forbidden by the Qur’an from making friends among both Jews and Infidels. They are encouraged to lie to assist in the objective of Jihad.
The ultimate defeat of this enemy must rest with the God of the Universe, Jesus.
But there are steps we can take in the moment. First among them is to remain vigilant and always at the ready equipped for an attack.
Unlike 911 the next may well be low tech individual and street level. Although wide ranging across the country.
I would encourage everyone to read a short novel by William R. Fortschen titled “Day of Wrath” for a chilling example of how this may play out.
mortimer says
Excellent observation by Sherif … ‘assertion without proof’.
Asthana has commited the fallacy of a sweeping generalization.
In fact, ‘Islamic scholars do recommend terrorism throughout Islamic history.
-Mohammed claimed he was a terrorist:
-Mohammed said: “I have been made victorious by means of terror!” (Sahih Bukhari V4B52N220)
Only decades ago, Pakistan’s Brigadier S.K. Malik wrote a whole book on the Islamic doctrine of TERRORISING THE ENEMY …
– “Only a strategy that aims at STRIKING TERROR INTO THE HEARTS OF THE ENEMIES from the preparation stage can produce direct results and turn (the) dream into a reality.” – Pakistani Brig. S.K. Malik, “Quranic Concept of War”.
– “the Quran directly commands us to commit terrorism, so why are we afraid of it?”
Ragab Hilal Hamida member of Egyptian Parliament, 2006
-Modern Islam encourages violence (from website Islamqa):
-“Praise be to Allaah. We have already stated in question no. 34830 that jihad is of two types: taking the initiative in fighting and jihad in self-defence. Undoubtedly, TAKING THE INITIATIVE IN FIGHTING has a GREAT EFFECT in spreading Islam and bringing people into the religion of Allaah in crowds. Hence THE HEARTS OF THE ENEMIES OF ISLAM ARE FILLED WITH FEAR OF JIHAD.”
So, actually … there are many Islamic ‘scholars’ who recommend terrorizing the infidels. Therefore, ex-cop Asthana has no grounds for his unsupported assertion, no matter how vehemently he asserts it. The canonical Islamic scholars contradict Asthana.
To conclude concerning N.C. Asthana (late police force), either Asthana has not read ANY of the canonical source texts of Islam or the canonical commentaries (tafsirs) or he is just lying about jihadic terrorism.
I personally assume N.C. Asthana is just shovelling farm-fresh, hot, steaming piles of TAQIYYA.
mortimer says
Jim is correct: the political Islamists understand very clearly that terror is the tool for extending Islamic political rule. The political Islamists are not misinterpreting Islam’s primary source texts. The Islamists base their conclusions on the commentaries of Islam’s classical scholars. Modern manuals of jihad cite Islam’s canonical scholars copiously.
If Asthana read only a couple of modern jihad authors such as Sayyid Qutb, Maulana Maududi or Anwar Awlaki, he would quickly find multiple citations from Islamic scholars recommending jihadic terror.
Mike says
so where is the disconnect, terror seems to be the ONLY message that is sent just next to Hates everyone
somehistory says
” fundamentally wrong with Islam ”
Yes, It is totally, through and through, top to bottom, inside and out, evil. That’s what’s “fundamentally wrong with islam”
Some people are just too stupid, to see it; and others are too slimey deceitful to admit it.
But, the terrorists prove it over and over and over again that it is full of hateful terror, rape, murder, lies, lies and more lies about the “reasons” for the terror, rape, murder and lies.
And this person has put it all into lies….unless they have done some of the other things of islam that show there’s something “fundamentally wrong with islam.”
gravenimage says
+1
JOEYN says
Thank God he has retired or otherwise India will have to sack him right away. India;s law and order system would be in big trouble with idiots like this being part of it.
mortimer says
Agree with Joeyn … glad he is retired … he would not see Islamic terrorism anywhere … he is a jihad cover-up artist.
In fact, almost all Hindus I know are aware that Muslims terrorised and killed 80 million Hindus as they conquered and subjugated India.
Asthana is whitewashing the history of Islamic conquest in India. It is taqiyya.
Infidel says
Just as we here have Buzzfeed, Axios and Politico, India has The Wire, The Print and Quint as its main Leftist publications. Once one notes that, one knows to dismiss anything coming from any of the above 6 rags
James Lincoln says
Infidel,
Can’t leave out salon.com
And there are others…
Kepha says
Secular India needs to polish the shining myths about its second-largest religious community. Back in 2001, Bush II rightly noted that not all of the Islamic world sided with OBL, but then , unhappily, gave us the “religion of peace” meme–which, ironically, every Left-wing Bush-hater went on to repeat.
gravenimage says
‘Scholars have shown that there is no evidence that Islam has ever preached the use of terror’
…………….
Just risible bullsh*t from N.C. Asthana. No, Jihad terror is not only a 20th and 21st century phenomenon–it was a core part of Islam from the beginning. Note that N.C. Asthana does not cite these scholars. India has particularly suffered from Jihad terror, with an estimated 80 million victims.
N.C. Asthana has also said that exposing “love Jihad”–the seduction, kidnapping, and rape of Hindu and other non-Muslim girls–destroys communal harmony. Apparently kidnapping and rape have no such effects.
And here he is, spouting apologia for Muslims murdering cartoonists and journalists, claiming it is no different from any other sort of killing, like a robbery gone wrong–even though these murders are specifically intended to crush freedom of speech, and saying that “a religion cannot be held responsible for the acts of its adherents”–apparently, even wen it teaches those acts.
https://thewire.in/religion/to-mock-or-not-to-mock-religions-that-is-the-question
He notes that Christians have also been mocked, but have not reacted violently as do Muslims–but then he essentially dismisses this argument, without ever saying why.
Johnny B says
Even though it’s in black and white several places throughout Islamic scripture for anyone to see they just flat out deny it’s there!? But I’m not surprises when even the president of the United States can get away with saying things like, “we choose truth over facts”, whatever that’s supposed to mean? Strange times indeed..
gravenimage says
Yes–Biden *did* say this. Just another gaff? If so, what did he actually mean to say?
Johnny B says
Who knows, really? But if the Left decides that the sun rising in the east is somehow racist and Islamophobic (the “truth”), then you should obviously not provide mere facts in order to challenge this understanding. This may seem like a silly example, but after I came up with it, I realized that somewhere in the Islamic scriptures it says that in the last days, Allah will make the sun rise in the west. So it wasn’t really as far fetched as it seemed 🙂
gravenimage says
Yes–the truth is not seen as a defense if you are not “politically correct”.
Alfredo says
N.C. Asthana might find this passage from the Qur’an informative and helpful to dispel his notion that Islam does not sanction terrorism,
“When your Lord was revealing to the angels, ‘I am with you; so confirm the believers, I will strike terror into the hearts of unbelievers; so strike the necks, and strike every finger of them!” Qur’an 8:12
Bikinis not Burkas says
Eyes wide shut because he probably lives in a heavily Muslim populated area!
Ncrdbl1 says
Islam teaches it is ok to lie to non believers.
notnolib says
islam is what we call a “gutter cult”, and it’s adherents “gutter cultists”. It was absolutely invented by mohammed the pig-faced dog to be the very face of terror.
It is a FACT that Asthana is a liar…..aka muslim.
OLD GUY says
Islam has become the best spreader of B.S. in the world.
Islam is operated as a cartel and cult religion with power and cash for its leadership as the sole goal. Why the west leadership wants to recognize this criminal organization as a religion is the BIG question. It’s pretty obvious that most people living under islam live in fear of its violent rule and unstable leaders who will have you beat, raped or killed at their will.
Opening our borders to this criminal cult is vary dangerous.
JCA Reid says
BS! Just a few verses from the Quran: 2:191-3; 3:151; 4:74,76, 89,95, 101, 104;9:5, 14, 20, 29,30,88 & 123; 25:52; 48:29, There are lots more. From Sahih Bukhari 52:177, 256, & 52:15. Then Sahih Bukhari 52:220 sums it up nicely, “Allah’s Apostle said, ‘I have been made victorious with Terror.’
sums it all up really.
James Lincoln says
So N.C. Asthana states:
“…Scholars have shown that there is no evidence that Islam has ever preached the use of terror…”
If that were “true” (it is not), then why do infidels have to be constantly reminded by “scholars” that it is “true”???
Walter Sieruk says
What an outright blatant liar that NC Asthana is for what is called “Radical Islamic Terrorism” , is very much based on religion. The religion of Islam For Islam’s “holy book” the Qur ‘an [the Koran] instructs on the use of violence and killing for the advancement of Islam. As found in ,for example 2:191. 4:89. 5:33. 9:5,111,123. 47:4.
Furthermore, it may be illustrated that if Islam is represented as a tree then the fruits then the fruits of that tree are the many brutal, violent and deadly jihad terror entities. Such as ISIS, Al Qaeda, Boko Haram, al Shabaab , Hamas, Hezbollah, P.I.J. etc. With this statement, the Wisdom of the teachings of Jesus may, very much, apply to this subject. For Jesus taught “Ye do know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.” After saying this Jesus told them what He told them when He said “By their fruit ye shall know them.” Matthew 7:16, 17, 18,.20. [K.J.V.]
In conclusion, Islam is a corrupt tree and also a false religion, Proverbs 14:12. John 14:6. First John 2:22,23. 4:14,15. 5:12,13,20.
sidney penny says
“Terrorism Is a Political Phenomenon. To Blame it on Islam is Wrong: Scholars have shown that there is no evidence that Islam has ever preached the use of terror, yet this narrative doesn’t stop.” by N.C. Asthana”
Maybe N.C. Asthana, is saying all this to “save” the Hindus in India. To say otherwise invites attacks by Muslims against Hindus in India.
Also, he does not say which scholars.Who are they?
Jedothek says
In addition, those who are interested in Islam and terrorism might look at the origin of the word ‘assassin’.
IndianTiger says
What a clown, this Asthana! The Wire is a leftist rag, always covering up muslim ass. There is plenty in Quran encouraging violence and terrorism.