Common Misconceptions: Spread by the Sword

From the year 1391 CE to the year 1425 CE, the great Byzantine Empire was ruled by a man known as Emperor Manuel II Palaiologos. He was of course a Christian but had ties to the Muslims Ottoman Empire. In 1391, the same year he became emperor, Manuel II had a conversation with a Persian scholar, a dialogue that is preserved in one of Manuel II’s books. The Emperor stated: ‘Show me just what Muhammad brought that was new and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached.’

The misconception that Islam was/is spread by the sword goes back to less than 800 years after the death of the Prophet Muhammad salallahu alayhi wassalam. The idea of Muslims violently converting those of other religions to Islam is far from new but it seems to receive great attention these days due to events of not-so-long-ago. It is a common complaint among some non-Muslims there wouldn’t be millions of Muslims all over the world if Islam had not been indeed spread through force.

However, the thought that many Muslims are Muslims simply because their ancestors were violently forced to convert is far from the truth. The word Islam itself is sometimes said to stem from the Arabic ‘salaam,’ which means peace. Another possible, more likely root is the Arabic ‘silm,’ which means submission. Therefore Islam is a religion of peace, acquired by submitting one’s will to the will of Allah subhana wa ta'ala.

Unfortunately not each and every human in the world is in favor of maintaining peace and harmony. Many would choose to disrupt peace and harmony for their own interests. Thus force sometimes becomes necessary to preserve and restore peace. This is why we have police who use force against criminals and the like to maintain peace. Ultimately, Islam promotes peace. Yet at the same time, Islam exhorts its adherents to fight where there is oppression which may require the use of force. However, Muslims can only use force to promote peace and justice, not to convert people to Islam.

If anyone needs proof as to the fact Islam was not spread by the sword, they only need consult the history books. For about 800 years Muslims ruled Spain. Never did they force people to convert to Islam; instead they allowed people to follow the belief of their choice. Later Christians defeated the Muslims rulers. It was not long before the Spanish Inquisition was established in 1480. Originally the Inquisition intended to ensure the orthodoxy of those who converted from Islam and Judaism, but after royal decrees issued in 1492 and 1501, Muslims and Jews were ordered to convert or leave.

In current day Spain, 73% of the population identifies as Roman Catholic. Only 2.5% of the population is Muslim.

For 1400 years Muslims ruled the Arabian Peninsula. There were periods of British and French rule, but overall Muslims ruled for a vast majority of those 1400 years. Today, there are 14 million Arabs who are Coptic Christians. If the Muslims had used violence and force to spread Islam, there would not have been a single Arab who would have remained a Christian.

Also, about 5% of the population of the Middle East is Christian. Would there be any is Islam was spread by the sword?

Indonesia and Malaysia both boast healthy Muslim populations. In fact, Indonesia holds the honor of having more Muslims than any other country. But which Muslim army went to Indonesia and Malaysia? Islam came to these countries via Muslim traders, not Muslims armies. As royalty and rulers adopted the religion, so did their subjects. If Islam is spread by the sword, how can there be so many Muslims in Indonesia and Malaysia when no Muslim armies invaded either location?

Islam has spread to the East Coast of Africa as well, including countries such as Somalia and Kenya. Again, which Muslim army invaded these countries? Again, Muslim traders offered the catalyst for the spread of Islam in this case. There were no Muslim armies that marched down the East Coast of Africa, violently converting non-Muslims as they went.

Now, consider India. Muslims once controlled most of the Indian Subcontinent: from Bengal in the east to Balochistan in the west, and from Kashmir in the north to the Kaveri Basin in the south. If they had so desired, they had the power to easily convert each and every non-Muslim of their realm to Islam. However, only 13.4% of India’s population is Muslim. All these non-Muslim Indians are proof today that Islam was not spread by the sword.

Some might point out this argument has little stance in that the reason India has few Muslims is because in 1947 the country was split into three parts, two for Muslims and one for Hindus. Obviously most of the Muslims immigrated to West Pakistan (Pakistan of today) or East Pakistan (modern-day Bangladesh), leaving few behind in India. The average percentage of Muslims in India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh is 66%. While it is more than half, it is still far from 100%. If Islam was spread by the sword, the percentage should be close to 100%.

Lastly, there are another two undisputable facts to deal with. First, a report which looked at religions between 1934 and 1984 found Islam to have grown quite rapidly and by a great percentage: 235%. Christianity had increased by only 47%. Which was took place during those years which converted so many to Islam? Second, the fastest growing religion in both America and Europe is Islam. Which war is pushing so many people to convert to Islam?

History has shown us Islam is not spread by the sword. From Spain, to Indonesia, to Kenya, to the US; history clearly tells us Islam was spread not by the sword. The thought that Muslims commonly use violence to push Islam down the throats of non-Muslims is an incorrect observation which has been around for some time. Even if Muslims wanted to go about spreading Islam by the sword, they couldn’t. The Qur’an says in Surah al-Baqara verse 256: ‘Let there be no compulsion in religion: Truth stands out clear from error.’

‘History makes it clear however, that the legend of fanatical Muslims sweeping through the world and forcing Islam at the point of the sword upon conquered races is one of the most fantastically absurd myth that historian have ever repeated.’

-- De Lacy O’Leary, historian

Common Misconceptions: Introduction

Islam is perhaps the most misunderstood of the five largest world religions. This is especially true for countries such as the US. In and of itself, this does not present as a problematic issue; possibly many people do not much about Chinese folk religions but I doubt this is much of a problem. However, the misunderstanding of Islam does create an issue because of current events. These events have brought more attention to Islam and Muslims.

The more common of the misconceptions about Islam arise in the minds of non-Muslims mainly because they are constantly being bombarded by incorrect information about Islam and negative portrayals of Muslims. International media is controlled almost exclusively by the Western world. Now, the Internet is in on the game too. While no one actually controls the Internet, there is plenty of virulent propaganda about Islam around the web. Of course, Muslims too are putting this tool to use by attempting to portray the right image of Islam and Muslims, but they are far behind as compared to the propaganda against Islam.

Some non-Muslims have studied Islam and argue they know about the ‘true’ Islam and have no misinformation. But most of them have only read books on Islam written by biased critics of Islam. Bias is never a good thing and will often to lead to misunderstanding just as much as wrongful portrayals in the media do.

Most Muslims know Islam is a religion for all, not simply a religion for Arabs or some other group. Allah is the Creator of everything, and thus is the Lord of the entire universe, including all humans. Muslims are entrusted in spreading His message to everyone, but unfortunately many Muslims have fallen away from this da’wah (Arabic: call or invitation). Allah says in the Qur’an, ‘Who could be more wicked than those who hide a testimony they received from Allah? Allah is not unmindful of what you do.’ Qur’an 2:140

To a Muslim, da’wah is the spreading of positive propaganda about Islam. It can cover any topic within Islam: common practices, history, comparative religion, and more. However, especially in the case of Americans and non-Muslims, responding to misconceptions is probably more common than anything. Indeed, I often find myself trying to erase misinformation and replace that with the correct knowledge.

Thus the idea for a series touching upon common misconceptions was born. Drawing from articles published by qualified Islamic scholars as well as my own experiences, I will attempt to clear up common misconceptions.

There will be no set schedule as to when I will post what. If I have something else to post, then I will post that. If I don’t have anything to post or I would rather write a post in the series, then I will publish a part of the series. Nor do I know exactly how many posts in total there will be. Basically, I will simply be choosing a misconception or two to tackle as I go.

I hope anyone reading this series who does harbor any misinformation or misconceptions learn what they need to correct their image of Muslims and Islam. For those who are Muslims or already know about Islam, I hope you possibly learn something more along the way or are goaded to think differently or more thoroughly. Lastly, I hope my brothers and sisters in Islam take something from these posts in that they might be able to counteract any misconceptions they come across in their lives.

Tough Stuff

When I first entered the fold of Islam, I was under the impression it was a strict, tough religion. Tough in the sense that there was an awful lot to do, and I would be asked to do more than I could. Praying at least five times a day, having to remain pure, having to learn Arabic and read the Qur’an with certain etiquette, eating a certain way, meeting people a certain way, and on and on; I was rather overwhelmed by just how much a Muslim does in the way of Islam. That overwhelming feeling can probably be attributed to my upbringing; beyond church and maybe some Bible studies, how much does religion affect the lives of Christians? Not much. It was a new experience for me to accept a whole new religion, or more specifically, a way of life.

But as I have learned more and more about Islam, I have realized it truthfully is an easy religion, a religion far from tough. Yes, as a newcomer, it is a bit of a challenge in the beginning to learn to do everything differently. For those who are raised Muslim, raised with Islam a part of their life, everything is second nature to them. For me though, praying five times a day, fasting, dhikr, and most aspects of the sunnah are completely novel for me; I’ve literally had to change my entire lifestyle.

Despite this, Islam is still an easy religion. Verse 185 of Surah al-Baqara in the Qur’an highlights this point: ‘Allah desires ease for you, and desires not hardship for you.’ Then there’s verse 78 from Surah al-Hajj: ‘He has not placed any hardship for you in religion.’ I can remember an instructor in an online class I recently participated in saying there is no hardship religion. He said this not once but three times, in three distinct lessons. Scholars often say if one finds hardship, then it is because he/she are doing something wrong. Either they are ignorant or they lack necessary knowledge.

I’m happy to say Islam is no longer challenging for me. If something comes up that I find tough, I ask a scholar about it or read about it.

However, there is one area in which I’m experiencing some trouble, an area that I’m not sure many can help me with.

I have this cousin, an awesome cousin. He’s only a few months younger than me so you can imagine we have a strong, close bond. Unfortunately, due to distances and living in different states, we didn’t get see each other more than a few weekends a year as young children. However, whenever we did get to spend time together, we always had a blast. I can remember us gallivanting around our grandparents’ farm, imagining all sorts of different things. I can remember exploring the small grove and the slim creek on the farm. I can remember pulling around a cart, pretending we were horses. The memories I have of him are probably some of the best in my childhood.

Around the age of 13, my family moved from distant South Dakota to Minnesota, taking residence with my grandparents. Now I was always there when my cousin and his family came by. We had the chance to get together a couple weekends during the summer maybe as well as Christmas, Easter, and Thanksgiving. We were now more mature and were able to have more in-depth conversations. At that time, nothing was better than staying up late and having some great discussions.

But when my parents and I moved out of my grandma’s house, mine and my cousin’s relationship started to drift apart a bit. It was a mixture of tension between my parents and my mom’s family and laziness to keep in contact on my end. For a while, we didn’t trade words nor did we see each other much.

Even with this period of distance, I’m happy to say we still have a good relationship. We have some great conversations, and I always enjoy chatting with him. We’re very similar and have a lot of shared interests, especially writing and activism. Although he’s a bit younger than me, I often find myself looking up to him; indeed, he is an inspiration for me, the reason I have a blog in the first place.

However, there is a problem, the one thing about Islam I find tough. You see, my cousin is gay.

For those of you who do not know the ruling of homosexuality in Islam, let me try to quickly summarize it insha’Allah. Like in Christianity and Judaism, homosexuality is a sin, a serious sin. There are different opinions on what exactly the major sins are in Islam, but I can promise you homosexuality is on every single list. Being sexually attracted to the opposite sex itself is not necessarily a sin; the actual act of engaging in sexual relations with the same sex is the part that will get someone into trouble. In the majority of Islamic countries, homosexuality is punishable by death.

What’s tough about this situation is that I must stick with Islam no matter how I feel about my cousin. Islam must come before anything in my life. Because there is clear evidence that homosexuality is completely haram, there is no way I can say, ‘I do not agree with this ruling. Homosexuality is okay.’ Doing so would possibly put me in danger of being termed as a non-Muslim. Obviously that’s not something I want. So what am I supposed to do?

According to Islam, we should never hate people because they sin; rather we should hate the sin itself, not them. We should also pray for those who are misguided. But I can understand how frustrating this is to my cousin and other homosexuals. I’ve often heard Christians say to homosexuals, ‘I love you even though you are gay, and I’m praying God will lead you to the truth about homosexuality.’ Hearing that sometimes only serves to depress and distress them. How would you like it if someone told you part of your life was wrong and had to be changed? To them, it’s like saying being shy is sinful.

A few Muslims have instructed me to distance myself from my cousin. This to me is an absolutely crazy suggestion. They do have a good point and this probably is the proper thing to do Islamically. But how could I stop interacting with someone I love just because I have different beliefs than him? I could never shun my cousin simply because he lives his life differently than mine, because he has a different belief system than me. I could never imagine telling my cousin I couldn’t talk to him any more simply because Islam rules homosexuality as wrong.

I think for people who have grown up in a society where homosexuality is taboo, it would be relatively easy to avoid those who identify as homosexual no matter how close he/she is to them. For them, being gay is disgusting and terrible. But in the US, views on homosexuality are a lot different. At least for some. My parents are probably homophobic, but their beliefs have never affected me much; if they had, I probably wouldn’t be a Muslim right now. So my views on homosexuality are a lot less strict than someone raised in an Islamic country.

In the end, I do believe homosexuality is haram; there is no way I can argue that it isn’t and neither do I desire to. And I will agree a Muslim should distance him or herself from those who sin. Yet at the same, I truly love my cousin. He understands me better than anyone in my family, whether we’re talking about my mom’s side or my dad’s side. He’s been through many similar situations as me; he came out as gay, I came out as Muslim. He himself is not Muslim, so I do not expect him to believe the same things I do.

The whole problem is one major conundrum which just keeps going in circles. On one side, I want to do as I should in Islam. Yet on the other side, I have a near and dear family member whom I care deeply about. I’m stuck in the middle, and that’s a very conflicting place to be in. All in all, it’s almost very frustrating to know exactly where homosexuality lies in Islam but to have someone so close be gay.

For now, I will let Allah do the judging. If I am wrong, then all I can do is pray Allah forgives me. I will never condone homosexuality as it is undoubtedly wrong in Islam, yet neither will I turn my back on someone simply because they believe differently than me. I personally believe homosexuality is wrong, but not everyone does as I will always respect the beliefs of others. I am not about to forfeit the relationship I have with my cousin, and I hope we can remain close as our lives diverge further and further.

My cousin and I many years ago on our grandparents' farm

Brainwashed and Surah 4:34

Trolls. The Internet is full of them. They stalk the web in search of a place to elicit rage and anger, leaving inflammatory remarks in the hopes someone will argue. Goaded by the anonymity modern-day technology cloaks them in, they waste no time in sinking their wordy fangs into the soft skin of fellow Internet users. Anyone who dares hold a blog or post videos on YouTube better be prepared for they are most at risk when the trolls are a-hunting.

I’ve seen trollish comments all over the web, and I can almost guarantee you have as well. Possibly every site in the World Wide Web has seen its share of trolls and their remarks. There aren’t too many safe zones any more. So when I began blogging, I knew sooner or later I would have to deal with an Internet troll or two, the only question was when. Last week, the answer came in a form of a short comment on YouTube.

Not long ago I read an article on some news website about how to approach such trollish comments. Essentially, the best advice is to leave them alone. Let them say what they want, and if you have an issue with them, remove their comments. That’s all there is to it. They want you to respond and argue – that’s why they post such comments – and replying is just playing into their hands.

However, while I won’t actually respond to this particular comment, the point of this blog is to clear up any misconceptions about Islam and Muslims. This comment presents a perfect chance to do just that.

First, let’s look at the second part of the comment, the part when he/she called me a ‘brainwashed convert.’ Am I brainwashed convert? When I read this, I couldn’t help but laugh. In no way do I consider myself to be brainwashed. Far from it actually.

The reason why I feel so is straightforward. Brainwashing is defined as a process ‘in which a group or individual “systematically uses unethically manipulative methods to persuade others to conform to the wishes of the manipulator(s), often to the detriment of the person being manipulated.” The term has been applied to any tactic, psychological or otherwise, which can be seen as subverting an individual's sense of control over their own thinking, behavior, emotions or decision making.’ In summary, brainwashing requires a person to manipulate the thoughts and beliefs of another person.

The problem with me is I came across Islam totally on my own. Those of you who know me personally know the community I resided in when I began studying Islam and finally converted. I lived in town of barely 50 people. The nearest Muslim population was a good three hour’s drive away, and a sizable Muslim population was close to 6 hours away. In other words, it was more than 6 months after I converted that I actually met a Muslim. And I can guarantee nobody where I lived brainwashed me into being a Muslim.

Despite not living in a Muslim community or even a community with a few Muslims, I did connect with brothers and sisters over the Internet. But I doubt they could be blamed for brainwashing me as I still did most of the research by myself. I read books by myself, I scoured the web by myself. When they did tell me something, I rarely believed what they said without first investigating further.

Through time I have become more conservative, but I don’t believe that’s through brainwashing either. Yes, people have instructed me to do things but I only did so after making certain I wanted to do such things. My beliefs originate from what I’ve read, yes, but only after I’ve thought about them and made absolutely certain I want to believe such things.

Ultimately, I don’t consider myself brainwashed because nobody has ever dictated how I should believe, nobody has ever manipulated my beliefs. If someone tells me I should do this, think this, believe this, I myself decide whether or not to follow what they say. I first do some research and asking around, then make my decision. If I don’t want to do as someone tells me to, I don’t; it’s as easy as that. I’m a human being and I have my own brain. I can think for myself perfectly fine.

Now, for the first part of the comment. For those of you not familiar with this verse of the Qur’an, here it is:

‘Husbands should take good care of their wives with the bounties Allah has given to some more than others and with what they spend out of their own money. Righteous wives are devout and guard what Allah would have them guard in their husbands’ absence. If you fear rebellion from your wives, remind them of the teachings of Allah, then ignore them when you go to bed, then hit them. If they obey you, you have no right to act against them. Allah is Most High, Most Great.’ – Surah 4:34

As soon as I saw the surah he/she referred me to was surah 4, Surah al-Nisa’, I already had an inkling as to what the issue would be. It wasn’t the verse I automatically thought it would be, but it was another I had come across in the past and was something I was aware of. On the surface, it appears this verse is allowing husband to abuse their wives. But there’s always more to it.

All too often the finger is pointed at Muslims as being wife beaters since Islamic law permits husbands to hit their wives. But domestic violence is a long ways from being unique to Muslim societies. Statistics even show domestic violence is more of a problem in Western countries where it’s illegal.

Shari’ah does allow the husband to hit his wife, this is true. But only under strict guidelines with severe limitations. For one, a husband is not permitted to hurt his wife simply because she spilled his tea, burnt his dinner, or forgot to vacuum. The permission found in the Qur’an extends exclusively to the case of divorce, as a last resort to save the marriage.

What is meant by the words ‘…if you fear rebellion…’ is rebellious disobedience to instructions permitted by Islamic law. As to instructions which contradict the Shari’ah, the wife is obliged to disobey. The Prophet salallahu alayhi wassalam said, ‘Creatures should not be obeyed is it means disobedience to the Creator.’

The verse outlines the process a husband should follow in the case of a rebellious and unjustly disobedient wife. He should first verbally advise her of her obligations. If that fails, he should then cease having sexual relations with her. If that then subsequently fails and the husband sees it useful, as a final step in order to bring her back into line, he is allowed to hit her.

As for the actual hitting, it should not be physically damaging, nor should it be on the face as the Prophet salallahu alayhi wassalam said, ‘Do not hit her in the face nor curse her.’ and ‘Do not beat your wives as you would your servant girl in pre-Islamic times.’ It is not even allowed to hit an animal in the face, let alone a human. If the husband abuses this conditional permission and brutalizes his wife, her male relatives have the right to step in and intervene.

In the end, a husband is expected to care for his wife with kindness and gentleness, not anger and rage. The intent of a husband hitting his wife is not to inflict pan and punishment. It merely is intended to bring the woman back to her senses and back to practicing Islam as well as re-establishing authority in the household. If a Muslim wife is following the Qur’an and sunnah, doing as she should, fulfilling her duties, then there would be no trouble.

Yes, there are Muslim men in the world who abuse their wives, some quite mercilessly. But the problem lies with them, not Islam nor their wives. They are not doing as Allah has commanded them to do, and they will surely pay for their misdeed on the Day of Judgment.

Thankfully, I doubt most Muslim men are of such character to beat their wives – even if she isn’t doing as she should and is not fulfilling her duties. I have asked a few how they felt about this verse and this part of the Shari’ah and all have told me they would never do it. Truthfully, I can’t be completely certain they were sincere, but I would hope so. Islam teaches peace, kindness, compassion. It doesn't teach or abdicate violence.