Ishina says: April 16, 2013 at 8:38 am
Dear readers, I too left Islam.
”There are many reasons to leave a religion.
There are many reasons to disbelieve in gods. Doing either doesn’t necessarily mean one will jump straight into bed with a replacement. It can also be liberating life experience. It doesn’t have to leave a religion shaped hole that needs filling. It can set you free to just explore yourself and the universe and take it as it comes. To expand and breathe life unchained.
Some people don’t even have any kind of emotional attachments to religion, instead having practical or social attachments. Any of these kinds of attachments can be replaced. But you’re not going to put much thought into finding a replacement if they are still holding your attention.
Islam never really held my attention.
I always found myself out of synch with it. Praying was boring, fasting was uncomfortable, the structured rule set was frustrating and claustrophobic, often ridiculously arbitrary.
When I asked questions, my curiosity was met with trite answers that left me unsatisfied, left me wanting, left me cold. Programmed platitudes, clichés and canards that rang insincere and hollow to me. And that was on a good day when the answers were somewhat constructive.
It was more often than not a harsh, impatient and stifling condemnation of the mere idea of questioning such things.
The divine directives just didn’t sit right with me either. I saw the abuses and injustices that were a manifest result of them, not only to me but to others, and this vexed me. Like a splinter in my brain.
All this was compounded by the overbearing masculinity of Islam. This is a man’s religion. This last point troubled my conscience perhaps most of all. Long before I actually did any reading or investigation into the rationale of how things came to be this way for me.
I wouldn’t describe my deconversion as an emotional expulsion of religion. I think it was a practical, sensual thing. Islam smelled like bullshit and the trail of evidence pointed away from Islam. You start doubting one thing and it starts a chain reaction. It’s like a game of Jenga – you start removing blocks and eventually the little tower becomes so unstable that it collapses. I was an unbeliever even before I realised what one was, simply by ongoing practical deduction. But there was no “Eureka!” moment. There was no BOOM! I am an Atheist! It was a complete non-event – the end of an organic, gradual process. The result of largely an unconscious effort. A by-product of being a student of life. Of being curious. Of being unwilling to stop thinking.
Some people are just not born to be Muslim. Some people have a wilder lust for the world and an animal ‘fear of the trap’ that makes resistance to systems of life like Islam part of their very being. And that’s perhaps more typical of adolescence than adulthood. Maybe I got out just in time, before I made a terrible compromise to my existence. I can’t really speak for emotional attachments in this case, but I can maybe explain why Islam is not even remotely attractive to me except maybe as a chew toy when I’m bored.
First, the theological claims of Islam have been proven to be false again and again by people much more informed and eloquent than me. Simply by its own internal inconsistencies and fallacies as a work of literature, the Quran is self-refuting. Poorly written, poorly structured, profoundly lacking in original insight and depth, contradictory to the point of needing its own ad hoc system of abrogation, it is a featherweight compared to equivalent works in other traditions. Keep in mind that the Quran is allegedly the unaltered words of a god, verbatim. So sure are Muslims of this that they have fetishised the Quran to the point of becoming a self-parody. To the point of having an existential crisis (and sometimes even to the point of violence) if it is defaced or disrespected.
The Quran only makes matters worse for itself by being such an arrogant work. Making bold claims of perfection, challenging its reader to find better; “Whoever denies it, let him produce a similar one.” The human authors of Islam painted themselves into a corner by proclaiming it to be no less than the Final Testament from the God of Abraham, and further, that Mohammed was the seal prophet, appointed to confirm, correct, complete and give closure to the prophesies that came before. It’s an incredibly conceited and short-sighted thing to do, but quite understandable when you take into account the apocalyptic doomsayer culture it was born from, authored by those who thought the world would end ages ago, perhaps even in their own lifetime. And of course, it didn’t end. And so, the supposed measure of divine wisdom revealed in the Quran uncannily resembles the superstitious and ignorant views of the men of that period, frozen in time.
The authors of Islam have essentially tied their own hands and, by extension, the hands of future Muslims – trapping them in a rigid narrative prison with only limited source material to draw upon. This is the price to pay for writing the final words of God in the dark ages. Slim pickings indeed.
Hence why so many Muslim careers have been made on spin and mitigation, bogus philosophy and pseudoscience, trying to find or manufacture hidden meaning behind exhausted and defunct lines of text that have simply not aged well, trying to exploit the wiggle room in its more ambiguous verses. We end up with the so-called scientific miracles of the Quran, various strained numerology attempts and desperate pattern seeking. It’s all so forced and contrived.
A sad and pitiful attempt to keep the Quran relevant in a world that’s already moved on.
Maybe millennia ago when books were simply not available the Quran might have stood out as the most profound and pertinent thing heard in that region, but what are people’s excuses these days? You can walk into any library or bookshop and take a random book off of the shelf and prove this point: the Quran has not stood the test of time. It has been outshined, outclassed, outmatched by superior written works. Superseded and even preceded by great poets and orators who have already said any of its meaningful content a thousand times in a thousand ways, and conveyed it more eloquently and succinctly.
In the grander scope of the world stage, the Quran relies almost entirely on its exotic and foreign flavour to lend it any mysterious power. And this exotic allure has been taken hostage by Muslims. God, apparently, only speaks in Classical Arabic now. The Quran cannot be translated. It is no longer the Quran once translated.
The Message for all people and for all time, the perfect and Final Testament of God, that shines clear and evidently true to all, unaltered since its original revelation, on which the fate of our immortal souls rest upon, can only ever be understood in an ancient Middle-Eastern regional dialect. This is layer upon layer of absurdity.
What exactly is the Message? What could be so important that the Grand Architect of the Universe took time out of its schedule to communicate with humanity for the very last time? What’s all the boasting about?
Never before has one boasted so much about so little.
A mediocre oral tradition, at best, which pertains only to a small province of a single planet over a narrow span of time, that cannot even remain relevant in that short timespan without abrogating itself.
Annals of petty local feuds, regional drama, and the defunct tribal taboos of an ignorant culture that thought the earth was flat. Randomly interspersed with reworked myths. Doubling as an instruction manual for holy war and a constitution for the mundane micro-management of a growing empire and future conquest. Marketed primarily to secure the interest and loyalty of fighting men, wherein it divides spoils of war in great detail, blesses the taking of sex slaves, screws women over for eternity, ultimately promising a paradise men’s club for the obedient and diligent, tempting them with superficial material prizes and wealth and, of course, puts a little extra aside for the main player, Mohammed.
Now, I love a good myth. A good saga. Larger than life characters, heroes and villains, champions and monsters, love, honour, bravery, tragedy, deceit, epic swashbuckling human drama. Good old fashioned storytelling really lights me up. In Islam, mythology is a cheap knock off. What the authors of the Quran have managed to do, in the process of plagiarising and cannibalising every tradition that came before, is to ruin great myths. And its biggest crime is surgically removing any modicum of humour from them. Sterilising them to fit in with The Plan.
It has a complete inability to laugh at itself. Islam is where great myths go to die. It is a graveyard of broken myths. One seeking true adventure would do well to follow the trail of breadcrumbs back to the originals it has stolen from. See for yourself the hatchet job those ham-fisted bastards did. This plagiarising is common to its sibling Judeo-Christian religions too. But at least the Christian mythology has the trippy, malaria-fever odyssey of the Book of Revelation. And the Gospel According to John (KJV) kinda reads like a fireside story if you squint your eyes a bit.
What about philosophy in the Quran? Here is what I can write about the philosophy in the Quran: Nothing. There’s nowhere to start. Islam is philosophically sterile. It’s almost as though philosophy didn’t even exist as a great tradition hundreds of years earlier, almost like Islam evolved in a philosophical vacuum. The measure of its failings is revealed when any analysis of the Quran is cross referenced with superior works, some even older. Side by side, we see a child’s finger painting next to the Mona Lisa. It’s almost funny. What a pathetic, infantile stab in the dark at philosophy Islam offers us. What kind of unfortunate and simplistic proto-mind can be satisfied by it? What appetite do I have that otherwise intelligent and respectable Muslims do not? It is a mystery to me. I am literally baffled at the hold these desert fairy tales have over people to this day. How amazing it would be if something so vapid and mundane would placate my wondering mind.
As a system of life Islam takes so much from you. It takes from you and gives back nothing you can’t drink elsewhere from cleaner streams. You’re diving for pearls in poisoned waters. It traps Muslims in a rigid spiritual prison.
A good, subservient, observant Muslim has her or his spiritual journey restricted by the ruleset of Islam. It is not only restricted, but ruthlessly policed by an all seeing eye. There is the overbearing knowledge that you will be judged according to a specific and set standard. You are held back. You are compelled in some cases to fight against your own good conscience, do things no good person should do, for no other reason than: it says so in a book I think is awesome. Like the wise man Jason Bourne once said, “Do you even know why you’re supposed to kill me? Look at what they make you give.”
As an institution, Islam is systematically responsible for some of the worst human rights violations in the world. It is no coincidence. These things don’t just happen to be occurring in Muslim nations. These are the logical conclusions of the directives of Islam, the divine will of a fantasy war god that ancient clerics and superstitious folk decided to name “Allah.”
These things are the cornerstones of its tradition: subdue, suppress, assert, aggress, spread, dehumanise opposition, demonise dissent, sustained by the unwavering and chauvinistic faith in the ascendancy and supremacy of a chosen people. And the sum of all this is vomited out into the world as a political and social movement that opposes democracy and liberal, free-thinking and freedom of expression, with the sole aim of replacing it with an unquestioned and unchallenged totalitarian ideology. This is something I would not want to believe in, support, or swear allegiance to, even if it were miraculously and irrefutably revealed to be of divine behest. Even if Allah himself descended from his throne and wrote proof of his existence across the sky, I’d distance myself from the ponzi scheme as a matter of principle.
I honestly don’t think I ever did manage to rationalise the immorality in the Quran. As soon as I actually found out about Mohammed and his sleazy, violent, entitled and indulgent life, the spell was broken. Utterly and irreparably. How anyone with a working conscience, a love of humanity and want for equality and respect can read about the life of Mohammed and remain impressed – or worse, in full awe of the man – is a mystery to me. Especially as a woman. The more I learned about the Prophet, the more I found him repulsive even for a man of his time. That, and reading the Quran itself. So many obscene verses and unjustifiable commands that it’s impossible to remain enchanted once seen. Magnified a thousand times in the context of an abusive environment, experiencing first-hand the fruits of that toxic manual. I don’t think it ever occurred to me to rationalise it, only to dream harder, make plans for my own destiny and escape that physical and emotional prison.
I flirted with Islam again when I was a little older. With the mindset that, while disgusting and polluted and anathema to real humanity, perhaps there is some deeper truth missed by the misogynist, the supremacist, the predator, the charlatan, who use that book to such great effect. This was at a point when I seriously needed spiritual and moral guidance. But there was none to be found in Islam. Spiritual guidance in Islam is only to be found in those unique individual Muslims who have a very generous and selective interpretation of its traditions. Ones who put being a good person first before being a good Muslim. Good despite Islam, not because of it.
So ultimately, I was faced with that choice of being a good person or being a good Muslim. A human being cannot be both in my eyes. These two things are at opposite ends of the scale for me.
To be an obedient, observant Muslim, you must sacrifice your humanity. You must surrender to a divine will, swear honest fealty to it, without doubt, without questioning. To be a good person you must not only renounce many of the central tenets of Islam, but you must also openly oppose them, wherever they manifest in the world. Then, and only then, can you claim to be a good human with me.
Or, you can compromise – live some kind of half-life, a contradictory creature, torn between faith and your own conscience, drifting this way and that amid your own confused and unbalanced inner equilibrium, fooling yourself that you are free, and valued, and precious to non-existent higher power.
You can pretend that you love an unlovable god, pretend that such a hateful god could ever love you, try to salvage some validation and purpose, some salvation from a book that gives you a little and then takes a lot more. All the time harbouring a self-loathing, a deep rooted knowledge that you are a slave to that same higher power, with your mind shackled and your heart held back from true human interaction, under his ever-present gaze and scrutiny.
That’s no life for me. That isn’t living.
The more I pulled away from that hideous Abrahamic concept of a supreme god, the more alive and vital I was in this gorgeous universe. I was free to be me, the person inside, perfect with all my flaws, comfortable in my own skin, no longer a mind-slave to the dark age ideologies imagined up by sadistic and insane monsters of history, no longer led along by the nose like cattle, no longer living according to the dogma spelled out by long-dead fools whose ideas belong in the graveyard of failed human endeavours, throwbacks to the infancy of our species. The umbilical cord that holds back the ascendancy and mastery of our own spirits and minds must be cut. We’ve crawled along on our belly for too long under religion. We should be walking on our own by now, running by now. We could even be flying by now.
There are better role models in this beautiful world than the so-called Prophet. There are better contributions to the knowledge of the world than the cancerous, poisoned chalice known as the Quran. There is better wisdom out there to find, to add to your own spiritual alchemy, better philosophies, better revelations, better discoveries, better poetic and artistic expression, better hopes and dreams to be had, better love and passions, a much richer, fuller existence – all eclipsed while you are under the black cloud of Islam. Better religions, even.
Everything good that is in me is from elsewhere.
There were times when I almost hated Islam for the life it denied me for so long, never knowing my potential as a member of the human race. I know that potential now. I can taste it, feel it, appreciate it like never before. I penetrated that black cloud like the chick breaking out of the egg. It was like opening my eyes for the first time to a whole new alphabet of feeling and emotion. Like seeing in colour after a lifetime of black and white.
I reject Islam wholeheartedly. I made my choice. I chose to try and be a good person instead of trying to be a good Muslim. The main symptom of doing so was feeling the weight lift off as each and every facet of Islam fell away from me. I have learned I no longer have to surrender my body, mind and soul to the god of the Prophet’s desires, dreams and delusions, and I have realised that I wont be punished for made-up crimes in an imaginary afterlife if I choose not to surrender.
I’ll never go back to Islam. Never. I would be a fool to even entertain the idea. I’ve shed my skin already. My journey has only just begun, my journey of life, with new blood running through me, new verve, new growth, new days, and new hope for the first time – true, tangible hope and possibilities. And with Islam in my rear-view mirror, I have no shame for who I am. No pity for myself, no more fears, no more tears and no regrets. Tried, tested, built to last. The sum of my parts.
This journey of life I am forever grateful for and I can’t begin to describe how excited I am. I can only show those close to me, those making the journey with me. And to those who accept me for who I am and what I am, I will share myself; naked, unashamed, with arms wide open.”
Like Ishina, like me, like hundreds of women, all Muslim women should leave Islam. There are hundreds of reasons to leave Islam. There is not a single good reason not to leave it. -Ishina
(also found at http://freethoughtblogs.com/taslima/2013/03/06/why-she-left-islam/)
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I am very much impressed by the depiction of journey of Ishina and her reasons of leaving Islam. But to me, words are always deceptive when savored without application of own intellect. When she says that some old trite instructions are followed in a modern world by the people and this phenomenon baffles her and seems a mystery to her, she is right as per her own scrutiny. Likewise, if her journey ,as described by her in a very interesting and logical way compels someone to toe her line blindly, it will be a sorry affair but on the other hand if it makes someone to think and contemplate on the machinations of own religious thoughts and mental set up, it will be very fruitful and an altogether different experience. Ishina is a very deep thinker and I assume that her journey has not stopped yet. Since she has left her own religion and is akin to being an atheist, I think some questions like, purpose of existence, sense or consciousness, death and soul etc. etc. will not interest her any more but there is no dearth of people in this world who are tormented by these questions and are eager to find the answers. Since Science has not got the answers as yet, he tilts towards religion and spiritualism. whatever view the rationalists and atheists may take about such anxious persons in earch of answers of their questions, this is a fact of life. Mahatma Budha was tormented by such questions and the world got a new religion, though devoid of concept of God. Was it not a revolutionary turn in the human history that there came a religion bereft of God yet so compelling to a greater chunk of humanity. Now people like Ishina in this faith start a thorough scrutiny of their faith and come to the conclusion that there is nothing of substance in it and leave it, importance of that religion cannot be diminished altogether. Some people will always be eager to search the quest of Mahatma Budha. The same is applicable in respect of Lord Krishna, Jesus Christ, Prophet Mohammad and so on. To me, instructions and illustrations of Heaven and Hell and other such things in the religious books were aimed at inculcating goodness in all humans and it was an old method fit for illiterate masses at that time. Since learning was restricted to an small chunk of society at that time, educated persons of that time used to spread religious words among the ignorant masses. We cannot dispute the method now in this altogether new world which is called a world of Information Technology and rapid communication both physical and verbal. If people like Ishina find those workable systems as trite, they cannot be faulted for it. But I agree with Ishina that when something is assumed as a last word, further learning stops altogether. When all other religious systems have altered them to suit the current trend and questioning of faith is not treated a treason or sin, Islam insists on maintaining it’s old pattern as intact and questioning of faith is punishable with death. This unique aspect baffles the other believers alien to Islam. Ishina says that so many enlightened persons have surfaced among the adherents of Islam despite Islam sounds a vague assessment. A single seed creates a tree and seeds of that tree create a wood. So we cannot altogether ignore the impact of Islam on these enlightened persons. To me, every thought is valuable and contributes towards a regeneration of old methods and belief systems. Ishina, could you believe a time in distant future when things would have been altered altogether and the world gotten a rational belief system and it’s adherents in multitudes. Problem arises when fanatics do not budge from their rigid stands and rationalists are in a hurry. Nonetheless, I enjoyed most reading the stuff that Ishina brought to this site. Thanks Ishina or someone else (may be ) and Namaste to all.
MUHAMMAD’S LOVE OF
WORLDLY PLEASURES
Qur’an 64:16
“Fear Allah as much as you can; listen and obey. Pay the zakat. Those saved from covetousness prosper. If you loan to Allah a beautiful loan, He will double it. He will grant Forgiveness: for Allah is most ready to appreciate.”
Tabari VI:82
“I asked Abbas, ‘What is this religion?’ He answered, ‘This is Muhammad bin Abdallah, who claims that Allah has sent him as His Messenger with this religion and that the treasures of Chusroes and Caesar will be given to him by conquest.'”
Ishaq:113
“When I was a merchant I came to Mecca during the hajj pilgrimage. While I was there a man came out to pray and stood facing the Ka’aba. I asked, ‘What is their religion? It is something new to me.’ Abbas said, ‘This is Muhammad who alleges that Allah has sent him with it so that the treasures of Chusroes and Caesar will be open to him.”
Bukhari:V4B52N267
“The Prophet said, ‘Khosrau will be ruined, and there will be no Khosrau after him, and Caesar will surely be ruined and there will be no Caesar after him, and you will spend their treasures in Allah’s Cause.'”
Bukhari:V4B56N793
“The Prophet said, ‘If you live long enough the treasures of Khosrau will be opened and taken as spoils. You will carry out handfuls of gold and silver.'”
Bukhari:V4B56N795
“I have been given the keys of the treasures of the world by Allah.”
Tabari VIII:16
Ishaq:454
“Soon the trial became great for the Muslims and fear intensified. One said, ‘Muhammad was promising us that we should eat up the treasures of Chosroes and Caesar, and now none of us even can go out to relieve himself!'”
Qur’an 93:4
“Soon will your Lord give you so much you shall be well pleased…. Did He not find you poor and made you rich?”
Qur’an 108:1
“To you have We granted Kausar, the fountain of abundance.”
Tabari VI:95
“Abu Talib said to Muhammad, ‘Nephew, how is it that your tribe is complaining about you and claiming that you are reviling their gods and saying this, that, and the other?’ The Allah’s Apostle said, ‘Uncle, I want them to utter one saying. If they say it, the Arabs will submit to them and the non-Arabs will pay the jizyah tax.'”
Qur’an 9:29
“Fight against those People of the Book [Christians and Jews] who do not follow what Allah and His Messenge acknowledge as the true religion (Islam), nor accept Our law, until they pay the Jizyah tribute tax in submission.”
Qur’an 68:3
“Nay, truly for you is a never-ending reward.”
Bukhari:V5B59N512
“The Prophet had their men killed, their children and woman taken as captives. The captives were divided among the Muslims. Then the Messenger began taking the homes and property that were closest to him.”
Tabari VIII:122
Ishaq:515
“Abi Huqayq held the treasure of the Nadir. He was brought to Allah’s Messenger, and he questioned him. But Huqayq denied knowing where it was. So the Prophet questioned other Jews. One said, ‘I have seen Kinanah walk around a ruin.’ Muhammad had Kinanah brought to him and said, ‘Do you know that if we find it, I shall kill you.’ ‘Yes,’ Kinanah answered. The Prophet commanded that the ruin should be dug up. Some treasure was extracted. Then Muhammad asked Kinanah for the rest. He refused to surrender it; so Allah’s Messenger gave orders concerning him to Zubayr, saying, ‘Torture him until you root out and extract what he has. So Zubayr kindled a fire on Kinanah’s chest, twirling it with his firestick until Kinanah was near death. Then the Messenger gave him to Maslamah, who beheaded him.”
Ishaq:515
“When the people of Fadak heard of what had happened, they sent word to the Messenger, asking him to banish them and spare their lives, saying they too would leave him their property. So Khaybar became the prey of the Muslims, while Fadak belonged exclusively to the Messenger of Allah, becoming his personal property.”
Qur’an 8:1
“They ask you about the benefits of capturing the spoils of war. Tell them: ‘The benefits belong to Allah and to His Messenger.’ So fulfill your duty to Allah and the Prophet.”
Tabari VIII:142
“Whoever prays our prayer and turns to our Qiblah is a Muslim. Incumbent on whoever refuses is the payment of the jizyah tax.”
Qur’an 9:42
“(Prophet) had there been immediate gain (in sight with booty in front of them), and the journey easy – a near adventure – they would (all) have followed you.”
Qur’an 9:55
“Let not their wealth nor their sons dazzle you or excite your admiration (Muhammad).”
Qur’an 9:57
“Some slander you, blaming you (of partiality) in the matter of (the distribution of) the offerings [stolen spoils]. If they are given part of these, they are pleased, but if not they are indignant and enraged!”
Qur’an 9:59
“(How much more seemly) if only they had been content with what Allah and His Messenger gave them, and said, ‘Sufficient is Allah! His Messenger will soon give us His bounty. We implore Allah to enrich us.'”
Qur’an 9:75
“Amongst them are men who made a deal with Allah, that if He bestowed on them of His bounty [booty], they would pay (largely) in zakat tax (for Allah’s Cause [Jihad]). But when He did bestow of His bounty, they became niggardly, and turned back (from their bargain), averse (refusing to pay).”
Qur’an 5:13
“Loan Allah a beautiful loan, verily I will wipe out from your evils, and admit you to Gardens.”
Qur’an 5:119
“Allah will say: This is the day on which the Muslims will profit from Islam…”
Bukhari:V4B53N376
“While Allah’s Apostle was accompanied by the people on their way back from Hunayn, the Bedouins started begging for things so aggressively that they forced him to go under a Samura tree where his outer garment was snatched away. On that, Allah’s Apostle stood up and said, ‘Return my clothes. If I had as many camels as these trees, I would have distributed them amongst you; and you will not find me a miser.'”
Bukhari:V4B53N377
“While I was walking with the Prophet he was wearing a Najrani outer garment with a thick hem. A Bedouin came upon him and pulled his garment so violently that I could see the imprint of the hem on his shoulder caused by the violence of his pull. The Bedouin said, ‘Give me something from Allah’s Fortune which you have.’ The Prophet turned, smiled, and ordered that a gift should be given.”
Tabari IX:34
Ishaq:595
“Khuwaysirah came and stood by the Prophet as he was giving gifts to the people and said, ‘Muhammad, I have seen what you have done today.’ ‘Well, what did you see?’ He said, ‘I don’t think you have been fair.’ Allah’s Messenger became angry.”
Bukhari:V4B53N374
“The Prophet said, ‘I give to the Quraysh so that they will desire Islam, for they are nearer to their life of Ignorance and it is not strong in their hearts.'”
Bukhari:V4B53N375
“When Allah favored His Apostle with the properties of the Hawazin tribe as Fai booty, he started giving to some of the Meccan men up to one-hundred camels each. Whereupon some Ansari said, ‘May Allah forgive His Apostle! He is giving to the Quraysh and leaving us out, in spite of the fact that our swords are still dripping with the blood of the infidels.’ When Muhammad was informed of what they had said, he called for the Ansar and gathered them in a leather tent. ‘What is the statement which I have been informed?’ The smart ones replied, ‘O Allah’s Apostle! The wise ones did not say anything, but the youngsters said, “May Allah forgive His Apostle; he enriches the Quraysh and leaves the Ansar poor, in spite of the fact that Ansar swords are still dribbling with the blood of the infidels.”‘ The Prophet replied, ‘I give them more because they are still close to the period of Infidelity and have just recently embraced Islam. You should be pleased to see them becoming rich.'”
Tabari IX:36
Ishaq:596
“‘Prophet, this group of Ansar have a grudge against you for what you did with the booty and how you divided it among your own people.’ ‘Ansar, what is this talk I hear from you? What is the grudge you harbor? Do you think ill of me? Did I not come to you when you were erring and needy, and then made rich by Allah? Do you hold a grudge against me and are you mentally disturbed because of the worldly things by which I conciliate a people and win them over so that they will embrace Islam and become Muslims?”
Tabari IX:79
“In this year the zakat was made obligatory, and the Messenger dispatched his agents to collect it. The verse was revealed: ‘Take the zakat from their wealth to purify them.'”
Tabari IX:86
“He orders you to give one fifth of Allah’s booty and pay the zakat tax. It is enjoined on the faithful from their land and property…. And don’t seduce the Jews or Christians for incumbent on them is to pay the jizyah protection tax. Allah’s Apostle dispersed his representatives to every land where Islam had entered to collect the zakat.”
Tabari IX:196
“Fatimah [Muhammad’s daughter] and Ali [Muhammad’s adopted son and Fatimah’s husband] came to Bakr demanding their share of inheritance of the Messenger. They demanded Muhammad’s land in Fadak and his share of Khaybar’s tribute.”
Bukhari:V5B59N546
“Fatimah, the daughter of the Prophet, sent someone to Bakr, asking for her inheritance of what Allah’s Apostle had left of the property taken from the Fai booty gained without fighting in Medina and Fadak, and what remained of the Khumus [Muhammad’s fifth of the booty gained through fighting] of the Khaybar booty.”
Bukhari:V9B84N59
“When the Prophet died, Arabs reverted to disbelief. Umar said, ‘Should we fight these people?”‘ Bakr said, ‘By Allah! I will fight whoever differentiates between prayers and Zakat, as Zakat is the right to be taken from property according to Allah’s Orders. If they refuse to pay me even so little as a kid they used to pay, I will fight with them for withholding it.'”
Qur’an 20:131
“Do not covet what we have granted other people. Nor strain your eyes in longing for the things We have given for their enjoyment, the splendor of the life, through which We tempt them.”
Bukhari:V5B57N119
“The people used to send presents to the Prophet on the day of Aisha’s turn [to have sex with him]. Aisha said, ‘His other wives gathered in the apartment of Um Salama and said, “Um, the people send presents on the day of Aisha’s turn and we too, love the good presents just as much as she does. You should tell Allah’s Apostle to order the people to send their presents to him regardless of whose turn it may be.” Um repeated that to the Prophet and he turned away from her. When the Prophet returned to Um, she repeated the request again. The Prophet again turned away. After the third time, the Prophet said, “Um, don’t trouble me by harming Aisha, for by Allah, the Divine Inspiration [Qur’an surahs] never came to me while I was under the blanket of any woman among you except her.”‘”
Qur’an 2:195
“Spend your wealth in Allah’s Cause [fighting infidels]…send such gifts as you can afford.” Qur’an 2:215 “They ask you what they should spend. Say: Whatever they spend is good…. Allah is aware of it.”
Qur’an 2:245
“Who is he that will loan Allah a beautiful loan, which Allah will double to his credit and multiply many times?”
Bukhari: V9B87N127
“The Prophet said, ‘I have been awarded victory by terror so the treasures of the earth are mine.'”
Qur’an 59:8
“The spoils are for the Emigrants who were expelled from their homes and from their belongings while seeking the bounty of Allah, and aiding His Messenger: such are the sincere ones. They are loyal.”
Qur’an 63:10
“Spend out of the substance [booty] which We gave you before death comes and you say, ‘My Lord, why didn’t You give me respite for a little while? I wish I had given (more).'” [The Noble Qur’an footnotes a Bukhari Hadith to explain this verse.] “The Prophet said, ‘Everyday two angels come down from heaven. One says, “O Allah, reward every person who spends in Your Cause.” The other says, “O Allah, destroy every miser.”‘”
Tabari VII:106
“Abu Azzah, you are a poet, so aid us with your tongue. Join our expedition and I swear before Allah I will make you a rich man.'”
Qur’an 3:14
“Beautified for men is the love of the things they covet, desiring women, hoards of gold and silver, attractive horses, cattle and well-tilled land. These are the pleasures of this world’s life.”
Qur’an 3:181
“Verily Allah heard the taunt of those who said, (when asked for contributions for the war): ‘Allah is poor, and we are rich!’ We shall record their saying and We shall say: Taste you the penalty of the Scorching Fire!”
Qur’an 8:69
“So enjoy what you took as booty; the spoils are lawful and good.”
Ishaq:327
“Allah made booty lawful and good. He used it to incite the Muslims to unity of purpose. So enjoy what you have captured.”
Ishaq:324
“Allah taught them how to divide the spoil. He made it lawful and said, ‘A fifth of the booty belongs to the Apostle.’
To understand Islam, you must understand the harsh circumstances into which the religion was born. The Arabian Peninsula at the time of Muhammad (b.570 AD) was a barren and desolate region with a scorching sun and oppressive heat by day, and a chilling cold at night. There was little vegetative growth, and the nomadic inhabitants lived between jagged rocks and sifting sand dunes.
While Europe and much of the Middle East was transitioning from the Roman to the Byzantine Empire, with roads, irrigation canals, aqueducts, and a culture that included philosophical discourse and theater, the Arabians lived short and brutal lives in warring tribes with very little to offer the rest of the world beyond their own harsh existence.
This explains the inherent hostility in the Qur’an to music and art, which some extremists, such as the Taliban, take quite literally. The religion does not encourage the pursuit of knowledge outside of itself, and it has sometimes been referred to as “the religion which has produced nothing but religion
from Oriana Fallaci, The Rage and the Pride)
The inhospitable climate protected the peninsula from conquest and cultural influence, although the Persians did manage to impose a written language along the coastal edges of the region, which is the origin of Arabic. No foreign army felt that sheep and goats were worth taking from the desert fighters and the area was remarkably isolated. The renaissance of knowledge that the rest of the world had been experiencing since the Greek revival was largely missed out on by the Arabs, whose entire energies were devoted to daily survival against the ruthless environment and other tribes.
For these people, morality was dictated merely by necessity, and obligations did not extend beyond one’s tribe. This is a critical basis for the development of the Islamic attitude toward those outside the faith, including the moral principle that the ethics of any act are determined only by whether or not it benefits Muslims.
There were pagan traditions in Arabia, particularly among those based in the trading centers, such as Mecca and Medina. Kaaba, the cube-like structure at Mecca that houses a black rock, was worshipped by certain tribes with a circling ritual that was later borrowed by Muhammad’s followers (there were at five other such structures in Arabia at the time). Likewise, Allah was the name that had been given to the moon god, many centuries before Muhammad’s time.
Muhammad later created Islam based on these crude pagan practices as well as basic theological elements of Christianity and Judaism according to his own (often inaccurate) understanding. His erroneous interpretation of Christianity, for example, is often attributed to an early experience with fringe cults in the Palestinian region (then known as Syria).
Early Life at Mecca
Muhammad was born around 570 AD in Mecca. He grew up poor and orphaned on the margins of society, which was controlled by tribal chiefs and trading merchants. He worked for his uncle, Abu Talib, as a camel herder. Although his uncle had some standing in the community, Muhammad himself did not rise above his lowly station until he was 25, when he met and married a wealthy widow who was 15 years older.
His wife’s business gave him opportunity to travel and acquire knowledge that was not quite as accessible to the local population. He would later use this to his advantage by
incorporating it into his “revelations” from Allah, particularly the tales from other religion.
Having now attained a comfortable lifestyle and the idle time that wealth affords, Muhammad would wander off occasionally for periods of meditation and contemplation. One day, at the age of 40, he told his wife that he had been visited by the angel Gabriel. Thus began a series of revelations which lasted almost until his death 23 years later. The Qur’an is based on the oral traditions of these revelations. The Hadith is a collection of narrations of the life and deeds of Muhammad. The Sira is his recorded biography. The Sunnah is the said to be his way of life.
With his wife’s influence and support, Muhammad began trying to convert those around him to his new religion – an amalgamation of Judeo-Christian theology and pagan tradition that grew more sophisticated over time. In the beginning, he did his best to compromise his teachings with the predominant beliefs of the community’s elders, such as combining all 300 of their idols under the name “Allah.”
Preaching and Persecution at Mecca
According to Muslim historians, the Meccans did not mind Muhammad preaching his religion, nor did they feel threatened by it. This changed only after the self-proclaimed prophet began attacking the local religion, including the customs and ancestors of the people (Ishaq 167). This was enough to stir up the resentment of the influential leaders of Mecca, who then mocked his humble background against his pretentious claims.
Still, Mecca at the time was a tolerant society. Muhammad was allowed to attack the local customs for thirteen years, even though the town’s economy depended on the annual pilgrimage attended by visiting pagans.
At first, Muhammad was only successful with friends and family. After thirteen years, “the street preacher” could boast only about 70 determined followers, who called themselves called Muslims.
Relations with the Meccans turned particularly sour after an episode known as “the Satanic Verses,” in which Muhammad agreed to recognize the local gods in addition to Allah. This delighted the Meccans, who generously extended their welcome. But Muhammad soon changed his mind after seeing his own people begin to lose faith in him. He claimed that Satan had spoken through him, and he rescinded recognition of
the Meccan gods (Tabari 1192).
The locals intensified their mockery of Muslims and made life difficult for them. Although Muslims today often use the word “persecution” to describe this ordeal (justifiably, in some cases), it is important to note that the earliest and most reliable biographers (Ishaq and Tabari) do not record the death of a single Muslim at the hands of a Meccan during this period.
This fact is a source of embarrassment to Muslims, since Muhammad was the first to use deadly force… and at a later time, when it was unnecessary. As such, sympathetic narratives of the early Meccan years usually exaggerate the struggle of the Muslims with claims that they were “under constant torture.” This is highly unlikely, however, since the only Muslim to die was an older woman who “fell prematurely” from stress, not physical torture (Muhammad’s own daughter would die in the same fashion from harassment by Muslims soon after his death).
Modern storytellers and filmmakers (such as those behind 1976’s The Message) have been known to invent fictional victims of Meccan murder, either to dramatize their own tale or to provide justification for what followed. But, in fact, the only Muslim whose life was truly in danger was that of Muhammad – after 13 years of being allowed to mock the local religion.
The Hijra – Flight from Mecca to Medina
The death of his uncle, Abu Talib, in 619 left Muhammad without a protector against the Meccan leaders, who were losing patience with him. The true agitator in this situation, however, is quite clearly Muhammad himself, as even Muslim historians note. Note this account of what happened at Abu Talib’s deathbed, as the Meccans implored him one last time for peace with his nephew:
Abu Sufyan, with other sundry notables, went to Abu Talib and said: “You know the trouble that exists between us and your nephew, so call him and let us make an agreement that he will leave us alone and we will leave him alone; let him have his religion and we will have ours.” (Ishaq 278)
Muhammad rejected the offer of peaceful co-existence. His new religion was obviously intended to dominate all others, not be on equal standing with them.
His search for political alliance led him to make a treaty of war against the Meccans with the people of Medina, another Arab town to the north (Ishaq 299-301). This was too much for the Meccans to take, and so they finally sought to capture Muhammad and put him to death.
Although this sounds harsh against Western standards, it is important to note the contrast between their reaction and that of Muhammad, when he had the opportunity to deal with perceived treachery in Medina at a later date.
The Meccans limited their aggression to Muhammad himself. This is quite clear from the episode in which Muhammad escapes his home by using his son-in-law, Ali, to trick his would-be assassins into thinking that they had him cornered (Ishaq 326). No harm was done to Ali or his wife, both of whom remained in the city for several days to complete Muhammad’s business transactions.
Compare this to the episode of the Banu Qurayza (detailed below), in which Muhammad slaughtered an entire tribe of people based on their leader having switched loyalties in a conflict in which they didn’t even participate.
The year that Muhammad fled Mecca for Medina was 622, which marks the beginning of the Muslim calendar.
Medina and the Origin of Jihad
Stinging from the rejection of his own town and tribe, it was at Medina that Muhammad’s message began to become more intolerant and ruthless – particularly as he gained power.
To fund his quest for control, Muhammad directed his followers to raid Meccan caravans in the holy months, when the victims would least expect it. Revelations were conveniently provided to him, which allowed his people to murder innocent drivers and steal in his service. The people around him gradually developed a lust for things that could be taken in battle, including material comforts and captured women and children.
Often the people captured in battle would be brought before the self-proclaimed prophet, where they would plead for their lives, arguing, for example, that they would never have treated the Muslims that way. The Hadith are quite clear in portraying Muhammad as largely unmoved by their pleas, and ordering their deaths anyway, often by horrible means. In one case, he orders a man slain, telling him that “hell-fire” will take care of the poor fellow’s orphaned daughter.
The raids on caravans preceded the first major battle involving a Muslim army, the Battle of Badr. This was the spot where the Meccans had sent their own army to protect their caravans from Muslim raiders. Although, Muslims today like to claim that they only attack in self-defense, this was clearly not the case in Muhammad’s time. In fact, he had to compel his reluctant warriors with promises of paradise and assurances that their religion was more important than the lives of others.
The Consolidation of Power
Muhammad defeated the Meccan army at Badr, which emboldened him to begin dividing and conquering the three local Jewish tribes at Median, which had made the mistake of accepting his presence but rejecting his claims to prophethood. These were the Banu Qaynuqa, the Banu Nadir, and the Banu Quyrayza. How each of these tribes met their fate is insightful into the Muslim mindset, which employs an inherent double standard in relations with those outside the faith.
To try and gain their favor, Muhammad briefly preached that Christians and Jews could attain salvation through their own faith. In fact, he changed his followers’ direction for prayer from Mecca to Jerusalem, which prompted the Jews’ tolerance of him while he worked surreptitiously for the power to dominate them. These earlier concessions and teachings were later revoked by Muhammad, since the Jews ultimately refused his religion. The rare early verses of tolerance in the Qur’an are abrogated by later verses such as 9:29.
The Qaynuqawere driven from their homes and land on the pretext that one of their own had harassed a Muslim woman. Although the offender was killed prior to this by a Muslim, the Muslim was also killed by Jews in retaliation for the first murder.
After laying siege to the entire community and defeating the tribe, Muhammad wanted to put every male member to death, but was talked out of it by an associate – something that Allah later “rebuked” him over. The Qaynuqa were forced into exile and the Muslims took their possessions and property, making it their own. Muhammad personally reserved a fifth of the ill-gotten gain for himself.
The episode helped ingrain within Islam the immature principle of group identity, whereby any member of a religion or social unit outside of Islam is just as guilty as any of their peers who insult or harm a Muslim – and just as deserving of punishment. Muhammad’s punishments usually did not fit the crime.
Members of the second tribe, the Banu Nadir, were accused of plotting to kill Muhammad, even though no one lost their life. For this, Muhammad laid siege to their community, forcing the people to surrender. Like the Qaynuqa, these original inhabitants of Medina were then banished from their homes and land by the Muslim newcomers, who again took as much as they could for themselves.
In a critical example of how deception is sanctioned under Islam, a surviving contingent of the Banu Nadir (under Usayr ibn Zarim) was tricked into leaving their fortress by promise of peace talks. The contingent of Muslims sent by Muhammad to escort them, however, easily slaughtered them once the victims let down their guard .
The Qurayza Massacre
By the time the Banu Qurayza met their fate, Muhammad was wealthy and powerful from his defeat of the other two tribes.
The Jews of the Banu Qurayza tasted Muhammad’s wrath after a portion half-heartedly sided with Meccan armies during a siege of Medina (the Battle of the Trench). More than likely, those who did were trying to preempt Muhammad’s designs against them after seeing what he had done to the other Jews.
Although they later surrendered peacefully to the Muslims, Muhammad determined to have every man of the tribe executed, along with every boy that had reached the initial stages of puberty (between the ages of 12 and 14). He had a ditch dug outside of the town and had the victims brought in several groups. Each person would be forced to kneel, and their head would be cut off and then dumped along with the body into the trench.
Between 700 and 900 men and boys were slaughtered by the Muslims after their surrender.
The surviving children of the men became slaves of the Muslims, and their widows became the sex slaves of their own killers. This included the Jewish girl, Reihana, who became one of Muhammad’s personal concubines the very night that her husband was killed. The prophet of Islam apparently “enjoyed her pleasures” (ie. raped her) even as the execution of her people was taking place.
Women were much like any other possession taken in battle, to be done with however their captors pleased. Muhammad ordered that a fifth be reserved for him, many of who became his sex slaves, in addition to his twelve wives. Some of these he doled out to others.
At one point following a battle, Muhammad providedinstructions on how women should be raped after capture, telling his men not to worry about coitus interruptus, since “Allah has written whom he is going to create.”
Following the battle against the Hunain, late in his life, Muhammad’s men were reluctant to rape the captured women in front of their husbands (who were apparently still alive to witness the abomination), but Allah came to the rescue with a handy “revelation” that allowed this. (This is the origin of Sura 4:24 according to Abu Dawud 2150).
The Origin of Islamic Imperialism
The tribes around the Muslims began to convert to Islam out of self-preservation. Those that didn’t were gradually defeated in battle in a pattern that became the blueprint for the successful establishment of Islam as a world religion. Typically, the enemy’s trust would be gained by non-intrusive measures in which the Muslims would insert themselves into the foreign community while professing their respect for local traditions and political structures. As they began to gain power, however, they would divide loyalties and exercise violence to acquire local hegemony.
The excuse for military campaign began to shrink to the point that it hardly existed at all. Muhammad told his followers that Muslims were meant to rule over other people, and this seemed to be the drivingforce behind Jihad.
This is demonstrated most plainly by the brutal conquest of the people of Khaybar, a peaceful farming community that was not at war with the Muslims. Muhammad marched against them anyway, taking them by surprise and easily defeating them. He had many of the men killed, simply for defending their town, and enslaved the women and children.
Muhammad suspected that the town’s treasurer was holding out and had his men barbarically torturethe poor fellow by building a fire on his chest until he revealed the location of hidden treasure. Afterwards, the prophet of Islam beheaded the man and “married” his wife on the same day that she became a widow (she was forced to first pass through the hands of one of his lieutenants). Given that the woman’s father was also killed by Muhammad, it isn’t much of a stretch to say that true love had very little to do with this “marriage.”
A Life of Hedonism and Narcissism
Muhammad’s personal life became the picture of hedonism and excess, all justified by frequent “revelations.”
The man, who earlier in his career had justified his claims as a prophet by sayingthat he “asked for no reward” from others, reversed course and began to demand a fifth of all booty taken from conquered tribes. According to his biographers, he became fatfrom living off this enormous share of ill-gotten gain.
In the span of a dozen years, he married eleven women and had access to an array of sex slaves. When he wanted a woman, even if she were the wife of another man, his own daughter-in-law, or a child as young as 6, he was able to justify his lust and inevitable consummation with an appeal to Allah’s revealed will for his sex life- which was then preserved forever in the Qur’an, to be faithfully memorized by future generations for him whom it has no possible relevance.
(For the Muslim faithful, it must surely be a source of embarrassment that Allah evidently had more interest in Muhammad’s personal sex life than he did about tolerance. There are also far more open-ended verses that advocate “fighting in the cause of Allah” than in showing love for all people. Allah encourages sex with slaves as well)
Muhammad also had personal critics executed, including poets. One of these was a mother of five children, who was stabbed to death by Muhammad’s envoy after a suckling infant was removed from her breast. Other innocent people were killed merely because they were of a different religion).
The double standards of Islam that are so recognizable today were ingrained by the prophet of Islam during his lifetime. An example would be the death of Um Kirfa, a middle-aged woman who had the bad fortune to be the aunt of a tribal leader who raided one of Muhammad’s caravans (in the same fashion that Muhammad raided others).
Missing the apparent irony, Muhammad did not take kindly to having done to him what he had been doing to non-Muslims. He had the woman’s legs tied separately to two camels, then set the camels off in opposite directions, tearing the woman’s body in two. He also killed her two young sons – presumably in gruesome fashion – as well.
Today’s Muslims inherent this legacy of self-interest and disregard for those outside the faith. They may or may not agree with terrorist attacks on non-Muslims, but they are nearly united in their belief that the victims have no right to strike back, even if it is in self-defense.
The Taking of Mecca
Though many of the Arab and Jewish tribes were eliminated and absorbed through military victory and forced conversion, the city of Mecca required a different sort of strategy.
In 628, six years after fleeing, Muhammad’s followers were allowed to re-enter the city under an agreement whereby he set aside his title as “Prophet of Allah.” This was a temporary ploy that enabled him to gain a political foothold in the city through the same “fifth column” activities that are still used today by organizations such as the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR), which use their host’s language of religious tolerance to disguise an ulterior agenda that includes systematic discrimination against non-Muslims.
Many of his followers were disappointed that Muhammad had made concessions to the Meccans, not understanding how it actually fit perfectly with his ultimate agenda of domination. It was during this time that he led the campaign against the Khaybar, to assuage their lust for blood and looting.
Technically, Muhammad was the first to break the treatywith the Meccans when he violated the portion of it that restricted him from accepting members of the other tribe into his camp. Although he had no personal obligation to it himself, the prophet of Islam held the other party to the letter of the law, particularly after he amassed the power to conquer in overwhelming fashion.
The excuse that Muhammad eventually used to march his armies into Mecca was provided when a tribe allied to the Meccans conducted a raid on a tribe allied with the Medinans. Although a true man of peace would have heeded the fact that his enemy did not want war, and used non-violent means to resolve the tension while respecting sovereignty, Muhammad merely wanted power and vengeance.
This became the pattern of Islam’s dramatic expanse following Muhammad’s death. Muslims would conquer a region and sign “peace treaties” with new neighbors. Then, when they were confident in their military strength, the Muslims would look for an excuse to provoke a conflict and renew aggression.
Following Mecca’s surrender, Muhammad put to death those who had previously insulted him. One of the persons sentenced was his former scribe, who had written revelations that Muhammad said were from Allah. The scribe had previously recommended changes to the wording that Muhammad offered (based on some of the bad grammar and ineloquent language of Allah) and the “prophet” agreed. This caused the scribe to apostatize based on his belief that real revelations should have been immutable.
Although the scribe escaped death by “converting to Islam” at the point of a sword, others weren’t so lucky. One was a slave girl who was executed on Muhammad’s order because she had written songs mocking him.
In what would also become the model for future Muslim military conquests, those Meccans who would not convert to Islam were required to pay a tax (the jizya) and accept third-class status. Not surprisingly, almost the entire city – which had previously rejected his message – immediately “converted” to Islam once Muhammad came back with a sword in this hand.
To this day, people of other religions are barred even from entering Mecca, the city where Muhammad was free to preach in contradiction to the established religion. Islam is far less tolerant even than the more primitive faiths that it supplanted. A person preaching the original Arab polytheism on the streets of Mecca today would be quickly executed.
Jihad and Jizya
Tellingly, some of the most violent verses in the Qur’an were handed down following Muhammad’s ascension to power, when there was no threat to the Muslim people. The 9th Sura of the Qur’an exhorts Muslims to Jihad and dominance over other religions:
“Fight those who do not believe in Allah, nor in the latter day, nor do they prohibit what Allah and His Messenger have prohibited, nor follow the religion of truth, out of those who have been given the Book, until they pay the tax in acknowledgment of superiority and they are in a state of subjection.” (9:29)
The verse that follows curses Christians and Jews by name and says “May Allah destroy them” (as with other sections of the Qur’an, it is unclear whether it is Allah or Muhammad speaking).
Muhammad ordered 30,000 men to march on Christian lands (which were Byzantine at the time). It is possible that he believed false rumors of an army amassed against him, but there is absolutely no evidence of such a force having been assembled. Instead, Muhammad subjugated the local people and extorted “protection” money from them – something that has come to be known as the jizya(a tax that non-Muslims pay to Muslims).
Another episode from this period that offers insight into the legacy of Muhammad is the forced conversion of the al-Harith, one of the last Arab tribes to hold out against Muslim hegemony. Muhammad gave the chief of the tribe three days to accept Islam before sending his army to destroy them.
Not surprisingly, the entire people immediately accepted the Religion of Peace!
The Legacy of Islamic Imperialism
Muhammad died of a fever at the age of 63, with his violent religion now firmly rooted in the Arab lands. Through his teachings, his followers viewed worldly life as a constant physical battle between the House of Peace (Dar al-Salaam) and the House of War (Dar al-Harb).
Over the next fourteen centuries, the bloody legacy of this extraordinary individual would be a constant challenge to those living on the borders of the religion’s hegemony. The violence that Muslim armies would visit on people across North Africa, the Middle East, Europe and into Asia as far as the Indian subcontinent is a tribute to a founder who condoned subjugation, rape, murder and forced conversion in the cause of the spread of his religion.
In Muhammad’s words: “I have been ordered to fight the people till they say: ‘None has the right to be worshipped but Allah.’ And if they say so, pray like our prayers, face our Qibla and slaughter as we slaughter, then their blood and property will be sacred to us and we will not interfere with them…” (Bukhari 8:387)
It is certainly the basis not just for modern day terror campaigns against Western infidels (and Hindus and Buddhists) but also the broad apathy that Muslims across the world have to the violence, which is an obvious enabler.
As Indonesian cleric, Abu Bakar Bashir recently put it, “If the West wants to have peace, then they have to accept Islamic
Hi Final Truth,
Zunaid is a product of mutta marriage? He does not know any thing and he does not want to say any thing against islam, despite the fact that he has seen his mother entertaining sexual pleasure to various customers in the name of islam, as Halala practice. He has been brain washed that if he hides islamic eveils he will be rewarded with 72 virgins in the heaven for sex? His own sister is raped by an elderly Maulvi in the name of religion he will not open his mouth. He is really a bastard and illegal product.
You are right that these muslims do not get proper treatment in their own countries and they settle in western countries to enjoy economic benefits and then creat problems through terrorist activities. This is a a very dangerous religion.
@Junaid – All your statements are misleading
“First islam did not create sects it is people who created sects”- which people are, Christians, Jews, Hindus etc did not created sects, so which religion people are you talking about? I guess that all that you write is not what world wants to know. Its your Muslim people who created sects based on your Muslim leaders orders, there are division of Muslims, Arabs would marry Pakistani Muslims girl, but will never allow Arab girl to marry to any Asian Muslim, this because they are true Muslim, Arabs are the first class Muslims. 2nd Qur’an says contradictory things, there is nothing new what your Qur’an says- killing innocents etc, diffence is your Muslims do not follow your Qur’an, your Qur’an differentiate non Muslims and Muslims, non Muslims are enemy in Islam so Osama is a true Muslim, as he is following true Qur’an. All you are saying is just common know general things which all religion says. Just in case you did not notice, Osama killing was not celebrated by muslim countries, Muslims protected Osama, so where is your “innocent killing” statement from Qur’an, point is you Muslims kill non Muslims, or convert non muslim coz you want everyone to be muslim. Secular world can’t tolerate that. When your muslim countries do not allow secular govt, why your muslim countries not allow other religion, your Qur’an says religious freedom isn’t it. In short all you says is blah blah blah, Qur’an says this that etc, but in reality you Muslims are all ready violence.
when your Palestine’s muslim terrorist killed innocent Israeli athletes, hijacked Christians airlines etc where is your Qur’an thing now…Israel only know how to protect itself, why your peaceful brothers rocket isreal? Your qurans says to attack in self defense, so does our common sense, we need not study that in religion book. Why you Muslims have problem with western counties, why you Muslims got to west then, why don’t you settle in your Muslims counties? Is it because Arabs don’t treat you well, if so where is your Qur’an tought equality?
give some sensible answer instead of what your Qur’an says, my religion says so many things , here conversation is about what Muslims do to non Muslims in real life.
Hi every body
Following is the list of evils of islam.
1.Muhammad was a pedophile 2.Muhammad had sex with a 6 year old child Aisha 3. Muhammad had sex with his adopted son Zaid’s wife and his daughter in law Zainab 4. Muhammad was a murderer 5. Muhammad beheaded 900 Jews from Banu Tribe. 6. Muhammad was a slave trader 7. Muhammad killed Maria’s parents and took her as slave 8. Quaran is filled with hatered towards non Muslims. 9. Quaran discriminate against the women 10. Quaran encourge muslims to kill people who worship statues 11. Quaran allows men to marry four women at a time 12. Quaran encourage Muslims to kill the apostates. 13. Quaran allows muslims to lie the non Muslims 14. Quaran forbid muslims to trust and make non Muslim friends 15. Quaran contains the verses of Muhammad’s sex life 16. Quaran discriminates against the homosexuals. 17. Muhammad hated and killed the black dogs. 18. Muhammad hated the donkey. 19. Quaran encourage the evil sacrifice of Cow on Eid 20. Islam is the evil religion and Muhammad was the prophet of Shaitan.
21. Muhammad married old rich widow khadiza for money and her merchant business. 22. Muhammad learnt torah & bible in Syria on merchant tour 23. Muhammad currupt the bible by mixing indegenous arab religion and practices 24. Muhammad hated the arts and destroyed the statues sacred for indegenous arabs 25. Muhammad broke the law of four marriage of Quaran and kept slave women. 26. Muhammad asked his wives for veil as he was impotent 27. Quaran encourage husbands to beat their mature wives coz islam believes women are inferior to men 28. Muhammad thigh Aisha at 6 till she reach 9 and Islam allows child marriage 29. Muhammad hated the pigs 30. Muhammad believed that Allah converted Jews into pigs. 31. Muhammad thought Camel urine was a drink 32. Muhammad killed the husbands and parents of his widow wives 33.Islam is against the Music and pictures 34. Quaran encourage muslims to fight and kill for the cause of Islam 35. Quaran lust muslims,the sex market paradise of 72 virgins to convert and kill non Muslims 36.
Muhammad raped Rayhana bint Amr and Safiyya bint Huayay after he had murdered and enslaved their families.
37,Quaran discriminates against the women.
38.Quaran goes against science and evolution on so many occasions.
39.Muhammad had a lover named Zahir,Muhammad had gay sex with Omar and Zahir.
40.Muhammad slept with a dead women in her grave.
41.Quaran forbids muslims to use tissue paper.
42.Muhammad used to pee sit down
43.Islam encourage Muslims to hate pigs.
44.Islam forbids muslims to ask questions b’out wrong evil Islam.
45.Islam encourage the inbreeding and incest.
46.Islam discriminates against black africans,Muhammad kept black slaves in droves.
47.Quaran encourages slavery which makes it unsuitable book for modern 21st century
I am longing for the day that humanity becomes united and we embrace each other as brothers and sisters. However, religion is often the cause of disunity and Islam is the greatest obstacle. But its end is nigh.
Many modernist Muslims have become desperate and to save their faith, they blame the Mullahs and believers for not practicing the “true Islam”. That is whitewashing the truth. Such posture may be politically correct but is intellectually dishonest. We have to expose Islam and show that the tree is rotten from its roots.
Look around yourself! See those Iranians who have rejected Islam now love the entire world, and see how they respect the rights of the people who have different beliefs. See how they respect the Baha’is, the Zoroastrians, the Christians, the Jews, the Hindus, the agnostics and the atheists, the very people that they hated while they were blindly following the Messenger of hate. By rejecting Islam they have set themselves free of their religious hate. Now they see themselves as humans and feel united with the rest of humanity. All the prejudices and religious hate is gone. Then look at those who are still caught in the claws of Islam. See how they spew venom at everybody. If we get rid of Islam, we will get rid of our hate against each other and we can be a united nation again and build a hate-free world.
Our responsibility is to expose Islam. We have to aim at the heart of this beast. Don’t buy the western cliché that people’s beliefs are sacred. That is a fallacy. People are sacred, their beliefs are not. If a belief preaches hate that belief is not sacred. It should not be respected but denounced and repudiated. You have to fight it even if its followers are offended. Nazism was never a sacred belief, even if millions of Germans believed in it. Pay Muslims with their own coins. Muhammad desecrated the holy places of the pagans of his time and demolished their idols. Let us pay them back in kind and demolish their idols. Albeit, unlike Muhammad who used sword and spilled blood of innocent people, we use our keyboards and love them.
When Gandhi praised Muhammad, he either did not know the truth about Islam or as a politician he could not say the truth, which would have fueled the animosity between the Muslims and the Hindus. As a Hindu it was not his business to criticize Islam anyway. But we know the truth and we are children born in Islam. It is our responsibility to open the eyes of our fellow countrymen and women and save our motherland from this monster.
The fight against Islam should not stop once we eliminate the barbaric regime of Iran. At that time we have to intensify our fight. The Muslims will do all the tricks in the book to stop us. They would ask us to leave them alone. They would plead, “to you your religion, to me mine”. But we should not give them any truce. We should use all the media in our disposition, we should write as many books as we can, we should spread knowledge as much as we can until Islam is eradicated completely.
Islam is a religion of Ignorance. It thrives through ignorance. When you fight the ignorance, Islam will die. Islam is the religion of darkness; the light of knowledge will dissipate it.
The first step is to establish our freedom and the freedom of speech. Then, it is possible to eliminate Islam in one decade. Few will remain but they will be ashamed to declare their religion publicly. The Mosques will be deserted and many of them will be converted to museums, libraries and music halls for our kids to practice and perform. They will be the most beautiful libraries in the world. Finally our majestic Iranian architecture will be in the service of our culture, knowledge and art.
Hundreds of books and articles will be printed refuting Islam and the Muslim scholars will be challenged to answer them. The weakness of Islam will be exposed and its death will be ascertained. Just as the Islamic fanaticism from Iran spread to the neighboring countries, the massive denouncing of Islam will also affect the intellectuals in the entire Islamic world. The scholars in other Islamic countries will start to debate. For the first time the Muslims will see the real face of Islam. People will grasp the power and rule of the Mullah and religious authorities will end. Islamic countries will compare the progress of other non-Islamic countries to their own and see how Islam has hold them back from progress and has reduced them to poverty. Within a generation (less than 30 years) Islam will be a dead corpse. There will be nothing left of it except a sore memory and a bad name.
This is the greatest change that is going to take place in our (Islamic) world in the coming decades. It will be the renascence of the Islamic countries. The intellectuals and the freethinkers of this world have a tremendous responsibility. It is up to them to make sure that this renascence is not derailed by violence. The renascence must take place in our minds and social clashes must be completely avoided.
Islam teaches violence. Muslims would seek every opportunity to use violence and defend their religion by violence. They will call for Jihad. They will use terrorism. This is the way that Islam has grown and this is the way that it has maintained its grip for 1400 years. Islam’s strength is in violence. Violence is the method of choice for Muslims. It is encouraged in Quran and the Mullahs will call for it again. We should not let that happen. We should not give them this victory. We should avoid situations where they may be tempted to use violence. We have to avoid personal confrontations. The clashes are the clashes of ideas. We fight against Islam, not Muslims.
Islam must be attacked from two fronts. One is Muhammad himself, his immoral character is an eloquent proof that this man could not possibly qualify to be a messenger of God. His weak moral fiber must be exposed. There are plenty of Sahih hadiths that reveal the less-than-holy personality and conduct of the messenger of Allah. The second front is Quran. We have to make everyone see the errors and the absurdities of this book. No one can ever write a book more damaging to Islam than Quran. The Masses of Muslims who read that book daily, do not understand it and are unaware of its barbaric nature. Those who know it are vaccinated against reason. They have taken small doses of this poison every day for so long that now they are immune to any logical and rational thinking. They see with their own eyes the fallacies of Quran, its errors and its barbarism, but are unmoved, unaffected, untouched. It is inconceivable that any human being with a grain of conscience read the absurdities of Quran and not be aghast.
Once this ideological revolution takes place among Muslims, the effects of that will reverberate in other parts of the world and the thinkers of other religions will see the absurdities of their own Faiths and will come down hard at the irrational beliefs of their own fathers. Fundamentalism in one religion feeds the fundamentalism in other religions. It is as if there is a competition and people of all religions vie with each other to be more fanatical. When the Taliban issued the Fatwa that the Hindus in Afghanistan should wear distinctive badges, immediately a terrorist Hindu group that calls itself Hindu Unity issued a warning that they will start killing the innocent Muslims in India if Hindus is Afghanistan are harmed. This senseless competition has brought the world to the verge of a catastrophe of unimaginable consequences.
However, the reverse of that is also true. Once the bigot fundamentalists of other religions see Islam is dying and it is under attack by the intellectuals of its own; once they see that Muslims themselves have risen to slay this beast, they will have no reason to exist. To fight with other fundamentalist is the raison d’ etre of the fundamentalists of any religion. When there is no one to fight with, there is no reason to be.
Once I was active in an Internet based discussion group, a Hindu used to come and read my anti-Islamic material to use as ammunition against his Muslim opponents. One day he sent me a surprisingly refreshing email. He thanked me for opening his eyes. He said that my criticism of Islam has made him question his own religion and made him see that there are similar flaws in it too. He confessed that he is no more a Hindu but a Humanist. It’s important to note that I had never said a word against Hinduism and I don’t know much about it. Isn’t it wonderful? By fighting the dogmatism and superstitions of our own beliefs we are fighting against dogmatism in general and we are bringing about the world unity! 🙂
This is an exciting time to be alive. You and I and ordinary people like us, can actually change the course of history. We can kill the monster of religious hate, liberate its victims and not only usher them into a new age of enlightenment but ease the tension between Muslims and the rest of the world and establish universal peace in this planet.
Peace, love and unity will reign in this world when we eliminate hate and ignorance. Islam is the biggest source of hate.
Reply at https://www.interfaithshaadi.org/?p=5170
War and Islam
In the remainder of the article we address some of the commonmisconceptions about the Islamicand Quranic perspectives on war and peace. These misconceptions are fueled by some people who quote parts of a few Quranic verses out of context. It is unfortunate that rational open-minded folk accept these misquotations without examining the context of the passage they are written in. As with most other books, the Quran must be read as a whole. Taking a single verse—or a part of a verse—out of context, can naturally lead to incorrect conclusions. No religion of God is evil, rather the people who abusethe religion are.
Aggression is Forbidden. Fighting is permitted only in self-defence.
The Quranic verses on this are very clear. God repeats, “do not aggress”, multiple times. Only if attacked, is one permitted to fight back. If the other party refrains from aggression and offers one peace, we are told to stop fighting.
Rules of War*
[2:190] You may fight in the cause of GOD against those who attack you, but do not aggress. GOD does not love the aggressors .
[2:191] You may kill those who wage war against you, and you may evict them whence they evicted you. Oppression is worse than murder. Do not fight them at the Sacred Masjid, unless they attack you therein. If they attack you, you may kill them. This is thejust retribution for those disbelievers.
[2:192] If they refrain, then GOD is Forgiver, Most Merciful.
[2:193] You may also fight them to eliminate oppression, and to worship GOD freely. If they refrain, you shall not aggress ; aggression is permitted only against the aggressors.
*2:190 All fighting is regulated by the basic rule in 60:8-9 . Fighting is allowed strictly in self-defense, while aggression and oppression are strongly condemned throughout the Quran.
[5:87] O you who believe, do not prohibit good things that are made lawful by GOD, and do not aggress ; GOD dislikes the aggressors.
[8:61] If they resort to peace, so shall you, and put your trust in GOD. He is the Hearer, the Omniscient.
[4:90] … if they leave you alone, refrain from fighting you, and offer you peace, then GOD gives you no excuseto fight them.
The Quran also reminds the submitters ( muslims in Arabic) that they should not be provoked by past animosity into committing acts of aggression ( 5:2 ). Additionally, God insists that submitters (muslims) must be absolutely sure before strikingin the cause of God ( 4:94 ). Anyone who offers one peace, cannot be attacked.
[4:94] O you who believe, if you strike in the cause of GOD, you shall be absolutely sure. Do not say to one who offers you peace, “You are not a believer,” seeking the spoils of this world. For GOD possesses infinite spoils. Remember that you used to be like them, and GOD blessed you. Therefore, you shall be absolutely sure (before you strike). GOD is fully Cognizant of everything you do.
Life is Sacred
The killing of innocent civilians by suicide bombers and terroristsis strongly condemned in the Quran. Taking any life—except inthe course of justice, is forbidden. Even so, capital punishment is discouraged . Thus,those who commit these horribleacts are clearly not muslims, rather very evil people who try to justify their hatred and actions using God’s name ( 7:28 ).
The Major Commandments
[6:151] Say, “Come let me tell you what your Lord has really prohibited for you: You shall not set up idols besides Him. You shallhonor your parents. You shall notkill your children from fear of poverty – we provide for you and for them. You shall not commit gross sins, obvious or hidden. You shall not kill – GOD hasmade life sacred – except in the course of justice. These are His commandments to you, that you may understand.”
[17:33] You shall not kill any person – for GOD has made life sacred – except in the course of justice. If one is killed unjustly, then we give his heir authority to enforce justice. Thus, he shall not exceed the limits in avenging the murder; he will be helped.
[25:68] They never implore beside GOD any other god, nordo they kill anyone – for GOD has made life sacred – except in the course of justice . Nor do they commit adultery. Those who commit these offenses will have to pay.
[7:28] They commit a gross sin, then say, “We found our parents doing this, and GOD has commanded us to do it.” Say, “GOD never advocates sin. Are you saying about GODwhat you do not know?”
Absolute Freedom toBelieve / No compulsion in religion
Does Islam recommend or justify killing of disbelievers or those who decide to leave the religion? The answer is an emphatic “No”. God makes it very clear in the Quran, that there is no compulsion in religion ( 2:256 ). Free will is one of God’s precious gifts to humanity, and human beings cannot take away what God gave man. If someone does not wish to believe, they are to be left alone and not forced in any manner. A submitter’s (muslim) job is simply to invite people to God’s religion with kindenlightenment (16:125).
Reply at https://www.interfaithshaadi.org/?p=5161
Continue
No Compulsion in Religion
[2:256] There shall be no compulsion in religion: the right way is now distinct from the wrong way. Anyone who denounces the devil and believes in GOD has grasped the strongestbond; one that never breaks. GODis Hearer, Omniscient.
Absolute Freedom of Religion
[18:29] Proclaim: “This is the truth from your Lord,” then whoever wills let him believe, and whoever wills let him disbelieve. We have prepared for the transgressors a fire that will completely surround them. When they scream for help, they will begiven a liquid like concentrated acid that scalds the faces. What a miserable drink! What a miserabledestiny!
How to Spread God’s Message
[16:125] You shall invite to the path of your Lord with wisdom and kind enlightenment, and debate with them in the best possible manner. Your Lord knows best who has strayed from His path, and He knows bestwho are the guided ones.
Verses Relating To War-Time Situationsthat are Abused
There are a number of people who will quote parts of verses out of context, either out of ignorance, or deliberately, to promote a false view of the religion. We present here some ofthe verses with their context that clearly show that these”violent” verses only relate to war situations. As mentioned before, all wars and fighting are only in self-defence.
The verses are listed in a table format. In the left column is the verse or part of the verse that is commonly misquoted to try and show “Islam is a religion of violence”. In the right column, thefull verse / context is shown, making it clear that the “violence”is only in self-defence / in the time of war.
Misquoted Verse Same Verse in Context
[4:101] “… For the Unbelievers are unto you open enemies.” [4:101] When you travel, during war, you commit no error by shortening your Contact Prayers(Salat), if you fear that the disbelievers may attack you. Surely, the disbelievers are your ardent enemies.
[8:12-13] … I will instill terror into the hearts of the unbelievers. Smite ye above their necks and smite all their finger tips off them. This because they contend against God and his apostle. …
[8:12-13] Recall that your Lord inspired the angels: “I am with you; so support those who believed. I will throw terror into the hearts of those who disbelieved. You may strike them above the necks, and you may strike even every finger.” This is what they have justly incurred by fighting GOD and Hismessenger. For those who fight against GOD and His messenger, GOD’s retribution is severe.
*8:12-16 All wars are governed by the basic rule in 60:8-9 .
[9:5] “… fight and slay the pagans wherever ye find them, and seize them, beleaguer them, and lie in wait for them in everystratagem (of war) …” [9:4-5] If the idol worshipers sign a peace treaty with you, and do not violate it, nor band together with others against you, you shall fulfill your treaty with them until the expiration date. GOD loves the righteous. Once the Sacred Months are past, (and they refuse to make peace) you may kill the idol worshipers when you encounter them, punish them, and resist every move they make. …
[9:14] “Fight them, and God will punish them by your hands, cover them with shame …” [9:13-14] Would you not fight people who violated their treaties, tried to banish the messenger, and they are the ones who started the war in thefirst place ? Are you afraid of them? GOD is the One you are supposed to fear, if you are believers. You shall fight them, for GOD will punish them at yourhands, humiliate them, grant you victory over them, and cool the chests of the believers.
To summarize, the religion of Submission to God (Islam) as described in the Quran is a peaceful and tolerant one. The only situations where fighting is allowed is in self-defense. Aggression is always prohibited.
Note : We would like to add that out of the 6,346 verses in the Quran, a very small percentage talk about “war”. Islam being a practical religion does cover the legitimacy of fighting as well as when it is unjustified. The believers in the time of Muhammad had to face hostile opposition because of their religious views, and were in many cases forced to fight to save their lives. However, the bulk of the Quran, as the religion of Islam in general, focuses on worshipping God, leading a righteous life and attaining salvation in the Hereafter. We invite you to read the Quran for yourself to verify this.
United Submitters International
The world wide web of those who Submit to God Alone and advocate the worship of God Alone
Reply at https://www.interfaithshaadi.org/?p=5161
It is you that you think that islam is nothing but we muslims think it is only true religion of Allah(GOD). Read stories of some muslimconverts stories who found peace in islam at http://www.muslimconverts.com
Ok when you say you Muslims, who are you talking about – true Muslims like Osama, Ali Hassan and Muslims of Palestine who use women as shields or those like non true muslims like, prince of Arab who converted to Christian, Pakistani actresses who expose there body, or tasleema who wrote her history about being Muslim. Or do you include shia Muslims whom Sunnis kill everyday, which type of Muslims are you talking about
First islam did not creat sects it is people who created sects. Secound killing of shias by sunnis have no base in islam. According to quran thouse people who kill an innocent human being allah will cast hell fire to them. Now thouse people who do such type of killing allah will put them in hell forever. Osama bin laden or any terrorist groups who kill innocent human will get hell. Muslims in palastine didnot use women and children as shields. It is only bombing of isreal on innocent palistinaian children and women that results vast killing of innocent childrens and women. What happens in palistians all knows what injustice western countries did on palistian they created isreal and removed 9 lakh arabs and then continious bombing and killing of palistians muslims. All is done by isreal when western countries supported. There was no need to creat isreal as People were living happy before creation of isreal. Muslims allows to fight againest thouse who oppress muslims. 3rd all thouse people who go againest quran are not muslims.
All your statements are misleading
“First islam did not creat sects it is people who created sects”- which people are, Christians, Jews, Hindus etc did not created sects, so which religion people are you talking about? I guess that all that you write is not what world wants to know. Its your Muslim people who created sects based on your Muslim leaders orders, there are division of Muslims, Arabs would marry Pakistani Muslims girl, but will never allow Arab girl to marry to any Asian Muslim, this because they are true Muslim, Arabs are the first class Muslims. 2nd Qur’an says contradictory things, there is nothing new what your Qur’an says- killing innocents etc, diffence is your Muslims do not follow your Qur’an, your Qur’an differentiate non Muslims and Muslims, non Muslims are enemy in Islam so Osama is a true Muslim, as he is following true Qur’an. All you are saying is just common know general things which all religion says. Just in case you did not notice, Osama killing was not celebrated by muslim countries, Muslims protected Osama, so where is your “innocent killing” statement from Qur’an, point is you Muslims kill non Muslims, or convert non muslim coz you want everyone to be muslim. Secular world can’t tolerate that. When your muslim countries do not allow secular govt, why your muslim countries not allow other religion, your Qur’an says religious freedom isn’t it. In short all you says is blah blah blah, Qur’an says this that etc, but in reality you Muslims are all ready violence.
when your Palestine’s muslim terrorist killed innocent Israeli athletes, hijacked Christians airlines etc where is your Qur’an thing now…Israel only know how to protect itself, why your peaceful brothers rocket isreal? Your qurans says to attack in self defense, so does our common sense, we need not study that in religion book. Why you Muslims have problem with western counties, why you Muslims got to west then, why don’t you settle in your Muslims counties? Is it because Arabs don’t treat you well, if so where is your Qur’an tought equality?
give some sensible answer instead of what your Qur’an says, my religion says so many things , here conversation is about what Muslims do to non Muslims in real life.