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To Kill and To Die
IN THE NAME OF ALLAH

By Abdullah Al Araby

Jump to:  Jihad (Holy War)    Jihad in the "Quran"     Jihad in the "Hadith"    Mohammed: An Example

The following are news items quoted from newspapers in the last few years:

September 11, 2001

"Thousands of Americans are missing and presumed dead in the worst terrorist attack by Muslim extremists in U.S. history. Two hijacked airliners on a suicide mission crash into New York's twin towers, causing their collapse. A third crashes into the Pentagon, and a fourth goes down in western Pennsylvania, its mission believed to have been thwarted by passengers."

October 12, 2000

" "Seventeen Americans are killed and dozens injured after a small boat apparently loaded with explosives and led by Muslim extremists crashes into the Navy destroyer USS Cole in the port of Aden, Yemen. The explosion blows a 40-foot by 40-foot hole in the ship."

August 7, 1998

"Bombs placed by Muslim extremists explode at U.S .embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, killing at least 224 people, including 12 Americans. Washington responds with cruise missile attacks on sites allegedly linked to Osama bin Laden -- a rare public strike on an alleged terrorist."

November 17, 1997

"Muslim militants marched into the Temple of Hatshepsut in southern Egypt and massacred 58 tourists. The incident was one of the deadliest acts of terrorism directed specifically at tourists."

June 25, 1996

"A truck bomb placed by Muslim extremists explodes outside the Khobar Towers housing complex near Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, killing 19 U.S. Air Force personnel and injuring more than 500 Americans and Saudis."

October 19, 1994

" A powerful bomb, apparently placed by Islamic militants opposed to the Arab-Israeli peace negotiations, blew up a crowded bus during the morning rush hour in the heart of Tel Aviv, Israel, killing 22 people and wounding 48."

July 18, 1994

" A huge bomb placed by Muslim extremists exploded destroying a seven-story downtown building housing two Jewish groups in Buenos Aires, Argentina. At least 26 people were killed and 127 were injured."

February 26, 1993

" A tremendous underground explosion believed to be caused by a bomb placed by Muslim extrimists, shook the 110-story twin towers of Manhattan's World Trade Center, in New York, killing at least five people, injuring more than 1000, and sending tens of thousands of workers fleeing for their lives down crowded smoke-filled stairs .

May 4, 1992

"13 Egyptian Christians were shot dead by Muslim fundamentalists in Mansheit Nasser, Egypt . Ten Christian farmers were ambushed and murdered while working in their fields. A Christian teacher was shot in the local school while teaching a class of ten-year olds. A Christian doctor was shot dead outside his home."

These are just few samples out of thousands of terrorist attacks, which all have one element in common: they were all committed by Muslim extremists. While there are extremists in other groups, who are capable of committing acts of violence, it seems that violence committed by Muslim extremists exceeds the violence of other groups.

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Why do Muslim extremists act this way?

Are Muslims inherently inhumane, savage and evil? - of course not. Muslims are ordinary people, just like anybody else. They are fathers, brothers and sons. They could be doctors, engineers and lawyers. They are your co-workers, and your next door neighbors. Violence is committed by a minority of Muslim extremists.

So, what goes on their minds when they act violently? To understand this one must understand an important and dangerous Islamic teaching called "Jihad" ( or Holy war). It is important to understand that not every Arab is a Muslim, not every Muslim is an Arab, and not every Muslim is a extremist. We are not trying to attack a group of people here, we are only exposing a teaching in a religion that could have a serious effect on society.

It is also important to know that in exercising Jihad, Muslim extremists may not think they are trying to maliciously hurt others, but rather they are only obeying God's commandments. And in doing so, they are assuring themselves a place in Paradise.

Jihad (Holy War)

Jihad is one of many sacred duties Muslims perform. The word "Jihad" is an Arabic word, which means, "struggle". Jihad can mean striving to be a better Muslim, but it can also mean fighting in the name of Allah. In this sense Jihad is the struggle for the cause of spreading Islam, using all means available to Muslims, including force. This kind of Jihad is often referred to as "Holy War".

In resorting to force, Muslims will not have any problem finding passages in the Quran (believed by Muslims to be Allah's word), and the Hadith (Mohammed's sayings as recorded by Al Bukhari), that will not only condone violence, but will also demand it.

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Jihad in the "Quran"

Allah orders Muslims in the Quran to terrorize non-Muslims on His behalf:

• "Strike terror (into the hearts of) the enemies of Allah and your enemies" Surah 8:60
• "Fight (kill) them (non-Muslims), and Allah will punish (torment) them by your hands, cover them with shame" Surah 9:14
• "I will instil terror into the hearts of the unbelievers, smite ye above their necks and smite all their finger-tips off them It is not ye who slew them; it was Allah" Surah 8:12, 17

Jihad in the "Hadith"

In the Hadith Mohammed also urges Muslims to practice Jihad. Mohammed once was asked: what is the best deed for the Muslim next to believing in Allah and His Apostle? His answer was : "To participate in Jihad in Allah's cause " Al Bukhari vol. 1:25

Mohammed was quoted as saying:  "I have been ordered to fight with the people till they say, none has the right to be worshipped but Allah " Al Bukhari vol. 4:196

Mohammed also said, "The person who participates in (Holy Battles) in Allah's cause and nothing compels him to do so except belief in Allah and His Apostle, will be recompensed by Allah either with a reward, or booty (if he survives) or will be admitted to paradise (if he is killed). " Al Bukhari vol. 1:35.

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Mohammed: an Example.

When the prophet of Islam started preaching his new religion in Mecca, he was conciliatory to Christians and Jews. He told them: "We believe in what has been sent down to us and sent down to you, our God is the same as your God" Surah 29:45. This attitude changed completely after he gained strength. Allah then tells him to "Fight People of the Book (Christians and Jews), who do not accept the religion of the truth (Islam), until they pay tribute (penalty tax) by hand, being inferior. " Surah 9:29.

Regarding Christians and Jews, it seems that Mohammed hated the Jews more. During his life time, Mohammed devoted much of his efforts to get rid of the Jews: "You (Jews) should know that the earth belongs to Allah and his apostle, and I want to expel you from this land (the Arabian Peninsula), so, if anyone owns property, he is permitted to sell it " Mohammed was quoted.

At that time there were in Medina three Jewish tribes. Two of them, the Qaynqa and the Bani-al-Nudair tribes, were besieged by Mohammed's men, blocking their access to food supplies, until they surrendered on Mohammed's terms, which were that their lives would be spared, that they must emigrate from Medina, and that they must deposit all their belongings at a certain place for distribution among Muslims.

The third tribe, Bani Qurayza, was not as lucky. After the War of the Trench , in which Mohammed was besieged by the Qurayshites led, by Abu Sofyan, it was alleged that Bani Qurayza agreed to provide help from within to Abu Sofyan's forces. Although the alleged help did not materialize and the siege eventually ended, nevertheless, Mohammed never forgave them for their willingness to help his enemies.

Muslims turned against Bani Qurayza and blocked their streets for twenty five days. The Jewish tribe expressed readiness to accept the surrender terms which had been conceded to the other two Jewish tribes, namely cession of their belongings and departure with safe conduct.

Mohammed, however, would not consent to this, and instead appointed as an arbiter Saad iben Moaz, a man who was known to be on bad terms with Bani Qurayza. Saad ruled that all Bani Qurayza's men should be beheaded, that the women and children should be sold as slaves, and that all their property should be divided among the Muslims. Trenches were dug in the bazaar of Medina for disposal of the nine hundred Jewish bodies whom Mohammed had spent the night slaughtering. (See Ibn Hisham: The Prophet's biography; vol. 2 pages 40 & 41)

Dear friends
These are historical facts that happened 14 centuries ago, they represent a dangerous tendency for violence in the Muslim fundamentalist mentality. More serious is that Muslim fundamentalists are trying to repeat these acts of violence in this 21st century. Guard our freedom and democracy. Let Jesus' message of tolerance and non-violence rules our land "Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword". Matthew 26:52

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