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<TITLE>FW: The Best summary of Islamic view of War as a religious command</TITLE>
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<a href="http://www.ctlibrary.com/6312">http://www.ctlibrary.com/6312</a> The Four Jihads <BR>
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I read this today on Christianity Today online. I found it to be a fair, simple, clear, and concise summary of how war is viewed as a legitimate instrument of religious expansion. <BR>
This article, written by a former Muslim, shows the development of the justification of wars of aggression by Muhammad in the Qur'an and outlines the attempt by moderates to put Islam in a more favorable light as a “religion of peace.” However, the moderates seem to have less scriptural support than do the extremists, who indeed may be more ‘faithful’ to the teachings of Islam:<BR>
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</SPAN></FONT><BLOCKQUOTE><FONT FACE="Verdana, Helvetica, Arial"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:14.0px'>For Islam, however, the causes of justice and peace are synonymous with the advance of the Muslim state, for politics and spirituality are inextricably bound together in the dream of one world under the complete dominion of Allah and His followers. So whereas Christian "just war" principles do not support the notion of establishing the kingdom of God by force, the Islamic doctrine of jihad unapologetically does.<BR>
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When the ummah (community or state) of Islam faces its history of coercion and expansion, there is no shame or repentance. Islam, unlike Christianity, teaches in its most authoritative sources that force is justifiable in the cause of Allah. Far from feeling regret over past conquests, Islam takes pride in this heritage.<BR>
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Indeed, many Muslims look back on the first three centuries of Islam as the golden years of their heritage and long for a return to world ascendancy.<BR>
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</SPAN></FONT></BLOCKQUOTE><FONT FACE="Verdana, Helvetica, Arial"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:14.0px'>I often wondered why Western nations apologize for the Crusades [rightfully so, I believe], but there is no apology from Islamic nations for conquering Spain, N. Africa, Hungary, Greece and Europe to the borders of Vienna. For Christians, the Crusades and wars between Christians denominations can be viewed as a clear betrayal of it’s founders teachings and words. Since faith is a gift from God, Who Alone chooses to whom faith is given, attempts to convert others by force of arms, is not only a betrayal of Christ’s teachings, but illogical. Logic, however, has never stopped people from using religion to justify their greed. The extremists of Islam, however, are at least consistent and logical within their belief system... <BR>
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Jeff<BR>
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