For how long did the Pentagon stare at the Koran?

Submitted by Fahad (Pakistan), Oct 6, 2006 at 07:58

Daniel Pipes wrote :

A recent Pentagon briefing paper titled, "Motivations of Muslim Suicide Bombers," points to the Koran as the source of the motivation of Islamist bombers, according to an article today in WorldNetDaily.com.

For how long did the Pentagon stare at the Koran? Let's see.

This runs quite contrary to the usual U.S. government approach, which insists on seeing suicide terrorists as heretics who follow a perverted form of Islam. A White House report released just this month, for example, the National Strategy for Combating Terrorism," asserts that "The terrorists distort the idea of jihad into a call for violence and murder against those they regard as apostates or unbelievers."

That's right. There isn't a single verse in the Koran where the word ‘Jihad' is used as ‘a call for violence and murder against apostates and unbelievers'.

The Pentagon study suggests that intelligence analysts think otherwise, concluding not just that Muslim suicide bombers are usually students of the Koran motivated by its commands, but that they acting, by their lights, rationally.

Let's see how rational this thought by the intelligent intelligence analysts is:

Here is a key passage from the WorldNetDaily.com account:

In Islam, it is not how one lives one's life that guarantees spiritual salvation, but how one dies, according to the briefings.

Since the paper points to the Koran as the source of the motivation of Islamist bombers, they should at least quote any such verses, because I also happen to be a student of the Koran and I haven't come across such verses yet!

There are great advantages to becoming a martyr. Dying while fighting the infidels in the cause of Allah reserves a special place and honor in Paradise.

And what is wrong in fighting in the cause of Allah? What does the Koran say about fighting in the cause of Allah?

Chapter 4/75: And why should you not fight in the way of God, while the defenseless among the men, women and children say "Our Lord, deliver us from this town. Its people are oppressive. And make for us from your presence a guardian, and make for us from your presence a helper."

Chapter 2/190: And fight in the way of God against those who fight you, and do not aggress. Surely God does not love the aggressors.

Is it wrong to fight to defend the oppressed men, women and children? Is wrong to fight those who fight you. Find anything wrong in these verses? I think not.

"Suicide in defense of Islam is permitted, and the Islamic suicide bomber is, in the main, a rational actor," concludes a recent Pentagon briefing paper titled, "Motivations of Muslim Suicide Bombers."

Quote from the Koran... quote if you can!

The briefing – produced by a little-known Pentagon intelligence unit called the Counterintelligence Field Activity, or CIFA – cites a number of passages from the Quran dealing with jihad, or "holy" warfare, martyrdom and Paradise, where "beautiful mansions" and "maidens" await martyr heroes.

I am itching to see those passages…

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