A brilliant, concise summary. -- Ernie P.
Four kinds of adherents comprise Islam as religion.
The silent majority are Pragmatists who want to live in security.
Whatever objections they may have about Islamic violence, they don’t
rock the boat.
The Reformers, a small and courageous minority, embrace an Islam of
peace. They are natural allies of their fellow monotheists, Jews and
Christians.
The Fundamentalists, one of the largest groups, eschew engagement
with the world. They indict the moral bankruptcy of the West and
want to see Islam restored to its glorious past. They may give
sympathy and support to their passionate Jihadist brothers.
The Jihadists are Fundamentalists with firearms. They believe that
all good Muslims must raise the sword and destroy Israel and the West.
Each of these groups—those who embrace dialogue with Christians and
those who want to kill them—follow Muhammad’s teachings.
Islam is a religion of peace. It is a religion of war. Islam is, in
some ways, two religions, divided by the two eras of Muhammad’s lif
e.
In Mecca until age 52, the prophet tried to persuade Christians and
Jews of the truth of Islam. When few converted, Muhammad moved to
Medina and changed his tactics. Persuasion had produced little
fruit. It was time for a new strategy: coercion. Christians and Jews
became infidels to be converted through warfare.
The Qur’an—revelation to Muhammad from the angel Gabriel—
reflects these two periods of his life. The angel’s words received i
n Mecca summon Muslims to enlightenment, while those he heard in Med
ina call for more strident behavior. All Muslims read the Qur’an, bu
t they tend to read different parts.
Reformers read the Mecca texts. Islam is a religion of peace, Jihad
an internal struggle. Jews and Christians are converted through
persuasion. Freedom, peace and enlightenment in a pluralistic
society are valued.
The Fundamentalists and Jihadists read the Medina texts. Islam
spreads by conquest. Non-Muslims are to be conquered and forced to
choose from three options: become Muslims, submit to absolute Muslim
rule and taxation, or be killed.
As for discrepancies in the Qur’an, “[W]hen there is a
contradiction between verses in the Koran, the later verse supersede
s the earlier verse.”[1] Since the Medina texts came later, they tak
e priority. So, Jihadists have the edge. Conquest trumps persuasion.
Followers of Jesus Christ are called to be “as shrewd as serpents an
d as harmless as doves.” Toward moderates we can be doves, winsomel
y engaging in dialogue with a view to upholding Christ as the unique
Savior of the world. Towards all Muslims we are to demonstrate God’
s love. There are growing numbers of stories where both Fundamentali
sts and Jihadists are transformed when confronted by sacrificial lo
ve and service. As Jihadist form terror cells, Christians can form r
adical love cells to minister to the needs of their Muslim neighbors.
- Darrow Miller
[1]Ibn Warraq as quoted in Brigitte Gabriel, Because They Hate: A
Survivor of Islamic Terror Warns America, (New York: St. Martin’s Pr
ess, 2006), 152
http://disciplenations.wordpress.com/2010/06/17/islam-religion-of-peace-or-religion-of-war
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