A Critical Analysis of 'Real Islam'. Its People ... - Bukti dan Saksi

Since that dastardly attack the topic of Islam seems always in the news, and there has been much
more discussion about terms like "Jihad". One question commonly asked is "why are so many associated
with this religion so violent?" Giving the benefit of the doubt to a poorly understood religion, and to
secure the support of the Islamic world, the American political machine has gone out of its way to stress
that America and her allies are not fighting Islam, but rather, they are fighting terrorists who have
perverted the true teachings of Islam. On the other hand, other voices have raised concerns that indeed
there is a violent component within the religion, and that Islam itself is part of the problem. Thus far those
expressing concerns about fundamental Islam have been largely muted, out of an excess of political
correctness. But this overwhelming desire to view the Islamic world through rose-colored glasses has
resulted in significant resistance to critical analysis of Islamic writings, practice, and history.
In addition, there is the problem that most Americans are generally a busy people caught up in
various pursuits, who have little time nor inclination to dive into a foreign religious philosophy filled with
strange new words. Most of us are too lazy or distracted to learn even our own religious heritage in any
depth, let alone one that is as different as Islam. Indeed, almost half of Americans have no interest in
religion at all, if not an aversion to studying or understanding any religious culture or philosophy. Of the
rest who consider themselves religious, few study with the intent of understanding the details and nuances
of a doctrine. Most are content to read their sacred texts occasionally, learn a few key concepts, listen to
their appointed leaders, and then go home after church to catch the football/basketball game. The average
American needs to understand quickly is that the benefits for non-believers to understand Islam in some
detail are tremendous, especially if there are Muslims making Jihad headed your way. Unfortunately
many might not be able to appreciate that warning, because many of us have a convoluted perception of
what Jihad means.
For us to truly understand "Jihad" and Islamic violence in today's time frame, we must start by
examining the revered Islamic texts in some detail. A sixty-second sound byte from some "expert" (be
they Muslim, Christian, Hindu, or otherwise) is not sufficient. To gain a knowledge base sufficient for
fair judgment one must more deeply investigate the three sources of religious philosophy related to Islam
in their holy texts … the Qur’an, Hadith, and Sira. These texts form the foundation of Islamic beliefs and
philosophy. But quoting verse is not enough, we will also have to acquaint ourselves with other sources of
history surrounding the period to understand the context, background, scope, and applicability of the
various passages related to Jihad and violence in Islam. Otherwise, one would be left with many passages
that seemingly contradict each other, and be no closer to truly understanding "Jihad", and the application
of Islamic violence today. A complete picture must be drawn. A mere phrase such as "Islam means
peace", or "Jihad is an internal struggle against internal, sinful desires" or, "Islam is violent", has little
support if one does not know the actual teachings of Islam.
Since the death of thousands of Americans has occurred at the hands of self-proclaimed devout
Muslims, and since scores of similarly disposed Muslims have vowed to continue to murder Americans,
be they men, women, or children, it is incumbent upon us to examine the fundamental teachings of
Muhammad, found in the afore mentioned texts, to see how they are being applied or misapplied today.
This investigation and study has become all the more urgent because of what is at stake. It is not just
American lives (and way of life), which may be at risk, but the lives of anyone living in free, democratic
societies, all non-Muslim peoples are at issue. Therefore, readers should understand that when "America",
or "American" is referenced, we are also including Britons, Mexicans, French, Germans, Japanese,
Brazilians, Russians, Poles, Chinese, Australians, Canadians, and so forth.
For a start, the sometimes-elusive Islamic concept of Jihad must be clearly understood. In particular,
we need to determine exactly how it is understood, accepted and supported by a majority (or a large
minority) of Muslims today. If it is accepted as it is practiced by the many militants, then by western
standards it would really be incorrect to call Islam a religion at all; rather it would represent more a
military, political and cultural threat. These hard questions need to be asked to know if the actions of the
many devoted murderous Muslims in various organizations and lands today can be identified as truly
Islamic and if their violent acts are done in the spirit of real Islam, or if they (and their active and passive
supporters) represent a fringe minority. Many prefer to believe that the threat to America comes not from
Islam itself, but from an extremist form of the religion espoused by a few terrorists and their small but