About Islam ... in its own words

A couple of weekends ago, a coordinated strike was launched against six Christian churches in several regions of Iraq. Terrorist extremists planted two bombs inside of St. Joseph Church in Baghdad Friday night, three bombs detonating outside of other Baghdad churches early Sunday afternoon, and car bombs that destroyed more churches Sunday night.

Four Christians were killed and 35 injured, including three children. A bystander speculated that if such activity continued, there would be no Christian churches left in Iraq. CNN reported that many of the estimated one million Iraqi Christians have fled the country because of persecution.

Muslim extremists have threatened (and have taken) the lives of Christians who would not convert to Islam.

Meanwhile, here in America, a Gainesville, Fla. church made national headlines because of a sign erected on their lawn that read, “Islam is of the Devil.” Protestors picketed out front of the church, claiming the sign was racist and bigoted. The protestors said that the sign was sending the wrong message about Islam.

The pastor stated that the intent of the sign was to make the community think, not to appear bigoted. There were no reports of protesters opposing the Islamic bombings of Christian churches in Iraq. Ironically, at nearly the same hour, Christians abroad were dying at the hands of those whose reputations and character domestic protestors were defending.

To truly understand the heart of Islam, we must read the Quran from the point of view that the Quran is the revelation of Allah and is to be obeyed. Regarding the defense of Islam and its ideals, the Quran reads: … fight in the way of Allah against those who fight against you but be not aggressive … and kill them wherever you find them, and drive them out from where they drove you … so if they fight you, slay them. Such is the recompense of disbelievers … and fight them until there is no persecution, and religion is only for Allah (The Cow, Part 11, Ch 2, V.190-193).

Elsewhere, the Quran reads: The only punishment of those who wage war against Allah and His Messenger and strive to make mischief in the land is that they should be murdered, or crucified, or their hands and their feet should be cut off on opposite sides, or they should be imprisoned (The Food, Part 4, Ch 5, V.33).

Finally, consider the promise of Allah for those who fight for Him: So let those fight in the way of Allah who sell this world’s life for the hereafter. And whoever fights in the way of Allah, be he slain or be he victorious, We shall grant him a mighty reward (The Women, Part 5, Ch 4, V 74).

The bottom line of Islam is to fight against ideals that are a threat to the exclusivity of Islam, and slay all those who perpetuate such ideals. By doing so, the god of Islam is pleased and offers his rewards.

It is left to the judgment of the practitioner to determine who is/is not a threat to Islam in each culture, or who is/is not causing mischief in the land. Clearly, as in former times (eg: 2004 church bombings, 14 murdered Christian martyrs last October), the Christian church in Iraq posed too great a threat to the ideals of Islam to allow it to thrive in peace.

In the Iraqi Muslim mind, it must be destroyed, for anyone who believes differently than Islam is perceived to be, in that religion, an enemy of Allah worthy of nothing less than extermination.