Violence in Islam...A Review of Sources

Violence in Islam…a Review of Sources

There are many misconceptions among Christians about the relationship between violence and Islam. Unfortunately, many Christians assert that the Qur’an and the Sunnah both endorse violence against infidels or unbelievers. I would like to ask my readers to ponder the following passage:

"Let the purified ones be exuberant in glory, let them sing aloud from their couches—the high praises of Allah in their mouth and a two-edged sword in their hand. [They will] execute vengeance upon the infidels, and punishments upon the people, binding their kings with chains, and their nobles with iron fetters, executing upon them the judgment written…"

This passage betrays the synthesis between military exploit and the worship of Allah. Jews, Christians and Muslim believe that God will punish the wicked—yet this passage seems to deliver the responsibility of such punishment into the hands of the servants of God. The image here depicted is one of the God’s servants “exuberant in glory” reciting the “praises of Allah” while they slaughter the infidels with a two-edged sword. Could there be a picture more at odds with Western religious sensibilities? Does this passage not depict a religion that advocates violence and hostility?

Those familiar with the Qur’an and the Bible might have recognized this already. Our passage does not come from the Qu’ran. Rather, this passage is from an Arabic version of the Bible, Psalm 149:5-9. Hence, God is rendered as the generic Arabic title for God which is “Allah.” Does the source of this passage surprise you?

I present this passage as a challenge. In my reading Christian revues of Islamic literature (especially the Qur’an), I have found that there is widespread bigotry, over-generalization, and misrepresentation about the role of violence in Islam. Through mishandling Islamic literature, Christians have demonstrated unequal weights and measures—an act deplored both in the Bible and the Qur’an. Christians over-represent violence in Islam while ignoring a very very parallel presence of such “problems” in their sacred texts.

May Y-H-W-H grant us success!

More Righteous Than Us...Islamic Hijab

In Special Laws III X.56 Philo the Jew comments on Numbers 5 where the women suspected of adultery stands before the priest in the Temple. Philo states,

“…the priest shall…take away from her the head-dress of her head, that she may
be judged with her head bare, and deprived of the symbol of modesty, which all
those women are accustomed to wear who are completely blameless…”

This evidences the presence of women head coverings in Philo’s time (mid-1st century). In a similar vein, Paul directly instructs the faithful women to cover their heads “as in all the assemblies of God” when he states,

“But every woman that prayeth or prophesieth with her head uncovered
dishonoureth her head: for that is even all one as if she were shaven. For if
the woman be not covered, let her also be shorn: but if it be a shame for a
woman to be shorn or shaven, let her be covered” (I Cor 11:5-6).

Picking up from the Judeo-Christian tradition, the Qur’an instructs women:

“…And let them wear their head-coverings over their bosoms. And they
should not display their adornment…And turn to [God] all, o faithful, so that
you may be successful” (24:31).

While Christians and Messianic women go about bare-headed, the Muslimahs (Muslim women) condemn us by their be-garbed piety. We do not incline ourselves to the witness of tradition and Scripture, and the Muslim, aware of our obligations, finds us hypocritical and inconsistent.

The following link is a Muslim song about the value of the hijab. Hijab represents the distinctive styles of Islamic modesty including the female head scarf. The example that Muslim women offer to Christian women is outstanding. We would do well to awaken from our cultural stupor against women head coverings and fall back on the traditional Christian and Jewish understanding of this practice.

“This Hijab”
http://www.prohijab.net/english/hijab-nasheed.mp3

Foolishness to the Greeks...

My God is Y-H-W-H.

He is not a deity contained.

Eternally incarnate in the Nazarene,

He is foolishness to the Greeks and a stumbling stone to the Judeans.

My God stood beneath the heavens and felt the wonder of the stars.

His feet trod the path to His execution and His blood congealed with the dust.

He came, He saw, He surrendered all,

Purchasing us with His blood.