Does Islam oppress women?

The role and treatment of women in Islam is a controversial subject. The myths peddled by non-Muslims and even Muslims revolve around the idea that somehow women are inferior in Islam, women are inferior to men, women are not important characters or key personalities in the history of Islam. There's even the myth that men are allowed to beat women in order to discipline them. Then there's the whole issue of the hijab for women, how it is a sign of oppression towards women.

Once again these myths are inaccurate and false. No doubt there are many Muslims and even Muslim nations which oppress women, but there is nothing Islamic in their actions. When exploring all these myths, it's important to reflect on the quote by the historian George Bernard Shaw: "Islam is the greatest religion, but Muslims are the worst followers," and nowhere is this more apt then when discussing the myths about women in Islam. (I would also add that it's important to remember that quote whenever we discuss these myths and others that have tainted the perception of Islam today).

This is an important topic because of the attention it receives in the Western world today. When a non-Muslim is confronted with Islam and with Muslims, they rarely criticise our belief in God, our belief in the Prophet or in the Day of Judgement. Their attacks begin on our religion, by criticising how Islam treats women. It is on of the most misunderstood issues about Islam. We are familiar with the accusations: "Islam oppresses women," "Islam gives women no rights, etc etc. All are untrue, Islam does not oppress women but unfortunately some Muslims do. Many Muslim men do treat women badly, repressively and un-Islamically but it is important to make the distinction between what Islam says and what Muslims do.

Women are oppressed in Afghanistan, intimidated in Pakistan, treated unequally in Saudi Arabia, but criticise the Afghans, the Pakistanis and the Saudis, do not criticise Islam. Their actions are miles apart from what Islam prescribes and that it the focus of this particular topic. What does Islam say about women?

When discussing the role and importance of women in Islam, the best starting point is the Holy Quran. Some of the most favourable, sympathetic and gripping personality portraits in the Quran are of women. There is the Queen of Sheeba, the exemplary and renowned leader referred to in the story of Prophet Solomon. The mother of Moses who surrendered her son to the will of Allah. The wife of the Pharoah Firawn, Bibi Asiya, devoted to Allah and turning to him for protection against the oppression of her pagan husband. Then there is Bibi Maryam, the mother of Prophet Jesus. Her example is so important, there is a whole Surah, chapter in the Quran devoted to her - Surah 19, Surah Maryam.

Arguably one of the most important and crucial stories of a woman in the Quran, is the story of Bibi Hawwa, Eve - the first woman. The Biblical story of Eve is one of slander and dishonest allegations. Eve is accused in the Bible of leading Adam, Prophet Adam astray by encouraging him to listen to Satan and eat the fruit from the forbidden tree. The Bible blames the sins of mankind, the so-called "original sin" of man on the temptation of woman. Yet in the Quran, there is no mention of Eve being the sinner, of tempting Adam. When the story of the forbidden fruit is told in the Quran it always refers to two individuals - the man and the woman. Satan tempted them both: "And he swore to them both, that he was their sincere adviser. So by deceit he brought about their fall." (Surah 7, Verses 21-22) The Quran, unlike the Bible, does not blame all the sins of mankind on the "original sin" and more importantly it doesn't blame the sin of man on the temptation of woman.

In God's eyes there is no difference between man and woman. In God's eyes all that differentiates between one another is their level of piety and virtue, both men and women can achieve these types of excellence. On the Day of Judgement each individual, regardless of sex, will be judged according to their purity of beliefs, their actions and their behaviour: "Lo! the noblest of you, in the sight of Allah, is the best in conduct." (Surah 49, Verse 13)

On the Day of Judgement, God will not look at us and say "you are a man, you go to heaven, you are a woman, you go to hell." he will say, "you are a believer, you go to heaven, you are a non-believer, you go elsewhere." On this day it will not matter if we are men or women, it will only matter if we are believers. This is what Islam teaches us in the Holy Quran which goes on to describe the equality of men and women in great detail:

"And the believers, men and women, are protecting friends one of another; they enjoin the right and forbid the wrong, and they establish worship and they pay the poor-due, and they obey Allah and His messenger. As for these, Allah will have mercy on them. Lo! Allah is Mighty, Wise." (Surah 9, Verse 71)

" Whosoever doeth right, whether male or female, and is a believer, him or her verily we shall quicken with good life, and We shall pay them a recompense in proportion to the best of what they used to do." (Surah 16, Verse 97)

"If any do deeds of righteousness,- be they male or female - and have faith, they will enter Heaven, and not the least injustice will be done to them." (Surah 4, Verse 124)

"And their Lord hath heard them (and He saith): Lo! I suffer not the work of any worker, male or female, to be lost. Ye proceed one from another." (Surah 3, Verse 195)

And there is one verse which stands out when dealing with the issue of how Islam apparently treats women. This verse should be quoted to all Muslims and non-Muslims who feel that Islam is oppresive towards women, that they are somehow inferior to men:

"For Muslim men and women,- for believing men and women, for devout men and women, for true men and women, for men and women who are patient and constant, for men and women who humble themselves, for men and women who give in Charity, for men and women who fast (and deny themselves), for men and women who guard their chastity, and for men and women who engage much in Allah's praise,- for them has Allah prepared forgiveness and great reward." (Surah 33, Verse 35)

These verses were revealed in the 7th Century to an area of the world where women were being treated worse than animals. Such equality and values placed on both men and women were unheard of at that time. Compare with Europe, where only in the 16th Century, Christian scholars in France after long discussions decided that "a woman is a human being, but made to serve man." In England it was not until about 1850 that women were counted in the national population census.

It was as late as 1882 for a British law to pass that granted women the right to decide how their own incomes should be spent, instead of handing it over to their husbands. Islam, fourteen centuries ago, guaranteed the total financial independence of Muslim women; their right to own and dispose of property, to conduct business and trade without having to check with anyone. "To men is allotted what they earn, and to women what they earn: But ask Allah of His bounty. For Allah hath full knowledge of all things." (Surah 4, Verse 32)

Many Muslims try to claim that women are inferior to men in Islam. They argue that a woman's testimony is worth half that of a man's and therefore women are worth less then men. This all stems from a particular verse in the Quran, which unsurprisingly has been taken out of context:

"O ye who believe! When ye deal with each other, in transactions involving future obligations in a fixed period of time, reduce them to writing Let a scribe write down faithfully as between the parties: let not the scribe refuse to write: as Allah Has taught him, so let him write. Let him who incurs the liability dictate, but let him fear His Lord Allah, and not diminish aught of what he owes. If they party liable is mentally deficient, or weak, or unable Himself to dictate, Let his guardian dictate faithfully, and get two witnesses, out of your own men, and if there are not two men, then a man and two women, such as ye choose, for witnesses, so that if one of them errs, the other can remind her." (Surah 2, Verse 282)

This verse specifically refers to the dealings of business transactions, nothing else. At the time women were not allowed to testify at all. Islam gave them the right to testify in court, in business deals. Using that as a starting point, it is true that the Quran has instructed the believers dealing in financial transactions to get two male witnesses or one male and two female witnesses. Islam asks for this because at the time in the 7th Century, women were not experienced in being involved in such transactions, it was not their usual environment. However, the verse firstly asks for two male witnesses - it is not sufficient to have just one witness (male or female), and to equate from this that a woman's testimony across the board (not just in business transactions) is inferior to a man's is ludicrous.

If you want to play the numbers game this way, you can then flip it on its head by stating that not only is a woman's testimony equal to a man's, it can also nullify a man's testimony and even be worth four times that of a mans. When it comes to the far more sensitive issues of divorce and adultery, the woman's testimony is far more important in the Quran:

"As for those who accuse their wives but have no witnesses except themselves; let the testimony of one of them be four testimonies, (swearing) by Allah that he is of those who speak the truth. And yet a fifth, invoking the curse of Allah on him if he is of those who lie. But it would avert the punishment from the wife, if she bears witness four times (with an oath) By Allah, that (her husband) is telling a lie. And a fifth (time) that the wrath of Allah be upon her if he speaketh truth." (Surah 24, Verses 6-11)

If a woman denies her husband's accusation of unchastity, then she is not considered guilty. Similarly when it comes to the grave sin of adultery, the Quran describes:

"And those who accuse honourable women but bring not four witnesses, scourge them (with) eighty stripes and never (afterward) accept their testimony - They indeed are evil-doers" (Surah 24, Verse 4)

In this situation, four witnesses are needed to testify against a woman charged with adultery. One woman's testimony is worth that of four men. Accusations of adultery or unchastity are much more morally significant than business transactions. Two female witnesses are required in the latter simply because at the time of revelation it was not a field women were experienced in. The debate should be as to whether the ruling needs to be modified for the 21st century, not that it means women are inferior to men. If four men are required to prove the charge of adultery against one woman, anyone want to argue that women are four times superior to men (apart from the women readers!)? Islam and the Quran does not suggest that women are inferior to men.

Another important issue which again tries to indicate that women are inferior to men, is the issue of wife-beating. In many Muslim countries and in the UK, Muslim husbands try to claim that they have a right to beat their wives - it has lead to many cases of domestic abuse and further claims about how Islam oppresses women. It all stems from the following Quranic verse:

"As to those women on whose part ye fear disloyalty and ill-conduct, admonish them (first), (Next), refuse to share their beds, (And last) beat them (daraba) (lightly); but if they return to obedience, seek not against them means (of annoyance): For Allah is Most High, great (above you all)." (Surah 4, Verse 34)

Firstly the word 'daraba' has over 25 different meanings, "to beat" is just one possible interpretation and conveniently also the most oppressive, aggressive sounding. Secondly, everyone is quick to rush into the beating aspect of the verse, but what about the prior instructions to admonish and refuse to share beds, is that ever carried out? Thirdly, if we are to accept that it means "to beat," as Laleh Bakhtiar explains in her book, The Sublime Quran, there are further verses in the Quran which appear to contradict this instruction:

"When ye divorce women, and they fulfil the term of their ('Iddat), either take them back on equitable terms or set them free on equitable terms; but do not take them back to injure them, (or) to take undue advantage; if any one does that; He wrongs his own soul. Do not treat Allah's Signs as a jest, but solemnly rehearse Allah's favours on you, and the fact that He sent down to you the Book and Wisdom, for your instruction. And fear Allah, and know that Allah is well acquainted with all things." (Surah 2, Verse 231)

"And among His Signs is this, that He created for you mates from among yourselves, that ye may dwell in tranquillity with them, and He has put love and mercy between your (hearts): verily in that are Signs for those who reflect." (Surah 30, Verse 21)

The first verse above seems to indicate that a woman is treated better after divorce than in marriage, even though it is far more important to try and save a marriage rather than resort to a divorce - an act that is advised as a last resort in Islam. The husband may not hold back his wife from divorce by hurting, harming, injuring her or using force against her. The second verse clearly describes and encourages love and mercy between a married couple, where would "beating" fit in there?

Most importantly, if it does mean "to beat," it was an act never carried out by the Holy Prophet, and he had a few dodgy wives. In-fact, in many books of hadith the Holy Prophet has been quoted as saying "could any of you beat your wife as he would a slave, and then lie with her in the evening?" One can argue that the verse carries an instruction that although not carried out by the Prophet, does not mean that it is not allowed. However, we are also followers of the Sunnah of the Prophet and since he never carried out this instruction, us followers should also resist.

Laleh Bakhtiar goes on to argue that what makes far more sense is the interpretation of 'daraba' as "to go away." Using "to beat" as the interpretation goes against the moral and legal principles the Holy Quran, it makes far more sense to read "admonish them, then refuse to share their beds and lastly go away from them." When reading the Quran as a whole and not cherry-picking verses, the idea that men are allowed to beat their wives is abhorrent and wrong.

Now, it is true to say that today far too many women are condemned in the Muslim world, and in the developing world as a whole, but this is not due to Islam. It is due to the neglect of religious injunctions, the neglect of Islamic morality and the adoption of pre-Islamic ignorance by so-called Muslim leaders, so-called Muslim governments, so-called Muslim societies. The general treatment of women across the Muslim world goes completely against Islamic teachings. We have to start putting our prejudices and our ignorance to one side. We have to open our eyes to the realities of Islam, to the teachings of the Quran and to the life example of the Holy Prohpet. Now you know why I quoted George Bernard Shaw at the beginning of this piece.

Outside of the Holy Quran, we Muslims and we Shias in particular have the example of three great women, all of whom were unique in their own way. First is the example if Bibi Khadija, "Ummul-Momineen", mother of the believers and the first and favourite wife of the Holy Prophet. She was a wealthy businesswomen who dedicated all her money, material possession, to fund and support her husband as he started on his mission to spread the message of Islam. It would not have been possible without Bibi Khadija. He was married to her for more than 25 years and in that time did not marry anyone else.

The other two examples are her daughter and grand-daughter respectively. Bibi Fatima's (a.s.) status can best be exemplified by a hadith narrated by Bibi Aisha, who said that when the Holy Prophet would come to see Bibi Fatima (a.s.), she would stand up, kiss him and then seat him where she had been sitting. Nothing strange about this as all daughters should do the same. Bibi Aisha went on to say that when Bibi Fatima (a.s.) visited the Holy Prophet, he would immediately rise to his feet, kiss her and seat her where he had been sitting. Our Holy Prophet would stand whenever Bibi Fatima (a.s.) entered the room out of respect for her status, not as his daugther but as the mistress of the women of Paradise, as the most perfect of women.

Bibi Fatima (a.s.) is the centre of the Ahlul-Bayt, the Household of the Prophet. She is the axis of the Ahlul-Bayt in a way which no other memeber can ever claim to be. She was the daughter of the Holy Prophet, wife of Imam Ali (a.s.) as well as the mother of Imams Hasan (a.s.) and Hussain (a.s.). Thus, despite being the only woman in the Ahlul-Bayt, it is Bibi Fatima (a.s.) who unites the "Fourteen Infallibles" together.

Lastly, Bibi Zainab, grand-daughter of the Holy Prophet ensured that the Islam we follow and practice today was preserved after the tragic events of Kerbala. Along with the 4th Holy Imam, she stood up to the persecution by the so-called Muslim leader at the time, the tyrant Yazid (may Allah curse him), and ensured that the message of the Holy Prophet lived on. The religion of Islam was saved thanks mainly to the actions of the women of Imam Hussain's (a.s.) camp, following his martyrdom.

Islam does not oppress women, but unfortunately Muslims do. The Quran does not promote violence or aggression towards women, but unfortunately Muslims do. I cannot defend the actions of these Muslim countries and Muslim societies, but I can rightly highlight how it goes against the teachings of Islam. People will continue to argue about how Muslim men oppress women and they are right to do so. It is our responsibility to not only educate them about Islam but to educate ourselves and promote the true Islam and condemn the actions of the Muslim societies/communities who try to advocate that what they are doing is Islamic when it is the exact opposite. As with a lot of issues facing Muslims today, we need to correct ourselves and our actions in order to present the true Islam. Easier said than done. It is not all doom and gloom however, as a lot of women are converting to Islam despite all the apparent oppression. They are thankfully able to see through the actions of Muslims and evaluate and appreciate the true teachings of Islam.

Does Islam and the Quran promote violence?

A man was walking in a London park when he saw a young girl being attacked by a pit-bull terrier. Running over to the girl, he started fighting with the dog and managed to kill it, thus saving the young girl's life. A reporter who witnessed the whole incident came running over to the man and said, "that was incredible, so brave. I'm going to run the headline in tomorrow's paper: "Brave Londoner saves life of little girl!" You're going to be a hero."
The man replies, "oh no, I'm not from London."
"Ok, I'll say "Brave British man, saves life of little girl!""
"I'm not British either, I'm from Saudi Arabia."
Next morning, the Evening Standard runs the headline "Islamic fundamentalist asylum-seeker, murders innocent British dog. Police investigate links to Al-Qaeda."

When I first read this, I actually Googled the headline before realising it was a joke. Arguably the greatest myth of Islam is the myth of Islam and violence. I have been getting more and more fed up about how the media, right wing extremists and even the Tory Government try to condemn Islam as a religion of violence. The Quran is a "barabaric" book proclaimed by the English Defence League. As a result, this blog is a bit of a departure from the overall theme by trying to discuss an Islamic rather than Shia issue, but it is a topic I feel is important and needs addressing.

We Muslims are apparently all terrorists, militants and killers. The common phrase your hear is "Not all Muslims are terrorists, but all terrorists are Muslims!" If you believe the media, then all acts of terrorism across the world are carried out by Muslims and Muslims alone. It feeds into this myth of Islam and violence but has been grossly misrepresented.

Up until the illegal invasion of Iraq in 2003, the Hindu separatist group, the Tamil Tigers of Sri Lanka, killed more people in suicide attacks than all Muslim terrorist groups put together. Even to this day, the Tigers have killed more civilians than Al-Qaeda.

As for Muslim terrorism itself., according to EUROPOL, the EU police intelligence agency, in 2006 only one out of 498 documented terrorist attacks across Europe were classed as "Islamist" and in 2007 this figure rose to four out of 583 attacks. In contrast, 517 attacks across the continent, in 2007, were claimed or attributed to nationalist or separatist terrorist groups suchs as ETA in Spain. However, none of these figures gets any coverage, all we hear about is "Jihad" and terrorism from Muslims.

Ever since the attacks on the Twin Towers on September 11th 2001 (9/11), violence in the name of Islam has come under sharp focus. Muslim author, Ziauddin Sardar, commented in his Observer column shortly after 9/11 that "the very mention of the term "jihad" sends shivers down the spine of civilised people." There has been an explosion of interest in this so-called Islamic jihad. Today, a simple search on Google brings up 10.2 million results (compared to say, Hinduisim with only 6.2 million results). On Amazon.com there are over 4,000 books related to jihad, the majority of which are overtly negative, hostile and Islamaphobic.

It has reached the stage where now the US Justice Department in terrorism cases defines jihad as "the Arabic word meaning 'holy war'. In this context, jihad refers to the use of violence, including paramilitary action against persons, governments deemed to be enemies of the fundamentalist version of Islam." Jihad has absolutely nothing to do with holy war. It simply means "struggling" or "striving". It is derived from the root Arabic verb, "jahada" which means to struggle, to strive and from the root Arabic noun, "judh" which literally means 'a struggle'. In this sense, jihad is once of the most important concepts in Islam, the term 'jihad' appears more than thirty times in the Holy Quran and not once is it used to express an immoral meaning, a violent meaning or a military meaning.

The term 'holy war' was actually first coined by the Christians during the Crusades when they fought against the Muslims of the Middle East in the 11th, 12th and 13th centuries. There is no Islamic counterpart to the phrase 'holy war', and if there was, it would not be 'jihad'. The Arabic words for war are 'harb' or 'qital'. Jihad means to struggle as hard as one can in a spiritual, intellectual and social sense and it is used in that reference throughout the Quran.

Howver, the dominant myth remains that Islam is a violent religion, obsessed with so called holy war. It is a myth which is pushed not just by non-Muslims, Islamaphobes and people on the far right but by Muslims themselves throughout history. From the corrupt rulers in early Islam such as Muawiya and Yazid to the present day terrorists such as Bin Laden, Zarqawi and Mullah Omar.

We Muslims need to take responsibility and face up to this militant minority who use and abuse Islam and the Quran to justify their violence and extremism. They try to hide behind Islam and even some Muslims now believe that Islam is associated with violence and intolerance in general and suicide bombings and beheadings in particular. We can the blame the media all we want, but the fact remains that 9/11 did happen, 7/7 did happen and by so-called Muslims, in the name of Islam. Numerous other foiled attacks have also taken place such as the 21/7 attacks and the plan to blow up Bluewater shopping centre, all in the name of Islam. We cannot allow Islam to be abused, misrepresented and exploited like this, by fellow (so-called) Muslims, the world needs to know that it is not occurring in our name.

Sheikh Hamza Yusuf Hanson said that "Islam has been hijacked by a discourse of anger and rhetoric rage," and that is exactly the point, Islam has been hijacked. Some scholars continue to call for theological debates within Islam about jihad, but there is simply no need. There is NO justification for the killing of innocent human beings, be they men, women or children, Muslim or non-Muslim. The Holy Quran makes this quite clear when it states

"that if any one slew a person... ...it would be as if he slew the whole people: and if any one saved a life, it would be as if he saved the life of the whole people." (Surah 5, Verse 34). 

To kill one innocent person is as if killing 6 billion - it is an offence against God, and yet you would not believe it given all the rhetoric of the Bin Ladenists or the coverage in the media.

The main arguement of the extremists tends to follow the lines of "they killed our people, let us kill theirs." However, just as we tell our children, two wrongs do not make a right, these extremists need to realise that there is no justification for the killing of any innocents in Islam. For us Shias, that is even more prudent. In Iraq, Shias are constantly being targetted and persecuted, but Ayatullah Sistani has issued several fatwas condemning the violence and preventing Shias from retaliating. I was fortunate enough to meet Ayatullah Sistani in 2002 and I asked him about the justification of suicide bombing. At that time it was very prominent in Israel, with attacks carried out by Palestinians against civilian populations. Ayatuallah Sistani was clear, it was entirely haram and un-Islamic.

Of course we should feel outrage about the attacks against Muslims across the world and the deaths of thousands upon thousands of innocent Muslims in the likes of Iraq, Pakistan and Afghanistan but as hard it is, we have to take the moral high ground. I realise it's easy for me to say this, sitting here in Britain with no threat to my life or my family and I'll never be able to understand how it feels for a Iraqi or a Palestenian who has lost his or her family, but we have the example of the Ahlul-Bayt. The family of the Holy Prophet were constantly persecuted and oppressed, but not once did they retaliate with violence or extremism. No Imam ever killed an innocent in retaliation to their persecution. Our 4th Imam, Zainul-Abideen (a.s.) saw 18 members of his family killed by the army of Yazid, he did not retaliate by killing Yazid's family. If we are to be followers of Ahlul-Bayt, then we need to follow their example. We need to follow their sunnah, we cannot pick and choose. We need to use their example to help making moral decisions today.

The idea of a nuclear bomb is inherently un-Islamic. The Islamic Republic of Iran, despite what the media report, admits that it is "forbidden under Islam" and the Supreme Leader, Ayatullah Khameni has issued a fatwa saying as much. However, you also have the Islamic Republic of Pakistan which has developed nuclear weapons and labelled them "Islamic bombs," completely outrageous.

Nuclear weapons do not discriminate against combatants and non-combatants, neither do suicide bombs and that is the most important distinction to make in Islam. Islam is not a pacifist religion, it accepts that violence is sometimes necessary, but only as a last resort under provacation with strict rules, provisos and restrictions from Allah. The reality is that this extreme form of Islam or Islamism, in its militant form offers a religion to die for, but the actual Islam, authentic Islam offers a religion to live for.

Enemies of Islam have used the so-called "War on Terror" as an excuse to bash Islam and the Holy Quran. They claim that the Quran advocates hatred, intolerance and violence. In the US, Franklin Graham, right-wing cleric who was close to President Bush said "If you buy the Quran, read it for yourself, and it’s in there. The violence that it preaches is there." Here in England, right-wing columnists in the Express, call the Quran a "bloodthirsty little book." Even left-wing, secular atheist, Polly Toynbee casually and inaccurately refers to the "many ferocious verses calling for the blood of infidels in [Muslim] holy book, verses that justify terror." These critics have not even read the Quran and the small minority who have, quote verses selectively and out of context, without the full and proper background.

The most popular verse that critics and extremist alike use to justify violence in Islam is verse 191 of the 2nd Surah of the Holy Quran:

"And slay them wherever ye find them, and drive them out of the places whence they drove you out"

Whenever this verse is quoted, conveinently, the verse before this verse, the rest of this verse and the verse after are left out. The full context of the this quote can be provided by reading it in full:

"Fight in the way of Allah against those who fight against you, but begin not hostilities. Lo! Allah loveth not aggressors. And slay them wherever ye find them, and drive them out of the places whence they drove you out, for persecution is worse than slaughter. And fight not with them at the Inviolable Place of Worship until they first attack you there, but if they attack you (there) then slay them. Such is the reward of disbelievers. But if they desist, then lo! Allah is Forgiving, Merciful." (Surah 2, Verses 190-192)

The verse taken out of context is not about aggression, but more about appropritate retaliation when provoked and with strict guidelines not to be over-zealous or over-aggressive. Islam is not a pacifistic religion, Muslims are allowed to defend themselves when provoked.

Another classic verse is the so-called "Verse of the Sword," in which interestingly, there is no mention of the word 'sword', nor is there in the entire Quran:

"Then, when the sacred months have passed, slay the idolaters wherever ye find them, and take them (captive), and besiege them, and prepare for them each ambush." (Surah 9 Verse 5)

However, yet again, we find that this verse has been taken out of context by ignoring the verses before and after this verse.

"Excepting those of the idolaters with whom ye (Muslims) have a treaty, and who have since abated nothing of your right nor have supported anyone against you. (As for these), fulfil their treaty to them till their term. Lo! Allah loveth those who keep their duty (unto Him). Then, when the sacred months have passed, slay the idolaters wherever ye find them, and take them (captive), and besiege them, and prepare for them each ambush. But if they repent and establish worship and pay the poor-due, then leave their way free. Lo! Allah is Forgiving, Merciful. And if anyone of the idolaters seeketh thy protection (O Muhammad), then protect him so that he may hear the Word of Allah, and afterward convey him to his place of safety. That is because they are a folk who know not." (Surah 9, Verses 4-6)

These verses were revealed to the Holy Prophet at the time when the small Muslim community had entered into treaties with neighbouring tribes (Jewish, Christian and Pagans). Several Pagans betrayed the treaties and attacked the Muslim community. The verses instruct the Muslims to continue to honour the treaties with anyone who has not betrayed them and to those who have declared war, the Muslims can fight them. The subsequent verse then clearly tells the Muslims to grant refuge to any member of the Pagan army who asks for it. Taken in context, the "Verse of the Sword" is not as aggressive as the extremists would have us believe, but by taking it out of context, the likes of Bin Laden have used this verse to justify the killing of non-Muslims, Christians and Jews. Whoever tries to argue that this verse justifies violence or terrorism is either blind, illeterate or just plain dishonest.

On the flip-side there are plenty of verses in the Quran which encourage and advocate the philosophy of peace and the justice of Islam. When will extremists start quoting such verses?

"If they incline to peace, incline thou also to it, and trust in Allah. Lo! He, even He, is the Hearer, the Knower." (Surah 8,  Verse 61)

Also, let me be clear, when the Quran states "those who fight you," it means actual fighters - civilians are protected. The Prophet made his instructions clear whenever he sent out an army: "Set out for battle in the name of Allah and for the sake of Allah. But do no lay your hands on the old, those verging on death, or on women or on children and babies. Do not steal anything from the booty and collect together all that falls to your lot in the battlefield, and do good, for Allah loves the virtuous and the pious."


The whole problem with Bin Ladenism and various other Muslim extremists, is that while they use the language of Islam to make emotional, political appeals to the Muslim ummah, they neglect Islam's moral and ethical tenets. Political Islam or Islamism has tried to paint this picture of the Holy Prophet as a warrior statesman. He was this, but he was so much more. His mission was to uplift the character of people through teaching worship, good conduct and humility before God.

According to the teachings of the Holy Prophet and indeed of Imam Ali (a.s.) we must pursue the moral high ground even in the face of an aggressor who is not moral. The Quran has declared the Prophet as a "mercy to all the worlds." He was motivated by a profound and intimate love for God and his community. He was a peacemaker and a diplomat. For our Prophet and our Imams the end never justified the means but you'll never hear much mercy from the extremists. Their call to action may have Islamic language but it goes entirely against Islamic principles. If we allow this to continue then we make a mockery of Islam and turn it into a narrow, materialistic, emotional-driven political ideology. It will lose its rightful place as a genuine guiding force in peoples lives.

I leave you with the following verses of the Holy Quran which prescribe peace and justice as the overriding factors that allow us to continue on the right path:

"It may be that Allah will ordain love between you and those of them with whom ye are at enmity. Allah is Mighty, and Allah is Forgiving, Merciful. Allah forbiddeth you not those who warred not against you on account of religion and drove you not out from your homes, that ye should show them kindness and deal justly with them. Lo! Allah loveth the just dealers." (Surah 60, Verses 7-8)

"O ye who believe! Be steadfast witnesses for Allah in equity, and let not hatred of any people seduce you that ye deal not justly. Deal justly, that is nearer to your duty. Observe your duty to Allah. Lo! Allah is Informed of what ye do." (Surah 5, Verse 8)