Following the September 11th attacks, many Muslims sought to distance themselves from the Islamic terrorists by declaring to everyone that Islam is, in fact, a religion of peace. Today they will often tell you that Islam is entirely incompatible with terrorism or violence, and the extremists who bomb buildings and kill infidels are not true Muslims. It is also sometimes asserted that Islam paved the way for religious tolerance, women's rights, and other peaceful movements. Yet few people bother to investigate these bold claims, and non-Muslims today seem so frightened into being politically correct that they simply accept a Muslim's word as the absolute truth, instead of examining the evidence for themselves. Is Islam actually a religion of peace, or are the extremists perhaps closer to the truth then we'd like to think?

I. Muhammad, God's Chosen Prophet

One of the best ways to decipher Islam and its holy book, the Qur'an, is to look at the "historical" example of Muhammad, as it is presented in the hadiths or traditions. According to Islamic belief, Muhammad was the prophet God selected to reveal the Qur'an to, and so we might expect the life and behavior of such an individual to reflect the revelation that he received. If God was talking to Muhammad and Muhammad dictated a holy book from his conversations with God, then Muhammad should have known how to accurately interpret the Qur'an better than anyone else. His actions and legacy will give us a picture of how Islam relates to peace or violence.

Historically, there is no escaping the fact that Muhammad was a military leader. In the last ten years of his life, he personally fought in nearly 30 military campaigns. At the Battle of the Trench in 627 AD, Muhammad executed somewhere between 400-900 men who had surrendered and enslaved the women and children. [1] It has been argued that Muhammad and his followers only fought as a defense or when it was absolutely necessary, but it is well known that the early Muslims raided several caravans and killed some of the drivers, who were not exactly threats to the rise of Islam. The persecution of the early Muslims is an issue which is not well established by trustworthy sources either, and this will be discussed more in a future article.

After the death of Muhammad, Islam continued to follow in his legacy of war and violence. Four different caliphs (Islamic leaders) claimed the right to be Muhammad's successor, three of them were murdered, and the bloodshed actually continues to this day through sects like the Shia, who align themselves with the early caliph Ali ibn Abi Talib. Muhammad left his followers with instruction, both in the Qur'an and in his lifestyle, to convert or destroy opposition. One of the most controversial doctrines of Islam is that of jihad, which modern Muslims try to excuse as "inner struggle". Muhammad, however, seemed to take jihad as a literal call to arms, if you realize how much of his time he devoted to warfare and conquest.

II. From the Lips of Allah

Unlike Christians' view of the Bible, most Muslims do not consider the Qur'an to be an inspired work dictated by God to man and passed down, possibly corrupt, through other writers. They believe there exists a Qur'an in heaven that is precisely the same copy that we have here on Earth. In other words, the Qur'an is straight from the lips of Allah, uncorrupted by man, even though Muhammad did recite it to men who then wrote it down. So what does the Qur'an (or Allah) have to say on the issues of war and peace?

These verses may be taken by some as evidence that Muslims were not to fight unless provoked, but also observe the vengeful, dominating tone of what is said. If Islam actually was a religion of peace, would revenge or retaliation really have a place in its teachings? Instead of attempting to logically and rationally talk things out or compromise during disagreements, Muslims are instructed to fight and kill until the disagreement is withdrawn. These verses do not sound like permission to maintain defenses, they sound like a superiority complex masquerading as a peaceful organization.

Here we have three perfect examples of the demonization of non-Muslims; if you're not with us, you're against us, and you must be destroyed! Notice how every mention of oppression is not only concerned with ending it, but also with changing the tides to Islamic domination.

What a beautiful verse about forcing non-Muslims (specifically Christians and Jews) into submission and making them pay a protection tax to remain alive and avoid violent treatment. There are many other, similar suras in the Qur'an that preach hatred, intolerance, and violence. Even the word "Islam" (Al-Silm) means "submission". For the Muslim, it is submission to Allah, and forcing people of other beliefs into that same submission. Peace may be attained by forceful submission, but it is certainly not the kind of peace that goes hand-in-hand with tolerance, freedom, and compassion.

III. All in the Interpretation?

Muhammad was an expand and conquer war-monger. The Qur'an advocates violence and domination of non-believers. These facts are highly antithetical to peace, but is there really no such thing as a peaceful Muslim? Of course not. Many of us probably know several Muslims in our daily lives who are more committed to peace than most other religious believers are. But perhaps these people are peaceful in spite of, and not because of, their religion. Conversely, I cannot argue that Islam will make any believer into a violent terrorist, but it certainly does provide a framework and plants all the necessary seeds for fanaticism.

The real danger of Islam that makes it so much more of a threat than other modern religions is the unwavering dogmatism that is inherent to its holy book and its followers. You will be hard-pressed to find one single Muslim who does not believe the Qur'an is the inerrant word of Allah. Much of the Qur'an is believed literally by Muslims, as it is written, with no allegory or metaphor permitted among the text. If the histories of religion and our species have told us anything, it would surely be that such extreme, faith-reliant views usually lead to brutal quarrels and violence. If Islam is intended only to be understood at face value, then all the problematic issues I have raised are supposed to be accepted without question by Muslims.

As I have outlined in other articles, religion is practically a breeding ground for irrationality and unreason, and there is perhaps no greater example of this than Islam. When 7th century morality and superstitions are carried over into the 21st century without any kind of reform, there is inevitable conflict, as we have all witnessed. While Christianity, Judaism, and many other religions have changed and adapted to their environments (though they resisted for as long as they possibly could), Islam remains stagnant, yet consequentially seeks to regress the rest of the world back in time with them. Islam is no religion of peace, and it will only continue to grow more and more destructive until it receives the reform that it desperately needs.

1. Anonymous. Battle of the Trench: Aftermath. Retrieved Dec. 30th, 2008.