By Prof Paul Eidelberg, President, Israel-America Renaissance Institute
[Note from the present author: While research this essay, I discovered, in the January 7, 2008 issue of FrontPageMagazine.com (FP), a most courageous and candid interview of a former Muslim, Dr. Abul Kasem. Born and educated in Bangladesh, Kasem had authored hundreds of articles and several books exposing Islam. For example, he contributed to Leaving Islam: Apostates Speak Out, and Beyond Jihad: Critical Views From Inside Islam. Kasem was interviewed FP’s Managing Editor, Dr. Jamie Glazer, a Ph.D.in history who coauthored (with David Horowitz) The Hate America Left (in which Horowitz reveals the “unholy alliance” between the Left, steeped in atheism, and Islam). Without further ado, let’s go directly to FP’s opening query of Dr. Kesem.]
FP: Tell us a bit about your spiritual and intellectual journey.
Kasem: Born in Bangladesh, I attended secular schools and underwent strict religious discipline …. When I was nine, a typical Mullah taught me the Islamic rituals … and how to recite the Qur’an correctly. He also taught us that Muslims are the only inheritors of the earth, that we must never mix with the non-Muslims, we must hate them, humiliate them verbally, and if possible, physically.
In high school, I discovered a world beyond Islam. I met a few Hindus and two Christians. I found them extremely polite, peace-loving, sincere, and affable. Unfortunately, communal riots broke out in India and Bangladesh (then known as East Pakistan). One of my Hindu friends was brutally murdered by Islamist fanatics. This was a life-changing experience, as I witnessed the mutilated dead bodies of my friend, his parents, and siblings. When I discussed this with a few Muslim gentlemen (moderate Muslims [of whom, more later]) they told me that the Hindus deserved to be killed; there should not be any Hindus in our Muslim land. Further, I learned from them that in Islam, there is a great reward for killing the non-Muslims.
In 1971 the Islamic Army of Pakistan let loose a genocide, killing around 3 million Bengalis, and raping around 250,000 Bengali women. Local Islamists helped their barbarity in every way. They justified their actions by [the] Qur’an, Hadith [reports of what Mohammad said and did], and Sharia laws. After independence, I talked about it with a local Imam. He took out a Qur’an, read a few verses, and told me the genocide and mass-rape was a hundred percent Islamic-sanctioned. He said the Bengali Muslims have deviated widely from the real Islam, and as such, they deserve Allah’s punishment, and the Pakistani army did just that to purify us. Shocked, I decided to read the theological sources of Islam.
What I discovered horrified me. It was beyond my comprehension that a religion, touted to be the religion of peace, could contain such blood-curdling, terrifying, barbaric verses, cultures, and laws to entice the entire Islamic community to slaughter the infidels and the not-so-good Muslims. Access to authentic books and Internet gave me more freedom to learn and express [my views].
FP: So share with us a bit of what you discovered in Islam.
Kasem: Ok, here is a bit of my education [concerning Islam and its historical sources]:
Prophet [Muhammad] allowed rape of war-captives.– Sahih Bukhari, 3.46.718.
Muhammad ordered a Muslim woman to breastfeed a man. She protested but ultimately had to do so. – ibn Majah, 3.1943.
Muhammad ordered the murder of Asma Marwan, a Jewish poetess when she was suckling her babies. – ibn Ishaq, p. 676, ibn sa’d, vol. ii, p.30-31.
Muhammad conducted ethnic cleansing of Banu Quaynuqa Jews from Medina. – Tabari, vol.vii, p. 85.
Muhammad hired a professional killer to assassinate Ka’b b. al-Ashraf, a poet of Medina. – Sahih Bukhari, 5.59.369.
The Messenger of Allah said, “Whoever of the Jews falls into your hands, kill him.” Muhayyish b. Masud killed his friend and business-partner Ibn Sunaynah – Tabari, vol.vii, p. 97-98.
Muhammad’s death squad murdered Abu Rafi, a critic of Muhammad in Medina. – Tabari, vol.vii, p.103, Sahih Bukhari, 5.59.371.
Muhammad did ethnic cleansing of B. Nadir Jews from Medina. – Tabari, vol. vii, p.158-159, Heykal, ch. B. Nadir, Sahih Bukhari, 3.39.519.
Muhammad beheaded between 600-900 Jews of B. Qurayzah who did not fight Muslims but were attacked, and they surrendered unconditionally – Tabari, vol.viii, ch. B. Qurayzah; Heykal, ch. the Campaign of Khandaq and B. Qurayzah, ibn Ishaq, ch. B. Qurayzah.
Allah favours Arab racism … of Quraysh stock and of white complexion (ibn Sa’d, vol.1, p. 95-96, Sahih Muslim, 20.4483.
Muhammad traded slaves for beautiful, young, and sexy women, such as Saffiya. – Sunaan Abu Dawud, 2.2987, 2991.
Muhammad’s hired killer assassinated Al-Yusayr b. Rizam and a party of Khaybar Jews at al-Qarqara. – ibn Ishaq, p.665-666.
A woman must keep her sexual organs ready for service at all times (Ihya Uloom Ed-Din of Ghazali, Tr. Dr. Ahmad Zidan, vol. i, p.235)
Allah made Muhammad wealthy through conquests (raid, plunder, war). – Sahih Bukhari, 3.37.495. These are only few of the thousands of documents that sized and shaped my journey through Islam.
FP: In many cases, when I [Glazer] have a conversation with various Muslims, the following happens: the issue of Islam is brought up and I am immediately informed that I don’t know what I am talking about – and this occurs before I have even said anything. Then, when I ask about the violent verses that mandate war against unbelievers (i.e. Suras 9:5, 9:29 etc.) I am informed that this is not even in the Qur’an. I am then informed that Muhammad did not even as much as touch the hair on a person’s head. I respond that Muhammad was a military man. I am then told that this is absolutely not true. I then relate the words of the verses I am referring to and am then told I have a false translation. I describe the translation, that it is a Qur’an translated by a renowned and respected Muslim that all Muslims trust (i.e. Abdullah Yusuf Ali), and the Muslim I am speaking with just keeps shaking his head.
Mr. Kasem, this happens to me a lot. What exactly is going on here? Are many Muslims playing some kind of game with the unbelievers they speak with or do the majority of them actually have no idea what is in the Qur’an and are also, for some bizarre reason or another, indifferent to what it actually says? …
Kasem: I guess these discussions must have been with some cunning Islamists living in infidel territory, perhaps in the USA, Canada or UK. It is no surprise that the same Islamists, if in an Islamic Paradise, will make a complete U-turn and [say] that verses 9:5 and 9:29 are alive and kicking well.
This tactic of denial, translation problem, context, misconception and so on, is an age-old method used by the conniving Islamists to save skin. In Islamic language this is known as taqiyya (telling lies) and kitman (adopting deception). When Muslims are weak, verses 3:28 and 16:106-107 of the Qur’an (that is Allah) tell Muslims to adopt these techniques to save themselves from the infidels. They are even allowed to deny their Islamic faith and told to criticize Islam, if need be. Muhammad had adopted this policy to assassinate his critics.
No wonder, we note the modern Islamists adopt the same technique in confounding the West.
Let us briefly review verse 3:8 [of the Qur’an], the foundation of Islamic taqiyya and kitman. This verse tells the Muslims not to take unbelievers as friends; caution is necessary to befriend the unbelievers. On the exegesis of this verse, ibn Kathir, the most eminent Tafsir [exegete] of the Qur’an, writes: Do not befriend the deniers (i.e., the non-Muslims), even if they are among the closest relatives. In case of danger, Allah allows Muslims to show friendship to the disbelievers outwardly, but never inwardly. The taqiyya is allowed until the Day of Resurrection. Allah has reserved unremitting torment for those who give their support to His enemies, and those who have enmity with His friends.
In simple language, ibn Kathir says it is all right to tell lies and adopt deception for the sake of Islam. Therefore, it is no surprise that Muhammad’s ardent supporters are simply repeating the Islamic history. The cunning, sophisticated, and sly Islamists will go to any extent to secure the confidence of the gullible Western infidels. This is how Islam is advanced in an enemy territory—where Islamists do not have the military might to kill the infidels en-masse. Just note how their tactics will change when they are strong in number, [say] about ten percent of [the] population (this is what is happening in France) and they have a recruitment of Islamist terrorists, having set up terror cells. I hope you now understand why the Islamists living in the West are so adept in telling lies and adopting deception.
In this connection it might be appropriate to examine the true meanings of verses 9:5 and 9:29. According to most Qur’an scholars this verse (9:5) is known as the verse of the sword (ayat saif); this verse alone cancels about 124 verses that espouse mercy, tolerance, and forgiveness to the pagans. Let us understand verse 9:29, in the language of Islam. This verse says: Fight those who do not believe in Allah, or in the last Day, or in the halal food. Unbelieving people of the Book (Jews and Christians) pay jizya tax with submission (humiliation); if they do not pay jizya tax or convert to Islam, kill them. According to various Islamic sources this verse abrogates [lenient verses] 2:109, 60:8-9.
Lastly, I must tell the simple-minded infidels who have a dialogue with these clever Islamists that these people are simply taking advantage of the ignorance of the gullible non-Muslims, who have been brain-washed by the PC [politically correct] media that Islam is [a religion of] peace—similar to other religions. The vast majority of Muslims (especially [of] non-Arab background) have very little idea about the severity and barbarism of the Qur’an. As such, these Islamists take full advantage of this ignorance and try to convert killing verses into kissing verses, and hateful verses into loving ones. This is why it is important to read and understand the Qur’an, Hadith, Sunna, and Sharia. These fundamental sources of Islam are the most potent weapons to confront the Islamists living in the West.
FP: While I am sure [says Glazer, that] some of these Muslims are thinking they are deceiving me, I have definitely met many of the Muslims you just described who truly do not know about the severity and barbarism of the Qur’an. In any case … why do you think the efforts at an Islamic Reformation are suffering such huge obstacles? The effort of moderate Muslims to make any real ground in developing a counter-jihad strategy appears to be failing, no? How come? Or are my assumptions misplaced?
Kasem: The answer is very simple. Islam cannot be reformed. Muhammad himself has banned any reformation to Islam. Reforming Islam is not a new idea. From time to time Islamist scholars have attempted to reform Islam. They have failed. You might have heard of the group called Mutazilites. Their sincere attempt to reform Islam in or around the ninth and tenth century had failed miserably. Many such Mutazilites faced severe Islamic punishment for bringing innovation (bidah) in Islam. Introducing innovation in Islam is a serious crime, according to [Asherite philosopher] al-Ghazali. Whoever, brings in such a reform is subject to Islamic punitive measure, which is death.
Today, Islam is fossilized in the seventh century Bedouin Arab customs upon which Muhammad had founded Islam.