Ibn Warraq the repentant: Islam is all about how non-Muslims can save their lives and properties from Muslims

Submitted by Plato (India), Sep 26, 2012 at 12:25

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Ibn Warraq the repentant, are you really the original Ibn Warraq the apostate from Islam? Your article does not do justice to the original Warraq.

Using the excuse of self-defence Muslims have conducted offensive wars and damaged and destroyed civilisations from Europe to India and beyond. Was it self-defence to invade Spain and India?

Here us what you say: " The context is if MUSLIMS GET ATTACKED then Muslims have the right to attack back.."

There is no need to state this as the right to self defence is non negotiable and need not be stated. The Koranic verses you quote are superfluous. What the verse is saying is really something very sinister. It wants Muslims to go to war to enforce submission to Allah and his self-appointed messenger.

Non-Muslims sometimes do quote 2:191because Allah says that "tumult and oppression are worse than slaughter". Muslim scholars have defined tumult and oppression as the practice of polytheism and paganism, Page 302 Vol 1, Ibn Kathir's tafsir of the Koran , Dar al Kotoob Al Ilmiya, Beirut.

On the excuse of tumult and oppression Muslims are willing to kill an maim. What is this "tumult and oppression"?

2:193 is very clear that Muslims must fight polytheists and pagans: "fight them on until there is no tumult and oppression and there prevail justice and FAITH IN ALLAH, but if they cease let there be no hostility except to those who practice oppression." Ibn Kathir says (pg 304) this indicates "that if they ended their polytheism, infidelity and fighting the believers, you should restrain your hands from them….indeed there should be no hostility but to those who do oppression; and this is the meaning of Mujahid saying: Do not fight but him who fights you. But, according to another interpretation, if they cease, they, in fact, have got rid of their polytheism and infidelity…"

In 2:193 Allah is in fact ordering Muslims to fight until polytheism is ended and this is confirmed by a Bukhari hadith (8:387) "I have been ordered (by Allah) to fight against the people until they testify that there is no god but Allah and Muhammad is his prophet and perform as-salat and give zakat, so if they perform all that, then they save their lives and properties from me…"

Warraq the repentant you are falsely claiming that Allah wants you to fight only defensive wars as proved above. In fact Allah wants Muslims to fight polytheists and rob them of their properties and lives if they refuse to become Muslims. I cannot think of any religion that so clearly sets out to rob, plunder and kill all unbelievers in Allah.

Moderate Muslims keep whining that verses are quoted out of context to defame Islam. Whether in context or out of context Islam can never smell of roses given the many violent and abusive verses against all non-Muslims.

Again when we quote verses like 9:5, 9:29, 9:111, the same complaint of historical context is trotted out. Where does it say in the above verses that it is talking of some special war situation and even if it does is there any excuse for telling Muslims to fight everyone until they believe or pay a humiliation tax or tear up treaties.

Regards

Plato

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