The only genuine Muslim is the only who faithfully adheres to what is taught in Islam’s sacred texts, and who doggedly follows in the footsteps of the ‘perfect’ prophet Muhammad. And that includes slaying the infidel wherever you find them.

It is often said that only some Muslims are “extremists’ while most are “moderates”. And then there is talk of “Islamists” as opposed to your everyday garden variety Muslims. One can question just how helpful and accurate such distinctions are.

Many are rightly suggesting that such language games help the cause of Islam while undermining the cause of peace and freedom. I have discussed these matters often. Twenty-two years ago, for example, I said this:

Church and state relations—so much of an issue of debate in Western Christian nations—is not even an issue in Islam. The Muslim world is at once both a religious and a political sphere. One can choose between God and Caesar in Christianity. Both are one and the same in Islam.

Another major difference lies in how the faith is to be propagated. The founder of Christianity made it quite clear that use of arms to impel conversion was totally out of place. True, this concern was not always heeded by his followers. Thus if a person kills someone today in the name of Christ, especially for religious reasons, one can rightly argue that they are perverting the very nature of Christianity and the writings of the New Testament.

It is by no means clear however if one could say the same about a Muslim who kills in the name of Allah. The Koran and Islamic law (Sharia) both offer plenty of justification for such actions. Moreover, both the example of Muhammad and Islamic history provide support for the use of force in promoting Islam.

Consider the doctrine of jihad. There are of course different understandings of what exactly is meant by jihad. Muslim moderates and apologists insist that jihad simply means to struggle or strive for a just cause. There is in fact a distinction in Islam between the “greater jihad” which is a kind of spiritual warfare against the selfish nature, and “lesser jihad” which means a struggle against non-Muslims.

It is this latter concept that we must deal with. Because there is no ultimate central authority in Islam, disagreement exists as to interpreting the Koran, the weight of tradition (Hadith), and the example of Muhammad. However, Koranic injunctions to fight are numerous, as they are in the various collections of Hadith. And Muhammad himself set the example of violent conquest.

And in another piece also penned over twenty years ago I said the following:

It is interesting to note that no mainstream Islamic leader issued a fatwa (authoritative statement) condemning the suicide bombers following the September 11 attack.

Indeed, there are many reasons why a radical Muslim might take up suicide bombings. Several can be mentioned here. Many see such activity as an Islamic duty. The original sources of Islam seem to make this a duty to God, and most terrorists are in fact devout Muslims, who take their faith seriously. Of course there is heated debate within Islam as to whether this activity can be seen as a religious duty, or even legitimate.

Also, for Muslims such a death is the only sure guarantee of eternal reward.  All other Muslims have no such assurance that they will make it to paradise and experience forgiveness of sins. Both the Koran and hadith speak of the heavenly reward of the one who dies in jihad, and great honour is placed on this activity.

Many others have said similar things, and some bullet points can be offered by way of summary:

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