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THE AGENDA OF ISLAM - A WAR BETWEEN CIVILIZATIONS
by Professor Moshe Sharon
This article is adapted from a
lecture presented at the Feast of Tabernacles Celebration 2001 by Professor
Moshe Sharon. Sharon received his Doctorate in Medieval Islamic History from the
Hebrew University in Jerusalem. He has served as an Advisor on Arab Affairs to
former Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin as well as the Ministry of Defense.
Prof. Sharon is a former director of the World Zionist Organization branch in
Johannesburg, South Africa and currently lectures as professor of Islamic
History at the Hebrew University.
There is no Fundamental Islam
"Fundamentalism" is a word that came from
the heart of the Christian religion. It means faith that goes by the word of the
Bible. Fundamental Christianity, or going with the Bible, does not mean going
around and killing people. There is no fundamental Islam. There is only Islam
full stop. The question is how the Koran is interpreted.
All of a sudden we see that the greatest
interpreters of Islam are politicians in the western world. They know better
than all the speakers in the mosques, all those who deliver terrible sermons
against anything that is either Christian or Jewish. These western politicians
know that there is good Islam and bad Islam. They know even how to differentiate
between the two, except that none of them know how to read a word of Arabic.
The Language of Islam
You see, so much is covered by politically
correct language that, in fact, the truth has been lost. For example, when we
speak about Islam in the west, we try to use our own language and terminology.
We speak about Islam in terms of democracy and fundamentalism, in terms of
parliamentarism and all kinds of terms, which we take from our own dictionary.
One of my professors and one of the greatest orientalists in the world says that
doing this is like a cricket reporter describing a cricket game in baseball
terms. We cannot use for one culture or civilization the language of another.
For Islam, you've got to use the language of Islam.
Driving Principles of Islam
Let me explain the principles that are
driving the religion of Islam. Of course, every Moslem has to acknowledge the
fact that there is only one God. But it's not enough to say that there is only
one God. A Moslem has to acknowledge the fact that there is one God and Mohammed
is his prophet. These are the fundamentals of the religion that without them,
one cannot be a Moslem. But beyond that, Islam is a civilization. It is a
religion that gave first and foremost a wide and unique legal system that
engulfs the individual, society and nations with rules of behaviour. If you are
Moslem, you have to behave according to the rules of Islam which are set down in
the Koran and which are very different than the teachings of the Bible.
The Bible
Let me explain the difference. The Bible is
the creation of the spirit of a nation over a very, very long period, if we talk
from the point of view of the scholar, and let me remain scholarly. But there is
one thing that is important in the Bible. It leads to salvation. It leads to
salvation in two ways.
In Judaism, it leads to national salvation -
not just a nation that wants to have a state, but a nation that wants to serve
God. That's the idea behind the Hebrew text of the Bible.
The New Testament that took the Hebrew Bible
moves us toward personal salvation. So we have got these two kinds of salvation,
which, from time to time, meet each other.
But the key word is salvation. Personal
salvation means that each individual is looked after by God, Himself, who leads
a person through His word to salvation. This is the idea in the Bible, whether
we are talking about the Old or the New Testament. All of the laws in the Bible,
even to the minutest ones, are, in fact directed toward this fact of salvation.
Secondly, there is another point in the
Bible, which is highly important. This is the idea that man was created in the
image of God. Therefore, you don't just walk around and obliterate the image of
God. Many people, of course, used Biblical rules and turned them upside down.
History has seen a lot of massacres in the name of God and in the name of Jesus.
But as religions, both Judaism and Christianity in their fundamentals speak
about honoring the image of God and the hope of salvation. These are the two
basic fundamentals.
The Essence of Islam
Now let's move to the essence of Islam.
Islam was born with the idea that it should rule the world. Let's look, then,
at the difference between these three religions. Judaism speaks about national
salvation - namely that at the end of the story, when the world becomes a better
place, Israel will be in its own land, ruled by its own king and serving God.
Christianity speaks about the idea that every single person in the world can be
saved from his sins, while Islam speaks about ruling the world. I can quote here
in Arabic, but there is no point in quoting Arabic, so let me quote a verse in
English. "Allah sent Mohammed with the true religion so that it should rule over
all the religions."
The idea, then, is not that the whole world
would become a Moslem world at this time, but that the whole world would be
subdued under the rule of Islam.
When the Islamic empire was established in
634 AD, within seven years - 640 - the core of the empire was created. The rules
that were taken from the Koran and from the tradition that was ascribed to the
prophet Mohammed, were translated into a real legal system. Jews and Christians
could live under Islam provided they paid poll tax and accepted Islamic
superiority. Of course, they had to be humiliated. And Jews and Christians
living under Islam are humiliated to this very day.
Mohammed Held That All the Biblical Prophets Were Moslems
Mohammed did accept the existence of all the
Biblical prophets before him. However he also said that all these prophets were
Moslems. Abraham was a Moslem. In fact, Adam himself was the first Moslem. Isaac
and Jacob and David and Solomon and Moses and Jesus were all Moslems, and all of
them had writings similar to the Koran. Therefore, world history is Islamic
history because all the heroes of history were Moslems.
Furthermore, Moslems accept the fact that
each of these prophets brought with him some kind of a revelation. Moses,
brought the Taurat, which is the Torah, and Jesus brought the Ingeel,
which is the Evangelion or Gospel - namely the New Testament.
The Bible versus the Koran
Why then is the Bible not similar to the
Koran? Mohammed explains that the Jews and Christians forged their books. Had
they not been changed and forged, they would have been identical to the Koran.
But because Christians and Jews do have some truth, Islam concedes that they
cannot be completely destroyed by war [for now].
Nevertheless, the laws are very clear - Jews
and Christians have no rights whatsoever to independent existence. They can live
under Islamic rule provided they keep to the rules that Islam promulgates for
them.
Islamic Rule and Jihad
What happens if Jews and Christians don't
want to live under the rules of Islam? Then Islam has to fight them and this
fighting is called Jihad. Jihad means war against those people who don't want to
accept the Islamic superior rule. That's jihad. They may be Jews; they may be
Christians; they may be Polytheists. But since we don't have too many
Polytheists left, at least not in the Middle East - their war is against the
Jews and Christians.
A few days ago, I received a pamphlet that
was distributed in the world by bin Laden. He calls for jihad against America as
the leader of the Christian world, not because America is the supporter of
Israel, but because Americans are desecrating Arabia with their filthy feet.
There are Americans in Arabia where no Christians should be. In this pamphlet
there is not a single word about Israel. Only that Americans are desecrating the
home of the prophet.
Two Houses
The Koran sees the world as divided into two
- one part which has come under Islamic rule and one part which is supposed to
come under Islamic rule in the future. There is a division of the world which is
very clear. Every single person who starts studying Islam knows it. The world is
described as Dar al-Islam (the house of Islam) - that's the place where Islam
rules - and the other part which is called Dar al-Harb - the house of war. Not
the "house of non-Muslims," but the "house of war." It is this house of war
which has to be, at the end of time, conquered. The world will continue to be in
the house of war until it comes under Islamic rule. This is the norm. Why?
Because Allah says it's so in the Koran. God has sent Mohammed with the true
religion in order that the truth will overcome all other religions.
Islamic Law
Within the Islamic vision of this world,
there are rules that govern the lives of the Moslems themselves, and these rules
are very strict. In fundamentals, there are no differences between schools of
law.
However, there are four streams of factions
within Islam with differences between them concerning the minutiae of the laws.
All over the Islamic world, countries have favored one or another of these
schools of laws. The strictest school of law is called Hanbali, mainly coming
out of Saudi Arabia. There are no games there, no playing around with the
meanings of words. If the Koran speaks about war, then it's war.
There are various perspectives in Islam with
different interpretations over the centuries. There were good people that were
very enlightened in Islam that tried to understand things differently. They even
brought traditions from the mouth of the prophet that women and children should
not be killed in war.
These more liberal streams do exist, but
there is one thing that is very important for us to remember. The Hanbali school
of law is extremely strict, and today this is the school that is behind most of
the terrorist powers. Even if we talk about the existence of other schools of
Islamic law, when we're talking about fighting against the Jews, or fighting
against the Christian world led by America, it is the Hanbali school of law that
is being followed.
Islam and Territory
This civilization created one very
important, fundamental rule about territory. Any territory that comes under
Islamic rule cannot be de-Islamized. Even if at one time or another, the
[non-Moslem] enemy takes over the territory that was under Islamic rule, it is
considered to be perpetually Islamic.
This is why whenever you hear about the
Arab/Israeli conflict, you hear - territory, territory, territory. There are
other aspects to the conflict, but territory is highly important.
The Christian civilization has not only been
seen as a religious opponent, but as a dam stopping Islam from achieving its
final goal for which it was created.
Islam was created to be the army of God, the
army of Allah. Every single Moslem is a soldier in this army. Every single
Moslem that dies in fighting for the spread of Islam is a shaheed (martyr) no
matter how he dies, because - and this is very important - this is an eternal
war between the two civilizations. It's not a war that stops. This war is there
because it was created by Allah. Islam must be the ruler. This is a war that
will not end.
Islam and Peace
Peace in Islam can exist only within the
Islamic world; peace can only be between Moslem and Moslem.
With the non-Moslem world or non-Moslem
opponents, there can be only one solution - a cease fire until Moslems can gain
more power. It is an eternal war until the end of days. Peace can only come if
the Islamic side wins. The two civilizations can only have periods of
cease-fires. And this idea of cease-fire is based on a very important historical
precedent, which, incidentally, Yasser Arafat referred to when he spoke in
Johannesburg after he signed the Oslo agreement with Israel.
Let me remind you that the document speaks
of peace - you wouldn't believe that you are reading! You would think that you
were reading some science fiction piece. I mean when you read it, you can't
believe that this was signed by Israelis who are actually acquainted with
Islamic policies and civilization.
A few weeks after the Oslo agreement was
signed, Arafat went to Johannesburg, and in a mosque there he made a speech in
which he apologized, saying, "Do you think I signed something with the Jews
which is contrary to the rules of Islam?" (I have obtained a copy of Arafat's
recorded speech so I heard it from his own mouth.) Arafat continued, "That's not
so. I'm doing exactly what the prophet Mohammed did."
Whatever the prophet is supposed have done
becomes a precedent. What Arafat was saying was, "Remember the story of
Hodaybiya." The prophet had made an agreement there with the tribe of Kuraish
for 10 years. But then he trained 10,000 soldiers and within two years marched
on their city of Mecca. He, of course, found some kind of pretext.
Thus, in Islamic jurisdiction, it became a
legal precedent which states that you are only allowed to make peace for a
maximum of 10 years. Secondly, at the first instance that you are able, you must
renew the jihad [thus breaking the "peace" agreement].
In Israel, it has taken over 50 years in
this country for our people to understand that they cannot speak about
[permanent] peace with Moslems. It will take another 50 years for the western
world to understand that they have got a state of war with the Islamic
civilization that is virile and strong. This should be understood: When we talk
about war and peace, we are not talking in Belgium, French, English, or German
terms. We are talking about war and peace in Islamic terms.
Cease-fire as a Tactical Choice
What makes Islam accept cease-fire? Only one
thing - when the enemy is too strong. It is a tactical choice.
Sometimes, he may have to agree to a
cease-fire in the most humiliating conditions. It's allowed because Mohammed
accepted a cease-fire under humiliating conditions. That's what Arafat said to
them in Johannesburg. When western policy makers hear these things, they answer,
"What are you talking about? You are in the Middle Ages. You don't understand
the mechanisms of politics."
Which mechanisms of politics? There are no
mechanisms of politics where power is. And I want to tell you one thing - we
haven't seen the end of it, because the minute a radical Moslem power has
atomic, chemical or biological weapons, they will use it. I have no doubt about
that.
Now, since we face war and we know that we
cannot get more than an impermanent cease-fire, one has to ask himself what is
the major component of an Israeli/Arab cease-fire. It is that the Islamic side
is weak and your side is strong. The relations between Israel and the Arab world
in the last 50 years since the establishment of our State has been based only on
this idea, the deterrent power.
Wherever You Have Islam, You Will Have War
The reason that we have what we have in
Yugoslavia and other places is because Islam succeeded into entering these
countries. Wherever you have Islam, you will have war. It grows out of the
attitude of Islamic civilization.
What are the poor people in the Philippines
being killed for? What's happening between Pakistan and India?
Islamic Infiltration
Furthermore, there is another fact that must
be remembered. The Islamic world has not only the attitude of open war, but
there's also war by infiltration.
One of the things which the western world is
not paying enough attention to is the tremendous growth of Islamic power in the
western world. What happened in America and the Twin Towers is not something
that came from the outside. And if America doesn't wake up, one day the
Americans will find themselves in a chemical war and most likely in an atomic
war - inside the U.S.
End of Days
It is highly important to understand how a
civilization sees the end of days. In Christianity and in Judaism, we know
exactly what is the vision of the end of days.
In Judaism, it is going to be as in Isaiah -
peace between nations, not just one nation, but between all nations. People will
not have any more need for weapons and nature will be changed - a beautiful end
of days and the kingdom of God on earth.
Christianity goes as far as Revelation to
see a day that Satan himself is obliterated. There are no more powers of evil.
That's the vision.
I'm speaking now as a historian. I try to
understand how Islam sees the end of days. In the end of days, Islam sees a
world that is totally Moslem, completely Moslem under the rule of Islam.
Complete and final victory.
Christians will not exist, because according
to many Islamic traditions, the Moslems who are in hell will have to be replaced
by somebody and they'll be replaced by the Christians.
The Jews will no longer exist, because
before the coming of the end of days, there is going to be a war against the
Jews where all Jews should be killed. I'm quoting now from the heart of Islamic
tradition, from the books that are read by every child in school. The Jews will
all be killed. They'll be running away and they'll be hiding behind trees and
rocks, and on that day Allah will give mouths to the rocks and trees and they
will say, "Oh Moslem come here, there is a Jew behind me, kill him." Without
this, the end of days cannot come. This is a fundamental of Islam.
Is There a Possibility to End This Dance of War?
The question which we in Israel are asking
ourselves is what will happen to our country? Is there a possibility to end this
dance of war?
The answer is, "No. Not in the foreseeable
future." What we can do is reach a situation where for a few years we may have
relative quiet.
But for Islam, the establishment of the
state of Israel was a reverse of Islamic history. First, Islamic territory was
taken away from Islam by Jews. You know by now that this can never be accepted,
not even one meter. So everyone who thinks Tel Aviv is safe is making a grave
mistake. Territory, which at one time was dominated by Islamic rule, now has
become non-Moslem. Non-Moslems are independent of Islamic rule; Jews have
created their own independent state. It is anathema.
And (this is the worst) Israel, a non-Moslem
state, is ruling over Moslems. It is unthinkable that non-Moslems should rule
over Moslems.
I believe that Western civilization should
hold together and support each other. Whether this will happen or not, I don't
know. Israel finds itself on the front lines of this war. It needs the help of
its sister civilization. It needs the help of America and Europe. It needs the
help of the Christian world. One thing I am sure about, this help can be given
by individual Christians who see this as the road to salvation.
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