By Babatunde Jose

If from a cursory reading of the history of Islam, especially in the age of the Caliphs and the period of territorial expansion, people get the impression that Islam is a religion of war and violence, that impression cannot be easily dismissed, even though drawing conclusions about Islam based on such impressions is simplistic, one-dimensional, naïve, immature, and inappropriate at best.

In the aftermath of 9/11 when President Bush visited the Islamic Centre of Washington DC, he remarked: “The face of terror is not the true faith of Islam. That’s not what Islam is all about. Islam is peace.” This statement was met with all round condemnation and denigration by neo-conservatives and even some of the President’s compatriots. Former British Prime Minister, David Cameron, suffered the same abuse and all-round denunciation from the neo-con, when he expressed similar views on Islam.

In contrast to the above are the Islamic hardliners who are the bedrock of fundamentalism. They are the so-called Jihadists who have read their Quran upside down and out of context. They give Islam a bad name and are extremists in their behavior. Their language is not only fiery, but intemperate and attitudes towards other faiths are belligerent. They form the crux of the extremists, unfortunately for Islam, they are vociferous but in the minority.

We have them here too. Alfas and Imams who preach hate at every opportunity and poison the minds of their congregants with odious and abhorrent interpretations of the Quran and misinterpretation and misrepresentation of the Hadith.

A bunch of ignoramuses, they are the cause of much of the disagreement between Islam and other faiths. But it does not have to be so.

Repudiating this group of extremist Muslims, is the broader Muslim community that finds an echo of their own position in what President Bush said and they would like the world to know that Islam means peace and Islam is peaceful. Period!

This group is very much troubled by the hate-mongering and violent posturing of the fringe extremists among Muslims. Thus, they would like to underscore and highlight the essential dimension of Islam, which in their view is peace.

To present Islam as essentially peaceful or violent, leads to a false and an unacceptable reductionism; and trying to cast Islam in such a reductionist framework inevitably leads to either misunderstanding or misrepresentation. Islam, like any other faith should be judged by the tenets of the religion; its five pillars and the Quran, without taking its provisions out of context and the life and time of the prophet and his ‘Sahabah’ placed in the proper historical settings.

The history of Islam is also like that of many other religious communities and is not devoid of violence and warfare. There have been almost perpetual wars, conflicts, and the attending violence in the Muslim world.

The Islamic polity, which from the beginning was on a pluralistic foundation, continued to be drawn to war with other great civilizations and lesser powers of the time.

The Caliphate was also engulfed in internal schism and conflict; the Shiite and Sunni divide. Contending powers or blocks had internecine conflicts, in most cases completely de-linked and unrelated with the spirit, vision, and precepts of Islam. This continues today as we witness in the Shiite revolt in Northern Nigeria.

Islam (submission to God) being a religion of freedom, peace and justice does cover the legitimacy of fighting in the Quran as and when it is required and justified. The believers at the time of the revelation of the Quran had to face hostile opposition because of their religious views and were in many cases forced to fight to save their lives as well as to stay in their homes and to practice their religion freely.

But it is unfortunate that the misguided groups who claim they are Muslims have quoted certain verses or their parts out of context in support of their terrorist activities in the erroneous belief of passage to Paradise and so do the critics of the Quran to trace the presence of violence in Islam.

However, below are the verses which are often taken out of context, even the message is very clear being the commandment of fighting for the believers when their lives and properties were in danger: 2:191; 4:101;  8:12; 8:13; 9:5; 9:14.

Fighting was a great concern of the believers at the initial period of the religion. For the first ten years, they faced persecution and oppression and after they immigrated to Medina, the Meccans waged wars against them. There are misinterpretations in the commandment of fighting, while some groups who have entirely inverted the religion claim that they are Muslims, but they do not belong to God’s religion as mentioned in the Quran. They commit murder and suicide expecting to go to Paradise but what they would get is a place in Hell Fire.

Since these groups insist on calling themselves Muslims, they belong to one group, which is labeled “Radical Islam” or “Islamic extremists” or “Islamic terrorists” in the media. Such labeling of these groups is completely wrong, because killing innocent people is the total opposite of the religion of Islam as detailed in the Quran. Hence, they are plainly terrorists, extremists, and anarchists.

Allah said:  Fight in the Way of God against those who fight you, but do not go beyond the limits. God does not love those who go beyond the limits. (Quran 2:190)

Without justice, peace is an illusion. That is human reality. Islam urges and emboldens people never to succumb to injustice. Rather, it instills courage and spirit to resist any social injustice and work collectively, creatively, and capably toward a just society, see Quran 4:135.

This pursuit of justice is not parochial or limited to only Muslims. Indeed, even though it should not be compared to the contemporary standard of human experience, during certain periods of Islamic civilization, non-Muslims, including Jews, found the best protection under Islamic rules and fled persecutions in Christendom to the Islamic polities. In this regard, we would like to quote ‘The Ashtiname of Muhammad’ (SAW).

The content of which is a testament, an eloquent testimony to the perception of the Holy Prophet (SAW) to Moslem/Christian relations:

“This is a letter which was issued by Mohammed, Ibn Abdullah, the Messenger, the Prophet, the Faithful, who is sent to all the people as a trust on the part of God to all His creatures, that they may have no plea against God hereafter. Verily God is Omnipotent, the Wise. This letter is directed to the embracers of Islam, as a covenant given to the followers of Jesus the Nazarene in the East and West, the far and near, the Arabs and foreigners, the known and the unknown.

“This letter contains the oath given unto them, and he who disobeys that which is therein will be considered a disbeliever and a transgressor to that whereunto he is commanded. He will be regarded as one who has corrupted the oath of God, disbelieved His Testament, rejected His Authority, despised His Religion, and made himself deserving of His Curse, whether he is a Sultan or any other believer of Islam. Whenever Christian monks, devotees and pilgrims gather together, whether in a mountain or valley, or den, or frequented place, or plain, or church, or in houses of worship, verily we are [at the] back of them and shall protect them, and their properties and their morals, by Myself, by My Friends and by My Assistants, for they are of My Subjects and under My Protection.

“I shall exempt them from that which may disturb them; of the burdens which are paid by others as an oath of allegiance. They must not give anything of their income but that which pleases them—they must not be offended, or disturbed, or coerced or compelled. Their judges should not be changed or prevented from accomplishing their offices, nor the monks disturbed in exercising their religious order, or the people of seclusion be stopped from dwelling in their cells.

“No one is allowed to plunder these Christians, or destroy or spoil any of their churches, or houses of worship, or take any of the things contained within these houses and bring it to the houses of Islam. And he who takes away anything therefrom, will be one who has corrupted the oath of God, and, in truth, disobeyed His Messenger.

“Jizya should not be put upon their judges, monks, and those whose occupation is the worship of God; nor is any other thing to be taken from them, whether it be a fine, a tax or any unjust right. Verily I shall keep their compact, wherever they may be, in the sea or on the land, in the East or West, in the North or South, for they are under My Protection and the testament of My Safety, against all things which they abhor.

“No taxes or tithes should be received from those who devote themselves to the worship of God in the mountains, or from those who cultivate the Holy Lands. No one has the right to interfere with their affairs, or bring any action against them. Verily this is for aught else and not for them; rather, in the seasons of crops, they should be given a Kadah for each Ardab of wheat (about five bushels and a half) as provision for them, and no one has the right to say to them ‘this is too much’, or ask them to pay any tax.

“As to those who possess properties, the wealthy and merchants, the poll-tax to be taken from them must not exceed twelve drachmas a head per year (i.e. about 200 modern day US dollars).

“They shall not be imposed upon by anyone to undertake a journey, or to be forced to go to wars or to carry arms; for the Muslims have to fight for them. Do no dispute or argue with them, but deal according to the verse recorded in the Quran, to wit: ‘Do not dispute or argue with the People of the Book but in that which is best’ [29:46].Thus they will live favored and protected from everything which may offend them by the Callers to religion (Islam), wherever they may be and in any place they may dwell.

“Should any Christian woman be married to a Muslim, such marriage must not take place except after her consent, and she must not be prevented from going to her church for prayer. Their churches must be honored and they must not be withheld from building churches or repairing convents.

“They must not be forced to carry arms or stones; but the Muslims must protect them and defend them against others. It is positively incumbent upon every one of the follower of Islam not to contradict or disobey this oath until the Day of Resurrection and the end of the world.”

Some have argued that the Ashtiname is a resource for building bridges between Muslims and Christians. The Ashtiname urges all Muslims to abide by the treaties and covenants that were concluded by Muhammad (SAW) with the Christian communities of his time.

If today some fringe elements disobey this covenant, it’s not because their actions are sanctioned, but they should be seen for what they are; not be seen as representing the faith. They should not only be condemned, but they should also be made to face the full wrath of the law.

In our next discourse, we shall examine the sources of the schism in interfaith relations and the origins of modern-day terrorism.

Barka Juma’at and Happy weekend

A lot has happened recently on the ‘terrorism’ front that brings to the front burner the issue of Islam and terrorism, more especially with some erstwhile Moslems and ‘friends’ of Islam beginning to ask the question: Why Islam? Misperception and confusion are starting to set in and many have begun to ruminate over the possibilities of a real connection between the tenets of the religion and terrorism.

Here in Nigeria, it has become increasingly clear that terrorism is no more the exclusive preserve of the Fulani herdsmen, Boko Haram and their derivatives, rather it has become a full-blown lucrative proposition for all comers. Kidnapping, terrorism and their variants have assumed industrial scale pursuits; and is no more limited to regions or provinces. 

Recent provocative messages from Mike Arnold, a former US mayor and missionary and spokesman on the perceived Christian persecution, radical Islam and humanitarian crises in Nigeria, has made this sermon very germane.  He is also the US ally of Nnamdi Kanu, the misguided Biafra irredentist: And most of all a self-styled modern-day crusader for the liberation of Nigeria from the clutches of remnants of Dan Fodio’s Jihad and the emergence of the ‘Promised Messiah’.

From the onset, let us disabuse our minds of any connection, encouragement, aiding or abetting of terror by mainstream Islam. There is no point repeating the assertion that Islam is a religion of peace.

It must also be said that the media is today enamoured with incidents of terrorism as it gives them good copy and the now proverbial’ Breaking News’ syndrome. The result of these odious presses, the activities of fringe terrorists is causing the faith what many now perceive that: “Violence is inherent in Islam. It’s a destructive, nihilistic cult of death. It legitimizes murder.”  

We can say with certainty that the violence and conflict racking much of the Muslim world does not happen because its inhabitants are Muslims. Because in recent decades alone we have seen every one of these types of violence replicated in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Liberia, Rwanda, South Sudan, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Cambodia, in conflicts where next to no Muslims were involved.

Contrary to the oft-stated view that religion causes much of the world’s violence, the past century has shown the immense potential for violence of the centralizing nation-state. Some people will be quick to say that none of the countries have generated global terrorism; which is correct. The fact is that they do not make sensational headlines as religion would.

A better explanation is that none of these post-colonial nations was deemed of crucial strategic importance to the West, and so none found itself garrisoned by Western troops; whereas the countries where large numbers of Muslims live happen to lie across the Suez Canal, the Strait of Hormuz and a vast reservoir of fossil fuels, as well as the birthplace of the West’s major religion. All those things made the West a participant in the Muslim world’s conflicts and then – eventually, after many decades – a target for them.

But that is geopolitics and cannot explain the recent emergence of home-based terrorists in England, France, Germany, Belgium and the United States. However, we might ponder, why the same type of terrorism is absent in South America, even Mexico.

The reason is not far-fetched. These nations have never had exploitative relationships with the so-called axis of Islamic militarism. That is, simply the Oil kingdoms of the East.

If anything, Europe is suffering from the collateral damage of years of its injustice to the people of the ‘Fertile Crescent’. The situation is however, not being helped by the intemperate language of ‘Islam haters’ in the West.  A commentator on CBS 60 Minutes did not stop at the violent acts of militant Muslims: No, he declared on the program that ‘Muhammad (SAW) is a “terrorist” who set an example opposite to that of Jesus and Moses’.

The most detestable of them all is the book by J.K Sheindlin: THE PEOPLE VS MUHAMMAD: A PSYCHOLOGICAL ANALYSIS, dubbed; ‘The trial which challenges the founder of Islam’s authority over all mankind’.  In this book (worse than Salman Rushdie’s Satanic Verses), the author called the Prophet (SAW) all sorts of unprintable epithets, most unbecoming of a sane human being. No wonder the book was eventually censored and banned on the Internet.

We have written about this before, namely, that the sins of Muslims should not be confused with the tenets or doctrines of Islam. We absolutely agree that some Muslims use Quranic verses (out of context) to justify their murder of innocent people. But the Bible has also been used to justify murder (http://www.evilbible.com/evil-bible-home-page/murder-in-the-bible/), the enslavement of Africans, or racial discrimination in the United States. You can also reference ‘The Slave Bible’.

Scores of Orthodox Christian Serb soldiers systematically raped tens of thousands of Bosnian Muslim women in the aftermath of the breakup of Yugoslavia. The members of the Klu Klux Klan are Christians. Can one justifiably conclude that Christianity is a racist and “evil” religion? Islam is not accorded this same treatment, and it is wrong.

On the one hand some Christian fundamentalists say how barbaric Islam is when it decrees cutting off the hand of the thief; however, when we read the Old Testament, much of the punishment prescribed there is the same as in the Qur’an. Even the evangelicals’ relentless assault on the dress of the Muslim women is contentious.   Ask them about the dress of Mary, the mother of Jesus and the pious women during the time of Jesus: In the New Testament the verses read, ‘it is a shame for a woman to pray with her head uncovered. (1 Cor. 11:2-16); also, in the book of Ephesians, there are verses that read, wives obey your husbands and be silent in the church, if you have a question, wait until you get home and ask your husband. Women are to learn in silence and subjection (Ephesians 5:21-32). The Evangelical are silent on these and countless other verses that support racism against people of colour; the verse reads “Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything, not by way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord.”  (Colossians 3:22).

Allah says in the holy book: O ye who believe! stand out firmly for Allah, as witnesses to fair dealing, and let not the hatred of others to you, make you swerve to wrong and depart from justice. Be just: that is next to piety: and fear Allah. For Allah is well-acquainted with all that ye do (Quran 5:8)

It is very easy to forget that the evangelicals and the neo-conservatives use the Bible to justify Israeli occupation of Palestine. They fund and support illegal settlement activity. They are also against peace and all “road maps” to peace. They support directly or indirectly the violence and terrorism against Palestinians fighting for their just cause against occupation. They also supported the illegal war against Iran for the “security” of Israel.

The US, Israel, India, Russia, etc. have all the WMDs and other powerful weapons which they use frequently – these nations have terrorized and killed so many and continue to do so in the name of self-defence or in the defence of their economic interest – even at the cost of so many innocent lives? It is therefore an insult upon injury when the legitimate struggle of the oppressed is termed terrorism.

We need to educate people in the fact that terrorism is not Islam; and that terrorists, regardless of religion or political ideology, are all demented fools who use their religion or ideology as a mechanism to justify their sick and twisted acts. No religion condones terrorism.

We need to educate the people that being a Muslim, Christian, Jew, Atheist, a member of the political left or political right does not equate you to being a terrorist, but rather that those who are terrorist are trying to equate themselves with members of these faiths or ideologies and are causing catastrophic damage when they hijack these faiths and ideologies for their own sick and twisted actions.

Groups such as Al-Qaeda, the IRA, The Japanese Red Army, ISIS, Boko Haram and many other groups do not represent the whole of the community they claim to represent, instead they are the exact opposite of what they claim to represent.

It is rather unfortunate that the terrorists, kidnappers and extremists that operate in our country fall under the above nomenclature. Kidnapping, terrorism and extremism have become a growth industry and are in no way religious in nature. The Fulani herdsman is not fighting for Islam. His cows destroy the farmland of both Muslim and Christian farmers.

Does the Quran or Muhammad (SAW) promote violence? Some issues in peace and violence are what we will look at in our next discourse.

Barka Juma’at and a happy weekend