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| Autor: adygnat |
Datum: 04/05/2004 01:58:52 |
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THE AGENDA OF ISLAM - A WAR BETWEEN CIVILIZATIONS
THE AGENDA OF ISLAM -
A WAR BETWEEN CIVILIZATIONS
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 Defence. Prof. Sharon is a former director of the World Zionist Organisation 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
honouring 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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