Islam and Violence: Difference between revisions

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This page provides brief summaries of a few select articles concerning [[Islam]] and its relationship with various forms of violence. More relevant articles can be found via the Hub and Category pages (see the [[WikiIslam:Site Map|Site Map]]).  
[[Category:Jihad]]
{{Core}}
[[Category:Hudud (punishments)]]
==Violence Under Muhammad==
{{QualityScore|Lead=2|Structure=4|Content=3|Language=3|References=3}}Islamic law sanctions several forms of physical violence in domestic, civil, and international contexts, ranging from unprovoked imperial Jihad, to wife-beating, to amputations. While a few modern Islamic scholars have challenged the legality of imperial violence, a smaller minority that also of domestic violence, and yet smaller minority that of civil violence, the overwhelming majority of Islamic scholars today embrace the tradition of Islamic violence in all three respects.
==Muhammad==
===Invitations to Islam Prior to Violence===
{{Main|Invitation to Islam Prior to Jihad}}The practice of inviting non-Muslim nations to join Islam or pay the Jizyah prior to engaging in offensive Jihad was traditionally first initiated by the Prophet Muhammad. For instance, he is reported to have sent a letter to Heraclius, the Eastern Roman emperor in Constantinople, stating "I invite you to Islam, embrace Islam and you will be safe; ...But if you reject this invitation of Islam, you shall be responsible for misguiding the peasants (i.e. your nation)." Other similar letters were purportedly sent to other rulers before they were conquered by the Muslims, though their authenticity is doubted by modern academic scholars. Muhammad's lead was reportedly followed by the Rightly-Guided Caliphs Abu Bakr as-Siddiq and Umar Ibn al-Khatab. The leaders of later Islamic empires such as the sultan of the Ottoman Empire also followed suit, and it has even been codified within the Islamic Shari'ah (see sections o9.0 to o9.8 in ''<nowiki/>'Umdat as-Salik wa 'Uddat an-Nasik''). Critics have argued that the modern continuation of this practice is found in the actions of Islamic leaders such as Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and even terrorist organizations such as al-Qaeda and Boko Haram, although modern Islamic scholars have argued otherwise.
===Killings Ordered or Supported by Him===
{{Main|List of Killings Ordered or Supported by Muhammad}}Violence under Prophet Muhammad was a frequent occurrence. The use of assassination to achieve political/religious goals has been important throughout the history of Arabia and Islamic expansion. The list of killings ordered or supported by him number at least forty-three in the sirah and hadith literature. Muhammad and his companions murdered (and even tortured) hundreds of people (most of these being Jews). His targets included men, women and children, both young and old. The reasons behind their executions varied from "causing offence" and writing or reciting poetry, to the monetary gains Muhammad and his movement made by their elimination. This page lists some of the results and reasons for the targeted killings and assassinations reportedly ordered or supported by Muhammad, as well as the primary Islamic sources which mention these incidents. It also discusses academic views on these sources and their use as evidence for aspects of Islamic law.
===Genocide of the Jewish Banu Qurayza===
{{Main|The Genocide of Banu Qurayza}}In the 5th year of Hijra (627 CE), on the orders of Prophet Muhammad, almost nine hundred Jews of a Medinan tribe named Banu Qurayza were massacred by Muhammad's followers. The killing began early in the day, ending in torchlight. Those who escaped death (women and children, excluding boys who had begun to grow pubic hair) were taken captive by Muslims to be sold in slave markets and exchanged for horses and armour. Modern Islamic scholars, acknowledging the event since it is found in the most authentic Islamic scriptures, have presented many arguments to portray the massacre as contextually justified, most notably the idea that the Banu Qurayza had betrayed the Muslims at the Battle of Khandaq. Critics have argued that hadiths to this effect were probably invented later in justification since, if the Muslims really had been betrayed by so large a party, then they should have lost the battle, which they didn't. Historians, by contrast, have at times argued that, contrary to Islamic scripture, the entire ordeal may have been a later invention made to antagonize the Jews and glorify Muhammad, as there is historical evidence which suggests that there were no such populations and tribes of Jews in the vicinity of Muhammad's people.
===The torture and execution of Umm Qirfa===
{{Main|Umm Qirfa}}Umm Qirfa was an old Arab woman contemporaneous to Prophet Muhammad. She belonged to a pagan tribe named Banu Fazara at Wadi Al-Qurra. She was also a chief of her clan and a renown poetess. She was reportedly killed when Muhammad’s followers raided her tribe and won over them. She was tied between two camels which were driven in opposite directions and her body was split apart. Later, her decapitated head was presented to Muhammad, who then ordered it to be paraded throughout the streets of Medina.
==Women==
===Wife-beating===
{{Main|Wife Beating in Islamic Law}}Wife-beating is instructed by the the Qur'an and the Hadiths, and has been an accepted part of Islam law since its inception. {{Quran|4|34}} states that men are in charge of women and that husbands may, among other things, beat their wives if they fear disobedience. Prophet Muhammad provided tacit approval of wife beating by not scolding Muslims for beating their wives, referred to women who spoke-out against abuse as "not the best among you", forbade Muslims from questioning men who beat their wives, allowed others to hit his wives (the very women whom all Muslims adore and refer to as "the Mother of believers"), reaffirmed the command of wife-beating in his farewell sermon, and himself struck one of his wives in the chest. In addition to Muhammad's actions, three of the four Rightly-Guided Caliphs are also reported to have beaten women. Because of its many endorsements within Islamic scripture, wife-beating is permitted by the majority of Muslim scholars and leaders. This has led to domestic violence being permitted under law in several Islamic states or being largely ignored by the authorities.
===Honor violence===
{{Main|Category:Honor violence}}Honor violence has occured in many cultures, and is violence or murder by family members, usually of females, who are perceived to have brought shame on the family. The attitude is that the honor of the family in the community can be protected or restored in this way. Common triggers for honour killing occur when young couples have unmarried relations with each other, or when a woman marries someone against the wishes of her parents.


===Facts and Figures===
In Islamic law, there is no punishment merely for the shame caused upon a family by their female relations, nor to restore family honor by killing them. Honour killing has been condemned in a recent fatwa<ref>[https://islamqa.info/en/101972 Fatwa 101972 Ruling on honour killing]</ref>, which says that the punishment for fornication by the unmarried is flogging, and must be carried out by the proper authorities.


====Islamic Scripture====
While honor violence is not endorsed in Islamic law, it often appears where Islamic law is implemented. Certain Islamic punishments such as stoning, flogging, and even death by being thrown off a tall building are prescribed for sexual crimes. While these punishment are not justified as 'recovering honor' as such, it is not difficult to see how a culture can make that connection and then implement the violence prescribed through other, extralegal means.
{{Main|Violence Under Muhammad (Primary Sources)}}
===Rape===
{{Main|Rape}}Rape, known in Islamic law as ''zina bil-ikrah'' or ''zina bil-jabr'' (literally "fornication by force"), is generally defined by Muslim jurists as forced intercourse by a man with a woman who is not his wife or slave and without her consent. As with enslaved females, according to Islamic law, married women are required to oblige their husbands sexual advances - and according to one school of jurisprudence may even be forced to do so. The concept of "rape" is thus deemed to be equally non-existent in the contexts of both marriage and slavery.


====Muslim Statistics====
A small number of hadiths are cited to support the Islamic punishments for rape. These narrations relate to the rape of free women and of female slaves who are not owned by the perpetrator. However, the Qur'an, on numerous occasions, permits Muslim men to have sexual relations with their own female slaves (famously referred to as "what your right hand possesses"), often in conjunction with the commandment for men to keep otherwise chaste. In addition, there are narrations in which female captives were raped prior to being ransomed back to their tribe.
{{Main|Muslim Statistics (Scripture)}}
==Jihad==
===Islamic Scripture===
{{Main|Jihad in Islamic Law|Jihad (Primary Sources)}}
The first main article discusses the views of traditional and modernist Islamic scholars, as well as modern academic views on the verses relating to fighting and jihad and the earliest expedition literature.
{{Quote|{{Quran|9|29}}|Fight those who do not believe in Allah, nor in the latter day, nor do they prohibit what Allah and His Messenger have prohibited, nor follow the religion of truth, out of those who have been given the Book, until they pay the tax in acknowledgment of superiority and they are in a state of subjection.}}{{Quote|{{Bukhari|4|52|220}}|Narrated Abu Huraira: Allah's Apostle said, "I have been sent with the shortest expressions bearing the widest meanings, and I have been made victorious with terror (cast in the hearts of the enemy), and while I was sleeping, the keys of the treasures of the world were brought to me and put in my hand." Abu Huraira added: Allah's Apostle has left the world and now you, people, are bringing out those treasures (i.e. the Prophet did not benefit by them).}}
===Lesser vs greater Jihad===
{{Main|Lesser and Greater Jihad}}During Prophet Muhammad's lifetime, and onwards to the present, the word 'Jihad' was, and is, almost always used in a military sense. This idea of a greater and lesser jihad was a later development which originated from the 11th century book, ''The History of Baghdad'', by the Islamic scholar al-Khatib al-Baghdadi, by way of Yahya ibn al 'Ala'. The "lesser versus greater jihad" hadith's isnad has been categorized by scholars as "weak" (da`if), and generally in Islamic law, only the authentic (sahih) and good (hasan) hadiths are used in deriving the rules. The weak hadiths are far lesser value for the purpose of Shari'ah. Contemporary Islamic scholars have even classed it as "maudu" (fabricated), meaning this narration, by some, is not even considered to be a hadith at all. This narration does not appear in any of the famous hadith collections, and even appears to contradict the teachings found in corroborated (Mutawatir) sahih hadith. Furthermore, all four schools of Sunni jurisprudence (Fiqh) as well as the Shi'ite tradition make no reference at all to the "greater" jihad, only the lesser.
===Suicide bombing===
{{Main|Suicide Bombing in Islam}}
Suicide is forbidden in Islam. However, martyrdom operations (Istishhad) are considered an altogether different topic in Islamic law, with scholars being split on the issue. Notable scholars and speakers such as Shaykh Yusuf Al-Qaradawi, the world's most quoted independent Islamic jurist, Dr. Zakir Naik, known for his advocacy of "Qur'anic science", and Tahir Ashrafi, the Chairman of the All Pakistan Ulema Council, have justified the use of suicide bombing in Islam. On the other hand, thousands of scholars have signed fatwas refuting the practice, especially in Pakistan which has suffered a lot from terrorist activites.


===Related Articles===
Large surveys in the 2nd decade of the 21st century have found a trend of increasing majorities who disapprove of al Qaeda and suicide attacks against civilians in most Muslim countries.<ref>[https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2013/09/10/muslim-publics-share-concerns-about-extremist-groups/ Widespread concerns about extremism in Muslim nations, and little support for it] Pew Research Centrue, 2015</ref><ref>
[https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2014/07/01/concerns-about-islamic-extremism-on-the-rise-in-middle-east/ Concerns about Islamic Extremism on the Rise in Middle East] Pew Research Centrue, 2014</ref>


====Killings Ordered or Supported by Him====
It is important to note that while many Islamic jurists have endorse suicide bombing as such, they have, as would be expected, differed endlessly as regards to whether it should be used in the contexts where it is actually used. Indeed, the majority of Jihad-oriented suicide bombing in the world today is conducted by terrorists who do not have majority support among the Islamic establishment.
{{Main|List of Killings Ordered or Supported by Muhammad}}
==Apostates==
{{Main|Qur'an, Hadith and Scholars:Apostasy}}
{{Quote|{{Bukhari|9|83|17}}|Narrated 'Abdullah:


====Genocide of the Jewish Banu Qurayza====
Allah's Apostle said, "The blood of a Muslim who confesses that none has the right to be worshipped but Allah and that I am His Apostle, cannot be shed except in three cases: In Qisas for murder, a married person who commits illegal sexual intercourse and the one who reverts from Islam (apostate) and leaves the Muslims." }}
{{Main|The Genocide of Banu Qurayza}}


====Murder of Umm Qirfa of the Banu Fazara====
==Punishments==
{{Main|The Story of Umm Qirfa}}
{{Main|Qur'an, Hadith and Scholars:Punishments}}{{Quote|{{Quran-range|5|33|34}}|The punishment of those who wage war against Allah and His Messenger, and strive with might and main for mischief through the land is: execution, or crucifixion, or the cutting off of hands and feet from opposite sides, or exile from the land: that is their disgrace in this world, and a heavy punishment is theirs in the Hereafter; Except for those who repent before they fall into your power: in that case, know that Allah is Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful.}}
===Amputation===
{{Main|Amputation}}Amputation is the removal of part or all of a body part enclosed by skin.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=12537 |title=Definition of Amputation |archiveurl=http://archive.is/20120915/http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=12537 |archivedate=2012-09-15 |accessdate=2012-09-15}} - Medicine Net</ref> It is a prescribed punishment in the Qur'an, and within the context of Islamic law, it refers to the removal of the hands or feet. Today, amputation is used as a punishment for theft in Saudi Arabia<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.arabnews.com/?page=0&section=1&article=27038&d=5&m=6&y=2003 |title=Kingdom’s Leading Executioner Says: ‘I Lead a Normal Life’ - Mahmoud Ahmad, Arab News - June 5, 2003 |archiveurl=http://archive.is/20120915/http://www.arabnews.com/?page=0&section=1&article=27038&d=5&m=6&y=2003 |archivedate=2012-09-15 |accessdate=2012-09-15}}</ref> and Northern Nigeria, which reintroduced Shari'ah law in 1999<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mg.co.za/article/2005-09-19-nigerian-islamic-court-orders-amputation |title=Nigerian Islamic court orders amputation - Mail & Guardian Online - September 19, 2005 |archiveurl=http://archive.is/20120915/http://www.mg.co.za/article/2005-09-19-nigerian-islamic-court-orders-amputation |archivedate=2012-09-15 |accessdate=2012-09-15}}</ref>. In Somalia, a court run by an extremist Islamic group sentenced four Somali men in June of 2009 to each have a hand and a leg cut off for allegedly stealing mobile phones and guns.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,528139,00.html |title=Islamic Extremists Sentence 4 Somalis to Amputations - Associated Press, FoxNews.com - June 22, 2009 |archiveurl=http://archive.is/20120915/http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,528139,00.html |archivedate=2012-09-15 |accessdate=2012-09-15}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.javno.com/en-world/somali-islamists-amputate-teenagers-hands-legs_267541 |title=Somali Islamists Amputate Teenagers` Hands, Legs - JAVNO, June 25, 2009 |archiveurl=http://archive.is/20120915/http://www.javno.com/en-world/somali-islamists-amputate-teenagers-hands-legs_267541 |archivedate=2012-09-15 |accessdate=2012-09-15}}</ref> In 2008, the Islamic Republic of Iran saw five double amputations in a single week -- five convicted robbers were each sentenced to have their right hands and left feet amputated.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/11/world/middleeast/11iran.html |title=Spate of Executions and Amputations in Iran - Nazila Fathi, The New York Times - January 11, 2008 |archiveurl=http://archive.is/20120909/http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/11/world/middleeast/11iran.html |archivedate=2012-09-09 |accessdate=2012-09-09}}</ref> When the Taliban, an Islamic militant group, took over Afghanistan in 1996, within a year, public executions, amputations and stonings were a regular Friday event in Kabul.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/1600136.stm |title=Flashback: When the Taleban took Kabul - Terence White, former AFP correspondent in Kabul - BBC News - October 15, 2001 |archiveurl=http://archive.is/20120713/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/1600136.stm |archivedate=2012-07-13 |accessdate=2012-07-13}}</ref>


==Violence Against Women==
===Lashing===
 
{{Main|Zina}}
===Facts and Figures===
The Quran prescribes the punishment of 100 lashes for free unmarried men and women guilty of fornication ([[zina]]). For men, this is defined as sexual relations with a woman who is not his wife or slave, or for a woman, a man who is not her husband. For a slave woman (whether married or unmarried) who has sexual relations with someone other than her husband or master, the punishment is half that i.e. 50 lashes. The punishment is still present in the legal codes of some Muslim majority countries, or individual provinces such as Aceh in Indonesia.
 
====Islamic Scripture====
{{Main|Women (Primary Sources)}}
 
====Muslim Statistics====
{{Main|Muslim Statistics (Women)}}
 
===Related Articles===
 
====Wife Beating====
{{Main|Wife Beating}}
 
====Honor Violence====
{{Main|Honor Violence}}
 
====Rape====
{{Main|Rape}}
 
====Witch Hunts====
{{Main|Islamic Witch Hunts}}
 
==Terrorism==
 
===Facts and Figures===
 
====Islamic Scripture====
{{Main|Jihad (Primary Sources)}}
 
====Muslim Statistics====
{{Main|Muslim Statistics (Terrorism)|l1=Muslim Statistics (Terrorism)|Are the Overwhelming Majority of Muslims Peaceful Moderates|l2=Are the Overwhelming Majority of Muslims Peaceful Moderates?}}
 
===Related Articles===
 
====Lesser vs Greater Jihad====
{{Main|Lesser vs Greater Jihad}}
 
====Suicide Bombing====
{{Main|The Islamic Ruling on the Permissibility of Martyrdom Operations}}
 
====Converts to Islam====
{{Main|Converts to Islam}}
 
==Persecution==
 
===Facts and Figures===
 
====Islamic Scripture====
{{Main|Qur'an, Hadith and Scholars:Dhimmitude}}
 
====Muslim Statistics====
{{Main|Muslim Statistics - Persecution|l1=Muslim Statistics (Persecution)|Muslim Statistics - Crime and Prejudice|l2=Muslim Statistics (Crime and Prejudice)}}
 
===Related Articles===
 
====Persecution of Ex-Muslims====
{{Main|Persecution of Ex-Muslims}}
 
Islam is the only major world religion that does not allow its followers the freedom to change faith. According to Shari'ah laws (extracted from the Qur'an and Sunnah), apostates of Islam must be sentenced to death. This has led to ex-Muslims often being persecuted, abused and killed. This treatment of apostates is not simply down to the issue of state-enforced religion as some may suggest. As you will find out on this page, the violence or threats of violence against apostates in the Muslim world usually derives not from government authorities but from family members and individuals from the Islamic communities themselves, who operate very often with impunity from the government. This point is further emphasised by the persecution and murder of ex-Muslims which has now become evident in many non-Muslim societies across the globe.
 
====Persecution of Non-Muslims====
{{Main|Persecution of Non-Muslims}}
 
According to Islamic laws, non-Muslims in Islamic lands should be subdued and be treated as dhimmis (second class citizens). They should be coerced and intimidated to convert to Islam, through special humiliating taxes like Jizyah imposed on them. Following Prophet Muhammad's example, this has been taking place throughout Islam's history. While Muslims demand for concessions in non-Muslim countries, non-Muslims are systematically persecuted, terrorized and ethnically cleansed from Islamic lands.
In 2008 alone, there were 2,204 separate documented incidents of Islamically motivated violence which led to death. In total there were 10,779 deaths and another 18,213 critically injured. That is more people killed each and every year in the name of Islam, than in all 350 years of the Spanish Inquisition combined. More than 29 people are killed in religiously motivated attacks every single day at the hands of Muslims. If you spend just one short hour reading through some of the news articles compiled on this page, there would have been another one to two deaths attributed to Islam and countless other incidents involving beatings, rapes, abductions, forced conversions, desecration of non-Muslim buildings, etc.
 
====Persecution of Homosexuals====
{{Main|Persecution of Homosexuals}}
 
Homosexuality is considered to be one of the worst sins in Islam and one of the greatest crimes punishable under Islamic law. The Prophet Muhammad not only condemned homosexuality but even the "appearance" of homosexuality (effeminate men and masculine women). With the rise of the Islamic population amongst historically non-Muslim societies, also comes the rise in persecution. For example, while Muslims comprise just 2% of the total British population, they commit 25% of all anti-Homosexual crimes. However, this ongoing and increasing persecution of homosexuals by Muslims around the world, rarely makes the mainstream news. The fear of offending Islamic sensibilities and enraging the Muslim populous has effectively silenced the free world in many areas. Thanks to the Internet, those of us who search can find many news items that would otherwise be lost.
 
====Anti-Muslim Hate Crimes====
{{Main|Fake Anti-Muslim Hate Crimes and Other Lies|l1=Fake Anti-Muslim Hate Crimes and Other Lies|Muslim_Statistics_-_Crime_and_Prejudice|l2=Muslim Statistics (Crime and Prejudice)}}


===Stoning===
{{Main|Stoning}}Stoning to death, according to traditional interpretations is primarily a punishment for married persons who engage in unlawful sexual relations (which include homosexual relationships). The criminals "hands are tied behind their backs and their bodies are put in a cloth sack." They are then "buried in a hole, with only the victims heads showing above the ground. If its a woman, she is buried up to her shoulders."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.apostatesofislam.com/media/stoning.htm |title=What happens in Stoning? |archiveurl=http://archive.is/20120915/http://www.apostatesofislam.com/media/stoning.htm |archivedate=2012-09-15 |accessdate=2012-09-15}} - apostatesofislam.com</ref> The stones which are to be thrown at the criminal "should not be so large that the offender dies after a few strikes, nor so small as to fail to cause serious  injury."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.iheu.org/node/262 |title=Should Sharia laws be reconsidered? |archiveurl=http://archive.is/20120915/http://www.iheu.org/node/262 |archivedate=2012-09-15 |accessdate=2012-09-15}} - Sandhya Jain - International Humanist and Ethical Union, March 9, 2004</ref> Due to the Islamic laws on rape requiring four male eye witnesses before guilt can be ascertained, many rape victims end up being charged with 'adultery' (that is, on alternative evidence such as pregnancy). As was the case for a 13-year-old girl in Somalia<ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/7708169.stm |title=Stoning victim 'begged for mercy' |archiveurl=http://archive.is/20120712/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/7708169.stm |archivedate=2012-07-12 |accessdate=2012-07-12}} - BBC News, November 4, 2008</ref> who in October of 2008 was buried up to her neck and stoned to death in front of more than 1,000 people in a football stadium. She was the victim of gang-rape. Incidents of stonings have been reported in Iraq and Pakistan, and forms a part of Afghan, Iranian, Nigerian, Indonesian, Sudanese, Saudi Arabian, and United Arab Emirate law.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.stop-stoning.org/faq_stoning |title=Stoning - Frequently Asked Questions about Stoning |archiveurl=http://archive.is/20120915/http://www.stop-stoning.org/faq_stoning |archivedate=2012-09-15 |accessdate=2012-09-15}} - stop-stoning.org</ref> The Qur'an itself does not explicitly mention the act, but there are several sahih (authentic) hadith which speak of Muhammad ordering people to be stoned to death. According to a sahih hadith, the Qur'anic verses of stoning were written on a piece of paper and were lost when a goat ate the paper.<ref>References: Musnad Ahmad bin Hanbal. vol. 6. page 269; Sunan Ibn Majah, page 626; Ibn Qutbah, Tawil Mukhtalafi 'l-Hadith (Cairo: Maktaba al-Kulliyat al-Azhariyya. 1966) page 310; As-Suyuti, ad-Durru 'l-Manthur, vol. 2. page 13</ref>
===Crucifixion===
{{Main|Crucifixion}}Crucifixion is prescribed as a punishment in the Quran for those who 'spread mischief in the Earth' (variously interpreted as everything from political corruption to promoting atheism). Crucifixion typically refers to the method of execution and/or torture by tying and/or nailing someone to a cross, stake or tree. It can also refer to the method of public display of a body after execution, such as the incident in Saudi Arabia when a convicted killer was beheaded and his body was "crucified."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/meast/05/30/saudi.arabia.execution/index.html |title=Convicted killer beheaded, put on display in Saudi Arabia - CNN - May 30, 2009 |archiveurl=http://archive.is/20120915/http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/meast/05/30/saudi.arabia.execution/index.html |archivedate=2012-09-15 |accessdate=2012-09-15}}</ref> Crucifixion as a method of torture and execution is reportedly still being used in Sudan and Iraq, both Islamic countries<ref>[http://www.assistnews.net/STORIES/2004/s04110038.htm Sudanese slave 'crucified' by his master not unusual in central African nation - Michael Ireland (Chief Correspondent, ASSIST News Service) - November 9, 2004] [http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/articles/a0000648.shtml 7 Christians mutilated & Crucified During a Series of Raids on Villages - Simon Caldwell (The Catholic Herald) - 25 September 2009]</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=56726 |title=Christians in Iraq, including converts from Islam and people involved in mixed-faith marriages, are being crucified by Muslim terrorists, according to a Dutch member of Parliament studying the war-torn country (WorldNetDaily.com) July 17, 2007 |archiveurl=http://archive.is/20120915/http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=56726 |archivedate=2012-09-15 |accessdate=2012-09-15}}</ref>, and it is still a part of Iran's criminal code<ref>{{cite web |url=http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1108208 |title="Case Study in Iranian Criminal System" - Ehsan Zar Rokh, University of Tehran - 2008 |archiveurl=http://archive.is/20120915/http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1108208 |archivedate=2012-09-15 |accessdate=2012-09-15}}</ref>. Hamas, the Islamic governing body of Gaza, reinstated the penalty of crucifixion in 2008.<ref>[http://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/Hamas_bombs_Gaza_Israel/2009/01/09/169756.html Hamas Reinstates Crucifixions of Christians - Nicole Jansezian - January 9, 2009]</ref>
==In the afterlife==
===Hell===
{{Main|Hell}}There are nearly 500 verses (roughly one out of every twelve) in the Qur'an which speak of Jahannam (Hell). It was created by Allah to punish wrongdoers and disbelievers. It is stated in the Quran that Allah had the option of 'giving every soul its guidance' but that he decided instead to 'fill Hell with jinns and men' by his own will. The victims of hell are themselves its fuel, according to the Quran. Some of the tortures include: wearing garments of liquid pitch and fire, being bound in yokes and chains, spending eternity in a blazing fire with exchangeable skins so that they can be roasted over and over again, faces being covered in fire and lips being burned off, boiling water being poured over heads and used to scald skin and internal organs, being dragged by the face through boiling water and fire, beaten with maces of iron, and being fed painful, noxious, choking foods (shaped like the heads of demons) which will leave people hungry and boil their insides.
==See Also==
==See Also==


'''Articles'''
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7s6h6zlk-0 Islam and Violence: The Honest Truth] - islamwhattheydonttellyou164 ''- YouTube Video''
 
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4mSLSzugDfw&rco=1 Islam & ISIS - Terrorism & Extremism] - The Masked Arab - ''Beginning of a YouTube series covering this topic in the context of primary scripture justifying ISIS's actions''
*[[Free Speech]] ''- A hub page that leads to other articles related to Free Speech''
{{Hub4|Free Speech|Free Speech}}
 
'''Multimedia'''
 
'''Other Core Articles'''
 
''Core articles contain an overview of other articles related to a specific issue, and serve as a starting point for anyone wishing to learn about Islam:''
 
* [[Islam and Apostasy]]
* [[Islam and Homosexuality]]
* [[Islam and Miracles]]
* [[Islam and Pedophilia]]
* [[Islam and Propaganda]]
* [[Islam and Science]]
* [[Islam and Scripture]]
* [[Islam and the People of the Book]]
* [[Islam and Women]]


[[Category:Core Article]]
==References==
{{reflist}}
[[Category:Shariah (Islamic Law)]]
[[Category:Criticism of Islam]]
[[Category:Apologetics]]

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Islamic law sanctions several forms of physical violence in domestic, civil, and international contexts, ranging from unprovoked imperial Jihad, to wife-beating, to amputations. While a few modern Islamic scholars have challenged the legality of imperial violence, a smaller minority that also of domestic violence, and yet smaller minority that of civil violence, the overwhelming majority of Islamic scholars today embrace the tradition of Islamic violence in all three respects.

Muhammad

Invitations to Islam Prior to Violence

The practice of inviting non-Muslim nations to join Islam or pay the Jizyah prior to engaging in offensive Jihad was traditionally first initiated by the Prophet Muhammad. For instance, he is reported to have sent a letter to Heraclius, the Eastern Roman emperor in Constantinople, stating "I invite you to Islam, embrace Islam and you will be safe; ...But if you reject this invitation of Islam, you shall be responsible for misguiding the peasants (i.e. your nation)." Other similar letters were purportedly sent to other rulers before they were conquered by the Muslims, though their authenticity is doubted by modern academic scholars. Muhammad's lead was reportedly followed by the Rightly-Guided Caliphs Abu Bakr as-Siddiq and Umar Ibn al-Khatab. The leaders of later Islamic empires such as the sultan of the Ottoman Empire also followed suit, and it has even been codified within the Islamic Shari'ah (see sections o9.0 to o9.8 in 'Umdat as-Salik wa 'Uddat an-Nasik). Critics have argued that the modern continuation of this practice is found in the actions of Islamic leaders such as Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and even terrorist organizations such as al-Qaeda and Boko Haram, although modern Islamic scholars have argued otherwise.

Killings Ordered or Supported by Him

Violence under Prophet Muhammad was a frequent occurrence. The use of assassination to achieve political/religious goals has been important throughout the history of Arabia and Islamic expansion. The list of killings ordered or supported by him number at least forty-three in the sirah and hadith literature. Muhammad and his companions murdered (and even tortured) hundreds of people (most of these being Jews). His targets included men, women and children, both young and old. The reasons behind their executions varied from "causing offence" and writing or reciting poetry, to the monetary gains Muhammad and his movement made by their elimination. This page lists some of the results and reasons for the targeted killings and assassinations reportedly ordered or supported by Muhammad, as well as the primary Islamic sources which mention these incidents. It also discusses academic views on these sources and their use as evidence for aspects of Islamic law.

Genocide of the Jewish Banu Qurayza

In the 5th year of Hijra (627 CE), on the orders of Prophet Muhammad, almost nine hundred Jews of a Medinan tribe named Banu Qurayza were massacred by Muhammad's followers. The killing began early in the day, ending in torchlight. Those who escaped death (women and children, excluding boys who had begun to grow pubic hair) were taken captive by Muslims to be sold in slave markets and exchanged for horses and armour. Modern Islamic scholars, acknowledging the event since it is found in the most authentic Islamic scriptures, have presented many arguments to portray the massacre as contextually justified, most notably the idea that the Banu Qurayza had betrayed the Muslims at the Battle of Khandaq. Critics have argued that hadiths to this effect were probably invented later in justification since, if the Muslims really had been betrayed by so large a party, then they should have lost the battle, which they didn't. Historians, by contrast, have at times argued that, contrary to Islamic scripture, the entire ordeal may have been a later invention made to antagonize the Jews and glorify Muhammad, as there is historical evidence which suggests that there were no such populations and tribes of Jews in the vicinity of Muhammad's people.

The torture and execution of Umm Qirfa

Umm Qirfa was an old Arab woman contemporaneous to Prophet Muhammad. She belonged to a pagan tribe named Banu Fazara at Wadi Al-Qurra. She was also a chief of her clan and a renown poetess. She was reportedly killed when Muhammad’s followers raided her tribe and won over them. She was tied between two camels which were driven in opposite directions and her body was split apart. Later, her decapitated head was presented to Muhammad, who then ordered it to be paraded throughout the streets of Medina.

Women

Wife-beating

Wife-beating is instructed by the the Qur'an and the Hadiths, and has been an accepted part of Islam law since its inception. Quran 4:34 states that men are in charge of women and that husbands may, among other things, beat their wives if they fear disobedience. Prophet Muhammad provided tacit approval of wife beating by not scolding Muslims for beating their wives, referred to women who spoke-out against abuse as "not the best among you", forbade Muslims from questioning men who beat their wives, allowed others to hit his wives (the very women whom all Muslims adore and refer to as "the Mother of believers"), reaffirmed the command of wife-beating in his farewell sermon, and himself struck one of his wives in the chest. In addition to Muhammad's actions, three of the four Rightly-Guided Caliphs are also reported to have beaten women. Because of its many endorsements within Islamic scripture, wife-beating is permitted by the majority of Muslim scholars and leaders. This has led to domestic violence being permitted under law in several Islamic states or being largely ignored by the authorities.

Honor violence

Honor violence has occured in many cultures, and is violence or murder by family members, usually of females, who are perceived to have brought shame on the family. The attitude is that the honor of the family in the community can be protected or restored in this way. Common triggers for honour killing occur when young couples have unmarried relations with each other, or when a woman marries someone against the wishes of her parents.

In Islamic law, there is no punishment merely for the shame caused upon a family by their female relations, nor to restore family honor by killing them. Honour killing has been condemned in a recent fatwa[1], which says that the punishment for fornication by the unmarried is flogging, and must be carried out by the proper authorities.

While honor violence is not endorsed in Islamic law, it often appears where Islamic law is implemented. Certain Islamic punishments such as stoning, flogging, and even death by being thrown off a tall building are prescribed for sexual crimes. While these punishment are not justified as 'recovering honor' as such, it is not difficult to see how a culture can make that connection and then implement the violence prescribed through other, extralegal means.

Rape

Rape, known in Islamic law as zina bil-ikrah or zina bil-jabr (literally "fornication by force"), is generally defined by Muslim jurists as forced intercourse by a man with a woman who is not his wife or slave and without her consent. As with enslaved females, according to Islamic law, married women are required to oblige their husbands sexual advances - and according to one school of jurisprudence may even be forced to do so. The concept of "rape" is thus deemed to be equally non-existent in the contexts of both marriage and slavery.

A small number of hadiths are cited to support the Islamic punishments for rape. These narrations relate to the rape of free women and of female slaves who are not owned by the perpetrator. However, the Qur'an, on numerous occasions, permits Muslim men to have sexual relations with their own female slaves (famously referred to as "what your right hand possesses"), often in conjunction with the commandment for men to keep otherwise chaste. In addition, there are narrations in which female captives were raped prior to being ransomed back to their tribe.

Jihad

Islamic Scripture

The first main article discusses the views of traditional and modernist Islamic scholars, as well as modern academic views on the verses relating to fighting and jihad and the earliest expedition literature.

Fight those who do not believe in Allah, nor in the latter day, nor do they prohibit what Allah and His Messenger have prohibited, nor follow the religion of truth, out of those who have been given the Book, until they pay the tax in acknowledgment of superiority and they are in a state of subjection.
Narrated Abu Huraira: Allah's Apostle said, "I have been sent with the shortest expressions bearing the widest meanings, and I have been made victorious with terror (cast in the hearts of the enemy), and while I was sleeping, the keys of the treasures of the world were brought to me and put in my hand." Abu Huraira added: Allah's Apostle has left the world and now you, people, are bringing out those treasures (i.e. the Prophet did not benefit by them).

Lesser vs greater Jihad

During Prophet Muhammad's lifetime, and onwards to the present, the word 'Jihad' was, and is, almost always used in a military sense. This idea of a greater and lesser jihad was a later development which originated from the 11th century book, The History of Baghdad, by the Islamic scholar al-Khatib al-Baghdadi, by way of Yahya ibn al 'Ala'. The "lesser versus greater jihad" hadith's isnad has been categorized by scholars as "weak" (da`if), and generally in Islamic law, only the authentic (sahih) and good (hasan) hadiths are used in deriving the rules. The weak hadiths are far lesser value for the purpose of Shari'ah. Contemporary Islamic scholars have even classed it as "maudu" (fabricated), meaning this narration, by some, is not even considered to be a hadith at all. This narration does not appear in any of the famous hadith collections, and even appears to contradict the teachings found in corroborated (Mutawatir) sahih hadith. Furthermore, all four schools of Sunni jurisprudence (Fiqh) as well as the Shi'ite tradition make no reference at all to the "greater" jihad, only the lesser.

Suicide bombing

Suicide is forbidden in Islam. However, martyrdom operations (Istishhad) are considered an altogether different topic in Islamic law, with scholars being split on the issue. Notable scholars and speakers such as Shaykh Yusuf Al-Qaradawi, the world's most quoted independent Islamic jurist, Dr. Zakir Naik, known for his advocacy of "Qur'anic science", and Tahir Ashrafi, the Chairman of the All Pakistan Ulema Council, have justified the use of suicide bombing in Islam. On the other hand, thousands of scholars have signed fatwas refuting the practice, especially in Pakistan which has suffered a lot from terrorist activites.

Large surveys in the 2nd decade of the 21st century have found a trend of increasing majorities who disapprove of al Qaeda and suicide attacks against civilians in most Muslim countries.[2][3]

It is important to note that while many Islamic jurists have endorse suicide bombing as such, they have, as would be expected, differed endlessly as regards to whether it should be used in the contexts where it is actually used. Indeed, the majority of Jihad-oriented suicide bombing in the world today is conducted by terrorists who do not have majority support among the Islamic establishment.

Apostates

Narrated 'Abdullah: Allah's Apostle said, "The blood of a Muslim who confesses that none has the right to be worshipped but Allah and that I am His Apostle, cannot be shed except in three cases: In Qisas for murder, a married person who commits illegal sexual intercourse and the one who reverts from Islam (apostate) and leaves the Muslims."

Punishments

The punishment of those who wage war against Allah and His Messenger, and strive with might and main for mischief through the land is: execution, or crucifixion, or the cutting off of hands and feet from opposite sides, or exile from the land: that is their disgrace in this world, and a heavy punishment is theirs in the Hereafter; Except for those who repent before they fall into your power: in that case, know that Allah is Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful.

Amputation

Amputation is the removal of part or all of a body part enclosed by skin.[4] It is a prescribed punishment in the Qur'an, and within the context of Islamic law, it refers to the removal of the hands or feet. Today, amputation is used as a punishment for theft in Saudi Arabia[5] and Northern Nigeria, which reintroduced Shari'ah law in 1999[6]. In Somalia, a court run by an extremist Islamic group sentenced four Somali men in June of 2009 to each have a hand and a leg cut off for allegedly stealing mobile phones and guns.[7][8] In 2008, the Islamic Republic of Iran saw five double amputations in a single week -- five convicted robbers were each sentenced to have their right hands and left feet amputated.[9] When the Taliban, an Islamic militant group, took over Afghanistan in 1996, within a year, public executions, amputations and stonings were a regular Friday event in Kabul.[10]

Lashing

The Quran prescribes the punishment of 100 lashes for free unmarried men and women guilty of fornication (zina). For men, this is defined as sexual relations with a woman who is not his wife or slave, or for a woman, a man who is not her husband. For a slave woman (whether married or unmarried) who has sexual relations with someone other than her husband or master, the punishment is half that i.e. 50 lashes. The punishment is still present in the legal codes of some Muslim majority countries, or individual provinces such as Aceh in Indonesia.

Stoning

Stoning to death, according to traditional interpretations is primarily a punishment for married persons who engage in unlawful sexual relations (which include homosexual relationships). The criminals "hands are tied behind their backs and their bodies are put in a cloth sack." They are then "buried in a hole, with only the victims heads showing above the ground. If its a woman, she is buried up to her shoulders."[11] The stones which are to be thrown at the criminal "should not be so large that the offender dies after a few strikes, nor so small as to fail to cause serious  injury."[12] Due to the Islamic laws on rape requiring four male eye witnesses before guilt can be ascertained, many rape victims end up being charged with 'adultery' (that is, on alternative evidence such as pregnancy). As was the case for a 13-year-old girl in Somalia[13] who in October of 2008 was buried up to her neck and stoned to death in front of more than 1,000 people in a football stadium. She was the victim of gang-rape. Incidents of stonings have been reported in Iraq and Pakistan, and forms a part of Afghan, Iranian, Nigerian, Indonesian, Sudanese, Saudi Arabian, and United Arab Emirate law.[14] The Qur'an itself does not explicitly mention the act, but there are several sahih (authentic) hadith which speak of Muhammad ordering people to be stoned to death. According to a sahih hadith, the Qur'anic verses of stoning were written on a piece of paper and were lost when a goat ate the paper.[15]

Crucifixion

Crucifixion is prescribed as a punishment in the Quran for those who 'spread mischief in the Earth' (variously interpreted as everything from political corruption to promoting atheism). Crucifixion typically refers to the method of execution and/or torture by tying and/or nailing someone to a cross, stake or tree. It can also refer to the method of public display of a body after execution, such as the incident in Saudi Arabia when a convicted killer was beheaded and his body was "crucified."[16] Crucifixion as a method of torture and execution is reportedly still being used in Sudan and Iraq, both Islamic countries[17][18], and it is still a part of Iran's criminal code[19]. Hamas, the Islamic governing body of Gaza, reinstated the penalty of crucifixion in 2008.[20]

In the afterlife

Hell

There are nearly 500 verses (roughly one out of every twelve) in the Qur'an which speak of Jahannam (Hell). It was created by Allah to punish wrongdoers and disbelievers. It is stated in the Quran that Allah had the option of 'giving every soul its guidance' but that he decided instead to 'fill Hell with jinns and men' by his own will. The victims of hell are themselves its fuel, according to the Quran. Some of the tortures include: wearing garments of liquid pitch and fire, being bound in yokes and chains, spending eternity in a blazing fire with exchangeable skins so that they can be roasted over and over again, faces being covered in fire and lips being burned off, boiling water being poured over heads and used to scald skin and internal organs, being dragged by the face through boiling water and fire, beaten with maces of iron, and being fed painful, noxious, choking foods (shaped like the heads of demons) which will leave people hungry and boil their insides.

See Also

References

  1. Fatwa 101972 Ruling on honour killing
  2. Widespread concerns about extremism in Muslim nations, and little support for it Pew Research Centrue, 2015
  3. Concerns about Islamic Extremism on the Rise in Middle East Pew Research Centrue, 2014
  4. "Definition of Amputation" (archived from the original), http://archive.is/20120915/http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=12537.  - Medicine Net
  5. "Kingdom’s Leading Executioner Says: ‘I Lead a Normal Life’ - Mahmoud Ahmad, Arab News - June 5, 2003" (archived from the original), http://archive.is/20120915/http://www.arabnews.com/?page=0&section=1&article=27038&d=5&m=6&y=2003. 
  6. "Nigerian Islamic court orders amputation - Mail & Guardian Online - September 19, 2005" (archived from the original), http://archive.is/20120915/http://www.mg.co.za/article/2005-09-19-nigerian-islamic-court-orders-amputation. 
  7. "Islamic Extremists Sentence 4 Somalis to Amputations - Associated Press, FoxNews.com - June 22, 2009" (archived from the original), http://archive.is/20120915/http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,528139,00.html. 
  8. "Somali Islamists Amputate Teenagers` Hands, Legs - JAVNO, June 25, 2009" (archived from the original), http://archive.is/20120915/http://www.javno.com/en-world/somali-islamists-amputate-teenagers-hands-legs_267541. 
  9. "Spate of Executions and Amputations in Iran - Nazila Fathi, The New York Times - January 11, 2008" (archived from the original), http://archive.is/20120909/http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/11/world/middleeast/11iran.html. 
  10. "Flashback: When the Taleban took Kabul - Terence White, former AFP correspondent in Kabul - BBC News - October 15, 2001" (archived from the original), http://archive.is/20120713/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/1600136.stm. 
  11. "What happens in Stoning?" (archived from the original), http://archive.is/20120915/http://www.apostatesofislam.com/media/stoning.htm.  - apostatesofislam.com
  12. "Should Sharia laws be reconsidered?" (archived from the original), http://archive.is/20120915/http://www.iheu.org/node/262.  - Sandhya Jain - International Humanist and Ethical Union, March 9, 2004
  13. "Stoning victim 'begged for mercy'" (archived from the original), http://archive.is/20120712/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/7708169.stm.  - BBC News, November 4, 2008
  14. "Stoning - Frequently Asked Questions about Stoning" (archived from the original), http://archive.is/20120915/http://www.stop-stoning.org/faq_stoning.  - stop-stoning.org
  15. References: Musnad Ahmad bin Hanbal. vol. 6. page 269; Sunan Ibn Majah, page 626; Ibn Qutbah, Tawil Mukhtalafi 'l-Hadith (Cairo: Maktaba al-Kulliyat al-Azhariyya. 1966) page 310; As-Suyuti, ad-Durru 'l-Manthur, vol. 2. page 13
  16. "Convicted killer beheaded, put on display in Saudi Arabia - CNN - May 30, 2009" (archived from the original), http://archive.is/20120915/http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/meast/05/30/saudi.arabia.execution/index.html. 
  17. Sudanese slave 'crucified' by his master not unusual in central African nation - Michael Ireland (Chief Correspondent, ASSIST News Service) - November 9, 2004 7 Christians mutilated & Crucified During a Series of Raids on Villages - Simon Caldwell (The Catholic Herald) - 25 September 2009
  18. "Christians in Iraq, including converts from Islam and people involved in mixed-faith marriages, are being crucified by Muslim terrorists, according to a Dutch member of Parliament studying the war-torn country (WorldNetDaily.com) July 17, 2007" (archived from the original), http://archive.is/20120915/http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=56726. 
  19. ""Case Study in Iranian Criminal System" - Ehsan Zar Rokh, University of Tehran - 2008" (archived from the original), http://archive.is/20120915/http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1108208. 
  20. Hamas Reinstates Crucifixions of Christians - Nicole Jansezian - January 9, 2009