The British Government and Jihad — Page 39
39 priests continue to produce literature that sensitive and passionate Muslims cannot bear. The Christian priests have embarked on a very dangerous course of action. On one side, they falsely argue that the Qur’ a n summons Muslims to jihad at all times and occasions, as if seeking to draw attention towards this tradition. And then they incite the Muslims’ passion with provacative literature. It is unclear why these people naïvely fail to recognise that these actions can combine to produce dangerous consequences. I have written repeatedly that jihad is certainly not a Qur’ a nic commandment. The truth of the matter is simply that some of Islam’s early opponents wanted to forcibly restrain or rather annihilate it. Islam raised the sword against them only in self- defense. Only for such enemies was it ordered that they could be killed 18 unless they accept Islam. This permission was for specified circumstances and not forever. Islam is not responsible for the erroneous or self-serving actions of the monarchies that came after the time of the Prophet sa. Anyone who raises the issue of jihad to deceive ignorant Muslims in fact wants to promote this poisonous habit. It would have been better if Christian clerics, upon duly examining history, had emphasised that there is no doctrine of such jihad in Islam, and that there is no injunction to convert people to Islam by force. The Holy Qur’ a n is the book that contains the following verse: 19 18. This reference is to the convicted criminals who had commit- ted serious atrocities. See also pages 5–7 above. [Translator] 19. (al-Baqarah, 2:257), [Translator]. . .