Islam and the Infidels: The Politics of Jihad, Da’wah, and Hijrah

319 Pages·2016·4.72 MB·English

by  David Bukay

Copyright © 2016 by Transaction Publishers, New Brunswick,
New Jersey.
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Library of Congress Catalog Number: 2015047583
ISBN: 978-1-4128-6295-0
eBook: 978-1-4128-6343-8
Printed in the United States of America
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Bukay, David, author.
Title: Islam and the infidels : the politics of jihad, da’wah, and hijrah /
David Bukay.
Description: Transaction Publishers, New Brunswick, New Jersey :
Transaction Publishers, [2016] | Includes bibliographical references
and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2015047583 (print) | LCCN 2015049290 (ebook) |
ISBN 9781412862950 (hardcover) | ISBN 9781412863438 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Islam--Relations. | Jihad. | Da’wah (Islam)
Classification: LCC BP171 .B85 2016 (print) | LCC BP171 (ebook) |
DDC 297.7--dc23
LC record available at http://lccn.loc.gov/
2015047583
Contents
1 Muslim Perceptions of Their Own Religion 1
2 al-Walā’ wal-Barā’—Islam and the Other 61
3 Jihād—Global Millennial Terrorism 111
4 Da’wah—The Diplomacy of Deceit 177
5 Hijrah—Muslims Immigration and Demography 237
Conclusion: A Suggested Strategy of What Is to Be Done 265
Bibliography 295
Glossary of Islamic Terms 303
Index 307

1
Muslim Perceptions of
Their Own Religion
Islam
Islam is more than a spiritual belief system. It is an all-encompassing
ideology that seeks to regulate the world’s political affairs according
to Sharī‘ah. Islam is not a religion in the traditional sense of the word;
it is a religion that stands beside other aspects of human institutions
and practices its beliefs. Islam is much more than a religion, being a
complete way of life and mainly operating in the political realm. It is
a religious, educational, social, economic, philosophical, and, above
all, political religion. In fact, Islam is an all-embracing sociopolitical–
religious coercive ideology that encompasses every field of human
endeavor. It is different from other religions in the fact that it is not
limited to the spiritual aspects of life, but engulfs all aspects of life from
the cradle to the grave.
Islam is also unique by declaring itself as the one and only righteous,
legitimate, and authoritative religion that claims to have a divine man-
date over everyone on Earth, including the entire humanity. It deserves
to control the entire world, while all other religions are deemed infidel-
ity. Islam is a belief system that insists on its superiority over all other
religions and political systems. Muslims are entitled to control, domi-
nate, and subdue the infidels until Islam dominates the entire world. All
humankind must accept the supremacy of Islam, religiously (becoming
Muslims) and politically (coming under Islamic rule). Believers must
strive for their best in their own life until Islam dominates the entire
world and becomes the only legitimate religion on earth.1 Being a mis-
sionary religion with no borders or political limits, Islam intends to be
the universal religion for all mankind.
As a political ideology, Islam promises utopian life, world peace, and
harmony, provided the world finally submits to Allah and the rule of
1
Islam and the Infidels
Sharī‘ah. The alternatives are wars and anarchy. At the same time, the
Islamic objective is to have all aspects of other nations undergo gradual
Islamization and to yield to the Islamic law. The aim is to establish a new
human society, wholeheartedly committed to the teachings of Islam
in their totality and striving to abide by those teachings. There is only
one religion of Allah in the heavens and on earth and that is Islam and
all humanity must submit to its rules and way of life.
Islam is defined as total submission, surrender, and devotion to Allah
and his messenger. It actually derives from the Arabic letters s.l.m.,
which means “to surrender to or submit oneself.” Islam is “the act of
submission of oneself”; and a Muslim is “one who has submitted” to
Allah and his messenger. The true religion in the sight of Allah is only
Islam. Allah has perfected the Islamic system of belief and bestowed
his favors upon the Muslims in full, and has chosen submission as the
creed for them.2 Therefore, believing in Islam means receiving the
baptism of Allah and serving him alone.3 The lesson is to return to
the straight path (Sirāt al-Mustaqīm), to the obedience of Allah who
has promised reward and blessings in this life and the hereafter for
those who truly turn to him in repentance.4
Islam is a missionary religion, an ever-expanding faith that has no
borders or political limits. From its vantage point, it is a universal reli-
gion intended for all mankind, being the only legitimate sacred religion.
It aims at a salvation for humanity through submission, surrender,
and total devotion to Allah alone. Being an ethnocentric religion and
culture, Islam makes clear black and white differentiations:
(a) Dār al-Islām (the abode of Islam, the territories under Islamic rule)
against Dār al-Harb (the abode of war, the territories that are not
yet Islamic). The destination of Islam is to fight and conquer Dār al-
Harb until it becomes part of Dār al-Islām. Between these two realms
there is always a perpetual state of war, never peace. There can exist
a ceasefire or armistice, a temporary situation, but only until Islam’s
total world hegemony is established.5
(b) The good and righteous society against the bad and unclean society.
Muslim believers are always, as a rule, doing the good and lawful
(al-Ma‘rûf) and forbidding the wrong and unlawful, the bad and
evil (al-Munkar). Being pure and striving for perfection, they
follow the Islamic command, which is al-Amr bil-Ma‘rûf.6 At the
same time, infidels are plotters, aggressors, imperialist–colonialist
occupiers, who plot against Islamic doctrine to eliminate it and
its believers.
(c) Dār al-Wilāyah (the abode of loyalty to Islam and to the Ummah)
against Dār al-Kufr (the abode of infidelity). All four Islamic schools of
2
Muslim Perceptions of Their Own Religion
law and Islamic classical exegetes view earth in its entirety as consist-
ing of these two zones, in which Islam is the revisionist, motivational,
victorious power, and the result is historically ordained. It is the right
against wrong; the pious against the evildoers; and above all Paradise
against Hell.
These conceptions legitimize, justify, and sanctify the purpose of
waging wars against the infidels to occupy the entire world. Therefore,
it is either the infidels’ conversion to Islam or the payment of Jizyah
as a symbol of subjugation.7 It is the nature of Islam to dominate and
not to be dominated; to rule and not to be ruled; to impose its belief
system on all the nations and control them. This one-sided perception
of Islam shared by Muslim exegetes, is of them being poor innocent
victims in a world of aggressors. For them it is clear: there is no histori-
cal proof that Islam was spread by the sword, and even non-Muslim
scholars admit that this is nothing more than a myth that cannot be
substantiated by historical facts.
The belief of Islam being a religion of love, peace, and forgiveness, is
reflected in Muslim exegetes’ declarations: Islam is in no way aggressive,
it does not live by and has not expanded by the sword, and it does not
coerce the infidels to convert to Islam or be killed in a Jihad war. Islam
tolerates all non-Muslims, whoever they are, and bases its approach
only on world peace, mutual security, and human cooperation. Jihad is
only defensive and intends to repulse hostility and to fight back oppres-
sion and aggression. The call of Islam is only through good intentions.
Ali Cheragh, the nineteenth century Islamic Indian cleric, reiterated
this: Muhammad’s sole mission was to enlighten the Arabs to the true
worship of one Allah. This has nothing to do with the popular Jihad
and exterminating the idolaters. All the verses of the Qur’an are related
only to defensive war without exception. All fighting injunctions in the
Qur’an are only in aid of self-defense; none of them has any reference
to making warfare offensively. For him, there are several passages in
the Qur’an which forbid taking offensive measures and enjoin only
defensive war.8
As for Muhammad Shaltut, Muhammad revealed a book containing
principles of happiness. It commands to judge by reason; propagates
science and knowledge; proclaims mercy; preaches peace; and fights
injustice and corruption. The Islamic community is commanded to do
only what is good and forbidden to do what is reprehensible and evil.
The Islamic mission is a call of natural reason, and not alien to any
human intellect. This sacred mission requires no force to make people
3