The moment you encounter Islam, you encounter an Islamic war

Submitted by Prashant (United States), Aug 17, 2011 at 21:34

Dear Dr Pipes:

Apparently the first war of any civilization with Islam occurs as soon as that civilization encounters Islam. This is true for the poor Jews and Christians who were categorized as inferior people in Quran itself (tell me if I am wrong here). It is also true for Hindus of India whose exposure to Islam occurred within the first 100 years of Muhammad's death. And, while carrying Islam to India, Muslims completely exterminated the great civilizations of ancient Persia. And, Bob Barker correctly states that America's first encounter with Islam was in high seas and was violent.

To some this may come as surprise but there is a reason for why Islam's encounter with foreign civilizations is always violence. Islam clearly identifies other religions as inferior and has clearly outlined that brutal wars can be waged against those religions if the followers of those religions do not submit (They are inferior so they must submit. And if they do not submit, they are hostile. And if they are hostile, they can be chased and killed). While common Muslims may just focus on the good teachings of Islam, the rogue elements in Islam can use the exceptions granted by Islam as pretexts for war and destruction. Every Islamic army that conquered foreign lands was made to believe that it was serving the cause of Allah. Even present day Muslims see nothing wrong in an Islamic army conquering lands thousands of miles away. With Quran as the last word and Muhammad as the last prophet, the case for carrying Allah's wish through wars is leak-proof.

Note: Opinions expressed in comments are those of the authors alone and not necessarily those of Daniel Pipes. Original writing only, please. Comments are screened and in some cases edited before posting. Reasoned disagreement is welcome but not comments that are scurrilous, off-topic, commercial, disparaging religions, or otherwise inappropriate. For complete regulations, see the "Guidelines for Reader Comments".