Religion of Peace

The Geopolitical Nature of Islam

Islam is frequently misunderstood in the West due to an educational approach that promotes it as a religion of peace, often omitting its geopolitical dimensions.

Contrary to the portrayal of Islam as merely a spiritual faith, it is inherently political at its foundation. The concept of separating religious elements from secular governance, a standard in modern Western civilisation, is foreign to the Islamic worldview.

In the ancient and medieval worlds, religion and state were often intertwined, but while the West has moved towards secularism, Islam retains a theocratic structure where the state has a duty to God.

Consequently, it is impossible to divorce Islam from politics, as the religion functions as a comprehensive religious-political system.

The central aim of this system is the global dominance of Islam, encapsulated in the concept of Nasar, which refers to the inevitable triumph of the religion. This dominance is not achieved through passive existence but through Jihad, which is the fighting of non-Muslims to support the spread of the faith.

The Quran promises that the deity will support the Muslim community, or Ummah, in waging this struggle just as Muhammad was supported historically. This connection brings comfort to Muslims who seek to emulate their prophet.

Therefore, any analysis of geopolitics involving the Muslim world must recognise that the religion is designed to be a theocratic institution where political authority is exercised for the specific religious purpose of global conquest.

The Definition and Status of Jihad

Within Islamic jurisprudence, Jihad is defined specifically as fighting non-Muslims to establish the dominance of Islam. It is described in Islamic texts as the pinnacle of the religion.

The Arabic terminology used to describe this status translates literally to the topmost part of a camel's hump, signifying that it is the most important characteristic of the faith.

Its significance is such that many scholars classify it as the sixth foundational constituent of Islam, placing it alongside the five pillars of faith, prayer, charity, fasting, and pilgrimage.

The primary purpose of Jihad is to serve as the vehicle for the delivery of the message of Islam to all mankind.

As Muhammad is no longer alive to spread the message personally, the obligation falls upon his followers in every generation to preach to the entire world. While some contemporary voices attempt to redefine Jihad as a private, spiritual struggle known as Jihad of the nafs or soul, this interpretation has no basis in the legalistic framework of the Islamic state.

The spiritual struggle is a separate doctrine with no relation to the laws of war and governance. From the legal standpoint of the state, Jihad refers to the personal exertion of effort to aid the global spread of Islam and the subjugation of the world under Islamic law.

The Historical Phases of Revelation

The perception of Islam as a peaceful religion arises from a misunderstanding of its historical development, specifically the distinction between the Meccan and Medinan phases.

During the initial Meccan phase, Muhammad and his followers were a minority and lacked political power. Fearing reprisal, they could not engage in violent behaviour or rhetoric. Consequently, this period was characterised by peaceful coexistence and preaching without force.

Scriptural verses suggesting religious tolerance, such as those stating that one’s religion is their own, originated during this time when Muslims were too weak to impose their will.

However, this peaceful stance was a temporary circumstance rather than a permanent doctrine. The methodology of Jihadevolved as the community grew in strength, moving into the Medinan phase after the migration known as the Hijra.

This phase consisted of three sub-phases: initially, fighting was permitted only for those specifically persecuted; subsequently, defensive fighting became obligatory to protect the nascent Islamic state; finally, obligatory offensive fighting was instituted to spread the faith.

Once the Muslims established a stronghold in Medina, Jihad became offensive and mandatory.

Therefore, when Islam is described as peaceful, it refers only to the specific context of the Meccan phase where the community is weak. The later Medinan phase, which mandates violence and conquest, represents the final and authoritative command.

The Legal Obligation of Offensive Warfare

Islamic law, or Sharia, categorises Jihad as an obligation that persists until the Day of Resurrection. There is a binary worldview that divides the globe into Dar al-Islam, the region of peace under Islamic rule, and Dar al-Harb, the region of war that must be conquered.

Jihad is classified into two types of obligation: individual and communal. The individual obligation requires every Muslim, including women and children, to fight in defence against non-Muslim invaders. The communal obligation mandates offensive warfare against non-Muslims in their own lands to facilitate the spread of Islam.

This offensive Jihad must be conducted at least once a year by the leader or his representative. While not every individual must participate in every offensive campaign, a sufficient number must do so to ensure success.

Peace treaties with non-Muslims are viewed merely as tactical expedients. Muslims are permitted to enter into such treaties only when they are weak and need to avert aggression or stall for time.

However, should Muslims gain the upper hand and possess the ability to conquer a territory, they are legally obligated to break these treaties and establish Islamic law. There is no honesty at the core of these agreements; they are maintained only as long as the Muslims are unable to achieve conquest.

Authenticity and Scriptural Justification

The mandate for offensive Jihad is established through numerous verses in the Quran and the Sunnah. Verses that command striving against disbelievers and being harsh with them are interpreted by Islamic legal scholars to mean fighting with the sword. Chapter 9 of the Quran contains many such verses that justify offensive warfare.

These commands are reinforced by Hadiths, the recorded sayings and actions of Muhammad. A specific Hadith, found in both Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim, records the command to fight people until they testify that there is no deity but Allah and that Muhammad is his messenger.

The inclusion of this command in both collections grants it the status of Muttafaq Alaih or agreed upon, which represents the highest level of authenticity in Hadith methodology.

This level of correctness is so highly regarded that it renders the text indisputable within Islamic scholarship. Muslims cannot dismiss these texts as weak or non-binding; they constitute the authentic proof of the obligation to wage war until conversion or subjugation is achieved.

The Treatment of Subject Populations

When a Muslim army advances upon non-Islamic territory, it must first invite the inhabitants to accept Islam. If they refuse, they are to be fought. Idolaters are to be killed, while Christians and Jews, termed the People of the Book, may be spared if they accept subjugation.

This subjugation requires the payment of Jizya, a tax that must be paid in a humiliating manner. The purpose of the Jizya is not merely financial gain but the enforcement of a psychological warfare that demonstrates the superiority of Muslims and the degradation of non-Muslims.

This system establishes a fundamental inequality between Muslims and non-Muslims. Under Islamic law, non-Muslims living in an Islamic state cannot serve as judges or provide testimony against a Muslim in court.

This legal imbalance ensures that in any dispute, the court will judge in favour of the Muslim. Furthermore, subject populations are forbidden from carrying weapons and must wear distinct clothing to distinguish them from Muslims. This enforced distinctiveness serves to identify them clearly as non-believers who are not entitled to the same status as the faithful.

The Illusion of Moderation

The terms radical, fundamentalist, or extremist are often used to describe those who engage in violent Jihad, implying that such actions are aberrations.

However, those deemed extremists are, in reality, observant Muslims practicing the religion as it was historically established and commanded. Overt, offensive, and hostile Jihad with the intent of global Islamization is the authentic expression of Islam.

The majority of Muslims, who may appear peaceful and restrict their practice to prayer and charity, are effectively living in the Meccan phase. Their lack of violence does not negate the validity of the obligation to wage Jihad; it simply indicates that they view themselves as currently too weak to impose Islam.

Moderate leaders who denounce violence are often waging a stealthy form of Jihad from within society. Rather than assimilating, they seek to infiltrate and divert attention from the cultural violence they are orchestrating.

Both the so-called moderates and the extremists work towards the same end result: the dominance of Islam. When a Muslim preacher claims Islam is a peaceful religion, they are signalling that they are currently in the Meccan phase of Jihad against the listener.

The Doctrine of Spoils and Restoration

The Islamic worldview posits that everything in the world is intended for the benefit of Muslims. Consequently, anyone who opposes this order is a usurper of rights that belong to the Muslim community.

The transfer of property and persons to Muslims through war is viewed as a restoration of the correct state of affairs. This concept extends to the treatment of women captured in conflict, who are classified as Fa or booty.

A thought experiment based on Islamic law illustrates this dehumanising perspective: if a Muslim army conquers a territory and a local man converts to Islam to save himself, he might assume his wife is safe.

However, under Islamic law, a wife does not automatically follow her husband into Islam. If she refuses to convert, she becomes part of the spoils of war. An invading Muslim may rightfully claim her as a slave or concubine, despite her husband being a Muslim convert.

The law does not require compassion for the convert regarding his wife; compassion is reserved for the Jihadist who is promised women as war booty. This exemplifies the totalising nature of the ideology, where the prosperity of the Muslim community is prioritised at the expense of all others.