Islam and Violence

Soon after the horrific attack on the World Trade Centre, we started a section for Muslims on our web site. We had two aims – to call on all who say they are ‘moderate’ Muslims to shun Islamic terrorists, and to call on them to publicly proclaim their peaceful intent toward the West.

This was no attempt at conciliation or ‘understanding’ of Islam in general. Nor was it an attempt to pacify Muslims in the West who kept on saying they were ‘offended’ by suggestions that Islam was violent by nature. It was a way of drawing out true Islamic thought so that Christians may see for themselves what was going on. We left a wider examination of Islam to others (See an excellent overall picture given by Derek Owers in The Common Salvation, Nov/Dec issue. Contact him direct for copies, which are well  worth a study. Write to 27 Troak Close, Christchurch, Dorset, BH23 3SR – do NOT write to us for copies).

We simply asked Muslims to explain to us why some Muslims became violent and others did not, yet both claim to represent true Islam. We asked how Muslims in the West could justify threats toward those they lived amongst and from whom they earned their living. We also said that as Christians there was no way we could accept their religion – yet that we demanded the freedom to speak against Islam if we so wished. At the same time we said that we needed to live together in civil harmony, in spite of having a different view of Allah and Islam.

At first an Imam from the USA tried to smooth things over and told me that he was ‘offended’ by a variety of statements. In turn I said that I was not really interested in whether or not he was ‘offended’ – a term used to stop further anti-Islamic statements being made!

What I said I was looking for was hard-nosed explanation. Inwardly, I knew that no matter what was said, Muslims would not be able to ‘defend their corner’. Throughout the relatively brief discussions, we received pro- and anti- arguments, most of which are on the site. But, every time the Muslim Imam explained his beliefs, his answers threw up even more questions and concerns.

We had responses from another USA contingent, a group that wished for Christian-Muslim understanding and religious cohabitation. These responses are also on the site for the sake of open argument. The response from a leading Islamic group in the West was predictable in its sweeping assurances of peace.

I sought the views of the leading Islamic scholars in Cairo and Saudi Arabia, but they did not respond. In a sense it does not matter, for we gave a summary of their beliefs on violence in our other publications. But – why the silence?

A Summary

As a teacher of RE in a senior secondary school, I was not allowed to teach the veracity or superiority of Christianity or scripture. I was ordered to teach all religions as equal.

I could not do that, though I knew my job would be lost if I dared to teach otherwise. The head of the RE department went off on long-term sick leave, so I took my opportunity and reversed everything she had previously taught. Whilst I continued to teach the basic beliefs of other religions, including Islam, I left my pupils in no doubt whatever as to my position.

Continuously, when I taught the Christian portions of the course I told them that it was true and that salvation through Christ was the only way to God. When I taught about other religions (Islam being the largest component) I told them the beliefs were false and worthless. This I did for almost a year, then my contract expired and I moved on. 

At the start of the following term I received an angry letter from the head of RE, saying that I had completely destroyed her ‘teaching’ and so she had to start again, re-teaching the pupils that all religions were equal! In the process she told the pupils that I was a liar and a fraud! Though it was worth it, it shows just how devious and intolerant people are. If that was true of non-Islamic teachers of Islam, how much more true is it of Muslims?

In the past I have been told by teachers in strongly-Muslim areas that so-called ‘multicultural’ cooperation simply does not work. Recently, a Muslim leader was very offended when a local authority said it was going to drop its Christmas festivals and lights etc., for fear of offending the Muslims! He was not impressed, because a so-called ‘Christian’ society should get rid of its own culture and ‘beliefs’ in favour of a minority section of society!

These instances are many throughout the UK. Added to that are the examples of Muslim leaders (not all) who want the law changed so that Christians who preach against Islam can be prosecuted. We have discovered several similar ‘danger areas’ in our discussions on the web site.

Though the majority of Western Muslims are happy to live ‘amongst’ Christians or in a society that claims Christianity as its heritage, they do tend to actually live amongst themselves. (This, of course, is no different from supposedly ‘Christian’ sects living together in communes). Where I live, the area known as ‘Hafod’, which was once a simple part of town inhabited by less affluent folk, is now known as ‘little Asia’. It has literally been taken over by Asians, who are mainly Muslim. One of the major roads near the town centre has suddenly found itself almost taken over by Asian shops, sited between two mosques.

This can be repeated in many towns and cities. I have no problem with living amongst any kind of folk, so long as they do not flout the law or openly commit evil. But, how can we be called ‘multicultural’ when these people all congregate together, where few wish to speak English, and rarely mix at all with white people? As someone recently said to me, there is no such thing as ‘multicultural’ in the UK. Indeed, one TV company asked us to supply information on the topic, because they saw such a concept was farcical.

This can be seen in recent events. Though plenty of Muslim leaders have stood shoulder to shoulder with Tony Blair and president Bush, swearing their allegiance, I am not convinced.

On our site we probed the answers given by the Imam and can only conclude that in the right circumstances (such as a prevailing Islamic culture and a lax or lame concession to Islam by governments), all Muslims could become terrorists.

When this has been pointed out to Imams, there has been the usual call of ‘we are offended’. But, so be it! No Muslim has yet convinced us that they would not become violent if called to a jihad against the West.

Do not be fooled by assurances, when the same Western Islamic leaders are persuading governments to outlaw what they call ‘blasphemy’ against Allah! Some of these same leaders, who all enjoy their freedoms in the West, along with Western-style comforts and money, also support terrorists. They not only send money to terrorist groups (who attack non-Muslims in any country), but they even send out UK-based Muslims to the Middle East to train as terrorists against the West!!

So, who really ought to be ‘offended’? We have asked the leaders why some are violent and others are not. The answer has been, that the violent ones are not being true Muslims and are misinterpreting the Koran.

When we point out that both types claim to be true representatives of their religion, they just shut up! Indeed, the Imam in the USA who so quickly responded to our call for answers, suddenly stopped writing to us. I strongly believe that he has been silenced by his own kind, because his answers were being questioned and, if he continued to answer us, he would ‘shoot himself in the foot’. As we argued the case back and forth on the site it transpired that there are several different kinds of Muslims. It seems that the terrorist types tend to live in the Middle East and in predominantly Muslim countries. This is important to note, for, as with countries that are predominantly Roman Catholic, they are intolerant and violent as nations. It is our contention that if the UK were predominantly Muslim, we would see a dramatic change in the demands made by Islam.

We have stated before that the Arab nation came from Ishmael. The Arabs were not originally Muslim, for Islam did not come about until some time after the death of Christ. But, today, most Arabs are Muslim…and most are indoctrinated with the ethos of death and violence. Derek Owers includes two chilling quotes in his newsletter:

‘The whole Arab tradition is one of violence. They know no better. Arab violence is non-selective, the identity of the victims is immaterial. For the Arab, violence is itself consolatory.’ A Libyan cabinet minister said ‘Violence is the Moslem’s most positive form of prayer’. And a Syrian Minister for Education wrote, ‘The hatred which we indoctrinate into the minds of our children from their birth is sacred.’! (Page 6 of the newsletter).

I therefore believe that Western Muslims are presently quiet only because they are not in a position of power. But, when they are (as with Roman Catholics), they show their true colours. And even if some Muslims are not themselves violent at heart, as with the Taliban, they will obey their leaders if called to violent jihad.

We have said to those Muslims who read our site that if they truly wished for peace, they would distance themselves from the terrorists NOT just by denouncing their actions, but also by telling them they were no longer Muslims. But, they refuse to take this step, and so their assurances mean nothing.

Our personal conclusion is that Islam is violent by nature. When it began, it overtook whole nations by the sword and massacre. Today, they continue this stance and wish to take over the world for ‘Allah’. 

Do not be fooled, ‘Allah’ is not the same as our ‘God’. As others, including Derek, remind us, ‘Allah’ is merely the name of the chief Islamic god, the moon-god (hence the moon symbol on Islamic flags)! Islam is completely against God, Christ and the Gospel, so why are so many, even Christians, trying to placate Muslims…when it is Muslim terrorists who are holding us all to ransom?

Islam is violent? Sadly, yes, at heart, it is. Do not feed the tiger in our midst! 

A more recent Muslim contact was angry because we talked about Islamic violence, and repeated to us the ‘five pillars of Islam’ which, as statements, are peaceful. But these become irrelevant when Islamic terrorists are allowed to retain their title of ‘Muslim’ though they apparently flout all the tenets of Islam! Don’t get angry with us – get angry with the terrorists, and if they really do flout Islamic laws and teachings, then excommunicate them publicly. To me, this is the real test of the claims to peace by Muslims. If they do not excommunicate the terrorists, then why should we believe that Islam is peaceful?

And, why do the world’s Islamic states warn the West not to attack any other terrorist-harbouring Islamic countries, even though they are clearly bent on violence – Iraq being a prime example? Thus far, then, Muslims have not proved their peaceful intent!

© December 2001

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