My Opinion

nothing but my opinion

Jihad in the Koran Phase 1: (in Mecca) - no retribution

MeccaWhile Muhammad and his followers still lived in Mecca, they did not retaliate and did not fight, because being small in number the followers of Muhammad would have been wiped out if they had tried to retaliate. Also they were being protected by Mohammad's uncle until his death.

This doctrine, formed at this time, is symbolized by the following verses:

Koran 73:10-11

And be patient (O Muhammad) with what they say, and keep away from them in a good way. (73:10)

And leave Me Alone to deal with the beliers (those who deny My Verses, etc.), and those who are in possession of good things of life. And give them respite for a little while. (73:11)

People who enjoy the beautiful things of life have a special reason for gratitude towards God. When they are in the ranks of the enemies of God, not one, but God can deal adequately with them.

Koran 52:45-48

So leave them alone till they meet their Day, in which they will sink into a fainting (with horror). (52:45)

The Day when their plotting shall not avail them at all nor will they be helped (i.e. they will receive their torment in Hell). (52:46)

And verily, for those who do wrong, there is another punishment (i.e. the torment in this world and in their graves) before this, but most of them know not. [Tafsir At-Tabari, Vol. 27, Page 36]. (52:47)

So wait patiently (O Muhammad) for the Decision of your Lord, for verily, you are under Our Eyes , and glorify the Praises of your Lord when you get up from sleep. (52:48)

A man who calls himself to be the messenger of God must preach peace and tolerance so that he can gain more followers and spread the message of God among the people.

Koran 109:1-6

Say (O Muhammad to these Mushrikun and Kafirun): "O Al-Kafirun (disbelievers in Allah, in His Oneness, in His Angels, in His Books, in His Messengers, in the Day of Resurrection, and in Al-Qadar, etc.)! (109:1)

"I worship not that which you worship, (109:2)

"Nor will you worship that which I worship. (109:3)

"And I shall not worship that which you are worshipping. (109:4)

"Nor will you worship that which I worship. (109:5)

"To you be your religion, and to me my religion (Islamic Monotheism)." (109:6)

 

Koran 76:8-9

And they give food, inspite of their love for it (or for the love of Him), to Miskin (poor), the orphan, and the captive, (76:8)

(Saying): "We feed you seeking Allah's Countenance only. We wish for no reward, nor thanks from you. (76:9)

The above verses are referring to the time. Even prisoners of war had to earn their own food or their own ransom; Even ordinary prisoners or offenders often starved to death if they were not given food by friends or had not had enough of their own income.

Koran 20:129-130

(siehe auch 38:15-17)

And had it not been for a Word that went forth before from your Lord, and a term determined, (their punishment) must necessarily have come (in this world). (20:129)

So bear patiently (O Muhammad) what they say, and glorify the praises of your Lord before the rising of the sun, and before its setting, and during some of the hours of the night, and at the sides of the day (an indication for the five compulsory congregational prayers), that you may become pleased with the reward which Allah shall give you. (20:130)

All good people have to deal patiently with what appears to them evil.

Koran 20:134-135

And if We had destroyed them with a torment before this (i.e. Messenger Muhammad and the Qur'an), they would surely have said: "Our Lord! If only You had sent us a Messenger, we should certainly have followed Your Ayat (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.), before we were humiliated and disgraced." (20:134)

Say (O Muhammad): "Each one (believer and disbeliever, etc.) is waiting, so wait you too, and you shall know who are they that are on the Straight and Even Path (i.e. Allah's Religion of Islamic Monotheism), and who are they that have let themselves be guided (on the Right Path). (20:135)

A man of God can only say, "We waited. My faith tells me that the truth of God has to pass through."

Koran 16:93

And had Allah willed, He could have made you (all) one nation, but He sends astray whom He wills and guides whom He wills. But you shall certainly be called to account for what you used to do.

It seems to be part of God's will and plan to let people decide freely. He does not forces people to do something. He just tries to give them some guidance. It is incumbent upon man to let him get leaded himself or not. Sinners who have repent, have the chance of forgiveness. The day will come when everyone has to explain his actions ...

 

Koran 19:83-84

See you not that We have sent the Shayatin (devils) against the disbelievers to push them to do evil. (19:83)

So make no haste against them; We only count out to them a (limited) number (of the days of the life of this world and delay their term so that they may increase in evil and sins). (19:84)

According to God's laws, when evil has reached a certain stage of rebellion and defiance, gain momentum and fury with anger at its own destruction. The pious should therefore not concern themselves with the apparent worldly success of evil, but should continue their own duties in the spirit of trust in God.

Koran 43:88-89

(Allah has knowledge) of (Prophet Muhammad's) saying: "O my Lord! Verily, these are a people who believe not!" (43:88)

So turn away from them (O Muhammad), and say: Salam (peace)! But they will come to know. (43:89)

 

Koran 67:26

Say (O Muhammad): "The knowledge (of its exact time) is with Allah only, and I am only a plain warner."

It is not the task of prophets to punish the wicked, or to get them punished quickly. Its task is merely to warn against the inevitable end.

Koran 22:49

Say (O Muhammad): "O mankind! I am (sent) to you only as a plain warner."

 

Koran 23:54

So leave them in their error for a time.

 

Koran 23:96

Repel evil with that which is better. We are Best-Acquainted with the things they utter.

It is also not the task of the faithful to punish. The best reaction is even not doing evil, even not in revenge. Do only that which defends evil the best. One evils does not justify another one.

Koran 25:52

So obey not the disbelievers, but strive against them (by preaching) with the utmost endeavour, with it (the Qur'an).

The man of God gives no attention to naggers and critics who reject faith. His most powerful weapon in jihad is the words and revelations of God.

Koran 17:54

Your Lord knows you best, if He will, He will have mercy on you, or if He will, He will punish you. And We have not sent you (O Muhammad) as a guardian over them.

Even men of God are not sent to arrange or dispel the affairs of men, but only to teach the message of God.

Koran 16:125-126

Invite (mankind, O Muhammad) to the Way of your Lord (i.e. Islam) with wisdom (i.e. with the Divine Inspiration and the Qur'an) and fair preaching, and argue with them in a way that is better. Truly, your Lord knows best who has gone astray from His Path, and He is the Best Aware of those who are guided. (16:125)

And if you punish (your enemy, O you believers in the Oneness of Allah), then punish them with the like of that with which you were afflicted. But if you endure patiently, verily, it is better for As-Sabirin (the patient ones, etc.) . (16:126)

This section refers to controversies and discussions. The statement is far enough to cover all behavioral problems, disputes and battles. Even in the worst case, one is not entitled to make a worse blow than the one he has received. But those who have reached a higher spiritual level do not make it. The Muslims are reserved and patient. One should not think that such a patience only benefits the opponent. The one who has the advantage, who is able to control himself, does not lose his temperament and does not forget one's own principles of behavior.

Koran 29:46

And argue not with the people of the Scripture (Jews and Christians), unless it be in (a way) that is better (with good words and in good manner, inviting them to Islamic Monotheism with His Verses), except with such of them as do wrong, and say (to them): "We believe in that which has been revealed to us and revealed to you; our Ilah (God) and your Ilah (God) is One (i.e. Allah), and to Him we have submitted (as Muslims)."

In order to become the true standard bearer of God, we must find the common beliefs, as the last part of this verse says.

Koran 29:69

As for those who strive hard in Us (Our Cause), We will surely guide them to Our Paths (i.e. Allah's Religion - Islamic Monotheism). And verily, Allah is with the Muhsinun (good doers)."

All that mankind can do is to serve God as well as possible. As soon as he struggles with all his might, perseverance, and determination, he is given the grace of God. The way of God is a straight path. There are many ways to God, but some have gone off the right path. Even in this case, the ways to God are still open. He only need to hold your his against God and work with all his mind, soul, resources and work hard on his mistakes (jihad). Thus one escapes the spider-net of our frail world, and attains eternal happiness in the fulfillment of the true destiny.

Koran 10:25-26

Allah calls to the home of peace (i.e. Paradise, by accepting Allah's religion of Islamic Monotheism and by doing righteous good deeds and abstaining from polytheism and evil deeds) and guides whom He wills to a Straight Path. (10:25)

For those who have done good is the best (reward, i.e. Paradise) and even more (i.e. having the honour of glancing at the Countenance of Allah) Neither darkness nor dust nor any humiliating disgrace shall cover their faces. They are the dwellers of Paradise, they will abide therein forever. (10:26)

The Pakistani Brigadier S.K. Malik writes in his book "The Koranic Concept of War":

... the tiny Muslim community in Mecca was the object of the Koraish tyranny and oppression since the proclamation of Islam. They were continuously subjected to the most inhuman torture, repression and persecution. They were ridiculed, browbeaten and assaulted

...The enemy repression reached its zenith when the Koraish denied the Muslims access to the Sacred Mosque (the Ka’aba) to fulfill their religious obligations. This sacrilegious act amounted to an open declaration of war upon Islam. It eventually compelled the Muslims to migrate to Medina twelve years later, in 622 AD...

S. Malik, himself a Muslim, ignores the fact that only Muhammad and some others were denied access to the Ka'aba, and that Muhammad was guilty of tyranny and oppression of the Muslims themselves. He himself had declared war against the Meccans and thus posed a threat to the people of Mecca.

Jihad in the Koran Phase 2: (Medina) - self-defense is allowed

 

Would God choose a criminal as his ambassador?

Muhammad receives his first revelationAn omniscient and omnipotent God will never choose an uneducated illiterate as his ambassador, who is also a child-molester, robber, and mass-murderer, and who can prove his divine mission with nothing other than his own words.

Supporters of such a degenerate, with the name of Muhammad, try by all means to establish the lies and false accusations spread in the Koran. They also want to use the galactic year, which lasts between 220 and 240 million years of earth. That is, the Sun is moving in orbit around the center of our galaxy, the Milky Way, at a speed of 267 km per second (961,200 km/h).

Inside this article the English translation from "The noble Quran" gets used. Another 13 English versions from different translators and from different epoches, the original Arab version and a literal translation to English gets found and can get compared with each other.

In the Koran, the following verses getting found on the topic of earth, sun, moon, and stars:

The sun and the moon run on their fixed courses (exactly) calculated with measured out stages for each (for reckoning, etc.). (55:5)
 
And He has made the sun and the moon, both constantly pursuing their courses, to be of service to you; and He has made the night and the day, to be of service to you. (14:33)
 
And He it is Who has created the night and the day, and the sun and the moon, each in an orbit floating. (21:33)
 

The word "floating" in the above verse is expressed in Arabic as "sabaha" and explains the movement of the sun in the universe. This word has the meaning that the sun is not uncontrolled while moving in the Universe, that it revolves around its own axis and follows its path at the same time. Also in another verse it is mentioned that the sun is not static and that it runs on a definite path:

And the sun runs on its fixed course for a term (appointed). That is the Decree of the All-Mighty, the All-Knowing. (36:38)
 

If, as in this Koran translation, the sun moves to a fixed location, it does not run around an orbit, and there is no galactic year of 220 to 240 million earth years. If you look at the other translations, then only the translators Ahmed Ali, Asad, Muhammad Sarwar talking about an orbit and the others (Khoury [German], Ali Ünal, Amatul Rahman Bubenheim / Elyas [German], Omar, Daryabadi, Faridul Haque, Hamid S. Aziz, Malik, Pickthall , Shakir, Yusuf Ali) are sending the sun like "The Noble Quran" to a fixed place!

What omnipotent and omniscient God can not express unequivocally and unambiguously against man? Someone who is considered omniscient must also be cautious with the consequences of his words. The verses of Muhammad look rather like they were invented by ordinary mortals.

In Sura 36, verse 40, we find the following information which is more or less confirming the Stone Age conception that the moon and the sun revolve around the earth:

It is not for the sun to overtake the moon, nor does the night outstrip the day. They all float, each in an orbit. (36:40)
 

After only the moon surrounds the earth and the earth surrounds the sun, how shall there be the possibility of the sun to catch the moon? This would only be possible if they would orbit the earth.

In Sura 10, verse 5 is also highlighted that this heaven points to serve Moon and Sun of the era:

It is He Who made the sun a shining thing and the moon as a light and measured out its (their) stages, that you might know the number of years and the reckoning. Allah did not create this but in truth. He explains the Ayat (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.) in detail for people who have knowledge. (10:5)
 

The galactic year naturally has no meaning for mankind. Nothing and no one can do something with a period of 220 - 240 million years, since our life expectancy is simply too short for it.

The Koran recalls repeatedly that "God has placed sun and moon in the service, each of the two stars passes through his orbit in a certain time."

Allah is He Who raised the heavens without any pillars that you can see. Then, He Istawa (rose above) the Throne (really in a manner that suits His Majesty). He has subjected the sun and the moon (to continue going round)! Each running (its course) for a term appointed. He regulates all affairs, explaining the Ayat (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.) in detail, that you may believe with certainty in the meeting with your Lord. (13:2)

The same information gets additional found in the Suras 31:29, 35:13 und 39:5.

According to the laws of physics is no energy source endless. Therefore, also the source of energy which made life on Earth possible, will dry up also in the future. We ourselves will not really recognize it. Probably the mankind has eradicated itself until this time by religious wars and/or pollution.

According to current knowledge, our solar system was created about 4.6 billion years ago by a gravitational collapse of an interstellar gas cloud. With an age of about 12.5 billion years, the sun will probably have turned into a white dwarf surrounded by a planetary nebula. For the case that the humans will not destroy the planet earth earlier there will be a life on Earth only be possible for around 900 million years.

As one of the most important heavenly bodies for mankind and earthly life, the sun enjoyed observing before the beginning of history. Cultures such as Stonehenge were built to determine the position of the sun at specific times, such as solstice. From different cultures, the daily course of the sun including the seasonal fluctuations as well as solar eclipses were carefully observed and documented.

Up to 500 years before Christ, the sun was revered as a god. Only Xenophanes (Greek philosopher, ~ 570 BC - 470 BC) presented the hypothesis that the sun is a natural object. Aristarchus of Samos postulated in the 2nd century BC that the sun was the center of the world. Further advances in astronomy have shown that the sun does not occupy an outstanding position in the universe. Rather, it is one of several hundred billion stars of the Milky Way, which in turn is part of even larger structures of the cosmos.

If one assumes how quickly astronomy has developed, which knowledge has already been gathered in the 1,100 years until the appearance of Muhammad, then one does not need to wonder about the fact that the Qur'an is reported by a deadline which indicates the expiration date of the living conditions at the Earth. Since the moons, planets and stars (sun) are moving, it is also assumed that the galaxies are also moving.

However, Mohammed simply packed the familiar knowledge of his time into his very own invention, the Koran. This would provide further proof that the Qur'an is not a "holy scripture," but was composed only by a normal mortal. An omniscient and omnipotent God has it not necessary to lie to ignorant people.

One of these ignorant scholars of Islam, Sheikh al-Fauzan, has even written a Fatwa (legal opinion) with the number 10348 on this subject in 2008, claiming that the sun is turning around the earth. Because of said fatwa, Sheikh al-Fauzan was made responsible in front of the Al-Azhar Legal Committee, and the fatwa was declared invalid.

Another ignorant scholar and joke figure, Bandar al-Khaibari - a "theologian" and "lawyer", did even not know it in February 2015. He claimed in a mosque on a previously submitted question as to whether the earth is rotating or standing still: "It stands still" and "Of course, the earth does not revolve around the sun, which already got found out from some higher-ranking Islam scholars".

This Fatwa has been so important, that she got translated into German language. At the moment is only a report at the blog from Michael Mannheimer (German language) and in the Google cache (Screenshot from islaminstitut.de in German language) of this Fatwa still available.

 

The quality of the Muslim universities

Das Solar systemReligions have always been the enemies of any science. The religious fanatics are extremely afraid that their previous statements are getting refused scientifically.

Such an experience made the islamic joke figure, who calls himself to be a "theologian" and "law scholar", Bandar al-Khaibari, during Ferbruary 2015. He claimed in a mosque on previously submitted questions as to whether the earth is rotating or standing still: "It stands still" and "Of course, the earth does not revolve around the sun, which already had already ranked higher-ranking Islam scholars".

The preacher is with his view of the world in illustrious society. Abd al-Aziz ibn Baz, long-time top Mufti in Saudi Arabia, also denied that the earth is turning. In 1982, he published a book in which he devoted himself to this thesis.

Three years later he corrected himself. Prince Sultan bin Salman could dissuade him from his error. He had good arguments: Prince Sultan had just been the first Saudi Arabian who has been flying into space on board of a space shuttle.

However, the science and the urge of man to know new areas of knowledge can not be forbidden by anything or anyone.

On August 12, 2008, the Intelligence Consortium Sheikh Saleh bin Fauzan bin Abdul-Lah al-Fauzan wrote on the subject "How is the question of the rotation of the earth to judge the sun properly?" a fatwa (legal opinion) with the number 10348:

This is a matter of Allah who administers the universe. The Koran says the sun is moving while the earth is still. The Koran obviously tells us this. We believe the message of the Koran, not what scientists say.

Even the geologists do not agree. The former geologists said that the earth is rotating around the sun. However, this was refuted by younger geologists.

We believe in the Qur'an and in what the Qur'an says in all its clarity. The words of the scientists are not sacred. The words of the Koran and the Prophet, on the other hand, are holy, true, and eternal.

 

In his own words "The words of the Koran and of the Prophet are holy, true and eternal," Sheikh al-Fauzan declares the Koran to be a fairy-tale book for uneducated idiots, and both Allah and Mohammed to liars. Intelligence is also not available for a sheikh.

In any case, the question remains open as to which university is supposed to have trained this apparently mentally disturbed man? Which organization has the right to write such a stupidity into a legal opinion? The following note can be found on the website of the Institute for Islamic Studies:

Sheikh al-Fauzan is one of the most prominent contemporary clerics of Sunni Islam. He earned his doctorate in the subject "Islamic Law" at the "Faculty of Islamic Law of Ar Riyad" at the Saudi Arabian University Riyad.

Al-Fauzan has also worked as a lecturer at the Riyad Scientific Institute, as well as at the Faculty of Islamic Law, the Department of Advanced Research at the University of Religious Foundations. He was the chairman of the Supreme Judicial Association and the governors of the [Islamic] Annunciation [Da'wa] among pilgrims. He was preacher and preacher of the mosque of Prince Mut'eb bin Abdul-Aziz al-Sa'ud in al-Mals / Saudi Arabia. At the moment, he is still a member of the Permanent Committee on Legal Advice and Research in Saudi Arabia. He is a book author and has written numerous books on Islamic law [the Shariah], the proclamation of Islam [Da'wa], on legal opinions [Fatwas], the Koran and the tradition [hadith].

The fact that the earth does not move around the sun, but rather stands in space, is also represented by other prominent Muslim scholars. For example, Sheikh Muhammad al-Uthaimeen argues that the Qur'an and the prophets of Islam claim that the sun is moving, which, however, does not say anything unambiguous about the [alleged] movement of the earth.

 

The Saudi Arabian University in Riyad, the Supreme Judicial Association as well as the Permanent Committee on the Legal Advice and Research of Saudi Arabia should urgently consider whether they should not seek an opinion on the state of mind of Sheikh al-Fauzan. Who still needs enemies if he has such advocates as Sheikh al-Fauzan?

 

Is the Koran merely hate propaganda?

TerroristsOn September 25, 2002, a group of armed Islamists entered the office of a Christian charitable organization in Karachi, Pakistan, bound seven workers to chairs and then brutally murdered them. According to Muslim witnesses, the Muslims showed no hurry and took a good 15 minutes to separate the Christians and ensure that each of their goals suffered the most terrible death.

The murder of non-Muslim humanitarian workers by religious followers of Islam often happens. While there is rarely a celebration on the side of other Muslims, there is also not much indignation by a community known for their weakness.

While rumors of a Koran desecration or a Muhammad cartoon produce deadly protests, riots, incendiary fires, and image fires, the mass murder of non-Muslims does not become a real passion. In the eleven years after September 11, nearly 20,000 Islamic terrorist attacks were perpetrated, but all of them do not provoke the kind of indignation on the part of most Muslims, such as the mere mention of Abu Ghraib or Guantanamo.

This critical absence of the moral perspective confuses many Westerners, especially those who try to reconcile this reality with the politically correct assumption that Islam is like another religion. The Judeo-Christian tradition preaches universal love and selflessness, so it is expected that the pious Muslims will be the most peaceful and least dangerous ... provided that Islam is based on the same principles.

But among the rosy assurances of proponents of Muslim ideologies that Islam is about peace and tolerance lies a much darker reality that better explains violence and deep-rooted indifference. Quite simply, the Koran teaches supremacy, hatred, and hostility.

Consider the elements that define the hate speech:

  • Distinguish between one's own identity group and those outside
  • The moral distinction to which this comparison is based
  • Devaluation or dehumanization of other groups and the personal superiority of one's own
  • Advocating the different standards of treatment based on identity group membership
  • Call for violence against members of other groups

Unfortunately, and in spite of the best intentions of many respectable Muslims, the Koran qualifies as a hate speech in every respect.

The holiest book of Islam (61% of which refers to non-Muslims) draws the sharpest differences between Muslims (the best people, 3:110) and non-believers (the worst creatures 98:6). The praise is wasted on the former, while the latter are condemned with burning generalizations.

Far from teaching universal love, the Koran continually preaches the inferiority of the non-Muslims, even if he compares them with disgraceful animals and smolks over Allah's hatred against them and his dark plans for their eternal torture. The Muslims are said to be destined to dominate non-believers, against whom hard treatment is promoted.

The Islamic state implements these teachings from the Koran into practice. In Ramadan in 2016 they raided a restaurant. They tortured and killed those who could not recite from the Koran while Muslims were spared.

Polished Muslim scouts in the West love to use the word "Bigot" to describe critics of Islam, but they are rarely challenged about their own view of the Koran. What does the book, which they claim to contain the literal and eternal Word of Allah, really say about non-Muslims?

The pattern of violence and aggressive disregard for human suffering, which is persistent in Muslim history, and the contemporary attitude towards non-believers reflects the message of the Koran, which is a personal superiority and arrogance.

In today's world, Muslim rule is characterized by the oppression and discrimination of non-Muslims, while Muslim minorities in larger societies are distinguished by varying degrees of aggravated demand, discord, and armed rebellion. Only a few Muslims are uncomfortable with this blatant double standard in which Islam, depending on its power position, is either a victim or makes others to a victim - and the reason is obvious.

Islam is a fully dominant ideology in which the role of non-believers is subordinated to the position of Muslims. Those who oppose Islamic rule are to be fought until they are either killed or completely humiliated and forced to acknowledge their subordinate status by committing themselves to Islam or by paying compensation and accepting submission to their own religion.

There is simply no other religion on earth that draws such a sharp distinction between their own members and others. No other religion devotes so much of their holiest text to the condemnation and dehumanization of those who merely decide not to follow their dogma.

So much about Islamic terrorism and the general equivalency of the broader Muslim community against violence makes sense only against this double nature of Islam - as well as the foreign willingness of the followers of Muhammad to tolerate their own subjugation under Ottoman or Arab tyrants such as Saddam Hussein They themselves violently attack other negligent neighbors.

The proponents of Islam do not lie when they say that Islam teaches love and kindness, but they forget to add that this is only for the treatment of those within the Muslim community. Loyalty to one's own identity group is above all appreciated, and empathy for those outside of faith is at best optional - and even explicitly undesirable.

If this is a "misunderstanding" of Islam by modern "radicals", then it is a mistake that the founder of Islam has also made. In Muhammad's time, non-Muslims were killed only for speaking against the new religion and their self-proclaimed prophet. Similarly, the Jews of Qurayza were compelled and killed on Muhammad's orders, even if they had not even fought. Since the life of a non-Muslim is cheap, the actual physical damage to a Muslim is not necessary to justify the murder according to the example of Muhammad.

The Koran fulfills every criterion with which we define hate speech. Not only the message inspires dislike and disregard for others, but the text claims the superiority of Islam, and violence can also be used as a means to achieve the goals.

In his later years, Muhammad directed military campaigns to subjugate other tribes and religions; they were "invited" to Islam with the sword and forced to pay tribute. He launched the aggressive military campaigns that waged war against all five major world religions in the first decades after his death.

Islam involves the ultimate devaluation of non-Muslims by teaching. While a Muslim can be sentenced to death for murdering another Muslim (Bukhari 83:17), no Muslim can be sentenced to death for the murder of a non-Muslim (Bukhari 83:50, 3:111 - Muhammad: "No Muslim can be killed for the murder of a Kafir (unbeliever).") The "law of equality" from the Koran applies only to Muslims. The human values and rights based on gender, religion and status are the exact opposite of equality in the Western liberal tradition in the Koran.

One can always find proponents of Islam who are willing to defuse the hard rhetoric of the Koran with creative interpretation, tortuous explanation or boundless denial. Their words and deeds are almost always a concern for the representation of Islam, which does not extend to the victims of Islam - at least not with the same sense of urgency.

Of course there are also exceptional Muslims who do not agree with the Islamic predominance and sincerely defend secularism and respect for all people. Some even find verses or fragments of it to support their independent beliefs. But for these people, the Koran as a whole will always be a constant challenge as it explicitly teaches the distinctive and subordinate status of non-Muslims.

 

Islam and rape

RapeIt is against Islam to rape Muslim women, but Muhammad actually encourages the rape of the other captured in the battle. The Hadith provides the context for the verse of the Koran 4:24.

The Apostle of Allah sent a military expedition to the Awtas on the occasion of the battle of Hunain. They met their enemy and fought against him. They conquered them and captured them. Some of the Companions of the Messenger of Allah hesitated to have sex with the prisoners in the presence of their disbelieving men. And Allah, the Exalted One, has sent the Koran a new verse of the Koran:

Also (forbidden are) women already married, except those (captives and slaves) whom your right hands possess. Thus has Allah ordained for you. All others are lawful, provided you seek (them in marriage) with Mahr (bridal money given by the husband to his wife at the time of marriage) from your property, desiring chastity, not committing illegal sexual intercourse, so with those of whom you have enjoyed sexual relations, give them their Mahr as prescribed; but if after a Mahr is prescribed, you agree mutually (to give more), there is no sin on you. Surely, Allah is Ever All-Knowing, All-Wise. (4:24)
"And women already married except those whom you right hands posses" (Abu Dawud 2150 and Muslim 3433)
 

In fact, as the Hadith remarked, it was not Allah, but "Allah the Exalted", who urged men to rape women before their husbands - which is all the more reason to think of Islam differently from other religions.

Note also that the husbands of these unhappy victims were still alive after the fight. This is important because it is the proponents of Islam who like to claim that the women who had enslaved Muhammad, were not able to defend themselves. Even if these proponents of Islam were right, what kind of moral code is it that forces a widow to choose between rape and starvation?

There are several other episodes in which Muhammad is offered the clear possibility to reject the rape of women - and yet he offers advice on how to proceed. In one case, his men hesitated to degrade their new slaves for later reuse by fattening them. Muhammad was asked above all for Coitus Interruptus:

that while he was sitting with Allah's Apostle he said, "O Allah's Apostle! We get female captives as our share of booty, and we are interested in their prices, what is your opinion about coitus interruptus?"

The Prophet said, "Do you really do that? It is better for you not to do it. No soul that which Allah has destined to exist, but will surely come into existence." (Bukhari 34:432)

 

As indicated, the Prophet of Islam has no objection to the fact that his husbands rape women as long as they ejaculate in the bodies of their victims.

As you can imagine, the obvious approval of Muhammad for the rape of women captured in the battle and his personal involvement, as held in many places, is very unpleasant for the Muslim advocates of our time. For this reason, some of them try to disclose these many episodes and Koran references to sex with prisoners by pretending that they are cases where women had fled from bad marriages and sought shelter with the Muslims. Some of the supporters of Islam even refer to them as "women," although the Koran makes a clear distinction between "those who have their rights" and true women (33:50):

O Prophet (Muhammad)! Verily, We have made lawful to you your wives, to whom you have paid their Mahr (bridal money given by the husband to his wife at the time of marriage), and those (captives or slaves) whom your right hand possesses - whom Allah has given to you, and the daughters of your 'Amm (paternal uncles) and the daughters of your 'Ammah (paternal aunts) and the daughters of your Khal (maternal uncles) and the daughters of your Khalah (maternal aunts) who migrated (from Makkah) with you, and a believing woman if she offers herself to the Prophet, and the Prophet wishes to marry her; a privilege for you only, not for the (rest of) the believers. Indeed We know what We have enjoined upon them about their wives and those (captives or slaves) whom their right hands possess, - in order that there should be no difficulty on you. And Allah is Ever Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.
 

Beyond the despair of the proponents of Islam of the 21st century, however, there is nothing in the historical text that supports this rosy revision of Muslim history. The women of Banu Mustaliq were sold to slavery after their rape:

Abu Sirma said to Abu Sa'id al Khadri (Allah he pleased with him): 0 Abu Sa'id, did you hear Allah's Messenger (Peace be upon him) mentioning al-'azl?
He said: Yes, and added: We went out with Allah's Messenger (Peace be upon him) on the expedition to the Bi'l-Mustaliq and took captive some excellent Arab women; and we desired them, for we were suffering from the absence of our wives, (but at the same time) we also desired ransom for them. So we decided to have sexual intercourse with them but by observing 'azl (Withdrawing the male sexual organ before emission of semen to avoid-conception). But we said: We are doing an act whereas Allah's Messenger is amongst us;
why not ask him? So we asked Allah's Messenger (Peace be upon him), and he said: It does not matter if you do not do it, for every soul that is to be born up to the Day of Resurrection will be born. (Sahih Muslim 3371)

 

In fact, female slaves were traded like any other simple commodity of Muhammad and his gang of devoted followers:

"Then the apostle sent Sa-d b. Zayd al-Ansari, brother of Abdu'l-Ashal with some of the captive women of Banu Qurayza to Najd and he sold them for horses and weapons." (Ibn Ishaq/Hisham/Hisham 693)
 

Is it Islamic to sell one's wife for horses? Clearly these were not wives!

More importantly, by definition a "captured" woman is not one who fled from her husband. She escapes from the Muslim slavery. This Hadith describes a typical attack in which the women and children are captured as they try to flee from the attacking Muslims:

"... and then we attacked from all sides and reached their watering-place where a battle was fought. Some of the enemies were killed and some were taken prisoners. I saw a group of persons that consisted of women and children. I was afraid lest they should reach the mountain before me, so I shot an arrow between them and the mountain. When they saw the arrow, they stopped. So I brought them, driving them along." (Sahih Muslim 4345)
 

The Muslim narrator sees the women who are trying to escape (after the massacre of their husbands) and cut their way by shooting an arrow into their way. These are not women who try to seek refuge with the Muslims. They try to avoid the capture by the Muslims.

The same Hadith tells further that Muhammad personally demanded one of the captured women for his own use:

I drove them along until I brought them to Abu Bakr who bestowed that girl upon me as a prize. So we arrived in Medina. I had not yet disrobed her when the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) met me in the street and said: Give me that girl, O Salama. I said: Messenger of Allah, she has fascinated me. I had not yet disrobed her. When on the next day, the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) again met me in the street, he said: O Salama, give me that girl ..." (Sahih Muslim 4345)
 

The Prophet of Islam and his companions used the war to gather women for personal sexual use and commerce. Unless she was arbitrarily declared as someone's wife, the woman became sex slave. In no case was their fate tied to anything they had done personally, nor had they any choice about their future.