Twenty-Year
Plan: Islam Targets Shorrosh is a member of the Oxford Society of Scholars, has traveled in 76 countries,
and is a lecturer and producer of TV documentaries. ''Islam Revealed'' is a bestseller now
in its eighth printing. His forthcoming 10th book, from which the 20-point plan is
abridged, is titled ''Islam: A Threat or a Challenge.'' ''The True Furqan'' is also available for viewing on Islam-Exposed.org. Shorrosh's new website is Focusing-on-Islam.com. |
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Top ten reasons why Islam is not the religion of peace
Ever since 9/11, Muslim leaders who have access to the national media have told us that
Islam is the religion of peace and that violence does not represent the essence of
Muhammad's religion. Even President Bush and Sadly it is not, for empirical, observable facts demonstrate beyond doubt that Islam at
its founding is filled with violence—in the life of Muhammad himself and in the Quran
itself. Hence, these Muslim apologists must stop misleading unsuspecting Westerners, and they
must be honest about the heart of their religion, for once and for all. Here are ten clear, verifiable reasons that explain why Islam is not the religion of
peace. Clear? In order to prevent the standard, reflexive 'out of context' defense from Muslim
apologists, the context of each verse in the Quran is explained either in this article or
in the links provided within each of the ten reasons. No verse is taken out of context,
and Muslim translators are used. Verifiable? The readers are invited to look up each verse in the Quran in multiple
translations, by visiting this website and typing
in references, like so: 61:10—12. (61 is the chapter or sura, and 10—12 are the
verses). Once at the site, they should ignore request for the transliterated Arabic titles
of the chapters in the Quran, and just type in the numbers. 10. Muhammad nicknames his weapons. Tabari (AD 839—923) is an early Muslim historian who is considered largely
reliable by scholars today. In fact, the State University of New York Press selected his
history to be translated into 38 volumes. (We use volume 9, pp. 153—55, trans. Ismail
K. Poonawala.) In the context of the list of Muhammad's assets (horses, camels, milch sheep, and so
on) at the end of his life, Tabari records the nicknames of Muhammad's weapons. Muhammad nicknames three swords that he took from the Jewish tribe Qaynuqa after he
banished them from Next, Muhammad took three bows from the Qaynuqa tribe and named them as follows: 'Most
conducive to ease, or wide,' 'white,' and 'of nab wood' (species of tree from which bows
are made). The name of a coat of mail implies 'ampleness' or 'redundant portions,' probably
because Muhammad was portly (cf. Ibn Ishaq, Life of Muhammad, trans. Guillaume,
p. 383). Finally, even Muhammad himself has a nickname. After Tabari lists the positive ones, he
matter—of—factly provides one that is not so positive: 'The obliterator.' Muslim apologists may object that Tabari is not authoritative (except when he shows
Muhammad as heroic or victorious) and that he is not on the same level as the Quran and
some hadiths (words and deeds of Muhammad outside of the Quran). This is true. But Muslim
apologists still must answer why such a tradition of naming weapons developed about
Muhammad. After all, later, unauthoritative traditions about Christ developed, but they do
not show him naming weapons. The answer to this question is found in the next nine
reasons. Thus, violence sits at the heart of early Islam—in the life of Muhammad. Islam is
therefore not the religion of peace. 9. Muhammad commands in his Quran that adulterers and adulteresses should
receive a hundred lashes. 24:2 Strike the adulteress and the adulterer one hundred times.
Do not let compassion for them keep you from carrying out God's law—if you believe in
God and the Last Day—and ensure that a group of believers witnesses the punishment.
(Haleem) The supposed historical context of this sura occurs during a raid of a tribe in
December 627 or January 628, on which Muhammad brought his favorite and youngest wife,
Aisha, also the daughter of Abu Bakr, his right—hand lieutenant. After the Muslims'
victory, they journeyed back to However, a handsome young Muslim named Safwan saw her and accompanied her back to Sura 24 thus establishes some ground rules against adultery, of which flogging one
hundred times is one of the rules. Amazingly, 24:2 exhorts the accusers and judges not to
let compassion keep them from carrying out God's law. Moreover, early and reliable traditions depict Muhammad and his Muslims stoning
adulterers and adulteresses, as recorded by Bukhari and Muslim: Umar said: God sent Muhammad with the truth and sent down the Book [Quran] to him,
and the verse of stoning was included in what God most high sent down. God's messenger
[Muhammad] had people stoned to death, and we have done it also since his death. Stoning
is a duty laid down in God's Book for married men and women who commit fornication when
proof is established, or if there is pregnancy, or a confession. Umar was Muhammad's right—hand lieutenant (along with Abu Bakr), and even shortly
after Muhammad's death he tried very hard to get a verse allowing stoning into the Quran,
but he did not succeed (Ibn Ishaq, Life of Muhammad, trans. Guillaume, p. 684).
Be that as it may, this and the next hadith are sufficient for many Muslims today to
endorse stoning, as seen here and here. Perhaps the most gruesome hadith is the following. A woman came to the Prophet and
asked for purification. He told her to go away and seek God's forgiveness. She persisted
four times and admitted that she was pregnant as a result of fornication. He told her to
wait until she had given birth. Then he said that the Muslim community should wait until
she had weaned her child. When the day arrived for the child to take solid food, Muhammad
handed the child over to the community and ordered the woman's death by stoning. And when he had given command over her and she was put in a hole up to her breast,
he ordered the people to stone her. Khalid b. al—Walid came forward with a stone
which he threw at her head, and when the blood spurted on his face he cursed her . . .
(Muslim) The Prophet prayed over her dead body and then buried her. Truthfully, how effective
was the prayer when Muhammad and his community murdered her in cold blood? They should
have forgiven her and let her go to raise her child. Even if Muslim apologists today do not accept these hadiths, then they still have to
answer why the true God would send down the harsh punishment of lashing in the Quran (Sura
24:2), when the New Testament says nothing about this. Christians should therefore rightly
reject this verse, for Christ forgave the woman caught in adultery (John 8:1—11). He
showed us the better way and taught the will of the true God. For more information on this early punishment and how it is applied today, link to this
article, which also answers Muslim apologists and explains John 8:1—11 more
thoroughly. Thus, cruel violence sits at the heart of early Islam—in Muhammad's life and in
his Quran. Islam is therefore not the religion of peace. 8. Muhammad in his Quran permits husbands to beat their wives. 4:34 Husbands should take full care of their wives, with [the bounties] God has
given to some more than others and with what they spend out of their own money. Righteous
wives are devout and guard what God would have them guard in the husbands' absence. If you
fear high—handedness from your wives, remind them [of the teaching of God], then
ignore them when you go to bed, then hit them. If they
obey you, you have no right to act against them. God is most high and great. (Haleem) Written in the historical context of the Battle of Uhud (March 625), in which Islam
lost 70 holy warriors, this verse belongs to a larger collection of verses that outlines
laws for the family, such as how to divide the inheritance and to how to oversee the
assets of orphans (vv. 1—35). Plainly said, Sura 4:34 specifies that husbands may beat their unruly wives if the
husbands 'fear' highhandedness, quite apart from whether the wives are actually being
highhanded. This puts the interpretation of the wives' behavior squarely in the husbands'
judgment, and this swings the door to abuse wide open. This verse embodies a gigantic
cultural and social step backwards and should be rejected by all fair—minded and
reasonable people. For a more thorough analysis of this hurtful practice, refer to this
article. Thus, domestic violence sits at the heart of early Islam—in the life of Muhammad
and his Quran. Islam is therefore not the religion of peace. 7. Muhammad in his Quran commands that the hands of male or female thieves
should be cut off. 5:38 Cut off the hands of thieves, whether they are male or
female, as punishment for what they have done—a deterrent from God: God is almighty
and wise. 39 But if anyone repents after his wrongdoing and makes amends, God will accept
his repentance: God is most forgiving and merciful. (Haleem) Three passages in the hadith interpret Muhammad's policy and provide its context. This
is a quick compilation taken from the two most reliable collectors and editors of the
hadith, Bukhari (810—870 AD) and Muslim (c. 817—875 AD): Aisha [favorite wife of Muhammad] reported the Prophet saying, 'A thief's hand
should be cut off for only a quarter of a dinar and upwards.' A dinar, a word taken from the Roman denarius, was not a small sum, but not exorbitant
either, yet one—fourth of a dinar merits the loss of a hand in Muhammad's view. Ibn Umar said the Prophet had a thief's hand cut off for a shield worth three
dirhams. The shield was fairly expensive. The poor in Muhammad's armies could not afford one.
But is a shield equal to a hand? Abu Huraira reported the Prophet as saying, 'God curse a thief who steals an egg
and has his hand cut off, and steals a rope and has his hand cut off!' Some commentators are quick to say that an 'egg' is really a helmet, and the rope is a
ship's rope, which is sizable and costly. However, the translation above is usually
accepted, and this means that the penalty could be imposed for trivial thefts. But even if
the more expensive items are in view here, they still do not measure up to a hand. For more information on this gruesome practice and its historical context, link to this
article, which also answers Muslim apologists who seek to defend this practice and
which also contrasts Christ with Muhammad. Suffice it to say here, Christ never endorsed
this sort of violence. And Paul the Apostle says that thieves should work with their hands
in order to share with those in need, not get their hand cut off (Ephesians 4:28). So Paul
excels Muhammad. Thus, harsh and excessive punitive violence sits at the heart of early Islam—in
Muhammad's life and in the Quran. Islam is therefore not the religion of peace. 6. Muhammad assassinates poets and poetesses. These two poets represent others in early Islam. Uqba mocked Muhammad in March 624: Amsa bint Marwan Amsa was a poetess who belonged to a tribe of Medinan pagans, and whose husband was
named Yazid b. Zayd. She composed a poem blaming the Medinan pagans for obeying a stranger
(Muhammad) and for not taking the initiative to attack him by surprise. When the Prophet
heard what she had said, he asked, 'Who will rid me of Marwan's daughter?' A member of her
husband's tribe volunteered and crept into her house that night. She had five children,
and the youngest was sleeping at her breast. The assassin gently removed the child, drew
his sword, and plunged it into her, killing her in her sleep. The following morning, the assassin defied anyone to take revenge. No one took him up
on his challenge, not even her husband. In fact, Islam became powerful among his tribe.
Previously, some members who had kept their conversion secret now became Muslims openly,
'because they saw the power of Islam,' so conjectures an early Muslim source that reports
the assassination. In addition to the sources that recount these and other assassinations, the Quran also
supports harsh punishments for mockers and insulters (Suras 3:186; 33:57; 33:59—61;
and 9:61—63). However, even if Muslims reject the early non—Quranic sources where these
assassinations are found, they still must answer these questions: Why would such a
tradition grow up around Muhammad in friendly Islamic sources? What was it about Muhammad
that produced such reports? Why are these sources eager to present their prophet in a
'positive' way? For an in—depth analysis of Muhammad's assassinations of poets and how they
justify assassinations of artists today, like the one of Theo van Gogh, the
Dutch filmmaker, refer to this
article, which also answers the Muslim apologists who try to justify Muhammad's deadly
policy, and which contrasts early Christianity with early Islam—Jesus assassinated no
one, neither did he order this in the Gospels. Thus, bullying and murderous violence sits at the heart of early Islam—in
Muhammad's life and in the Quran. Islam is therefore not the religion of peace. 5. Muhammad commands death or the cutting off of hands and feet for fighting
and corrupting the land. 5:33 Indeed, the punishment of those who fight Allah and His Messenger and who go
around corrupting the land is to be killed, crucified, have their hands
and feet cut off on opposite sides, or to be banished from the land. That
is a disgrace for them in this life, and in the life to come theirs will be a terrible
punishment. 34 Except for those who repent before you overpower them. Know, then, that
Allah is All—Forgiving, Merciful. (Fakhry) According to the hadith, the historical context of these verses runs as follows and
clarifies 'fighting' and 'corrupting' the land. Some Arab tribesmen visited the Prophet, but fell sick in the uncongenial climate of This news reached him, and he ordered them to be hunted down and brought before him. He
decreed that their hands and feet should be cut off, their eyes gouged out, and their
bodies thrown upon stony ground until they died. For more information on this policy that punishes people today based on Sura 5:33, even
on ambiguous
charges, and for a reply to Muslim apologists, link to this
article, which also contrasts Christ with Muhammad. Thus, gruesome violence sits at the heart of early Islam—in Muhammad's life and in
the Quran. Islam is therefore not the religion of peace. 4. Muhammad aggressively attacks Meccan caravans. A year or so after Muhammad's Hijrah from Mecca to Medina in 622, he attacks Meccan
caravans six times, and sent out a punitive expedition three—days away against an
Arab tribe that stole some Medinan grazing camels (or cattle), totaling seven raids. W. Montgomery Watt, a highly reputable The chief point to notice is that the Muslims took the offensive.
With one exception the seven expeditions were directed against Meccan caravans. The
geographical situation lent itself to this. Caravans from It must be emphatically stated that the Meccans never sent a force up to the doorstep
of Hence, two Muslim scholar—apologists are deliberately inaccurate when they assert
that the caravans 'passed through' Medina, adding that the Muslims haphazardly sought for
whatever spoils they could get, whereas the Meccans mobilized for war (Isma'il R.
al—Faruqi and Lois Lamya'al Faruqi, The Cultural Atlas of Islam, New York:
Macmillan, 1986, 134). Rather, it is more accurate to say that the Muslims were
aggressively harassing the Meccans. To complete the military picture of Muhammad's life from 622 to 632, Watt sums up the
number of expeditions that Muhammad either sent out or went out on: seventy—four
(Muhammad at Medina, pp. 2; 339—43). They range from negotiations (only a few
compared to the violent expeditions), to small assassination hit squads, to the conquest
of For a fuller account of these six early aggressive attacks against Meccan caravans, go
to this
article, which explains more thoroughly why these attacks are not defensive. 3. Muhammad in his Quran promises sensuous Gardens for martyrs dying in a
military holy war. Throughout the Quran, Muhammad promises the men in his fledgling Muslim community that
if they die fighting for Allah and for him, Allah will reward them with a
'virgin—rich' Garden (Suras 44:51—56; 52:17—29; 55:46—78). In the following Quranic passage, representing others (Suras 4:74, 9:111;
3:140—143), the Arabic word 'jihad' (root is j—h—d) is the means or
currency to trade in this life for the life to come in an economic bargain. 61:10 You who believe, shall I show you a bargain
that will save you from painful punishment? 11 Have faith in God and His Messenger and
struggle [j—h—d] for His cause with your possessions and your persons—that
is better for you, if only you knew—12 and He will forgive your sins, admit you into
Gardens graced with flowing streams, into pleasant dwellings in the Gardens of Eternity.
That is the supreme triumph. (Haleem) These verses are found in the historical context of the Battle of Uhud (625), in which
Muhammad lost 70 of his fighters. Thus, he must make the loss of life appear worth the
sacrifice, so he frames their deaths in an economic bargain (note the word in bold print).
If his jihadists trade in or sell their lives down here, they will be granted Islamic
heaven—it is a done deal. For an in—depth analysis of Islamic martyrdom and how Biblical martyrdom opposes
it, link to this
article. Christ's 'Martyrdom' on the cross opens the way to heaven so that the
Christian does not have to die in a holy war to reach heaven. Thus, deadly, heavenly violence sits at the heart of early Islam—in Muhammad's
life and in the Quran. Islam is therefore not the religion of peace. 2. Muhammad unjustly executes around 600 male Jews and enslaves the women and
children. After the Battle of the Trench in March 627 (named after a trench that the Muslims dug
around parts of Medina) against a large coalition of Meccans and their allies, Muhammad
imposed the ultimate penalty on the men in the Jewish clan, Qurayzah, his third and final
Jewish rivals (he banished the Qaynuqa tribe in April 624 and the Nadir tribe in August
625). The Qurayzah tribe was supposed to remain neutral in the The sentence: Death by decapitation for around 600 men (some Islamic sources say 900),
and enslavement for the women and children (he took a beautiful Jewess as his own prize).
Muhammad was wise enough to have six clans execute two Jews each in order to stop any
blood—feuds. The rest of the executions were probably carried out by his fellow
Emigrants from According to Maulana Muhammad Ali's translation, the Prophet says in Sura 33:25—26
the following about the 33:25 And Allah turned back the disbelievers [Meccans] in their rage—they
gained no advantage. And Allah sufficed the believers in fighting. And Allah is ever
Strong, Mighty. 26 And He drove down those of the People of the Book [Qurayzah] who backed
them from their fortresses, and He cast awe into their hearts; some you killed and you
took captive some. 27 And He made you heirs to their land and their dwelling and their
properties . . . . Allah is ever Possessor of power over all things. But these questions must be answered: Is intriguing with the enemy equal to
slaughtering 600 men and enslaving the women and children? Who decides? The Arab tribal
chief with the most powerful army? Muhammad said around the time of his Hijrah in 622 the
following: 16:126 If you [people] have to respond to an attack, make your response
proportionate, but it is better to be steadfast. (Haleem) Any reasonable and fair—minded person would judge that Muhammad was not making his
response (execution) proportionate to the breach of the agreement. The Qurayzah tribe
never attacked the Muslims, and even if a few were to have done so, the punishment does
not fit the crime. Therefore, Muhammad was being excessive and disproportionate because he
used an irreversible penalty to express his human wrath. For a fuller account of this atrocity, refer to this
article. Thus, anti—Semitic violence sits at the heart of early Islam—in Muhammad's
life and in his Quran. Islam is therefore not the religion of peace. 1. Muhammad launches his own Crusades. In the following verse, Muhammad uses the Arabic word qital (root is q—t—l),
which means warring, fighting, or killing: 9:29 Fight [q—t—l] those among the people of the Book [Christians] who do
not believe in Allah and the Last Day, do not forbid what Allah and His Messenger have
forbidden and do not profess the true religion, till they pay the poll—tax out of
hand and submissively. (Fakhry) The two most interesting clauses in this violent verse are (1) People of the Book
(Christians in this verse late in Muhammad's life) are to be attacked if they do not
profess the true religion: Islam. This leaves the door wide open for terrorists today to
attack and fight Christians because they do not adhere to Islam; (2) Christians must pay a
tax for the 'privilege' of living under the 'protection' of Islam—submissively or in
humiliation. The historical context of Sura 9:29 finds Muhammad preparing for a military expedition
against the Muhammad heard a rumor that the Byzantines amassed an army some 700 miles to the north
in Tabuk (northern Muhammad's military expedition qualifies as an Islamic Crusade long before the European
ones. After all, in 638, only six years after Muhammad's death, Muslim armies conquer For more information on the Muslim Crusades after Muhammad's death and their atrocities
and motives, refer to this
article. Thus, crusading violence sits at the heart of early Islam—in Muhammad's life and
in his Quran—and beyond, even reaching to today's western world. Islam is therefore
not the religion peace. What the ten reasons mean for us today These ten aspects of violence that have burrowed into the hemorrhaging heart of early
Islam have implications for us today. First, as noted in the Introduction to this article, Muslim apologists who have access
to the national media and who constantly assert that Islam is the religion of peace must
stop misleading unsuspecting Westerners. Factually, Islam is not the religion of peace.
True, it had peaceful moments, but not for very long. Muhammad sent out or went out on
seventy—four expeditions and raids in only ten years (622—632), most of which
were violent. Second, as each reason in this article has hinted at and the links explain more
thoroughly, Christ never, ever engaged in such violence. For example, he never
assassinated opponents, whipped adulterers, cut off the hands of thieves, or launched his
own Crusades (what the Medieval Europeans did is not foundational to Christianity). Christ
expresses the love of God. Therefore, Christians and all fair—minded persons have the
right to question whether the true God would reveal the Quran when it contains such
violent verses that conveniently support Muhammad's violence, whereas the New Testament
does not have such violence. Third, nominal Christians who no longer take their faith seriously, but who are tempted
to convert to Islam, must stop and think a second time. Christ the Son of God demonstrated
the love of God (Matt. 3:16—17), not the wrath of an ordinary, self—described
human messenger (Sura 3:144). Why would they trade in the religion of God's peace and love
for Allah's human religion of violence? Fourth, fanatical Muslims today are simply carrying on their Prophet's mission. Why
should we be surprised if they want to conquer the West, in order to impose Allah's will
on non—Islamic societies? They are still working out Muhammad's Crusades. Fifth, Western civilization must never accept the lie that Muhammad's life, the Quran,
or sharia (the law derived from the hadith and the Quran) is a benefit to society. Rather,
Islam represents many gigantic steps backwards, culturally and socially. One of the most
tragic events in the Western world—and one of the most underreported—is the
existence of an Islamic
court in Sixth and finally, Islam should never be taught in our public
schools, K through 12 ; but if school administrators insist on it, Islamic violence
must be included in the lesson plans because it is part and parcel of early Islam and
Muhammad's life. Of course, Muslim apologists assert that Christianity is filled with
violence, citing the Roman Emperor Constantine and the Medieval Crusaders. However, they
are not foundational for Christianity—only Christ and the rest of the New Testament
are. And he and the New Testament authors never practiced or endorsed such violence. On the other hand, Muhammad and his Quran are foundational for Islam, and violence
fills his life and its pages. Therefore, for ten clear and verifiable reasons, Islam is not the religion of peace. [This article has a companion piece.] Jim Arlandson (PhD) teaches world religions and introductory philosophy at a
college in southern
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