The “Islam is blameless” theory is both misleading and counterproductive

Here Are The Parts Of The Quran That ISIS Uses To Justify Violence Against Iraqi Christians

by HICHAM BOU NASSIF

The uprooting and destruction of Christian communities in Iraq has sent shockwaves through social media and throughout the world.

What is particularly infuriating about the tragic fate of Iraqi Christians is that they had remained neutral in the ongoing conflict. They did not form militias of their own, nor did they part in acts of violence against either side.

Still, the ISIS-controlled parts of Iraq have been cleansed of their Christian inhabitants. Each time a heinous crime is committed in the name of Islam, social and traditional media become awash with declarations that “Islam is innocent of such acts.”

A look at Islam’s holy book, the Quran, may qualify the vehement displays of innocence. The following verses are cases in point:

Quran (9:29): “Fight against Christians and Jews until they pay the tribute readily, being brought low.”

Quran (5:51): “Don’t take Jews or Christians for friends. If you do, then Allah will consider you to be one of them.”

Quran (2:65-66): “Christians and Jews must believe what Allah has revealed to Muhammad or Allah will disfigure their faces or turn them into apes, as he did the Sabbath-breakers.”

Quran (5:51): “O you who believe! do not take the Jews and the Christians for friends; they are friends of each other; and whoever amongst you takes them for a friend, then surely he is one of them; surely Allah does not guide the unjust people.”

Quran (9:30): "And the Jews say: Ezra is the son of Allah; and the Christians say: The Messiah is the son of Allah; these are the words of their mouths; they imitate the saying of those who disbelieved before; may Allah destroy them; how they are turned away!"

Anyone who takes time to actually read the Quran before stipulating what Islam is or is not will find that similar verses abound; militant groups readily cite these verses to legitimize their actions. In other words, the anti-Christian and anti-Jewish verses of the Quran have direct implications on how jihadists think and behave. Arguing, therefore, that Islam has little to do with atrocities committed in its name is simply unconvincing.

The problem, in fact, goes beyond sporadic outbursts of anti-Christian violence in the Arab world, to everyday discrimination. In constitutions of Arab countries, the first article typically stipulates that Islam is the religion of the state. This remains true even in a country like Egypt, where millions of Christian Egyptians live.


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