Islam Under Scrutiny by Ex-Muslims

Ramadan Jihad and Scholars' Ignorance

Editor MA Khan's book (Feb 2009). Learn
more
here |
Paperback: $ 24.95 | Kindle ed:
$ 7.96 | E.Book: $ 6:00

As violent Jihad against the coalition forces heated up following the invasion of Iraq in 2003, the U.S. and Iraqi officials had hoped there would be a respite as the holy month of Ramadan approached. The reality was quite the opposite; violence spiked. A similar expectation amongst officials in Iraq during the next Ramadan was despoiled in like manners by a spike in violence. Thereafter, we did not hear similar anticipation amongst U.S. officials in Iraq. They seem to have gone to school to find out what this Ramadan is all about.

Now we continue to hear of similar expectations from Muslim leaders and scholars. Rightly so, given that the rather subdued success of Jihadis this Ramadan claimed 903 lives with 1638 people maimed or injured across 16 countries, according to a tracking by Religion of Peace website.

Mr Yusuf Irfan, an acclaimed Sydney-based lawyer and Islamist columnist, in an article entitled Another attack - in the name of whose Islam, slammed the latest suicide attack at Islamabad's Marriott Hotel that killed at least 60 and injured hundreds, saying:

"The timing of the attack - during the last 10 nights of Ramadan - could not have been more sacrilegious. Even pre-Islamic Arabs regarded the month of Ramadan as sacred, a time when tribal wars would cease. Yet for Islamist terrorists, no time is too sacred to pursue their ends through bloodshed."

Mr Yusuf also slammed the poor understanding of Islam amongst modern Muslim theologians and al-Qaeda ideologues (bin Laden and al-Jawahiri). He wrapped terror expert Dr Merv Bendle of the James Cook University for his ignorance of Islam and The Australian newspaper for publishing an allegedly baseless report on the latest Islamabad hotel bombing.

Likewise, Professor Muqtedar Khan of University of Delaware (New Jersey), in condemning the violence by radical Islamists during the ongoing month of Ramadan, said: "Ramadan is about returning to the fountain of truth and drinking from it as deeply as possible." He added:

"All of these attacks have been conducted by people who call themselves "Jihadis." This they claim is their struggle in the path of God. One cannot imagine to what extent the minds and the hearts of these people have become poisoned, that in the month of Ramadan when even frowning is undesirable, they chose to murder and maim indiscriminately."

A historical and theological investigation, however, proves that it is self-proclaimed scholars like Prof Khan and Mr Yusuf, who are ignorant; not those whom they accuse of the same.

Yes Mr Yusuf, you are correct. The pre-Islamic Arabs, whom Islam has relegated to the barbarian age of Jahiliyah [ignorance], deemed certain months of the year sacred and they scrupulously abstained from violence during those months. It is Muhammad, with sanctions from Allah, repudiated this well-evolved civilized Arab tradition of nonviolence. Not only that, Prophet Muhammad chose the sacred months for waging his violent holy wars against the infidels of Arabia—a tradition perpetuated by Muslims to the present day. And rightly so! The Prophet's actions, Muslims believe, constitute the standard for all times.

As Jihad or holy war was sanctioned by Allah [Quran 2:190-194,216] after Prophet Muhammad's emigration to Medina, the Prophet directed the first successful Jihad at Nakhla plundering a caravan of his Meccan opponents, killing an attendant and taking two captives. It was the sacred month of Rajab, when Muslims observe the lesser pilgrimage, Omra to the Ka'ba--a pre-Islamic Pagan ritual. This violation of the sacred tradition was condemned by the horrified Arabs, including many of Muhammad's followers. The Islamic deity came down with a revelation [Quran 2:217], giving this horrifying sacred month violence a divine blessing.

Next, a couple of months later came the month of Ramadan, the first to be celebrated as the Muslim holy month of fasting. Prophet Muhammad, hearing the news of a rich Meccan caravan returning from Syria, launched Islam's most significant Jihad expedition to plunder it. This led to the famous Battle of Badr with a Meccan rescue army, three times stronger, in which, the Muslim army became victorious.

Battle of Tours in France on first day of Ramadan (732)

This Ramadan victory at Badr, as every Muslim knows, was the most significant in the history of Islam. Muslim confidence was boosted as they assumed that God was helping them winning the impossible battles, to which, Allah revealed that He was indeed helping each Muslim fighter with 20 angels in the battle. This not only marked the unbridled march of Jihad over the centuries since, but the month of Ramadan also became the auspicious time for waging the most significant Jihad expeditions. The Prophet's greatest victory, the conquest of Mecca and capture of the Ka'ba (then a Pagan temple), came in Ramadan (630 CE).

The most important later battle in Islam, albeit a failed one, was the Battle of Tours in France in 732 CE. This battle, if won, think many scholars, it would have signaled the conquest of the whole world by Islam. It was also fought in Ramadan. The Muslim General Abd al-Rahman, the governor of Al-Andalus [Iberia], kept a siege on Charles Martel's immobile Frankish line—a wall of ice—for one whole autumn, making small charges only to be beaten back. For launching the final battle, they waited for the arrival of Ramadan, the blessed month for decisive Jihads. After a long wait, on the very first day of Ramadan (732 CE), Abd al-Rahman led the decisive ferocious charge himself, only to be slain in the Frankish counterattack.

It was in Ramadan that the Muslims of the subcontinent inaugurated the violent Jihadi quest for dividing India to create Pakistan. Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the leader of the Muslim League Party, washing his hands off any negotiation for keeping India united, reached a resolution in the Muslim League meeting in Bombay on 29 July 1946 that,

"It has become abundantly clear that the Muslims of India would not rest with anything less than the immediate establishment of an independent and full sovereign State of Pakistan… the Council of the All-India Muslim League is convinced that now the time has come for Muslim nation to resort to Direct Action to achieve Pakistan and get rid of the present slavery under the British and contemplated future caste Hindu domination." [Khosla, Stern Reckoning, p38]

Calcutta, where Muslims constituted one-third of the population (similar proportion at Badr), was chosen as the venue for unleashing the Direct Action. The date chosen was the 18th day of Ramadan (16 August 1946), coinciding with the day of Badr. Secret pamphlets, circulated amongst Muslims by the Muslim League (also read out in mosque sermons), read:

"Muslims must remember that it was in Ramzam that the Quran was revealed. It was in Ramzan that the permission for Jehad was granted. It was in Ramzam that the battle of Badr, the first open conflict between Islam and Heathenism [i.e., idolatry, which equates Hinduism] was fought and won by 313 Muslims; and again it was in Ramzan that 10,000 under the Holy Prophet conquered Mecca and established the kingdom of Heaven and the commonwealth of Islam in Arabia. Muslim League is fortunate that it is starting its action in this holy month.

By the grace of God, we are ten cores [100 millions] in India but through our bad luck we have become slaves of the Hindus and the British. We are starting a Jehad in Your Name in this very month of Ramzan. Pray make us strong in body and mind—give Your helping hand in all out actions—make us victorious over the Kafers [enemy of Allah aka Hindus]—enable us to establish the Kingdom of Islam in India and make proper sacrifices for this Jehad—by the grace of God may we build up in India the greatest Islamic kingdom in the world." [Khosla, p51-52; Khan, The Great Partition, p63-64]

In the Direct Action Jihad at Calcutta, Muslim unleashed—with the connivance of the police under the direction of the Muslim League government in power—brutal massacre, pillage, plunder, rape and arson of the Hindus and Sikhs. After suffering one-and-a-half days of brutal savagery, the Hindus and Sikhs recovered from the shock and plucking courage, hit back, outnumbering the Muslims and paying back in like manners. Five days of continued violence racked up some 5,000 dead-bodies with 43% Muslim casualties. The whole outcome of this Jihad for creating Pakistan, inaugurated in the holy month of Ramadan, was up to two million deaths (roughly equal on both sides), a few million Hindus and Sikhs converted to Islam at the pain of death, and tens of thousand of predominantly Hindu and Sikh women were raped or abducted and married off to Muslims. Some twenty million people were to cross borders leaving every thing behind.

Creation of Pakistan, a pure land for the Muslims, was probably the greatest 20th-century achievement for the Muslim ummah. Jihad did not go in vein.

These were but a few examples of famous Jihads waged in the holy month of Ramadan. I wonder who need to go to school to consolidate their knowledge of the resplendent Islam, of Jihad in the holy month of Ramadan in particular. Should it be Irfan Yusuf and Prof. Muqtedar Khan, the self-proclaimed scholar of Islam, or those whom they criticize?

And Mr Yusuf, Another attack - in the name of whose Islam? Undoubtedly, it is in the name of Allah's Islam; Quran's Islam; Prophet's Islam.


If you like this essay: Stumble it   Stumble Upon Toolbar digg it reddit

MA Khan is the editor of islam-watch.org website.


Name:     closed
Comment:

  No more comments pls!

Comments Notes: Keep comments short. Our system cannot separate paragraphs. Comments must be relevant to the topic of the article. Irrelevant comments, materials, adds of other websites, pasting external articles etc. are not allowed. We may ban the IP addresses of such nuisance posters.

Editor Note: Because of extensive spamming, mudslinging and irrelevant comments, we have decided to moderate the readers' comments. We regret that it will victimize some innocent commenters. It is an extra burden for us too. But we have tolerated way too much already.

We ask readers to consult our comments guide (above) carefully. Make comments strictly on the article, no vulgar words, no insinuation to mass killing, nuking etc., check your spelling and grammar.

We will moderate the comments ones in every 24 hours and after 48 ours we will not accept any further comment.



Name: very well researched article,pls keep up the good work to expose islam
Date: Monday September 29, 2008
Time: 23:16:55 -0700

Comment

very well researched article,pls keep up the good work to expose islam.


Name: Puneet Madaan
Date: Tuesday September 30, 2008
Time: 00:18:06 -0700

Comment

more about direct action day from times archive, is documented in a 1946 article ... http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,933559,00.html


Name: vbv
Date: Tuesday September 30, 2008
Time: 01:18:45 -0700

Comment

Those muslims who do not like India should leave for Pakistan, their promised land of the "pure". "Pure" what one may ask:- Pure muck of immorality and bigotry. Had all the muslims evacuated to Pakistan , their promised land , we n Idia would have been spared of wars, terrorism. Of course we would still have the MAOists, Naxalites ,the Christian seperatism from the North East part of the country. Still atleast those could have been managed , since half t trouble transported to Pakistan! Ramadan is just a ruse to go about their usual business of plunder, lootand rape and massacre: Islam and ramadan is just an excuse for the hypocrites who revel in such immorality!


Name: Origin of Jihad
Date: Tuesday September 30, 2008
Time: 01:51:09 -0700

Comment

In my view, Jihad means nothing but to stir up the mob. There must have been some sort of proleatarians or desperados during Muhammads time, and Islam was some sort of faschism or communism of the ancient age. It means to kill the privileged, then to steal and to distribute their properties to the mob, including even their wifes and their children, to sell them or to make use of them as sex-slaves. This is what really happens during almost any Jihad, and this is the truth behind islam, I think.


Name: Muslims must introspect themselves and get freed from mad islam
Date: Tuesday September 30, 2008
Time: 01:53:31 -0700

Comment

Muslims must introspect themselves and get freed from mad islam.They are unable to do this due to mulaas and imamas and fear of imaginery hell.Let us all refute the concept of hell then only muslims dare to think and question logically.Voilence has roots in islam itself.Islamists commit voilence only for imaginery paradise.World will have peace only after elimination of islam completely.


Name: Yes Mahatma Gandhi won the britishers but not the muslims. Muslims can not think freely
Date: Tuesday September 30, 2008
Time: 02:06:46 -0700

Comment

Yes Mahatma Gandhi won the britishers but not the muslims. Muslims can not think freely. Still muslims hate india in spite of getting all facilities and more previlage than other religions. Islam is toxic tree. Cutting branches of it will not end its danger. We have to root it out completely.


Name: Anonymous
Date: Tuesday September 30, 2008
Time: 03:43:20 -0700

Comment

Surah 2:217: "They ask you about fighting in the prohibited Month, say: fighting in that month is a great offence, but to bar others from Gods path, to disbelieve in Him, prevent access to the Sacred Mosque and expel its people are greater offences in Gods eyes, persecution is worse than killing" (MAS Abdel Haleem translation)


Name: seeker
Date: Tuesday September 30, 2008
Time: 03:51:18 -0700

Comment

The recent terror attacks in New Delhi and Islamabad (Marriot Hotel) occurred in the holy month of Ramadan. After going through the essay, one can understand what makes the Jehadi supercharged during the holy month and from where he derives his inspiration from. Such wanton acts of violence and destruction hurt the feelings of their co religionists also. It is about time the so called muslim scholars stop fooling themselves and others by making evasive statements like Another attack -in the name of whose Islam.


Name: i wonder...can any true muslim reply to me ?
Date: Tuesday September 30, 2008
Time: 04:32:56 -0700

Comment

Unrelated comments deleted - Editor


Name: history is trying to repeat it self
Date: Tuesday September 30, 2008
Time: 07:54:50 -0700

Comment

but those that will fight against oppression will be the ones that will eventually win, despite these so called "wins", all done in a month that is suppose to have zero fighting of any kind. It just goes to show how little regard for life those who follow this cult has.


Name: allat
Date: Tuesday September 30, 2008
Time: 10:01:49 -0700

Comment

The thing is that, in reality, it was two oppressive religions against each other, vying for the possession of the world: the religions were/are Christianity and islam. Both religions megalomaniacs, psychopathic, oppressive and mind-raping. What other terms can I think of? One religion, Christianity raped and did away with freedom -physical and mental, in Europe, North Africa, the Middle East and Asia Minor and the New World (North, Central and South AMERICA) AND the Philippines, --, and the other, islam, took over North Africa, the Middle East, Asia Minor, Mesopotamia, Central Asia and India, South East Asia and part of the Philippines (still).--Tell me again, what's the difference?...Oh, yes (!), Christianity has mellowed. And: Just as we thought it was safe to go back in the water, another Giant SHARK is here!...God save me from religion!!!


Name: Mumin Salih
Date: Tuesday September 30, 2008
Time: 13:26:11 -0700

Comment

Good and well researched article. Muslims truly associate Ramadan with holy jihad. May I add to the list that the Arab Israeli war in 1973 was launched on the 10th of Ramadan.


Name: cjs
Date: Tuesday September 30, 2008
Time: 16:32:34 -0700

Comment

And in so-called, much touted by both East and West "moderate" Malaysia, the muslim-malay ruling party went on an Internal Security Act blitz during Ramadan. Two (chinese) freed but the Malay-British Prince of the State of Selangor is in the dreaded Kamunting. so much peace and love, huh?


Name: ExMuslim
Date: Tuesday September 30, 2008
Time: 18:52:16 -0700

Comment

Allat, the Christian and Islamic brutality had started almost simultaneously separated by only a couple of centuries. Christian brutality ended not so long ago, if you ask the Aborigines or Maori peoples. So, it is somewhat incorrect to say Islamic terror started only after Christian terror was defeated.


Name: Anastasia
Date: Tuesday September 30, 2008
Time: 19:32:53 -0700

Comment

Sadly, Australia has many Irfan Yusufs, taqqiya forked- tongued practitioners of the lies we infidels have come to expect now from the Muslims. WIthout any moral compass(Mohammad did it= 'good'; Mohammad forbade it='bad' Islam is doomed to die of its own negativity -- emulating their robber baron and assasin 'prophet' results in horror, destruction, barbarity, murder, suffering and everything that goes against human well-being. Imagine Idi Amin creating a religion -- it would be a lot like Islam The sooner this evil empire crumbles, the better off the world will be.


Name: Indian Infidel
Date: Tuesday September 30, 2008
Time: 19:48:52 -0700

Comment

Is there a similar link between friday parayers and violence. Muslims tend to become more violent when they feel more religious


Name: To MA Khan
Date: Tuesday September 30, 2008
Time: 21:14:49 -0700

Comment

To MA Khan, Thank you for the nice article. Islam and the Muslims are harmful and threat to the mankind. They just can not think freely. Muslims don't follow any logic in their argument. They rather use dirty languages. Hope one day things will change for good. Thanks for your article. Best regards, Dr. DM


Name: To allat
Date: Tuesday September 30, 2008
Time: 21:34:33 -0700

Comment

I beg to disagree with your erroneous impression of Christianity. Teachings of Jesus is "Love your enemies." "Love those who persecute you.", "Love your neighbor." If Christians commits rape, murder or other crimes then they are liable for their acts. It does not mean that their crimes are reflective of the teachings of Jesus.


Name: Jihad
Date: Tuesday September 30, 2008
Time: 22:58:44 -0700

Comment

The unfortunate part is that by misleading gullible elements the muslims start jihad as they have done in India through bomb blasts. Now they say that police arrest only muslims and increase the hurt sentiments so that more muslims come forward to join the jihad. If muslims are involved in bomb blasts then only muslims will be arrested. I do not not understand the use of crying over this saying we are innocent.


Name: To allat
Date: Wednesday October 01, 2008
Time: 01:58:10 -0700

Comment

Your impression of Christianity is totally erroneous. What Jesus said, "Love your enemies.", "Love those who persecute you.", "Love your neighbor." is in total contrast to Mohammad's teachings of HATE. Those Christians who commit rape or murder are surely LIABLE for their crimes. So to equate Christianity to Islam as being the same is doing INJUSTICE to Christianity.


Name: To Allat - Hater of christianity
Date: Wednesday October 01, 2008
Time: 02:48:17 -0700

Comment

Your anti- christian bias is very clear. But try hosting a site like this in India. See how fast it will be shut down. You have full freedom in countries which are predominantly christian but yet you will turn around and deride the same societies you get benefits from. Why do millions of non christians hindus included go to christian lands if they are the followers of such an evil religion? You should feel safer in your own non-christian country


Name: Moo-HAM-Mad the pig
Date: Wednesday October 01, 2008
Time: 04:26:19 -0700

Comment

Well done my good Sir! Very well done indeed. Snf to vbv, well done as well!


Name: To M. A. Khan
Date: Wednesday October 01, 2008
Time: 06:36:13 -0700

Comment

Comments disparaging Christianity made by allat and others (See this page) are allowed onto the site but comments in the defence of Christianity are deleted. Why the bias Mr. Khan?


Name: how to treat the enemy
Date: Wednesday October 01, 2008
Time: 06:59:18 -0700

Comment

All these goody goody words, cajoling, dragging them to logic or hoping that they will develop sense , is all futile. They understand only one language and the reader knows what it is. Show them exactly how they would feel if they are treated exactly the same way their koran advocates to treat the "heathens". Say to hell with them


Name: The Awakening
Date: Wednesday October 01, 2008
Time: 08:53:06 -0700

Comment

The Awakening - or Sahwa in Arabic - movement consists of former insurgents who used to fight alongside al-Qaeda in Iraq. Now they fight against them and with the Americans and the Iraqi forces. The movement was born after Sunni leaders realized that al-Qaeda were simply using the local population, and holding communities hostage, for their own extremist ideological purposes - not primarily to resist the American occupation. The Fadil Awakening leader, Khaled al-Qaisi, stood on the base of the crane and gave a passionate speech in which he said, "Iraq is one family, Sunni, Shia, Christian, Kurd and Turkmen."


Name: To M A Khan
Date: Wednesday October 01, 2008
Time: 20:15:35 -0700

Comment

Very good article indeed. Thanks for exposing Islamic apologists Yusuf and Professor Muqtedar Khan. The part about the formation of Pakistan was most interesting and enlightening. Now Pakistan is experiencing retribution for killing millions of Hindus on independence day. Hope that islam would be wiped out in 10 years time when reasonable Muslims leave Islam for good.


Name: To M A Khan
Date: Wednesday October 01, 2008
Time: 23:33:09 -0700

Comment

You were born a Muslim and so is Irfan Yusuf. He is probably of Pakistani origin (still a Muslim) but you're from India but an ex-Muslim. Why not have a public discussion/debate with Irfan. Perhaps you've misunderstood Islam in the way that Irfan has come to understand it. Perhaps Irfan has a new way to interpret Islam.


Name: Tommy
Date: Thursday October 02, 2008
Time: 00:48:24 -0700

Comment

In my country Indonesia, there are website like this one. they state they are ex-moslem. After hard investigate you know what, all of them are inferior christian and we forgive them.


Name: Joan Shathu
Date: Thursday October 02, 2008
Time: 02:41:37 -0700

Comment

The only Christian country is the Vatican! All of Europe is distinguish between church and state. If a christian by name governs a country, you cannot call him a christian! Look at the french leader, he is a jew. Just put a muslim ( even if he does not practice his religion ) as a leader in the EU countries, There will be riots!


Name: Fanatics always fight to the bitter end!
Date: Thursday October 02, 2008
Time: 08:18:29 -0700

Comment

All great movements in history like the political ideology of Communism and Nazism, the pseudo-religion of the evolutionist and the political-religious movement, Islam always have die hard fanatics who will fight to the bitter end.


 
Hit Counter