Advantages of franchised violence to Islam

Submitted by Prashant (United States), Jan 22, 2023 at 11:21

Dear Dr Pipes, Allah or Muhammad franchised violence to individual Muslims in Q9:5. If my recollection is right this verse tells any and every Muslim to lie in wait and attack the infidels where ever they can be found. Muslims are following the advice even today. Islamic killers are not associated with any permanent entity like nations. They are rag tag assemblage of people who choose to kill at a given time. Is ISIS permanent? Where is the PLO today? Do the Taliban, Fatah or Hamas want to be permanent? Muslims do not want to create permanent armies. Permanent armies can be blamed. They are attached to entities that can be blamed. Islam wants none of that. They just want to keep the distinction limited to bad Muslim vs Good Muslim. Bad Muslims are those who kill. Good Muslims are those who go out to grab the land. And, no one can pin either of the two. We are fighting a phantom enemy.

Did Muhammad's armies consist of good Muslims or bad Muslims? I guess that the apologists of that time must have called those who killed bad Muslims and everyone else good Muslims.

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