Islaam Spread By The Sword
As mentioned earlier under
the issue of apostasy, forcible conversion is prohibited in Islaam.
The religion did not spread by the sword. There were military confrontations
between the Muslim state and the existing world powers of
The largest Muslim country
in the world today is
Terrorism
Terrorism is defined by the
American government as the threat or the use of violence to advance a political
cause by individuals or groups, whether acting for or in opposition to
established governmental authority, when such actions are intended to shock,
stun, or intimidate a target group wider than the immediate victims. Actually
such a general definition will include all wars of liberation from the American
War of Independence to the French Revolution. The worst aspect and perhaps the
most common feature of terrorism is the unleashing of violence against innocent
civilians.
The
State of Israel is the most recent example of the establishment of a state by
terrorism. It was established by Jewish terrorist groups, the most infamous of
which was the Stern Gang.
The
term ?Muslim terrorist? is
used to label Islaam as a terrorist religion.
However, it is a misnomer. When IRA bombers struck, they were not labeled as ?Catholic terrorists? even
though the struggle is between Catholic Ireland and Protestant Northern Ireland
supported by Protestant England. Likewise, when Timothy McVeigh blew up the CIA
headquarters in Oklahoma City in 1995 killing 168 people, he was not labeled as
a ?Christian terrorist?, though he was Christian and a terrorist. In fact the ?Muslim terrorist? label was
attached to the activities of the PLO who were a mixture of Muslims, Christians
and communists. The PLO is not, nor was it ever, a Muslim organization. It is a
nationalist organization working for the establishment of a secular Palestinian
state.
The
face of terrorism can be seen in the extremist movements of
The
case of
Islaam opposes any form of indiscriminate violence. The Qur?aan states: ?Anyone who has
killed another except in retaliation, it is as if he has killed the whole of
humankind.? (32:5) There are strict rules
regulating how war may be conducted. Prophet Muhammad forbade the killing of
women, children, and old people and the destruction of Churches and Synagogues
or farms. Of course, if women, children or the elderly bear arms they may be
killed in self-defense.
Jihaad
Usually translated by the
Western media as ?holy war? is
a greatly misunderstood principle in Islaam. There is
no term in Arabic which means ?holy war?. War is not ?holy? in Islaam
it is.
The meaning of jihaad is ?striving? or ?struggle?. It is used in Islaam
to refer to a variety of different efforts enjoined upon the believers.
Striving to keep God and His Messenger more important than loved ones, wealth
and one?s own self is the
most basic form of jihaad prescribed on every Muslim.
The Prophet said, ?No one has truly believed until Allaah and His Messenger becomes more beloved than
everything.? Doing the righteous deeds prescribed by God is itself a jihaad. The Prophet was reported to have said,
?The best jihaad is the perfect Hajj.? On
another occasion, someone asked the Prophet if he should join the jihaad. The Prophet responded by asking him whether his
parents were still alive and when he replied that they were, he said, ?Make jihaad by serving
them.?
Defending Islaam and the Muslim community is a primary aspect of the
physical jihaad which involves taking up arms against
an enemy. God states in the Quraan ?Permission to fight has been given to those who
have been attacked because they are wronged. And indeed, Allaah
is Most Powerful.? (
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