Islam, Jihad, And Terrorism

The Islamic texts definitely praise martyrdom as the highest ideal. So much emphasis on it.

References:

“I came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, which Jihad is best?’ He said: ‘(That of a man) whose blood is shed and his horse is wounded.’”

What is Jihad?
1) According to mainstream Islam, needs to be declared by a state or ameer. No vigilantism.

Is Jihad defensive only?

No, it's used to spread Islam and grow the state:

Fight those who do not believe in Allah or in the Last Day and who do not consider unlawful what Allah and His Messenger have made unlawful and who do not adopt the religion of truth from those who were given the Scripture - [fight] until they give the jizyah willingly while they are humbled. (9:29)

Summon them to Islam and if they agree, accept it from them and refrain from them. Then summon them to leave their territory .. If they refuse demand jizyah (poll tax) from them, if they agree accept it from them and refrain from them. But if they refuse, seek Alaah’s help and fight with them

Is Islam a violent religion? Depends on what Islam you mean.

The best way to protect yourself from Day of Judgement is die as a martyr:

The difference between ideological and political terrorism:
- Buddhists of Burma Killing Muslims vs Islamic inspired Jihadis
There's no sacred text saying fight the non-Buddhists, die for the cause etc.
There are people who use Bible for terrorism but it's a harder leap. With the Quran a straightforward literal interpretation can lead you to ISIS.

A straightforward reading of the texts leads you to antagonism and hate:
Disbelievers are the worst creatures (8:55), polytheists worst creatures (98:6)

Salafis ARE against terrorism, but it's quite a small jump from literal fundamental salafism to jihadism.

8:07-9:45
Muslims are the biggest victims of terrorism (ie Boko Haram and so on) too.

If this is God's final religion, he left it in a messy situation with lots of ammunition for violent terrorism. The Islamic texts are prone to violent terrorism.

This is why out of the blue with Islam you get people like Johnny Walker Lindh who convert and join terrorist groups which you don't find in other ideologies Buddhists for example becoming terrorists. You don't find in some rural American or German town Buddhist or Jain or Scientologists becoming terrorists but you find Muslims.

Islam is vulnerable to violent extremism.

[salmanahmad]

Oh My God Abdullah, I swear the words where you said "If this is the last religion, God left it in a very messy situation" has been in my mind for 10 years now, which is why I have gradually drifted away from Islam and now am looking for a way to formally leave it behind me. I don't even want my IDs and Docs to say "Muslim". Stay safe buddy.

[Nadd]

This is not God's religion this is Muhammad's religion !!

[AdamAdamHDL]

condemning terrorism is useless. Global jihad is what needs to be condemned

[kosmic]

brilliant as always <3 keep it up
it is stated clearly that in islam non muslims fate is eternal hell no matter how good they are in life and there are no exceptions
and as u made it clear in the end of the vid not all muslims support or do terrorism but the point is its source in the scripture is very obvious

[playerful]

Hey, could you consider increasing the time the "quotes of text" are shown just a tad bit. I just thought you should know.

[kaloarepo]

In the past the Bible too has been used in a similar way -especially the Old Testament -there are many many examples in Western history -the Papal theocracy of the Middle Ages, the Taborites in 14th century Bohemia, John of Leiden and the Puritan Commonwealth(Cromwell) in 17th Century Britain where armies were used to combat Royalists and Papists and instal a Taliban like killjoy regime.Millennerianism took its inspiration from the Book of Revelation and could take violent forms like the 5th Monarchy men.Often peasant revolts used scripture as motivation claiming that rich people were evil as declared by Jesus.And i haven't even touched on Spanish and Portuguese colonialism that aimed to spread Catholicism. But I do agree that it's far easier to find justification for violence in the Koran than in the Bible.

[rjstoneus]

Good video, especially explaining the fact that a jihad is supposed to be a war declared by a state like a regular war.

That's part of why it's so bad that ISIS was allowed to form. If they can convince anyone they have a state then they've met that requirement that they're a state so they can declare jihad and if they can convince Muslims they have the one and only caliph then they can convince some Muslims that they're obligated to follow his orders and thus call to jihad.

Fortunately not that many Muslims overall seem to be believing their fake caliphate or fake caliph, but it was bad that they were able to "activate" those parts of sharia rulings for some Muslims out there. It could have been worse if they had managed to seem more legitimate.

[infinityApologeticsClips]

Only a cult would threaten apostates with death
"I would have killed them according to the statement of Allah's Messenger (ﷺ), 'Whoever changed his Islamic religion, then kill him.'"
-Sahih al-Bukhari 6922

[bajrangibabu]

islamic problem will be solved when muslims start reading islamic doctrine with free mind instead hearing from islamic leader.

[funnzone]

I am Muslim but I can't disagree with your views you have a very open mind. Open mindedness is what the world needs today

[khagt]

Money is the god of this life. For The Afterlife god you've to die to see who's he or she or it .

[wadebosh]

the buddhists were reacting to crap from devout muslims. it wasnt doctrinal. it was tribal.

[timphilips]

Excellent video with so many well argued points. This is what pisses off all your opponents, of all the sympathisers of this intolerant belief system - because you back up your points with logical arguments and evidence. Stay safe!

[darshit]

the last messenger of god was guru govind singh not Muhammed

[ThinkerNinja]

i think that your interpretation of the difference in texts just somehow naturally leads to these different outcomes in religions may be incomplete. you might fele this because it is in your experience, but historically christianity has been extremely violent as well. it just doesnt feel like it because it's not happening right now (for the most part) most of the difference that motivates the violence is political and historical context. i think these factors needs to be addressed way more, because it both subverts any racism and bigotry and is the biggest influence western societies have on preventing terrorism (not sponsoring it or encouraging it themselves with terrible foreign policy).

in any case, thank you for making these informative videos in good faith and being careful and fair-minded.

[nammanimma]

Many verses in quran is not applicable in current day and age .... we dont fight anymore ! We dont kill or get killed in the name of god. Quran (9:111) - "Allah hath purchased of the believers their persons and their goods; for theirs (in return) is the garden (of Paradise): they fight in His cause, and slay and are slain..."

[rajabisnis]

Just a note though mr abdullah, based on personal experience born and live in an islamic nation
Yes, most of the relgiious ones are against isis, as they've committed atrocities, very cruel ones indeed, but at the same time most of them will favor:
1. Sharia law, which led to the bad contents and applications of it
2. Very, very aggressive stance regarding religion, if you'd like please go and read the case of the christian governor of jakarta, Ahok, which is now in jail for 2 years
3. Punishment for apostasy, and similar things

The big difference is, as you said in the video, the book alquran does emphasize and present these verses, thus providing ammunitions for them to use when they fell like it. They can justify offense as 'defense', and following the moral values, perception, and belief of mohammed, which is a warmonger as well with a life filled with wars and domination of others
Thats one of the problem, the other one is the ones presenting them
As you might have already know, most ulamas are conservatives, and these applies to the sufi branch as well (which is the main branch in indonesia). To differentiate, yes there are actuall good and modest ulamas, but with the case of Ahok we can see they're clearly outspoken with the more narrow-minded conservative ulamas, and thats in one of the best islamic moderate nation by islamic world standard. Other countries? mostly much worse

So both the contents and the ones delivering them to the followers, are the significant factors contributing to the aggressive islamic communities, and these are the ones who are also against isis
Like the saudis for example, they're against isis, but that doesn't make them peace-loving tolerant religious people
One of the biggest problem that i'd like to underline here is the mentality of religious muslims. Its quiet reasonable to say that substantial majority of them find it hard to admit and face the problem within the deemed 'perfect' islamic ideology, that they prefer to seek out other external non-sunni parties to blame. Just like how many perceive isis is more because of US instead of islam as an ideology (or the jews, for the indonesian muslims they mostly go for US or jews lol), while we all know that isis, its founding leaders and the members that join them are simply because of religiously motivated by islam, and it does has the justifications from the book of quran
At the same time it also has verses that can be interpreted the exact opposite of it, which actually shows another ambiguity in the so called 'perfect God book'
but rather than questioning and critically analyzing the real problems within it, they prefer to go for any apologetics or ulamas they can find that shift the blame on others, again hiding the problem within islam, this kind of mentality is very common among conservative muslims (or religious muslims, mostly)

Just as an insight for you, and just for the read you may want to check about that case of Ahok, have a nice day! :)

[wallacescarface]

Abdullah sameer, you want us to acknowledge there is a "problem with violent Ехtrеmism" whatever that means. why don't you realise that there is a difference between the Теггог of killing random innocent people like IS, and legitimate authentic freedom fighters who are just defending their own land and people, without targeting random innocents? That's what real Jiнаd is and it's still being done today by a few groups. Stop conflating the two different concepts. The Мusliмs in the wеSt who are aware, are too scared to openly talk about it for fear of reprisal and persecution. Plus there is such thing as staged fake Теггог аttаскs to discredit the real Jiнаd freedom fighters. and some of the examples you presented of "Теггогists" were not targeting random innocent civilians on the streets, they were only targeting combatant enemy soldiers who were fighting in unjust evil wars ordered by Bush and Blair. Don't compare those kind of аttаскегs with the murderers of random innocent children, they are worlds apart. Otherwise I could say that all the soldiers who invaded Irаq and Аfghаnisтаn are Теггогist murderers as well and that their secular liberal capitalist feminist LGBT nationalist democracy ideology is responsible.

[cascada]

with this comment I might spoil something for you about a Jihad, you would probably hate me
the reward called * being waited on by 70 wide-eyed virgins in Heaven*???

- there was a day when I sat and thought about that subject and realized = that it is a hoax... because THINK ABOUT THIS there are such women in that country already at the age of 12-15 are married off to a man appointed by the family. and don't we agree that on the first wedding = the woman's virginity is the truth is.. honest mate! you will be a little disappointed, but HOW MANY VIRGINS ARE THERE REALLY IN HEAVEN?, when in your realization you already take a woman's virginity at an early age???- just a little thought from here, nothing bad or negative - love to all♥♥

[redamilo]

This is what causes terrorism not Islam.

Since the United States and its allies invaded Iraq in 2003, at cost of more than a million of Iraqi lives (Ahmed), and millions of displaced people, widows, orphans, wounded people and also completely dismantled the Iraqi state. The invasion came after over a decade of U.S. sponsored sanctions on Iraq which resulted in the deaths of more than a million Iraqis, including more than a half million children due to malnutrition and diseases caused by the lack of clean water and medicine.

Far from affecting only Iraqi people alone, which is terrible enough, the invasion of Iraq has had an international effects and exported terrorism all over the world, especially because such terrorist organizations are global and working all over the world. According to Pape, Robert A, there is a close association between foreign military occupations and the growth of suicide terrorist movements. Pape is a political scientist at the University of Chicago and founder of the Chicago Project on Security and Terrorism, who studied every suicide attacks in the world since 1980, evaluating over 315 in all and concluded that:

''what nearly all suicide terrorist attacks have in common is a specific secular and strategic goal: to compel modern democracies to withdraw military forces from territory that the terrorists consider to be their homeland. Religion is rarely the root cause, although it is often used as a tool by terrorist organizations in recruiting and in other efforts in service of the broader strategic objective’’.

Pape argues that the Israelis have their own narrative about terrorism, which is that Arab extremists seek to destroy the Jewish state because of what it is, not what it does. But since Israel withdrew its forces from Lebanon in May 2000, there has not been a single Lebanese suicide attack. The same, since Israel withdrew from Gaza and large parts of the West Bank, Palestinian suicide attacks are down over 90 percent.

Moreover, after the United States has occupied Afghanistan and Iraq total suicide attacks worldwide have risen dramatically. Since 2004 till 2009, there have been more than 2, 000 suicide attacks around the world, over 91 percent are against U.S. and allied forces in Afghanistan, Iraq, and other countries.

Indeed, the words of the perpetrator of Woolwich attack supports professor Pape's findings. The perpetrator of the terrorist attack on a non-combatant British soldier in Woolwich, London in 2013, clearly cited that his motives after the attack, and he said addressing the British people in front of a cameraman: ''Your people will never be safe. The only reason we have done this is because Muslims are dying by British soldiers every day’’ (Swinford, Gordon and Steven).
Not only him, take Faisal Shahzad’s confession, whom was arrested after a failed attempt to detonate a parked car of his full of explosives in New York, Shahzad told the judge showing no remorse: "I want to plead guilty 100 times because unless the US pulls out of Afghanistan and Iraq, until they stop drone strikes in Somalia, Pakistan, and Yemen, and stop attacking Muslim lands, we will attack the US and be out to get them." When asked by judge why he tried to kill innocent Americans, Shahzad replied "Listen, you are attacking children with your drones in Afghanistan, " he said. "I would not consider what I did was a crime. I'm aware it's a violation of the United States laws, but I don't care for the laws of the United States."("Times Square Car Bomber…").

Add to that, U.S. Boston Marathon bombings' perpetrator also told interrogators that the American wars in Iraq and Afghanistan motivated him and his brother to carry out the attack.

John Mueller, a senior research scientist with the Mershon Center for International Security Studies at Ohio State University said: ''People read news reports about atrocities and become angry, ” adding that such reports are often perceived as an attack on one’s own in-group, religion, or cultural heritage. He added “It does not have to be information from a jihadist website that angers someone, it could be a New York Times report about a drone strike that kills a bunch of civilians in Afghanistan.”