The Daily Telegraph - Opinion Monday 17 Sep 2001 Issue number 45510 www.dailytelegraph.com/opinion A religion that sanctions violence By Patrick Sookhdeo UNTIL recently, Islam has had a negative and violent image in the West, but now the trend is to focus on Islam as a religion of peace. Since the World Trade Centre attack, there has been a flood of statements and articles making these assertions. A recent BBC2 series formed part of this trend, as did John Casey's article in praise of Islam in this newspaper. These sentiments were echoed by Tony Blair: last week he said that "such acts of infamy and cruelty are wholly contrary to the Islamic faith". We are often told that the word Islam means "peace". We seem to have gone from one extreme to the other. Now that Islam is no longer demonised, it seems it can do no wrong. Perhaps the truth is that the two opposing strands need to be held together, instead of dismissing one or the other. The reality of Islam is more complex. Islam actually means "submission" - not quite the same as "peace". Many horrific acts have been, and continue to be, perpetrated in the name of Islam, just as they have in the name of Christianity. But, unlike Islam, Christianity does not justify the use of all forms of violence. Islam does. There have been reports that Muslims fear revenge attacks. In America and Britain, there have been stories of intimidation. Attacks on Muslims and on peace can never be justified, but the answer is not to forfeit justice or to ignore truth. The contradictory reactions to the terrorist attacks - official condemnation at leadership level and support among many people - are an indication that Islam is not always "a religion of peace". There are so many Muslims rejoicing at the tragic loss of American lives and the humiliation of the American government that they cannot be dismissed as "a few extremists". Sura 9, verse 5 of the Koran reads, "Then fight and slay the Pagans wherever ye find them. And seize them, beleaguer them, And lie in wait for them, In every stratagem (of war)." The note that accompanies this verse in the respected A Yusuf Ali translation states that "when war becomes inevitable it must be pursued with vigour The fighting may take the form of slaughter, or capture, or siege, or ambush and other stratagems." In the Muslim faith, the Koran is believed to be the very word of God, applying to all people, in all times, in all places. It is the source of the Muslim faith and the law that orders the Islamic way of life. Killing is not totally forbidden: in fact, it was through conquest that Islam spread. In Indonesia today, non-Muslims are offered a choice of conversion to Islam or death. The argument that the above verse was written to refer only to a particular time and people is not valid. The Koran is considered immutable - a fact that has been repeatedly employed to justify verses that are discriminatory toward women, such as the unequal inheritance shares given to women in line with Sura 4, verse 11. The development of Shariah, Islamic law, created a society where non-Muslims lived as second-class citizens subject to and humiliated by numerous laws. Those who converted from Islam to another religion were killed, a practice that continues in Afghanistan, Iran and Saudi Arabia. Koran Sura 5, verse 85, which speaks of enmity between Muslims and non-Muslims, reads: "Strongest among men in enmity to the Believers wilt thou Find the Jews and Pagans." The World Trade Centre attack cannot be dismissed as merely the work of a small group of extremists. The Muslims celebrating the tragedy in America are doubtless recalling the words of the Koran, urging Muslims to "fight a mighty nation, fight them until they embrace Islam". Sheikh Omar Bakri Mohamed, leader of the radical Islamic organisation Al-Muhajiroun, last week indicated that civilian targets were wrong, but military and government targets are legitimate. The Kuwaiti paper Al-Watan argued in favour of the Islamic justification for killing non-combatants. It referred specifically to Jews, but its argument could apply to any non-combatants living in a democracy. Citizens vote for the government and pay taxes to support it. And so, the argument goes, citizens can be considered as potential soldiers or as being "involved in complementary activities". To recognise that no culture or people are without fault and that all should be subject to criticism is not racism; it is an honesty that emphasises our common humanity. The way to increase respect between people of different faiths is not to gloss over our problems but to admit them, face up to them and together seek to deal with them. Violence occurs in all religions, but in most it is not sanctioned and although there might be moderate elements within Islam, it is the extremist elements that have tended to dominate the development of the religion, with often tragic consequences. Patrick Sookhdeo is the director of the Institute for the Study of Islam and Christianity