Terrorism and the Koran

Many people in the West maintain that the Koran is opposed to terrorism: the initiation of violence against unarmed civilians to incite terror for a political cause. To many westerners, Bin Laden, et al are motivated by a totalitarian political ideology, not by Islam, and are "hijackers" of Islam, not genuine followers of the religion.

But the Koran, and many Middle-Eastern Muslims, say otherwise. Here, for instance, is what Egyptian MP Ragab Hilal Hamida, from the Muslim Brotherhood, said during a parliamentary session discussing the Inter-Arab Agreement on Combating Terrorism:

According to the shari'a, a Palestinian who is prepared to sacrifice his life deters the enemy, in the way [sanctioned by the Koran]: "Make ready against them your strength to the utmost of your power, including steeds of war, to strike terror into the hearts of the enemies of Allah and your enemies, and others besides, whom ye may not know, but whom Allah knows"….

[T]here are some ignorant Muslims who do not understand the tenets of their faith… It is [our] duty to repel any enemy of the Islamic and Arab countries, using "terrorism" rather than using violence….

I support all of bin Laden's and Al-Zawahiri's operations against occupation, but if they [ever] issue a fatwa [that condones operations] against civilians in some Arab or Muslim country, I will be the first to condemn them!

(See the full report here.)

Got it? 9/11 was not an act of violence; it was an act of terror, used legitimately to deter aggressors (such as the stockbrokers in the Twin Towers) in order to prevent violence. "Violence" can occur only in an Islamic country, and only against Muslim citizens. To a mentality such as this, there is no violence against Americans and Israelis; there is only "resistance" and "terror"—fully sanctioned by the Koran.

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Related:

• “No Substitute for Victory” The Defeat of Islamic Totalitarianism
• Great Islamic Thinkers Versus Islam

Image: Creative Commons by LordHarris

About John David Lewis

John David Lewis was a contributing editor to TOS from the journal’s second issue, in 2006, until his death, on January 3, 2012. He was a visiting associate professor in the Philosophy, Politics, and Economics Program at Duke University. He held a PhD in classics from the University of Cambridge and taught at the University of London. He had also been a senior research scholar in history and classics at the Social Philosophy and Policy Center, Bowling Green State University, and a fellow of the Foundation for Objectivist Scholarship. He published in journals such as Journal of Business Ethics, Social Philosophy and Policy, Polis, Dike, and Bryn Mawr Classical Review, and lectured on classics, military history, and contemporary political issues at numerous universities and for private groups. His research interests were in ancient Greek and Roman thought, military history, and their connections to the modern day. His books are Solon the Thinker: Political Thought in Archaic Athens (Duckworth, 2006), Early Greek Lawgivers (Bristol Classical Press, August, 2007), and Nothing Less than Victory: Decisive Wars and the Lessons of History (Princeton,2010). Dr. Lewis also wrote for Capitalism Magazine. His website is www.JohnDavidLewis.com.

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