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"You shall believe in God and in His messenger, and strive
with your possessions and with your selves. That is better for
you, did you but know" (61:11). "O you who have faith, fear
God, seek means to come to Him, and strive for His sake; so
may you prosper" (5: 54).
The early Muslims
had to strive also in battle against attacks by their enemies.
The Qur'an states the circumstances in which and Islamic state
ruled by Islamic law, or an imperiled Islamic community, may
resort to war.
the 4
reasons Muslims may resort to war:
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1.
When there is a
grave and sudden threat to religion.
"And if God
did not repel some people by others, then cloisters,
churches, synagogues and mosques wherein God's name is
much remembered would have been pulled down. And surely
God will help one who helps Him, surely God is strong and
mighty" (22:40).
2.
When Muslims
are subjected to oppression.
"And what
reason have you not to fight in the way of God, and of the
weak among the men and women and children who say, 'Our
Lord, take us out of this city, whose people are
oppressors. Grant us from Thee a friend, and grant us from
Thee a helper'" (4:75).
3.
When Muslims
are forced out of their land.
"And fight in
the way of God those who fight against you, but begin not
hostilities. Surely God loves not the aggressors" (2:
190). "Whoever retaliates with the like of that with which
they are afflicted and are again oppressed, God will
surely help him" (22: 60). "To fight in the Holy Month is
a serious matter, but to bar from God's way, and the Holy
Mosque, and to expel its people, is yet more serious in
God's sight; the disorder is worse than slaying" (2: 217).
4.
When political entities commit deliberate breaches of
treaties and pacts.
"Those with
whom you make an agreement, who then break their agreement
every time, and keep not their duty. If they break their
oaths after their agreements and revile your religion,
then fight the leaders of unbelief- because surely their
oaths mean nothing-so that they may desist" (9: 12).
Can you
understand that in the eyes of many Muslims, Palestinians
(for an example) have now been put in that position where
they must resist?
Israel-March 5, 2004: In
his weekly parsha commentary, Rabbi Eliyahu refers to
"Palestinians" as Amalek. Rav Eliyahu, the former Chief
Rabbi of Israel, said that the law to erase any memory of
Amalek is very relevant in our generation. Rabbi Eliyahu
calls for the annihilation of them-their children and
their families-not merely the sealing off and destruction
of the property and houses of the terrorists--Ha'aretz |
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The Price
Christians & Jews Pay
for Denouncing Israel's policy of Ethnic
Cleansing & Adhering to the
Teachings of their Faiths
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"Every
possible interpretation or
misinterpretation of language, and every kind of
intellectual sophistry is used by Zionists to muddy the
waters and label the critic of Israel and Zionism an
anti-Semite. Words and phrases become loaded with hidden
meanings, so that even the most honest critic of Israel
has to twist and
turn and jump through hoops to ensure that he or she is
not perceived as anti-Semitic.
And the penalties for transgression are terrible. For
those who do not manage to pick their way through this
minefield, the charge of
anti-Semite awaits, with all its possibilities of
political, religious
and social exclusion. No longer a descriptive term for
someone who hates Jews simply for being Jews,
'anti-Semite' is now a curse to hurl against anyone who
dares to criticise Jews and, increasingly against anyone
who dares, too trenchantly, to criticize Israel and
Zionism. And for those Jews of conscience who dare speak
out, for them there is reserved the special penalty of
exclusion from Jewish life and exile."--
THE SILENCING OF DISSENT, by Paul Eisen December 18, 2003
Paul
Eisen is a director of Deir Yassin Remembered and is on
the Executive Committee of Sabeel UK.
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Suicide is forbidden in Islam,
and very rare in Islamic societies, but if one must sacrifice
one's life in order to help the oppressed (and when one
reaches that point is a matter of interpretation), most
religions consider it an heroic action.
Muslims are also explicitly
instructed in the Qur'an that all acts of war by them must
cease immediately if their enemies sue for peace, pledge to
end persecution and oppression, and sincerely undertake to
abide by their oaths and covenants."But if they desist, then
surely God is Forgiving, Merciful" (2: 192). "And if they
incline to peace, then incline thou also to it, and trust in
God. Surely He is All-Hearing, All-Knowing " (8: 61).
The issue of deterrence is also discussed in
the Qur'an. "And make ready for them whatever force you can,
and [have] horses tied at the frontier, to frighten thereby
the enemy of God, and your enemy, and others beside them, whom
you know not-God knows them" (8-60). Thus Muslims are ordered
to be ready for war, not in order to start it, but to keep
their enemy from disturbing the peace.
So
far as war for the propagation of faith is concerned, such a
thing is not mentioned even once in the Qur'an. This fact
should be a revelation for those who think that Islam requires
its followers to fight for the spread of their religion.
This is something we and our statesmen need to be aware of:
over a billion Muslims believe that they are divinely ordered
to refrain from aggression, and also to resist attacks and
oppression. Islam is the world's fastest-growing religion. If
Muslims continue to be misunderstood and slandered, they can
cause great pain to the world's societies.
John Alden Williams is a retired Wm R.
Kenan Jr Professor of the Humanities in Religion, The College
of William & Mary in Virginia. Reprinted by permission
IsraelShamir.net
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