Jihaad is being distorted says Anwar Moazzam

April 24, 2003

My Say by Anwar Moazzam

We are living in an era of distortions — distortions in discourse, language, terminology, ideas, ideologies and of distortions in teachings of all religions. Strange things are happening.

Persons having no knowledge of their religions have become their “spokes persons”. This has become possible because of the authority they enjoy in their societies, built up either by the money they have or by the control they have constructed on the economic and social needs of the peoples.

Unfortunately, among such persons of dubious influence, the politicians of the East and the West have emerged as the most ruthless, besides being the most ignorant.

All these gentlemen are fighting their respective political battles with weapons of religious symbols and terminology like Crusades, Trishuls, Hindu cultural nationalism and Jihaad.

I wonder how many of these honourable gentlemen know about the basics of their religious traditions. So far as the anti-Islam and anti-Qur’an references made, recently, by the parivar stalwarts are concerned, I hope Arun Shourie will testify that the source of their knowledge of Islam is not the Qur’an but a disjointed summary of the most unconvincing distortions of Islamic teachings and the history of Muslims, compiled by certain European writers.

At present, let us, once again, read what one political spokesman of Islam has to declare in a press-report. “The chief of the Pakistan- based Lashkar-e- Taiba, Hafiz Saeed, has said that killing Hindus was a part of their Jihaad (armed struggle) against India.” This may be his Jihaad but it is certainly not Jihaad as permitted by the Qur’an.

To label “killing of Hindus” as Jihaad is a blatant distortion of the teachings of Islam; it should be considered a punishable offence in any state, and a sin in any society, governed by Islamic faith.

Can Hafiz Saeed (having memorised the Qur’an as his title Hafiz indicates) sight any Qur’anic verse (from the 114 Surahs and not 112 Surahs as mentioned last week in these columns) in support of such an opinion? Moreover, his Jihaad is selective.

While he mentions the “evil trio” (imitating the “evil axis” of George Bush) of America, Israel and India (against Islam), there is no explanation as to why his Jihaad is restricted to India only and why is he not waging his Jihaad against the other two.

This is quite in keeping with the distortion methodology employed by politically motivated interests.

Islam and, in fact, all religions, do not teach peoples to accept oppression and do not offer resistance. Islam does advise peoples to resist oppressions launched by a group if, through such oppression, performance of fundamental religious duties of Islam is rendered impossible by that group.

Even in such a situation, the Muslims are advised to migrate, if possible, to some other place where they could perform their religious duties in peace. I am not suggesting that, in history, the Muslims have not waged wars against others; the point is that those military campaigns in the past and what the persons like the LeT are doing today can not be described as Jihaad as recommended in the Qur’an.

April 30, 2003

Islam-Terrorism, Inc. - Part I

According to the FBI, the definition of terrorism is:

"Terrorism is the unlawful use of force or violence against persons or property to intimidate or coerce a government, the civilian population, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social objectives."

The religion of Islam fulfills each and every criteria of the above-mentioned definition of terrorism. The following irrefutable facts and deductive logic will amply demonstrate this statement. Ever since Islam was founded it has left behind a legacy of violent atrocities and horrible crimes. The holy book of the Muslims, the Koran, contains specific instructions on how to loot, pillage, plunder, rape, torture and murder in order to further the interests of Islam . It can clearly be called a specific instruction manual of terrorism.

The Holy Koran is full of very unholy and terrorist ambitions, it is obviously not from God, as the Muslims would have us believe. Any sane individual can see that it is a journal and collection of a terrorist’s criminal activities and ideas. This terrorist’s name is Mohammed (popularly known as the prophet of Islam). During his lifetime, Mohammed organized at least 86 expeditions against people who either refused to follow his teachings or simply came in the way of his power crazed ambitions. He led the life of a serial killer, terrorist and rapist, who perpetrated genocide throughout Arabia. Along with the pagan Arabs, many Jews and Christians were victims of this mindless terrorist. Mohammed was a man who destroyed peace wherever he went, and in its place brought terror, carnage and death. And he did all this in the name of God! Mohammed has clearly stated in the Koran that God has instructed him and all pious Muslims to loot, pillage, plunder, rape, torture and murder innocent human beings, in order to further the interests of Islam.

I have stated below just a few of the verses from the Koran, which support this fact. As the Koran is supposed to be timeless and universal, the verses in it hold true even today and are used everyday by pious Muslims to justify their brutal and terrorist activities.

1. (Koran 8:12) "Remember Thy Lord inspired the angels (with the message): "I am with you: give firmness to the believers, I will instill terror into the hearts of the unbelievers, Smite ye above their necks and smite all their finger tips of them."

In the above verse the great prophet of Islam, Mohammed, is giving step by step instructions on how to torture and kill the unbelievers if they don't follow Islam. He is clearly instructing Muslims to commit cold-blooded murder in the name of religion.

2. (Koran 2:216) "Warfare is ordained for you, though it is hateful unto you; but it may happen that you hate a thing which is good for you and it may happen that you love a thing which is bad for you. Allah knoweth, you knew not."

The above verse was stated by Mohammed after his first terrorist attack. He and his followers mercilessly massacred four innocent and unarmed merchants at Nakhla in 623 AD. The massacre came in January, the sacred month of Rejeb. Arabs regard this month as a sacred month, when warfare and violence is forbidden. Since this barbaric criminal act was led and sanctioned by the "great" prophet Mohammed, we can conclude that Islam's sacred activities include loot and cold-blooded murder of innocent individuals. The very beginnings of Islam are stained with the blood of innocents.

By stating the above verse, Mohammed completely absolved himself from all blame for having murdered innocents. The most insidious and devilish implication of this verse is that God is completely justifying Mohammed’s murder of the innocent Meccans. The import of this verse is that killing and violence are JUSTIFIED for Muslims, because they are doing it by divine ordinance! It is a religious duty of every Muslim to murder anyone who comes in the way of Islam. Since it is also the duty of every Muslim to ensure that the entire world is converted to Islam by force if necessary, one must directly conclude that it is the religious duty of Muslims to kill all those who are non-Muslim. This conclusion is derived directly from the supreme edict of Allah, who admonishes that even the Muslim who feels it is wrong to kill, must murder in the name of Allah, otherwise he is not a true Muslim. Over and above this, Mohammed is hypocritically implying that warfare is hateful to him, but he participated in it because God ordained it.

3. (Koran 69:30-37) "It is not for any Prophet to have captives until he hath made slaughter in the land. You desire the lure of this world and Allah desires for you the hereafter and Allah is Mighty, Wise.. Now enjoy what you have won as lawful and good and keep your duty to Allah. Lo! Allah is forgiving, merciful."

This verse is in reference to the prisoners that Mohammed held for ransom after the battle of Badr. This battle occurred on March 17, 623 AD. This is the month of Ramadan—another sacred month for the Muslims! In this battle, Mohammed and his followers killed at least 70 innocent merchants from the Quraysh tribe of Mecca and slaughtered several hundred soldiers who came forward to defend them.

Here God the "Merciful" is saying that all the non-believers deserve to be killed! In addition, God is conveniently commenting that whatever loot Mohammed has plundered is "lawful and good" because it was done in service to God. So murder, rape, plunder and destruction are all perfectly legal with the Muslim God as long as they are done in the name of Islam! Mohammed is also insidiously making himself seem very kind for having spared the lives of the prisoners, when in fact he only let them live so he could ransom their lives for more money. In today’s world this is called "taking hostages" and defines "Terrorism" of the worst kind.

4. (Koran 69:30-37) "(It will be said) Take him and fetter him and expose him to hell fire. And then insert him in a chain whereof the length is seventy cubits. Lo! he used not to believe in God the tremendous, and urged not on the feeding of the wretched. Therefore hath he no lover hear this day nor any food save filth which none but sinners eat."

The above verses from the Koran prove that Muslims are specifically instructed not to tolerate unbelievers. It directly states that people who do not believe in Mohammed and the Islamic God are to be tortured and murdered.. Not only does this verse clearly implicate that unbelievers must be tortured and killed, it goes on further to state prescribed methods for committing torture. The horrific acts mentioned above are in practice even today in Islamic countries. In fact, in India, Muslims tortured the Sikh Gurus and their families exactly as prescribed by the Koran. For example, the Sikh guru Tegh Bahadur was imprisoned in a cage like a wild animal, when he refused to forsake his religion for Islam. Three of his disciples were murdered in front of his eyes. One of them was Bhai Mati Das. He was sawed alive into little pieces. The other was wrapped up in cotton and burnt alive. Bhai Dyala, the third one, was boiled alive in a cauldron. Guru Tegh Bahadur himself was brutally tortured and killed in a similar fashion. One wonders at the mercy of "The all beneficent Allah" who enjoys watching the roasted burnt flesh of hapless innocents falling off their bones.

5. (Koran 5: 33-34) "The only reward of those who make war upon Allah and His messenger and strive after corruption in the land will be that they will be killed or crucified, or have their hands and feet and alternate sides cut off, or will be expelled out of the land. Such will be their degradation in the world, and in the Hereafter theirs will be an awful doom; Save those who repent before ye overpower them. For know that Allah is forgiving, merciful."

6. (Koran 22: 19-22) "These twain (the believers and the disbelievers) are two opponents who contend concerning their Lord. But as for those who disbelieve, garments of fire will be cut out for them, boiling fluid will be poured down their heads. Whereby that which is in their bellies, and their skins too, will be melted; And for them are hooked rods of iron. Whenever, in their anguish, they would go forth from thence they are driven back therein and (it is said unto them): Taste the doom of burning."

7. (Koran 76: 4) "Lo! We have prepared for disbelievers chains, yokes and a blazing fire."

The above verses clearly state extreme terrorist activities, as they contain nothing but detailed recipes of horrific torture. Cutting off the hands and feet of individuals and then making them walk and jump, pouring boiling waters over their victims, making them drink it, burning them alive, inserting hot iron rods into their bodies, dismemberment and disembowelment, genital mutilation etc. are common Islamic practices.

I have mentioned only a few of the verses from the Koran to show that Islam is nothing but an excuse to legalize terrorism, genocide, massacre and other criminal activities. Many other verses that demonstrate these specific qualities, are to be found throughout the Koran . As Muslims worldwide regard the Koran to be the ultimate holy book, it is followed to the word. Their daily lives are guided specifically by such passages from the Koran . Moreover, the terrorist, lecherous and criminal activities described in the Koran are considered to be the sacred words of God. Is it any wonder that mindless Muslims all over the world, justify their criminal activities of destruction, loot, torture, rape and murder by pointing to the Koran? They actually consider their acts to be holy and believe that for committing such holy acts they will go to paradise—a paradise where they will have plenty of wine, women and young boys for their sexual pleasure. (How Mohammed uses bribery in the Koran to attract mindless human beings is above the scope of this article and will be described in later ones).

Today, many followers of Islam such as Saddam Hussein, Idi Amin, Momar Gaddafi, Louis Farrakhan, Yasser Arafat, Dawood Ibrahim, Abu Nidal, etc. are famed for the brutality of their crimes and terrorism. The entire world is marred by violence and murder, wherever Muslims reside. The entire world is suffering due to the barbaric activities of Islamic terrorists. Pick up a newspaper today and you will note that 98% of terrorist activities that occur involve Muslims. I have named a few of the countries below as examples:

(1) India - Muslims have been terrorizing this country since the 7th century AD. Muslim regimes throughout India have a record of unparalleled terror and torture described in gory detail by contemporary Muslim chronicles themselves. Subjecting all non-Muslims to abject atrocities, plundering their wealth, abducting their women and usurping their houses of worship to be used as mosques and tombs, has been considered sacred duty of every Muslim. Such acts earned for the tormentors the coveted title of Ghazi, to be paraded as a citation of great Islamic glory and greatness. Aurangzeb, one of the last Muslim emperors had 10,000 Hindus massacred everyday for an entire year. He alone was responsible for the massacre of at least 3,650,000 Hindus and destruction of more than 11,000 Hindu temples. William Durant, author of the voluminous "Story of Civilization" has described the Muslim conquests in India as constituting the saddest and goriest chapter in human history. Muslims have destroyed and looted the whole country and have killed countless innocent Hindus in the process.

The Muslims forced the violent partition of India into three parts in 1947 (India, West Pakistan and East Pakistan). Even today, they terrorize the innocent people of India by causing bomb blasts and killing innocent individuals. Currently, the followers of Islam are concentrating their efforts in Kashmir, a northern state in India. Kashmir has been the land of the Hindus since ancient times. The word Kashmir itself is derived from Rishi Kashyap—a great spiritual leader of Hinduism. The Muslims have destroyed this beautiful land completely. Today the Pakistan-sponsored Muslim terrorists continue to kill, torture and rape the innocent Hindus of Kashmir. To cite the most recent incidents: In a cold-blooded massacre on the night of January 25th 1998, 23 Kashmiri Hindus, including 10 women and four children, were gunned down by a group of Islamic terrorists from Pakistan in Wandhama, 27 km from Srinagar. On April 19th Islamic terrorists belonging to the Pakistani Lashkar-e-Tobia terrorist organization claimed responsibility for gunning down at least 13 Kashmiri Hindus in Prankot village near Mahore in Udhampur district. The victims included four women and two children. Pakistan’s aim is to separate Kashmir from India and declare it as an Islamic state. I will provide you with more information on Islamic terrorism in India and Kashmir in a separate article.

(2) The Assyrian Nation - The horrible crimes committed by Islamic terrorists against the Assyrian nation is a well documented fact. Between 1980 and 1988 the Iraqi regime exiled thousands of Iraqi citizens to Iran on the charges that they were of Persian ancestry. Many Assyrians were targeted in this illegal and barbarous act. During this bloody war, it is estimated that up to 10,000 Assyrian men from Iraq were killed. The most disturbing aspect of this tragedy is that many of these Assyrians were killed in cold blood by their own Arab countrymen, just for being Assyrians. On December 13th 1997, a group of militants belonging to the Kurdish Labour Party (PKK), treacherously attacked six Assyrians through an ambush laid for them in the district of Mangeesh-Duhok, Northern Iraq. Two of them were killed immediately and the others were wounded, then the armed group charged over them and cold-bloodedly killed the wounded.

Ever since the invasion of their homelands by barbaric Muslims, the Assyrians have been fighting for their rights. The persecution of Assyrian Christians by the Islamic terrorists has brought them to the brink of extinction!

(3) Bangladesh - Bangladesh was a part of India before the Muslim terrorists led by Mohammed Ali Jinnah separated it from India in 1947. It was then called East Pakistan. Jinnah lied to the thirteen million Hindus, Buddhists and Christians in East Pakistan and told them that they would not be persecuted against. He promised that they would be given full freedom under the Islamic rule. However, these religious minorities—especially the Hindus and the Buddhists have been tortured, raped and murdered by the pious Muslims ever since 1947. Over 2.5 million Hindus alone were slaughtered during the Pakistan-Bangladesh war in 1971. The types of crimes committed were perfectly in accordance with the Koran. Robert E. Burns, the author of Wrath of Allah states, "The mutilation was disgusting—eyes gouged out, pregnant women disemboweled, male genitals cut off, women’s breasts cut off….."

The persecution of "unbelievers" in the name of Allah , continues even today in Bangladesh under the Islamic rule. For example, Taslima Nasreen, the author of Lajja was given a death sentence for just stating the facts and speaking against the inhumane, cruel and barbaric nature of Islam.

(4) Egypt - Egypt has been terrorized by Muslims since the time of Umar II (8th Century AD.). With Umar’s raid on Egypt began the destruction of Egypt’s Christians. Their Churches were destroyed, Umar imposed Jizya—a special tax that was invented by Mohammed , where all the "non-believers" had to pay or face death. They lost ownership of all their land and had to pay a special land tax, kharaj, simply in order to use it . They were ridiculed, made to wear discriminatory clothing and were made to ride on donkeys. Anyone not complying with the wishes of the Islamic terrorists was tortured to death in absolute accordance with the Koran. The ongoing Islamic terrorist attacks on innocent people in Egypt even today prove that Islamic terrorism is alive and kicking in this country as well. In this country the tourists are special targets of the Muslim terrorists. Just last year in Cairo, the pious followers of Mohammed murdered an entire bus load of German tourists. In another incident, Muslim fundamentalists killed more than 40 tourists near the Pyramids.

The terrorists continue to commit these horrible crimes to achieve their goal of declaration of Egypt as an Islamic state. An Islamic state is desired by these terrorists, so that they will be able to commit more such crimes freely. As per the Koran, they will go to the typical Islamic Paradise for committing these "holy" acts! Apparently, the most important condition by far, for entering "Jannat" (Islamic Heaven) is that you must have the blood of innocents, stained on your hands!

(5) Algeria - Algeria has been under Islamic terrorist attack for quite some time now. Accurate casualty figures are difficult to acquire, but as many as 50,000 Algerians (militants, security personnel, and civilians) have died as a result of the nearly four-year-old insurgency. Even the U.S. embassy's warehouse was the target of Islamic terrorists. They set fire to the warehouse and threatened to kill the security guard just because he was working for the United States. The Islamic terrorist organization which carries out most of these attacks is called GIA (Algerian Armed Islamic Group). The GIA was responsible for the deaths of 31 foreigners in Algeria in 1995, compared to at least 64 in 1994. Most of the foreigners killed were "soft targets," such as teachers and nuns. Cowardly Islamic terrorists, conform to this pattern of targeting the most vulnerable and helpless segment of the population, in imitation of Prophet Mohammed's life. From July to October, a terrorist bombing campaign in France began against civilian targets, killing eight persons and wounding 160. And such attacks continue on even today in Algeria.

(6) Pakistan - Like East Pakistan (Bangladesh), Pakistan was also founded by the terrorist leader, Mohammed Ali Jinnah. Ever since its foundation, Pakistan has sponsored terrorism and Islamic terrorist groups all over the world. Pakistan’s main focus of terrorist activity has always been India. This nation is obsessed with the downfall of India and will do anything to accomplish this goal. It has gone to war with India three times in the past and failed miserably all three times. Pakistan continues to support Islamic terrorist organizations such as Harakat ul-Ansar (HUA) and Al-Faran. Al-Faran is the group that claimed responsibility for the kidnapping in Kashmir of two US citizens, two Britons, a German, and a Norwegian. Other Pakistan-backed groups have claimed responsibility for numerous bombings in Kashmir, including one against foreign journalists.

It is a well-known fact today that Pakistan is an Islamic terrorist state. The mastermind of the World Trade Center bombing hailed from Pakistan. The Islamic terrorists in Kashmir are trained and supplied by Pakistan. There is even proof that Pakistan is supporting and helping the Taliban—the barbaric Islamic organization of Afghanistan.

Many other countries such as Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Germany, Syria, Indonesia, Israel, Libya, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Mauritania, Cyprus, Bosnia-Herzegovina, etc. can be added to the above list.

As we can clearly see Muslims are actively committing acts of terrorism in many other parts of the world and justifying it by pointing towards the Koran. Even the West is not untouched anymore. The fact that countries such as the U.K, U.S.A and France have already experienced Islamic terrorism first hand is a testament to this. It remains to be seen whether countries such as these will learn from the past and recognize Islam for what it is—a religious sanction to legalize barbaric and horrific crimes! I urge each and everyone to read the Koran, the terrorist's instruction manual, for their own personal safety. It is necessary to know what you are up against before you can begin to defend yourself.

This is just a simple introduction to Islamic terrorism. I intend to post more such articles that contain many more such proofs to show that Islam is nothing but an excuse to legalize terrorist activities and other such crimes. In order to realize this, one must first understand that Islam itself was founded for the sole purpose of terrorizing, subjugating, massacring and torturing non-Muslims in the name of Allah. Mohammed, the founder of Islam composed the entire Koran in order to justify his terrorist activities and crimes by false Divine injunctions.