Listen to Me: Islam Does Not Command War Against Jews
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Turkish political and religious commentator Sinem Tezyapar.
There is also war or combat (qital) in the Qur’an. Whereas jihad is an affirmative duty to confront falsehood with the truth of God, the verses that command war in the Qur’an apply to situations in which a Muslim is called to respond to aggression. In such situations God describes what Muslims may be allowed to do for their own self defense. For instance, if Muslims come under attack; if, their lives, possessions and honor are threatened, if they are being killed and if there is no alternative but to fight, then it becomes obligatory and lawful for Muslims to defend themselves and to come to the aid of the innocent.
Pagan rule and self defense - In order to understand the Qur’anic prescriptions to war, it is necessary to understand the historical context in which the commandments came. The revelation of the Qur’an to Prophet Mohammad was delivered over a period of 23 years. The first thirteen years of this period passed in Mecca, where Muslims lived as a minority and faced much oppression under a pagan rule. At that time, the Arabian peninsula was dominated by Bedouin Arab tribes who wandered about looting, robbing and murdering as a manner of life. They were hooligans that murdered, got drunk and enjoyed killing people. They made war against the Prophet Mohammad and against anyone who followed his teachings. When they were warned not to murder, they kept on murdering. Despite the fact that many Muslims were harassed, dispossessed of their homes, abused, tortured, and even murdered, Muslims strove to co-exist without resorting to any violence and always called pagans to peace. As a matter of fact, the Muslims dug trenches in the Khandaq war as a defensive strategy to avoid conflict as much as possible. They also emigrated (hejira), and ran away from them, but even then the aggressors pursued them.
In sum, nowhere in the Qur’an are Muslims commanded to wage wars of aggression, and certainly not as a means for to propagate Islam. If a community does not attack, and behaves normally, then naturally, there is no call to war. The obligation to war is and remains a limited, unwanted obligation, applicable only to repel attack.
War commandments - It is not an easy thing to decide to wage war, and Prophet Mohammad was undecided, worrying about whether he would be committing a sin. As the aggressors in question are human beings, he felt a responsibility of conscience and was unable to make a decision. Under these circumstances, God commanded the Prophet Mohammad to kill the polytheists wherever he finds them. However that is a commandment delivered within a context of an ongoing war, not as a method for the propagation of Islam. God commanded: “… Whenever they are made to revert to hostility, they fall headlong into it. Therefore, if they do not keep aloof from you, nor offer you peace nor restrain their hands, then seize them and kill them, wherever you find them. Against these We have given you clear authority.” (Qur’an, 4:91)
In this same vein, the Qur’an commands blockade and taking prisoners as a peaceful means of neutralizing a potentially aggressive community (Quran, 9:5). But if a blockade or taking prisoners are not possible, then killing is permissible only as a last resort.
Verses special for a particular time - In addition, some of the verses that are in regard to the strategic wars are specific to that particular period. There is clearly no such situation at the moment. For instance God informs “if they do not accept conditions of agreement”, that refers to a special circumstance. Regarding a battle, God says, “Behold! they came on you from above you and from below you,” (Qur’an, 33:10) and describes a a particular situation. Additionally, there are verses that refer to Prophet Mohammad in particular, and verses specific to a particular event. However a Muslim reads with wisdom and takes lessons from whatever is described in the Qur’an, just like a Jew would read the battles in the Torah with meditation.
Commandments for specific situations and general situations are different. The general commands are orders that are valid until the Day of Reckoning. For instance, God informs us to say, “Your religion is to you, our religion is to us.” (Qur’an, 109:6) This is a general verse. In another verse He says “There is no compulsion in religion,” (Qur’an, 2:256); this is also a general verse. And there certainly is no meaning such as to kill disbelievers or people from other religions, God forbid. It is required that a clear and general command should exist in the Qur’an, but there is no such verse or no general command that is still binding to this day.
tell a friendAbout the Author: Sinem Tezyapar is an executive producer on Turkish Television. She is a political and religious commentator and a peace activist. She can be reached on Facebook, and Twitter.
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what book is that then?
what book is that then where war and killing is allow.
I see that two of my talk backs have been deleted; so, I'll post one more time with a condensed version. When a sage, such as the Rambam for instance, stated that a certain man, Muhammed, is a false prophet and insane, it would behoove us to stay far away from him and his followers. Maybe we don’t have what it takes to intellectually fight against this false prophet and his followers but the Rambam does have “the CHUTZPAH to tell this Turkish intellectual that we know HER religion better than herself and her friends”. Quotations from Yori's email friend. The Rambam was closer to HaShem than any one of us; so, to follow the Rambam’s advice is not “an arrogant approach” as Yori’s email friend termed it but rather a very wise and humble approach.
ah jest doesn’t buy it.
I also wonder at the fact that most muslim countries have muslim populations in the high 90, s 99, 98 97%. So does it really matter how the rest of the population was eliminated. The end result is the elimination of non muslims. Turkey is held up as the most tolerant muslim society and has 99% muslim population.
I like the Suffi's, they seem to me to be the most humanistic tolerant and inclusive of the branches of Islam, meanwhile they are being killed for that attitude in Pakistan.
I've read too much about it, I've experienced second hand with a Turkish girl we knew who had to go back to Turkey and was not allowed any outside contact.
There is no mention about the trilogy, Qur'an, Hadith and Sinar, there is no mention about the Qur'an not being set up chronologically but based on chapter length. Thus confusing the reader not knowing that there is the Qur'an of Mecca and later the Qur'an of Medina. It's irrelevant for me to say any more. I could write a whole page of 14 years of reading, dissecting and who knows what. Go to Bill Warner's page http://www.polticalislam.com! He says it all.
The Muslim leaders made the religion a tool to help them against Israel, achieving political power, control women and everything that they need for their power, did you know that by the time of Muhammad, Muslim women were allowed to wear sleeveless dresses?
The hope of the world is that the sacred consensus that is a part of Middle Eastern.
tradition for thousands of years before the Torah was revealed, will eventually.
have consensus similar to Tezyapar's.
In the many centuries of the existence of the Torah, the New Testament, and the Koran there have always been more humanistic and more blood-thirsty interpretations.
In part it is also about an understanding of the Creator.
Although the Creator is above and separate from his creation, everything he has created, and everyone he has created is holy and must be loved and protected.
wonderful article. we need to work together.
wonderful article. we need to work together.
There will people who quote certain suras to prove that Islam is a genocidal cult, and those who will quote others to prove that Islam is a religion of tolerance and compassion. What disturbs me the most is that many of the professionals and intellectuals who should be advocating ecumenical dialogue (doctors, engineers, scientists, and academics), are frequently the ones to be found in the ranks of organizations such as Al-Qaeda.
the author of this piece belongs to a Muslim cult whose leader wishes to rekindle the Ottoman Empire and bring all of it's former vassals back into it's control, plus he blames the "jews" for this not happening: ".
the stage was set for a new character, a modern Turkish-Muslim man. On to this stage walked Oktar, clutching the first of his books, Judaism and Freemasons, a derivative retread of anti-Semitic clichés in the manner of the Protocols of the Elders of Zion, which identified Jews and the masons as the devious obstacles to the emergence of a new, powerful Turkish-Muslim nation. “The principal mission of Jews and Freemasons in Turkey,” Oktar wrote, “was to erode the spiritual, religious, and moral values of the Turkish people and make them like animals.”.
http://newhumanist.org.uk/2131/sex-flies-and-videotape-the-secret-lives-of-harun-yahya
why is this being taken seriously?
Ha! Nice to see no mentions of Quran 5:51 and 5:81. Or hadith like Sahih 6985.
Sorry; I have no desire to live the life of a dhimmi.
Okay, can someone please explain to me this verse ⇨ “the last hour would not come unless the Muslims will fight against the Jews and the Muslims would kill them until the Jews would hide themselves behind a stone or a tree and a stone or a tree would say: Muslim, or the servant of Allah, there is a Jew behind me; come and kill him.”.. doesn't sound to peaceful does it? Also didn't Mohammed molest a 9 year old baby? Didn't he murder? Steal? Rape? Sorry people, but Islam us untrue. Yeah it may be a monotheistic religion but itis untrue
I wonder if someone will ask the Armenians what they think of Muslim rule.
Hi Sinem,
I think you are sincere but you haven't read the entire Quran.Sura 5:14 curses Christians wijth "ENMITY and HATE" "UNTIL the DAY or RESURRECTION".The same for JEWS in sura 5:64, it's hatred and enmity "UNTIL the DAY of RESURECTION".If I said that about blacks, borwn people or women you would condemn me.
Please read the entire Quran without prejudices and with an open mind. The verse you refer to, 5:14 and 5:64 are talking about, the first one, about the Christians who at the time of Isa, Jesus (peace be upon him) or after his time, who, changed the Holy Bible, such as The King James Verison etc.
The second part, talks about the Jews and Christians at the time of the Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him) who claimed Allah (God) was poor, for not providing enough or whatever they saw as enough richness to the Prophet (peace be upon him) The verse, teaches us to stay away from materialism fall in love with it, due to the fact that it is only shortly, for a while, and that we shall all die within a short time on this planet.
Please educate your selves, and learn properly.
May God have Mercy on you all and guide you straight
Ev Max On what do you base your statements? Any empiric studies that you've made, or is it just your general thought?
How come Albanians and Bosnians destroyed all the railways in order to deport 0% Jews from the Balkans?
How come Turkey has installed a missile defense system on its territory solely to protect Israel from any kind of missile attacks. Israel and Jews are sacred to us, as everybody else regardless their backgrounds. War is only permitted for defensive purposes, but when you bomb and slaughter people all around the world, with a Darwinian mindset, with a teaching of evolutionary unscientifically arguments (kill or be killed), when you urinate on corps, then, you should be surprised, people might take their arms, and even go as far as blow them selves up in order to make their voice heard (which we all condemned, anyway)
Israel's jihad is mine | Qanta Ahmed | Ops & Blogs | The Times of Larry Israel.
By: Dr Qanta Ahmed is Associate Professor of Medicine at the State University of New York (Stony Brook)….
As Israel considers building a new fence to contain the Syrian conflict to the north, which fences can keep out Hamas’s even more lethal ideologies? While Gaza and the Muslim Arab world continue to claim victory in the recent Israel-Hamas conflict, for the sane observers among us, there is only ever defeat – the defeat of morality in the desecration of a great religion. While most Muslims laud Hamas and scorn Israel, for me, an observing Muslim, Israel’s war against Hamas remains my struggle – my jihad.
http://blogs.timesofisrael.com/israels-jihad-is-mine/
A truly good Moslem. One of the cult member journalist girls (Sinem?) earlier asked a Jewish guy on this thread what he thought she should do to help defeat the "bad' Moslems. I don't think he answered but I will. To help us help defeat the evil within Islam you Moslems have to come to the side of the ISraelis in defeating Hamas, Hezballah, their patron Iran, the evil Al Qaeda and its supporters Pakistan, Afghanistan and Saudi Arabia for starters. Just like good Germans and Frenchman helped in the underground to destroy Nazism, you good Moslems must spy on your neighbors, friends and relatives and annul their evil plans and beliefs until they are no more just like the world did for the Nazis. That is how you defeat an evil ideology, not by apologizing for it as you do here.
islam si a religion of defense and when islam or islamic land are under attack then islam should get into war.. because it is Allah jugment that we miust fear, and not the one of the hypocrits.
Here it is a sign to change this secularism's new world order with that link.
http://www.islam-2012-newworldorder.com
Spread that link around the world for the call to freedom of all muslim nations around the world!
Uhhh no one answered my question, Okay, can someone please explain to me this verse, maybe I missed the 'peaceful' message⇨ “the last hour would not come unless the Muslims will fight against the Jews and the Muslims would kill them until the Jews would hide themselves behind a stone or a tree and a stone or a tree would say: Muslim, or the servant of Allah, there is a Jew behind me; come and kill him.”.. doesn't sound to peaceful does it? Also didn't Mohammed molest a 9 year old baby? Didn't he murder? Steal? Rape? Sorry people, but Islam us untrue. Yeah it may be a monotheistic religion but itis untrue
May God have mercy on you,
It is not a verse you are referring to!
It is a FALSE hadith, fabricated, by enemies of Islam and God, to make Islam look bad, obviously.
Muhammed (Peace be upon him) did not molest anyone, may God have mercy on your soul, Aisha, was 14 and did not get in the household until later age, and for the info, she is one of the greats scholars of the authentic time, because of her young age, she memorized everything, or at least the maximum she could, on Prophets (peace be upon him) sayings and teachings.
You have a lot to read and learn, don't just psit out a lot of nonsense before you read, please.
Peace to you,
Sinem Tezyapar is a member of the Adnan Oktar's community which praises a Turkish Islamic Union in the Middle East. They say that ''Turkey will conquer Israel and the Arab States and then peace will come.'' Beware of Taqiyya, she pretends like she is a peace activist. Here is their official website: http://www.turkishislamicunion.com.
to call a flotilla full of antisemites and lots of terrorists an "humanitarian aid" ship is more than simple antisemitism.
Adnan Oktar aka Harun Yahya is a sick Turkish Islamic tele evangelist …… he keep sending his blond and enhanced tits Oktarette to neo Ottomanize the Jews :
http://rationalist.org.uk/articles/2131/sex-flies-and-videotape-the-secret-lives-of-harun-yahya
Adna Oktar , Oktarettes ……..
http://www.dazeddigital.com/blog/article/15089/1/turkeys-anti-evolutionist-showgirls
This cult and its good-will bimbo ambassadors operate on several levels:
1) Promote Turkey as the dominant power broker in the Middle East and Muslim world, with a subordinate role for Israel in a Neo-Ottoman Turkish Union
2) Wage a campaign of propaganda and lies against the Theory of Evolution and Atheism, since reason, science, and secularism are the greatest threats to Islam and religion in general
3) Defame secular Zionism and distort the established definition of Zionism to pander and appeal to Islamists, Leftists, anti-Zionists, anti-Semites, and conspiracy theorists
These are just the dangers and threats that are readily visible. More digging and scrutiny will eventually reveal the true goal and mission of this cult with respect to Jews and Israel. For the time being, I am buying nothing that's written by this cult and as long as its representatives just talk the good talk and reject open criticism of their anti-Israel prime minister, they have zero credibility in any intellectually honest discussion of the Middle East conflict.
It's interesting that Sinem Tezyapar has never published anything in Turkish but English. I can not believe people still consider her as a peace activist. No one takes her serious in Turkey but the whole Israeli media is amazed by her whitewash. None of the Turkish journalists have ever published something about her, can't you realize the truth?
Thats a lie..they ceretainly do…..SHALOM from a Jew.
This "Oktarette" Sinem is publishing in English for the leftist "Jews" of the USA or from the USA , for the 80 % if not more that support Barak Obama . Nothing in Hebrew in Israeli newspapers about her crap.
Nothing significant from this holocaust denier and Turkish Islamic Neo Ottoman televangelist Adnan Oktar on Israeli news in Hebrew.
On Adnan Oktar holocaust denial past :
http://books.google.nl/books?id=SLMGmSbQm4EC&pg=PA65&lpg=PA65&dq=adnan+oktar+holocaust+denial&source=bl&ots=dn4K-MzW1B&sig=401vHP8buZhYgnuBwEXDANt71fA&hl=nl&sa=X&ei=a0JRUfSBHYmm0wXjrICgDQ&ved=0CF8Q6AEwBA#v=onepage&q=adnan%20oktar%20holocaust%20denial&f=false
http://whoisharunyahya.wordpress.com/
So who are Turkish media leaders who genuinely CAN be considered reliable Turkish interfaith peace activists and activists for an alliance between Turkey and Israel? Who are some examples?
Ev Max,in Turkey, the real secular medias are the one who genuinely can be considered reliable.
Keep religion private and at home …….. don't mix it with politics , especially for a missionary religion such as Islam .
Sinem is part of a radical Islamic sect run by the charlatan Adnan Okar, a Turkish televangelist .