I just heard this at lunch from a coworker. So I thought I would get the Straight Dope on it. Is it true or not?
NO. not in the slightest. the american view of islam is becoming more warped every minute.
The Koran says it’s okay to kill non-Muslims pretty much the same way the Bible says it’s okay to kill abortionists.
If it did, I don’t think the Muslim community would be condemning the attacks.
Qur’an 2:256: “There is no compulsion in religion.”
If you would like to browse the Qur’an, there is a convenient online resource here. This allows searches for short phrases, and has the entire text available by chapter.
Please remember that it is possible to react to something without understanding it. You may read something that surprises you, but take a deep breath, realize that Islam IS a peaceful religion, and keep reading.
In my experience, the book is far more fascinating than most other religious texts.
The source for the mistaken perception that the Koran
allows for killing non-Muslims could be bin Laden himself:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/binladen/who/interview.html
In the linked interview he rationalizes all the killing as
glorifying Allah.
Thanks, lno, nice link. I found these passages particularly interesting. It speak to the hypocrisy of certain radicals who claim to be faithful:
Shalom
Please do not assume that Bill and his equally ill-informed co-workers represent in any way “the American view of Islam.” Thank you.
with the mosques being attacked today and yesterday and the persecution of muslims and arabic-looking people in this country, i cannot help but assume the general non-muslim public is misinformed and corrupted. i wish it weren’t so, but it is.
Thank you for sharing that passage, Shiboleth! I will be quoting it to everybody who thinks all Muslims condone terrorism.
I am going to quote another poster in a different thread, since their post is equally applicable and valuable in this one.
Indeed, many thanks, Shibboleth. As a Muslim, I’ve read that passage numerous times before, but only now does it take on a whole new meaning for me.
Hey, pld I didn’t say I believed I just asked the question so I would know for sure. I have, however, heard it on a few radio shows in the last couple of days.
I kinda figured the radical muslims took some verse out of context so they kill people.
Not fair to jump down Bill’s throat. Like it or not, true or not, this IS a widely held view in the U.S.
The question is, why does everyone think this? Like any UL, how did this one start? Is it just a corruption of the idea that “defenders of the faith” go straight to paradise if they die? And what are the words from the Prophet that lead people to believe even this?
uninformed americans cannot help but question the practices of islam in foreign countries, when the only glimpses they see of it is in the terrorist media. we never hear from the media any of the good and charitable things that have come from those of the islamic faith, simply because that doesn’t sell.
that sort of belief has been around for centuries in numerous religions. people have been conned into joining armed forces by religious heads who twist their faith. as far as i know the christian and jewish bibles, as well as the Qur’an do not promote this belief.
Although the fundamental sources of the West’s negative views of Islam are the legacies of the Crusades and colonial imperialism, this is GQ so I’ll stick to the OP. 
From the Quran, chapter 60, verses 8 and 9:
“God does not forbid you to treat with goodness and justice those who do not fight you on account of your religion nor drive you out of your homes; truly, God loves those who are just. Indeed, God only forbids you turning in friendship to those who fight you on account of religion and drive you out of your homes, and assist (others) in driving you out; and whoever turns to them (in friendship), they are wrongdoers.”
(The possibly confusing use of “God does not forbid” instead of “God permits” arises from the theological principle, or asl, that all of God’s Creation is there for our benefit and enjoyment except that which the Quran (and sayings or practices of Prophet Muhammad) rule out: “It is He who created all that is in the earth for you…” (Quran, 2:29, etc.)
Palestinian terrorists can justify their violence to themselves because they believe they have been driven out of their homes and are persecuted for their faith. Debatable points, certainly, but at least their reasoning is internally consistent with their theology. (Incidentally, not all Arabs are Muslims, and not all Muslims are Arab – such as myself; my family is originally from Pakistan.)
In the case of bin Laden, however, the theological justification fails. His fundamental problem with the U.S. is that we have maintained a permanent presence in Saudi Arabia since the Gulf War, which contains Islam’s two holiest sites. His overt reason for hating us is that we are supposedly an occupation force. A possibly more likely reason is that since the Saudi government is widely seen as corrupt, and since Saudi laws allow no legal avenue for dissent (leaving only terrorism), and since they kicked him out of the country for his opposition, the government and its supporters (i.e., the U.S. government) are his enemies. At one point, bin Laden had said that American civilians are not legitimate targets in his war against us, but then he reneged and said we are, by virtue of supporting the “oppressors” through our tax payments.
I also don’t think it is fair to attack WB on this one. He heard something that sounded suspicious so he questioned it here. That is what this forum is all about. People should not be condemned for seeking the truth, especially not here.
just thought i’d add my 2 cents worth and share the following with y’all:
Hijacking planes and kidnapping
From that which is known to everyone who has the slightest bit of common sense is that hijacking airplanes and kidnapping children and the like are extremely great crimes, the world over. Their evil effects are far and wide, as is the great harm and inconvenience caused to the innocent; the total effect of which none can comprehend except Allaah.
Likewise, from that which is known is that these crimes are not specific to any particular country over and above another country, nor any specific group over and above another group, rather it encompasses the whole world.
There is no doubt about the effect of these crimes; so it is obligatory upon the governments and those responsible from amongst the scholars and other than them to afford these issues great concern, and to exert themselves as much as possible in ending this evil.
Shaykh Ibn Baaz
Kayfa Nu’aalij Waaqi’unaa al-Aleem - Page 108-109
…
Taken from: http://www.fatwa-online.com
[47.4] So when you meet in battle those who disbelieve, then smite the necks until when you have overcome them, then make (them) prisoners, and afterwards either set them free as a favor or let them ransom (themselves) until the war terminates. That (shall be so); and if Allah had pleased He would certainly have exacted what is due from them, but that He may try some of you by means of others; and (as for) those who are slain in the way of Allah, He will by no means allow their deeds to perish.
The New York Times is offering newspapers the following story that had appeared a few months ago:
June 25, 2000, Sunday
Inside Jihad U.; The Education of a Holy Warrior
By Jeffrey Goldberg
Source: The New York Times
Section: Magazine Desk
7698 words
Abstract
Jeffrey Goldberg article on Haqqania Madrasa, a militant Muslim seminary in Pakistan, and its graduates among the leaders of Taliban movement in Afghanistan, who are notable for their cruelty to women, hospitality to terrorists like Osama bin Laden and deep belief in the notion of a never-ending jihad, or holy war, against forces hostile to Islam, be it America, Israel or India; Haqqania’s leader, Samiul Haq, gave him full access to the madrasa to prove that it is not a training camp for terrorists, but its young students seem to believe that terrorism can be Koranically correct, would like to see bin Laden armed with nuclear weapons and are kept ignorant of the world and any interpretation of Koran that would keep them from falling into terrorism; photos (L)
(The above is freely available at the http://www.nytimes.com web site when you search the archives.)
I will respect the Times copyright by not reprinting the article. The writer gets into a discussion with these students, and their answers to his questions show a severe disconnect with reality. For example, since atomic weapons come from Allah, then they have the right to use them against Allah’s enemies. The writer reads them an English translation of the 1998 fatwa issued by bin Laden’s organization, calling for the deaths of “Americans and their allies – civilians and military,” and they respond that it’s a forgery of the Americans.
In other words, it doesn’t matter what the Koran says, it’s what these youths – many of them refugees with no family, no money and no home other than these schools – are being taught. This goes a long way toward explaining who are enemies are.
Per the passage quoted above by djbdjb:
[QUOT]“So when you meet in battle those who disbelieve”[/QUOT]
The Quran says, in other parts, that force may only be used defensively, or pre-emptively, in response to an enemy offensive.
[QUOT]“then smite the necks until when you have overcome them, then make (them) prisoners, and afterwards either set them free as a favor or let them ransom (themselves) until the war terminates.”[/QUOT]
While war will always have its casualties, the passage above clearly indicates (the meaning of “smite” being a flexible one) that taking prisoners is preferable whenever possible. After all, if “smite” uniformly meant “kill”, a dead prisoner wouldn’t have much use for later being set free.