World Religions

by Craig Branch –

The portentous event of September 11, 2001, when the Al Qaeda followers of Osama Bin Laden attacked the U.S., killing thousands in the suicide plane crashes in New York and Pennsylvania, brought a necessary focus on the nature and complexities of Islam. Is Al Qaeda one of a few extreme expressions of Islam not representing true Islam? Does Islam represent a threat to the free world? Is Islam, as most Muslim leaders today claim, truly a religion of peace?

We believe that the history of Islam and its doctrinal source in the Qur’an and Hadith are clear on this question. As we document in this issue of Areopagus Journal, Islam is not a religion of peace. Not very long after Muhammad allegedly began receiving divine revelations from the angel Gabriel, the resulting “scripture” (the Qur’an) began to reflect justification for “lesser jihad,” fighting for the cause of Allah. This lesser jihad included not only defense against enemy aggression, but also the advancement of Islam by force. With this “divine justification,” Muhammad and his later caliphs (deputies) led armies that conquered Arabia, Persia, Syria, Jerusalem, Palestine, the Babylonian, Byzantine, and Assyrian Empires, as well as southern France, Afghanistan, Pakistan, parts of India, Indonesia and the Philippines—all by 732 A.D.

Moreover, Islam is inherently theocratic. Central to Islamic practice is sharia law. This is the constitutional law, based on the Quran and Hadith, which dictates all ritual, social, cultural, political, and commercial activities for Muslims and their communities. There is no separation of Church and State in true Islam.1
Yet we continue to hear (from the liberal media and Muslim apologists) that Islam is a religion of peace, that it is misunderstood, and often persecuted. They say that Islam has improved society. It has elevated the status of women. Also, they continue to say that the “terrorists” are “radicalized” Muslims who hate the West but do not actually understand Islam correctly.

But the fact is that these Muslim apologists are not correctly representing basic Islam. One glaring example of this is the recent book by Georgetown University professor, John Esposito and a conservative Egyptian American Muslim woman, Dalia Mogahed. Their book claims to be the “largest and best study of its kind,” interviewing “tens of thousands” of Muslims from “more that 35 nations.” The conclusion of the book was that only 7% of 1.3 billion Muslims are “radicalized.”2 These were the Muslims who indicated in the interviews that the September 11 attack was “totally justified.” The authors claimed that this small (91 million?) group of “politically radicalized” Muslims were militant due to the West’s domination and exploitation rather than the interior beliefs of Islam.

There can be little doubt that the West’s domination and exploitation have contributed to contemporary manifestations of Muslim violence. Nevertheless, as this journal will demonstrate, Muslims are also “radicalized” by the fundamental beliefs and practices of historic Islam. And it is not just a small percentage who are “radicalized.” What Esposito and Mogahed don’t factor into their conclusion is that in their survey there was an additional 7% (another 91 million) who said September 11 was “largely justified,” and 23% who said it was “somewhat justified” (another 299 million)!

There is an internal struggle within Islam whether to modernize and move away from fundamentalist Islam, or to return to and maintain the original doctrines of historical Islam. We can be grateful for the large number of Muslims who prefer the former course. But, the problem is that too many Muslims really do not know or fully understand their history and doctrine (not unlike many Christians). It is the radical militant Muslims who are most consistent with the traditions and teachings of Islam.

In this journal, we begin with the article, “Violence in Islam According to Muslim Tradition” written by Dr. Gordon Nickel, whose Ph D focuses on the earliest Muslim commentaries on the Quran. He demonstrates the consistent pattern of violent advancement in the Quran and Islamic history. Nickel also introduces other topics that are addressed in this issue, namely, teaching of the Qur’an on jihad and the question often raised concerning the Old Testament’s apparent teaching on violence toward unbelievers.

Don Closson takes up the first of these additional issues, in his piece, “The Verse of the Sword: A Matter of Interpretation.” He responds to Muslim claims that the jihadic passages in the Qur’an refer primarily to one’s own personal struggle against sin. Closson shows that the Quran clearly teaches violence and oppression toward non-Muslims.

Todd Borger address the question of Old Testament violence in, “The Canaanite Conquest: A Paradigm for Christian Violence?” In this article, Borger more thoroughly responds to and refutes the claim of Muslims and other critics that the Old Testament “justifies” holy war.

The last article, “Islam’s Contempt for Women” is written by Brigitte Gabriel. Ms. Gabriel addresses the more radical and abusive Islamic laws and practices concerning women. Many moderate Muslims will not identify with her claims of abuse and inequality of women under Islamic sharia law, but nonetheless, these abuses and policies exist in those countries where conservative Sharia law is recognized. Muslim apologists will point out that in Arabia during the time of Muhammad, and even later in countries like India and China, infanticide of female babies was common. Women were used as sex objects and sold as slaves. They claim that “Islam raised women to a position of influence and prestige in family and society. Islam gave them then legitimate place in life.… Islamic women are equal partners in all aspects of life.” 3

One of the problems is that the Quran puts forth many contradictory edicts regarding the status, treatment, and expectations of women. And then there is the problem of the four different schools of interpretations of the Quran and Hadith which frames the sharia applications (from more liberal to conservative). But it is well documented that the Qur’anic interpretation and application of the status and treatment of women Ms. Gabriel describes is practiced in the Wahhabi dominated Saudi Arabia, Iran, Pakistan, Sudan and other conservative Muslim countries, and among the Taliban and Al Qaeda.

Craig Branch is the director of the Apologetics Resource Center, Birmingham, Alabama. He is also the co-author (with John Ankerberg and John Weldon) of the book, Public Schools: The Sorcerer’s New Apprentice?

NOTES
¹ For more on the history and basic doctrines of Islam, see the earlier issue of Areopagus Journal with the theme, “The Cross and the Crescent” (vol. 2, No. 4 [Oct-Dec 2002]).
²John Esposito and Dalia Mogahed, Who Speaks for Islam? (New York: Gallup Press, 2007).
³Saleem Kayani, Status of Woman in Islam, (Islamic Circle of North America, Jamaica, NY).

(First published in Areopagus Journal Vol. 10 No. 1 – Is Islam a Religion of Peace?)