Reza Aslan Quotes
But perhaps the most important innovation in the doctrine of jihad was its outright prohibition of all but strictly defensive wars. “Fight in the way of God those who fight you,” the Quran says, “but do not begin hostilities; God does not like the aggressor” (2:190). Elsewhere the Quran is more explicit: “Permission to fight is given only to those who have been oppressed ... who have been driven from their homes for saying, 'God is our Lord' ” (22:39; emphasis added).
Aslan, Reza. No god but God: The Origins, Evolution, and Future of Islam. Random House, 2005, p. 81.
This is a very important point as most Muslims believe that the actual wording of the Sharia—Islamic Law—comes from the Prophet directly and are not the words of various legal scholars which is just what they are. Needless to say, there are many differences and even contradictions depending on time and the particular scholar. Islam however has no authority that religiously is higher than any other. In that respect, it is like Judaism. There is not a recognized religious hierarchy as there is in Christian churches.
This is not terribly different however from Christians and Jews selectively quoting the Bible.
One fascinating thing about this quotation is that the assumption is automatic that the war is for the purpose of converting the enemy to Islam. At the beginning of Islam this was the only reason for initiating a war. After the death of the Prophet, greed, jealousy, and power became causes of war for the Muslims just as with most other peoples. This quotation has been used by people in conflict with Muslims to refuse any Muslim overtures for a cease fire or truce, as it will not lead to peace unless they are willing to convert and it is likely that the Muslims are getting the worst of the battle and just want to regroup and obtain respite or reinforcements. According to this fatwa, Muslims will never agree to a truce if they are winning or even taking many casualties. Or they may make a truce with “anti-Islamic” conditions with no intention of adhering to the conditions—that is if they are following the Muslim jurisprudence which some Muslim leaders do not,
This quotation demonstrates that religious persecution of non Muslims was a duty, This has been a characteristic of all religious persecution regardless of religion. The quotation also shows that after 600 years, the original limited tolerance the Prophet had urged for People of the Book (Jews and Christians) was waning. Instead of non-believers being tolerated if they paid the special tax and were second class citizens, leaders were urged to convert or eliminate “infidels.”
Gabriel exaggerates in the sense that while the quotation is correct for many Muslims, it is by no means true of all. Iran for example is an Islamic theocracy, but Turkey is a 99 percent Muslim nation which is totally secular and in some ways is much more restrictive of Islamic teaching and practice than most secular democracies. The fundamentalist Muslim view of the state and religion is essentially the same as the ultra orthodox Jews and Christians. It is true that a greater proportion of Muslims believe in the merging of civil and religious law than Jews and Christians, but by no means all. The non Arab Muslims are much less likely to see the unity of state and religion.
The Mormons have been the victims of more religious persecution and violence than any other religion in America. They became aggressive in defending themselves as this quotation illustrates.
In the terrorists perverted logic, infidels are to be killed therefore all Iraqis who would vote would be targeted. Numerous Iraqi election officials were murdered by the terrorists as well as Iraqis who registered to vote.
Reza Aslan is an Iranian-American scholar of religious studies, writer, and television host. A convert to evangelical Christianity from Shia Islam as a youth, Aslan eventually reverted to Islam but continued to write about Christianity. He has written four books on religion: No God but God: The Origins, Evolution, and Future of Islam, Beyond Fundamentalism: Confronting Religious Extremism in the Age of Globalization, Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth and God: A Human History.
