Islam: More than a Religion
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Over the past twenty years, my wife and I have lived overseas in a majority-Muslim nation. We have hundreds of dear friends who are Muslims. In the country where we work, "peace" in relationships is esteemed more than truth itself. A local proverb says, "A lie that heals is better than the truth that hurts." Personally, I’d rather hear "the truth that hurts" than a lie which superficially and temporarily "heals."
Since September 11th, much has been written about Islam, some of it true and some false. What many Muslims and non-Muslims alike fail to realize is that Islam is not a religion in the same way "religion" is understood in the West. Philip Hitti, the late Lebanese-American scholar who taught at Princeton University for nearly fifty years, was a leading expert on the history of Arabs and Islam. One of his books has three parts: Islam as Religion, Islam as State, and Islam as Culture. Whether Muslims are aware of it or not, orthodox Islam is a threefold system—a religious-political-cultural ideology—with the goal to subjugate the world to itself.
While the Qur’an does say, "There shall be no compulsion in religion" (2:256), many Qur’anic scholars insist that, in its context, this verse has nothing to do with not forcing non-Muslims to submit to the rule of Islam. Others teach that this "no compulsion" verse was abrogated (2:106) and replaced by the later and more numerous verses that say things like: "Prophet, make war on the unbelievers and hypocrites and deal rigorously with them." (9:73) "Make war on them until idolatry shall cease and God’s religion shall reign supreme." (8:39) "Fight against such of those ... who ... do not embrace the true Faith, until they pay tribute out of hand and are utterly subdued." (9:29) In Muhammad’s day, conquered Jews and Christians who did not convert to Islam were allowed to live, provided they paid jizya, a "protection" tax. Pagans were only given the choice to convert or die. This was the "peace" offered by 7th century Islam. To this day, in every country where Islamic law (Shari’a) is embraced, non-Muslims (and, yes, women) are treated as second-class citizens. Freedom of religion is forbidden. For a Muslim to "apostatize" means, at the very least: severe harassment, or worse: imprisonment, torture and death. If you doubt any of this or want positive documentation, feel free to contact me, or do your own research on the web or at the local library. See if you can find a satisfying answer to the following question: In what Islamic nation is this "beautiful, peaceful, and tolerant religion of Islam" (as it is presented in the West) practiced in such a way that it might prompt you to move there for the rest of your life?
answering-islam.org
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