The Religion of Peace?

If Islam is really such a peaceful religion, then why does the Quran seem so violent?

Observing the catastrophe that is happening around the world, you can’t blame anyone for laughing whenever the terms “peace” and “Islam” is mentioned in the same sentence. From Southern Thailand, to the Philippines, to Iraq, to Chechnya and Palestine – violence and killing is committed by Muslims almost every other day.

The word “Islam” derives itself from an Arabic term which denotes peace and submission. The concept of peace is so central to a Muslim’s faith that Muslims are supposed to address each other with the greeting “Assalamu-alaykum”, which literally means “peace be onto you”, whenever they come across each other.

Therefore, it is no surprise that most Muslims, despite the violence that permeates around them daily in the name of their religion, still insist that Islam is The Religion of Peace.

But looking through the Quran, one can’t help but notice several verses that will send a chill through your veins. Examine the following verses carefully:

So when you meet in battle those who disbelieve, then smite the necks until when you have overcome them, then make (them) prisoners, and afterwards either set them free as a favor or let them ransom (themselves) until the war terminates.
(Quran Chapter 47, verse 4)

And fight with them until there is no more persecution and religion should be only for Allah; but if they desist, then surely Allah sees what they do.
(Quran Chapter 8, verse 39)

And prepare against them what force you can and horses tied at the frontier, to frighten thereby the enemy of Allah and your enemy and others besides them …
(Quran Chapter 8, verse 60)

Surely a religion of peace will not command its followers to smite the necks of unbelievers?

Several other spine-chilling verses exist but the above are by far the most famous ones due to its very graphic portrayal. In fact, they have become so notorious that they are now the subject of an amateur video by Dutch Member of Parliament Geert Wilders, titled Fitna.

The Power of Context

Now let’s look at several more gory verses with graphic portrayals of violence and murder.

“After chewing his legs, he then chewed on his head as he screamed.”

“They cheered in happiness as she fell into the well and drowned.”

“Together, they pushed her into the fire.”

No, they have not been taken from the Quran. But one glance at the above sentences and one would certainly agree that they are brutal indeed.

No sane parent would want their kids to be reading stories with plots about murder and gore. But what if the above sentences were plucked out straight from a children’s story book meant for kids as young as 5 years old? (The Gingerbread Man, Sleeping Beauty, and Hansel and Gretel respectively.)

Such is the power of context. When you take out a sentence in isolation, very often the sentence loses its original meaning and intention. Standing alone, a verse taken in on its own can be used to depict anything you want it to portray.

The same concept applies when quoting verses from any religious text. This concept is deceptively simple but is often ignored by amateurs, simpletons and those with ulterior motives.

In the Quran, every verse has its own “Asbab Al-Nuzul”. This refers to the circumstances and occasions upon which a verse is revealed by God to Muhammad.

The Quran was not revealed in a day. It has been revealed progressively over a period of 23 years and each verse comes with its own circumstance and history which must be fully understood.

Therefore in order to quote verses from the Quran, a person must not only be well-versed in Arabic, but also history and tradition to fully understand the Asbab Al-Nuzul. This specialty is known as the ability to “tafsir” (interpret) the Quran and provide its commentary. Persons well-endowed with this knowledge are known as the Mufassiruns.

Sadly, many do not understand the concept of Asbab Al-Nuzul. These had led to many, including unqualified Muslims, who comically quote verses after verses from the Quran in isolation as though they fully understand and appreciate its meaning. Most are doing this to serve their own individual interest and prove their own individual points. Indeed, a little knowledge is very dangerous.

So what about those Violent Verses from the Quran?

These verses are not to be taken literally. Many of these “violent” verses pointed out in the Quran have been commented on and explained widely by several Mufassiruns throughout the history of Islam. These verses were revealed during a time when Muslims were commanded to defend themselves against an advancing enemy who wished nothing more than total annihilation. Muslims have previously been forbidden to make war despite the fact that they were being systematically persecuted and tortured by the pagan Arabs.

But to get a proper qualified commentary for any verse from the Quran including the ones above, it is best to consult the works of renowned Mufassiruns like Ibn Kathir and Sayyed Qutb amongst many others, not from any amateur who pulls a Quranic verse via Google.

And most certainly not from a poorly-patched 15 minute contemptible video disguised as a revolutionary film.

The video Fitna is nothing spectacular. Verses taken out of context juxtaposed with images of clerics giving extremely fiery speeches – classic ammunition for the modern critic of Islam. It would have been more credible if he actually came out with a fresh chastise, but alas a neophyte film-maker like Mr. Wilders could only copy and regurgitate a wannabe version of what has been repeated on the Internet all along.

What about Violence in the Bible?

It is interesting to note that while Mr. Wilders has decided to point out the “violence” contained in the Quran, he has conveniently ignored the “violent” verses from his own country’s predominant religion – Christianity. Examine some these verses taken out from the Bible:

Utterly destroy all that they have; do not spare them, but kill man and woman, infant and suckling baby."
(Samuel 15:3)

Devour the nations the lord your God delivers over to you. Show them no pity.
(Deuteronomy 7:16)

You must completely destroy them; you shall make no peace treaties with them, and show no mercy to them.
(Deuteronomy 2:1)

Joshua and the men of Israel had finished slaying them with a very great slaughter, until they were wiped out.
(Joshua 10:20)

Of course the verses above have also been quoted in isolation without the proper context. I am not trained to comment on Biblical verses so I leave it to the Theologians to give its proper commentary. But that is exactly the point. Taking verses out of any religious text is irresponsible and will paint a very wrong picture of the religion in its totality.

Therefore it is quite surprising that Holland, a country much revered in the past for its culture and sophistication, could harbor a simpleton like Mr. Greet Wilders in its Parliament.

What about Violence by Muslims?

The killing of civilians and innocents in the name of Islam is clearly deviant. There is no need to elaborate on this for many have commented on it. Violence towards civilians has been explicably forbidden by the Prophet Muhammad and should be condemned by all believing Muslims.

But having said this, I feel that is also important to highlight the biased stance of the Western media towards many of the conflicts happening around the world today.

Conflicts like the one in Chechnya, Southern Thailand and the Philippines are largely political in nature. They are caused predominantly by regions fighting for independence not unlike the conflicts in Ireland and Sri Lanka.

For example, the Southern Thais have been fighting for independence ever since the ancient Kings of Siam invaded and annexed the states of Pattani and its neighboring regions, a conflict that predates the two world wars. Similarly Chechens have long wanted to see their country as an independent state, especially since the collapse of the USSR.

Even in the Middle East, Christian Palestinians who want independence from their Jewish oppressors have joined in the fight with their Muslim countrymen for patriotic reasons. Although rarely observed, it is a fact that has been documented since Israel invaded Gaza and the West Bank in 1967. Once again, this is something that the Western media has conveniently chosen to ignore.

Somehow nobody seems to notice that when a suicide bomber blows herself up in Jaffna, the media simply calls it an act by a "terrorist". But when it happens in places like Southern Thailand, it becomes a "Muslim terrorist". Interesting indeed.

Religious Harmony

There is no religion in this world that instructs its followers to kill and maim needlessly. Yet throughout history, wars have been fought in the name of God not only in Islam but in other major religions as well. This has been done mostly by the followers, sometimes with little regards to the texts of their religious scriptures.

It is important that we do not recklessly quote verses from religious texts without prior knowledge. It is childish, imbecilic and reflects very badly upon one’s level of education. But most importantly is impediment to religious harmony, something that the world needs very badly at the moment.