DAR AL HARB/ISLAM: THE THREAT OF ISLAM TO WESTERN CIVILIZATION

West's Islam Threat
by Hooper

Many Muslims claim Islam is the fastest growing religion in the world. It is slowly becoming a part of all our lives. Some may well ask, "Does it matter, for some in Islam are gentle people?" The truth is that while the sensitive Muslim is disturbed by some of the things done in the name of Islam, the expansionists uphold extremes:

‘One Muslim extremist of the Islamic Liberation party reminded his interlocutors just before the scheduled opening of the party’s international rally in London in August, 1994, that “there are 123 verses in the Quran about killing and fighting.” And he added, quite unnecessarily, “Ours is not a passive religion.”’ (Fregosi, P., 1998, p.18, Jihad).

We are told by some politicians, moderate Muslims and sections of the media that this brand of Is-lam is a perversion of the true Islam and that Islam means peace; but many others, who also call themselves Muslims, insist that this is the true Is-lam, classical Islam. (Extremists like Bin Laden quote many verses from the Quran and Islamic traditions in their speeches.) Two of the verses moderate Muslims often quote are Sura 5:32 and Sura 5:82. (A Sura is the equivalent of a chapter in the Quran.) Sura 5:32 says: ‘…if any one slew a person…it would be as if he slew the whole people: and if any one saved a life, it would be as if he saved the life of the whole people….’ Hence the killing of the innocent is wrong. Certain extremists, however, are very quick to point out that non-Muslims are not innocent and some refer to the verse which immediately follows Sura 5:32 (5:33). Sura 5:83 also seems to change the meaning of Sura 5:82.

This is all very confusing. Obviously, a book can be made to sound better or worse than it actually is. Are some Muslims friendly because of the teachings of classical Islam or are they friendly despite it?

Is Islam fundamentally peace loving or have some in our governments lied to us in order to avoid a public reaction? (I don’t need to be convinced that Islam is peaceful; I’m not going to blow up a bus. Islamic extremists are the ones who need to be convinced that only peaceful methods should be used in the name of Islam.) Would it matter if some of our states adopted Islamic law through the democratic process? And would the face of Islam change once power was obtained? Perhaps there are two faces of Islam?

TO GET THE RIGHT ANSWERS WE MUST BEGIN ASKING THE RIGHT QUESTIONS
Whether one's enemies should be treated differently from those who believe, is one of the most distinctive differences between the world's most read religious books, in particular the Quran and the New Testament. The differences between the two are fundamental differences. (I encourage you to read the Quran for yourself.) When reading the Quran it is important to consider its tone (How does it read?). Does it encourage Muslims to trust and love pagans or treat them with suspicion and hostility? Are there more verses about love and forgiveness or about war and fighting? Do some verses replace others when there seems to be a contradiction? (See Sura 16:101. Suras 9 and 5 are two of the last Suras to be revealed to Mohammed.) Are all means permissible if they advance the cause of Islam? All such questions need to be asked and answered when reading the Quran.

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Pertinent Links:

1) West's Islam Threat