Islam and Terrorism (9 page)
“Not at all,” he said.
“Did your church or other churches commit their members to go after you and never stop until they killed you because you betrayed Christianity?”
“None of that happened,” he said.
“Are there any verses in the Bible that say Christian apostates should be killed?”
“No, there are no verses in the Bible that talk about that.”
Now you could see the interest building among the students, but you could see the fear on the face of this ex-pastor. At that moment I introduced myself by saying, “I am a former professor of Al-Azhar University. I taught Islamic history and culture. Eight years ago I left Islam and became a Christian. Do you know what consequences I suffered for leaving Islam? I lost my job at the university. I was put in prison by the secret police who tortured me almost to death. Even my own family pursued me and tried to kill me and several times I suffered attempts of assassination.
“Now it has been eight years exactly, just like you, but the difference between you and me is that I lost everything
I ever had or lived for. I lost my family, job, home country, and right to live. Now I am constantly on the run. The sword of Islam is on my neck all the time because the Quran and the prophet Muhammad made it this way.
“My question for you, pastor, is, what was the price you paid for leaving Christianity? When you made that decision, did anyone start persecuting you? No one tried to kill you or put you in prison. The FBI did not arrest you as if you had committed a terrible crime against your country and your people. No church sentenced you to death or sent out someone to kill you with a sword.
“You, Sheikh Yusef, are still living in your country, secure and protected by great laws. You’re free to travel from state to state to share about what you believe, but I can no longer walk along the Nile or set a foot on the soil of my country.
“You grew up free in a free country to make any decision you like until you made this one, to become a Muslim. Sadly, with this decision, you gave up your freedom. I hope you realize that you are no longer free, because the day you think of leaving Islam again, you will be killed by the sword of Islam and will not be able to escape.”
Sheikh Yusef had just learned a hard truth about Islam: when you become a slave of Allah, you give up your right to change your religion again.
F
REEDOM OF
R
ELIGION
If you have read this far in the book, you don’t need me to tell you that freedom of religion is not a part of Islam. In fact, religious persecution is commanded in the Quran. What I can add to that understanding at this point is an example from Holland. In this case Muslim writers
condemned a foreign government for offering religious freedom to former Muslims.
The parliament of Holland passed a law that grants political asylum to persons who have left Islam and converted to other religions, such as Christianity. A vehement protest was published in the
Muslim World League Journal
, a magazine published in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. In an article titled “The Right of Political Asylum for Muslim Apostates in Holland” the magazine complained that this decision was made by two Christian political parties in Holland who were “acting as if converting to Christianity is a reason for persecution.”
3
What a strange thing to say, since Islamic law states that apostates from Islam must be put to death.
The article claimed that the Christian parties in Holland were trying to entice Muslims to leave their faith in order to secure citizenship in Holland.
This wicked decision is designed to take advantage of the situation of the Muslims that live in Holland. It is about manipulating the thousands of Muslims struggling to stay legally in Holland. They are pressuring these Muslims to change their religion so that they can get legal status.
4
The article continued to insult and accuse the church by saying:
This law is just legalizing the agenda of the Christians and the church which did not succeed in the past to entice the Muslims by all kind of financial and material prizes to get them to change their religion. Now they are using stronger methods [citizenship].
5
When I read an article like this, my heart goes out to the Muslim world and the tremendous tragedy of human rights in these countries. The most dangerous thing a Muslim can do is leave Islam—no matter what the reason. I personally feel for people who take the courageous step away from Islam. These people live the rest of their lives with the sword of Islam on their necks.
S
UMMARY
The chapters in section II of this book have helped you to understand the core beliefs of Islam. In the next section I want to make you an informed person regarding the life of Muhammad. I want you to know how this man lived and the example that he set for Muslims to follow.
SECTION III
ARABIAN CULTURE
Taking Advantage of a Violent Mind-Set
W
HEN YOU ARE
studying a historical figure, it is important to understand the setting and culture in which he lived. For example, Jesus lived in a Jewish community that was under the control of the Romans. His actions and teachings were influenced by the circumstances of His day; for example, He had a teaching regarding paying taxes to Rome: “Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s” (Mark 12:17).
So to understand Muhammad and Islam, we need to look at the culture of the place where Islam was born. We will discover the roots of terrorism all the way back in seventh-century Arabia. (Arabia is considered to be the peninsula where the modern-day countries of Yemen, Oman, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Jordan are located.) The characteristics of the tribes during this pre-Islam period of history can be described in three major categories.
T
HE
T
RIBAL
M
ENTALITY
Before Islam, southwest Asia, also known as the Arabian Desert, was not developed to the point of having any distinct nations or countries. The people were not under the authority of any type of law or government. The only authority was the tribe leader over his members. These
tribes were well known for their loyalty to their own tribe cultures. In modern Islamic history what outsiders consider to be unusual loyalty is actually deeply rooted in the Arabic culture before Islam.
E
XTREMIST
One of the stronger characteristics of Arabs in Muhammad’s time was that they were known for being extremist in everything—extreme love, extreme hate, and no tolerance of others who were different from them. They were not likely to accept any diversity or anyone else’s beliefs. Their way was the only way.
During this time of history and culture many Arabs excelled at poetry. One of the older poets described this characteristic of extremism and said, “We are people of no medium, and tolerance is not our way. We get our way, or we will die that day trying.” They took a great pride in being extreme and wrote poems about it.
This extremist mentality did not change at all after Islam. As a matter of fact, Islam embraced many of the core characteristics of this Arabic culture. There was no moderation and no reconciliation with others. If two people had a fight, no one would ever walk away. They didn’t have the mentality to sit, discuss, and sort out a problem. Their attitude was, “Give me my way or give me death!” As a result, Islamic history is full of bloodshed.
Many non-Arab Muslims, such as Iranians, Afghans, Pakistanis, Indians, and others, have adapted to and adopted these behaviors as the way of their new religion.
C
ONSTANT
P
OWER
S
TRUGGLE AND
F
IGHTING
Being courageous and violent was a sign of manhood in seventh-century Arabia. The people of this culture considered being quick to fight as a necessity for survival. Only the strongest survived; therefore, these tribes fought constantly as a way of existence. This mentality was manifested into a basic lifestyle.
• Defend your own tribe and its territory.
• Plunder the possessions of those you defeat. Many individuals and groups would invade others to gain position and wealth.
Islam did not change any of these characteristics or influence the behavior of the Arabs. Instead, Islam embraced the Arab mentality and used it to accomplish its agenda. Jihad (striving for the cause of Allah) as a core belief of Islam came to the Arabic mentality not as a new behavior but as one with which they were very familiar. Islam called on the Arabs to act out their courage and violent ways.
The majority of the Arabs entered Islam so that they would be rewarded with the possessions of people who would not submit to Islam. Islamic history tells us that many times during the early days of Islam, the proper way to divide spoils was an area of controversy among the Arab Muslims.
So we see that Muhammad was born into a culture where conquest and bloodshed were the norm. Now let’s see how those norms were incorporated into Islam through the concept of jihad.
MUHAMMAD DECLARES JIHAD
Jihad Fully Developed in Muhammad’s Lifetime
T
HE IMMIGRATION OF
Muhammad from Mecca to Medina was a defining moment in the history of Islam. Everything in the mind-set of the prophet of Islam changed—especially his attitude toward the unbelieving people around him.
In Mecca Muhammad never spoke of jihad. There was no talk of holy war because he did not have military strength, and his movement was small and weak in society. But in Medina, where he built an army, the major topic of Quranic revelation was jihad and fighting the enemy. Revelations increasingly served to motivate Muslims to fight.
Let’s compare the differences between Muhammad’s life in Mecca and his life in Medina:
•
Mecca:
He invited people to be a part of Islam by preaching.
Medina:
He persuaded people to convert by the sword.
•
Mecca:
He acted as a priest, living a life of prayer, fasting, and worship.
Medina:
He behaved as a military commander, personally leading twenty-seven attacks.
•
Mecca:
He had only one wife, Khadija, for those twelve years.
Medina:
He married twelve more women in ten years.
•
Mecca:
He fought against idol worship.
Medina:
He fought against People of the Book (Jews and Christians).
Muhammad’s move from Mecca to Medina changed Islam into a political movement. Dr. Omar Farouk wrote in his book
The Arabs and Islam:
The immigration of the prophet of Islam from Mecca to Medina is of great importance in Islamic history. It marks a great revolution in the nature of Islam. Islam went from a religious and spiritual revelation to a political agenda.
I am now going to give you the history of jihad as it was developed and defined in Muhammad’s life. Remember, for about twenty-two years Muhammad received Quranic verses from the angel Gabriel. The philosophy of jihad was developed progressively, just as Muhammad’s political position was developed progressively. As Muhammad’s position in society grew stronger, the revelations about jihad became broader and grander.
M
UHAMMAD
’
S
P
ROBLEMS IN
M
ECCA
One must ask, “Why did Muhammad leave Mecca?” Muhammad spent ten to twelve years in Mecca persuading people to follow Islam without killing them or demanding any taxes from them. His message was one of repentance, patience, and forgiveness. However, there was
great tension between him and the tribe he came from. This was the biggest tribe of the area—Quraysh. Many people were abandoning idol worship and following Islam, which the tribal leaders did not like.