Many people not familiar with Islam or the Quran may not be familiar with what little it takes for anyone to become a jihadist-- a hater of Jews and Christians.
Who can seriously hate Jews and Christians despite the fact that neither had ever taken any negative actions against his family or him, and despite the fact that they are his countrymen, many of whom had risked their lives to protect him when it was their turn? Is that a fair question?
Many of us in the west in times of crisis, or when needing solace or spiritual guidance, turn to The Bible to simplify the complexities of life and show us where we really stand, and what we must do to overcome whatever obstacle we face. Sometimes only uncovering the obstacle and showing its real identity is all we need to confront and eliminate it.
When we were obliged to fight Germans in both world wars, very few people demurred because they were German. I do not recall a single incident when someone refused to fight because they were coreligionists. Never had I heard the words, “We can' span
However, when looking for guidance in the Quran, one might run across Chapter 60, verses 1-3:
“O you who believe, you shall not befriend My enemies and your enemies, extending love and friendship tothem, when they have disbelieved in the truth that has come to you. They persecute the messenger. And you, just because you believe in Allah, your Lord. If you mobilize to struggle in My cause, seeking My blessings, how can yousecretly love them? I am fully aware of everything you conceal, and everything you declare. Those among you who do this have indeed strayed off the right path.. They want you to disbelieve. Your relatives and children can never help you. On the Day of Resurrection, He will judge among you. Allah is seer of everything you do.”
The believer is told that non-believers, non-Muslims, are his enemies because they do not adhere to the teachings of Muhammad or the Quran, and hence are enemies of Allah--”you shall not befriend the enemies of Allah.” Countrymen, comrades, relatives do not matter; they are your enemies and deserve neither mercy nor leniency because they are enemies of Allah. Moreover, they are enemies simply because they chose a different way to worship Allah!
In Chapter 98, verse 6, the believer who already recognizes Jews and Christians as People of the Book, discovers “The unbelievers among the People of the Book and the idolaters shall be forever in the fire of hell. They are the worst of all creatures!” Again, people who still worship Allah, but worship Him in a different way—with love in their hearts for all humanity—are sentenced to hell as a prejudgment and reviled as the worst of all creatures. The believer seeking guidance can see that Allah will allow no friendship, mercy, or leniency with non-believers, therefore, how can one love Allah and fight against Allah by remaining loyal to the U.S. Army, despite the oath he took to defend and protect.
There are many other verses that might guide him not to do his duty to God and Country, as we consider proper, but to listen only to a version of Allah that differs from our version. In Chapter 4, verse 89, for example, the believer is told to “Seize the unbelievers and slay them wherever ye find them; and in any case, take no friends or helpers from their ranks.”
During my two decades of military service, I do not know anyone who was told to slay anyone wherever he found him. Our final aim was always to curtail the enemy's ability to make war. Our last resort was to return fire.
You can try your best to obey the commands of the Allah you know, to love your enemies and treat them as you would want to be treated. Nevertheless, you must know your enemy (Sun Tzu), and keep in mind that while you love them (though not their actions), they return your brotherly love with stark hatred because their idea of Allah demands it.Is it fair that the believers of Islam may grow up loving their country and the people, yet are told by verses in their Scriptures to hate and kill them? No, of course not. Is it fair that other soldiers with only love and trust in their hearts for other soldiers should be suddenly attacked by a brother soldier and killed while in his own country? No, of course not. So, it appears that we had two wrongs occur, both of them known, in the case of the Fort Hood massacre.
1) A once-patriotic military officer turned anti-American and violent, and
2) the now unpatriotic officer created a massacre. We know the officer who created the massacre is guilty of allowing himself to be corrupted and then following through with murder. We know that the leaders and others who fostered Political Correctness as a policy or guide shared in the guilt—and in other guilt for crimes that could have been prevented.
We must ask, is there still other guilt to be reviewed? What about scriptures that order such killings of believers? If Freedom of Speech and Freedom of Religion forbid suppressing the printing and teaching of such Scriptures, which teach these verses as commands of God, then where is the original guilt? Is it with our Four Freedoms? Is it with the Scriptures that were introduced in the 7th Century, or is it the imams or other teachers who teach these verses as valid for all times and circumstances. Does the guilt lie only in the military officer who we believe “should have known better,” no matter what he read in the Scriptures or what he was taught at mosque?
I can tell you quite clearly that it is not the fault of the Four Freedoms or our founding fathers.
Having said that, it would seem that we have a socio-cultural problem that we must solve. I believe that we have a large number of wonderful people in this country that have lived here for decades, raised children here, served in our armed forces honorably, and are a credit to this great nation of ours, every day making it that much greater. Those Americans have solved this socio-cultural problem long ago. Do you think we should ask them how they did it, and perhaps have them give us a clue how we should go about it?
What we do not want to do—ever—is to take a page out of their book for the answer.
HJS
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