A comment from Jonathan Doyle {Quora]
https://qr.ae/psXtwq
I think I should begin with a distinction - there is, to Islam, an element of pure religiosity: prayer, fasting, rituals and the like. That should not make any sane human with an ounce of respect for liberty fear Islam.
There are also, however, doctrinal elements to every faith. With Islam, one can find in the scriptures themselves an absolutely horrifying worldview. It’s not just related to a claim of “exclusivism” (that all other paths are false), for most religions make that claim. It lies everywhere from the Koran (the literal word of God to a Muslim), the Hadiths (sayings of the Prophet) and even in the example of the Prophet himself.
The way the relation of a Muslim to a non-Muslim is defined in the foundational texts of the faith should invoke a genuine fear and not a “phobia” (which literally means an “irrational fear&rdquo😉.
Status of Non-Muslims:
The non-Muslim subjects under an Islamic government are referred to as dhimmis.
Dhimmis are second-class citizens and are denied many key rights (e.g. prohibition from serving in the army or the government, prohibition on publicly practicing their faith) - if tolerated by a Muslim king, it is a calculated step, whether viewing them as prospective converts or for material reasons. They are required to pay the jizyah (a “toleration tax” - that name alone should tell something).
Geopolitics:
The Islamic tradition makes a strict distinction between دار الإسلام (Darul Islam) - lands under Muslim governments - and the world minus Darul Islam known as دار الØرب (Darul Harb) - lands not under Islamic rule. Yes, that is the actual word for it. Harb in Arabic, by the way, literally means war.
The New Encyclopedia of Islam explains the term as "the territories where Islam does not prevail [...] where there is a struggle against or opposition to the Will of God," further explaining jihad (holy war) as a Divine institution to extend Islam into the Darul Harb and defend Islam from danger.
A Kafir (disbeliever; see below) is not worthy of respect. That is why a country under the administration of a Kafir is Dar-ul-Harb to a Muslim.
Islamic Crusade:
"Hijrat [emigration] is not the only way of escape to Muslims who find themselves in a Dar-ul-Harb. There is another injunction of Muslim Canon Law called Jihad (crusade) by which it becomes "incumbent on a Muslim ruler to extend the rule of Islam until the whole world shall have been brought under its sway. The world, being divided into two camps, Dar-ul-lslam (abode of Islam), Dar-ul-Harb (abode of war), all countries come under one category or the other. Technically, it is the duty of the Muslim ruler, who is capable of doing so, to transform Dar-ul-Harb into Dar-ul-lslam." And just as there are instances of the Muslims in India resorting to Hijrat, there are instances showing that they have not hesitated to proclaim Jihad.”" - Dr. B. R. Ambedkar
This quote should be sufficient to explain conceptually.
Let me corroborate it with Islamic sources:
The Koran is full of references to jihad. I quote and comment (where necessary) on many in the next section as well.
"Unequal are the those among the believers who stay passive - except the disabled - they are not equal to those who fight for God's cause with their wealth and their selves. God has granted a higher rank to those who fight in His cause with their wealth and their selves than those who stay at home. Though God promises a reward for all believers, he has prepared a greater reward for those who fight for His cause than the passive believers." (Al-Nisa 95)
This verse is multi-layered, and each layer reveals a new horror: prima facie, it establishes a hierarchy - The Koran, the literal "word of God," as it is known - says that peaceful Muslims (in today's terminology) are less worthy in God's eyes.
There is yet another argument used - that what I translate as 'fight' (Jihad) refers to a spiritual struggle; that seems not to be the case, given the exemption for the disabled. If the struggle is spiritual indeed, what is it that stops a disabled person from "battling the evil within?"
"Your Lord spoke his will to the angels - 'I am with you, give courage to the believers. I will strike fear in the hearts of the disbelievers, therefore, [believers,] smite their necks and strike off every one of their fingertips!" (Al-Anfal 12)
"Let those willing to lay down their lives for the Hereafter fight for God's cause; he that fights for God's cause - whether he is slain or emerges victorious - shall be bestowed upon with a vast reward." (Al-Nisa 74)
This verse has fueled the fedaiyyin in the ancient era as well as the modernized fedaiyyin, the suicide bombers, today.
From the Hadith:
"God has guaranteed whoever goes forth in His cause, saying, 'He only goes out due to his faith in Me and belief in My messengers. I will return him with his gain of reward or ghanimah, or I will enter him into Paradise." (narrated by al-Bukhari and Muslim from Abu Hurayrah)
Ghanimah refers to wealth taken over by force from enemies. The word used for 'faith' is 'eiman' which can also translate to 'honor.' While the former makes it clear that this refers to physical warfare as opposed to the classical argument that "the only jihad in Islam is within yourself," the latter implies that waging and fighting in such wars is part of the Islamic honor code.
Kafirs - Disbelievers:
Definition (Koranic): "Those who do not rule by what God has revealed [in the Koran] are indeed disbelievers." (al-Maidah 44)
"[Islam] is to submit to God with [belief in] oneness and obedience, and to disavow [polytheism] and [polytheists]." ~Mohammad Ibn Abd AlWahab
"[I]s it permissible to kill anyone […] of the polytheists, the combatant and the non-combatant, the businessman and employee, the elderly - whether influential or not - the farmer, the bishop, or priest, or monk, the blind or the crippled - no one is excepted." ~Ibn Hazm
"Shedding [a harbi's] blood is permissible without exception, just like swine." ~Ibn Qudamah
"And slay them [disbelievers] wherever you find them, and drive them out of the places where they drove you out. Disbelief and unrest is worse than killing. And fight not with them within the precincts of the Sacred Mosque unless they attack you there; but if they attack you, put them to the sword. Such is the reward of disbelievers." (Al-Baqara 191)
This verse is often defended saying that it only advocates defensive warfare, but the history of this verse contradicts that claim - the conflict against disbelievers mentioned here was very much offensive.
"And fight against them until there is no more disorder and God's supremacy is established [i.e. all worship God alone]. If they desist, let there be no hostility except against wrongdoers." (Al-Baqara 193)
"If you encounter them in combat, deal with them in a manner that strikes terror in the hearts of those who follow them, so that they may learn a lesson." (Al-Anfal 57)
Not only are the kafirs to be fought, they are to be dealt with brutally and made an example of.
"[W]hen the sacred months have passed, kill the polytheists wherever you find them, and capture them, besiege them, and prepare for them each and every ambush." (Al-Tawbah 5)
The blood of a kafir is permissible to spill. The sacred months refers to the 1st, 7th, 11th and 12th months of the Islamic calendar, i.e. Muharram, Rajab, Dhu'l Qadah & Dhu'l Hijah.
Even if all the other verses are excused, this one cannot be overlooked - its history does not entail wartime revelation, and even if it were wartime, the "wherever you find them" portion implies attacking both the combatants and non-combatants.
The historical context of this verse is after the nonbelievers were subjugated under an Islamic regime. It dictates how an Islamic state should deal with the polytheists under their dominion
"It is not for the polytheists to maintain God's sanctuaries [i.e. worship in and look after mosques] while they bear witness against themselves about their unbelief. Their deeds are in vain and they shall live in Hell's fire forever." (Al-Tawbah 17)
"The polytheists are nothing but impure, so let them not come near the Great Mosque [...]" (Al-Tawbah 28)
"O Prophet! Fight the disbelievers and the hypocrites and be harsh in dealing with them. Their final abode is Hell, an evil refuge indeed." (Al-Tauba 73)
This verse bundles "hypocrites," which includes Muslims who do not spread their beliefs or do not battle disbelievers, with the disbelievers and commands that they be dealt with harshly.
This again contradicts the defense that the verse targets wartime foes - there was never any opposing army of non-religious Muslims in the Prophet's time. It can be seen, even in the present day, that devout Muslims have little regard for those outside the faith.
From the Hadith:
"A kafir and his killer will never be together in [Hell's] fire." (narrated by Muslim from Abu Hurayrah)
So if a kafir will burn in Hell's flames, and his killer will never be gathered together with him...
"[T]hey are merely polytheists and their blood is nothing but the blood of a dog." (Reported by Ahmad from al-Miswar Ibn Makhrama)
Shariah:
Adherence to Shariah is strictly required of every Muslim. The belief of Tauheed (oneness) requires the belief that none but God has the right to legislate. Contradicting this belief - i.e. adhering to any system of law not strictly Shariah-based - or the belief that Shariah is flawed or deficient or unsuitable for all times and places goes against Tauheed and is thus against Islamic belief.
There have been many books written on this topic, and I will not elaborate too much. I recommend Sharia Law for Non-Muslims by Bill Warner.
Conversions:
Virtually every Islamic message revolves around one theme: "Discover spirituality through Islam and let others discover Islam through your spirituality."
There is little to add on the significance of conversions given the section on kafirs, except these:
1) The Islamic honor code places a duty on Muslims to bring others into the Islamic fold.
2) Al-Khattabi said, "The kafir's blood is permissible because he has not yet uttered the word of oneness; but if he were to say it, then his blood is spared and becomes prohibited." (rationale behind tip-of-the-sword conversions, seen throughout history in many parts of the world)
On "Most Muslims are Peaceful:"
I am anticipating this retort from someone among my readers, most probably a peaceful Muslim, that "most Muslims are peaceful" and do not indulge in acts of violence or forced conversions or whatever.
However, given all the evidence above, it is hardly deniable that the likes of ISIS - call them the 'far right' or 'extremist' or 'puritanical' - are following a purer definition of Islam as defined in Islamic scriptures themselves.
There are over a hundred verses of the Koran that call Muslims to wage war against nonbelievers to establish or preserve Islamic rule.
Muslims who do not join the fight against nonbelievers are called hypocrites - those who believe but are unwilling to spread that belief.
Yes, most Muslims do not engage in violence, because to them, the religiosity - prayer, fasting and other rituals - becomes all there is to Islam. However, there are doctrinal elements to Islam as well, which I’ve described in this answer..
While the traditional narratives and theories have centered on the argument of "Most Muslims are peaceful because Islam is actually peaceful; these are just the extremists," in light of scholarly evidence - I'm relying solely on primary sources and not anybody's interpretation of Islam except of the very ideologues who founded and shaped it - I'm led to contradict the classical narrative and present a politically-incorrect truth of "These 'extremists' adhere to Islam as originally conceived; most Muslims are peaceful because they are rational, humane, and know better."
