Every time an Islamic terrorist attack occurs, Islamist apologists rush to defend the religion, claiming it is all about ‘peace’ and the terrorist act is just an aberration. However, it has often been seen that contrary to such claims, Islamist violence has often had horrific consequences for world peace.

Islam does not mean peace.

1. Muslim apologists sometimes claim that the root word of Islam is “al-Salaam,” which is “peace” in Arabic. An Arabic word has only one root. The root word for Islam is “al-Silm,” which means “submission” or “surrender.” There is no disagreement about this among Arabic or Islamic scholars. Al-Silm (submission) does not mean the same thing as al-Salaam (peace); otherwise, they would be the same word. Submission and peace can be very different concepts, even if a form of peace can be brought about by forcing others into submission.
2. As the modern-day Islamic scholar, Ibrahim Sulaiman, puts it, “Jihad is not inhumane, despite its necessary violence and bloodshed, its ultimate desire is peace which is protected and enhanced by the rule of law.” In truth, the Quran not only calls Muslims to submit to Allah, it also orders them to subdue people of other religions until they are in a full state of submission to Islamic rule. This has inspired the aggressive history of Islam and its military and demographic success in conquering other cultures. It means submission. Peace, according to Islamists, will be achieved when everyone submits to Islam. But we see a strong contrast, where the maximum or whole population is Muslim, violence is very frequent and very intense. Every sect of Islam is fighting with others. One Islamic nation is fighting with another.
3. Muhammad divided the world into two sectors. One he called Dar us Salam (House of Peace) and the other, Dar al Harb (House of War). All countries where Islam is not the ruling authority are Dar al Harb. It is the duty of the Muslims to wage Jihad in Dar al Harb, overthrow the governments, and force people into submission. This is the only kind of peace that Islam recognizes.
4. Islam has spread around the globe, from Bosnia to Chechnya, from the Philippines to Thailand, from Africa to Kashmir, from Londonistan to Boston, and from Arabia to Australia. Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, and Egypt were Christian nations before Christianity was supplanted by Political Islam.
5. Afghanistan was Hindu, Iran was Zoroastrian, and (pre-conquered) Pakistan was Hindu before Radical Islam consumed their civilizations and cultures. We have two kinds of Muslims: Terrorist Islamists and ignorant Muslims. The former are those who know Islam well and live by its dictums.
6. The latter have no clue about their religion and have an idealized image of their religion that has no basis in facts. The first thing Islam does is to destroy the self-image of the believers. It convinces them that without Islam, they are worthless creatures only fit for hellfire.
7. It tells them that their culture is jahiliyyah (ignorance), and their ancestral religion was taaghoti (satanic). They are made to despise their identity and selfhood and seek their glory in their submission to Islam and slavery to its deity, who was Muhammad’s own alter ego.
8. It has taken everything from its believers. They are robbed of their identity and self-pride. All they have now is Islam. That is why Islam for Muslims is more than just a religion. It is their identity. When you criticize it, they perceive it as an attack on their identity and cringe with pain. They take that not only as an insult but also as an assault on their person. The vast majority of Muslims are not in control of their religion.
9. The Radical Muslims are the true Muslims that dictate and control the religion. They are the ones who fight to get what they want based on Islamic Law. Fanatics rule Islam at this moment in history as they always have. It is the fanatics who march and protest. It is the fanatics who systematically slaughter Christian or tribal groups throughout Africa and are gradually taking over the entire continent in an Islamic wave. It is the fanatics who bomb, behead, murder, or honor-kill. It is the fanatics who take over mosque after mosque. It is the fanatics who zealously spread the stoning and hanging of homosexuals. It is the fanatics who teach their young to kill and to become suicide bombers. This is a war. This war is not new. It is a 1400-year-old war.
10. Where is moderate Islam? Does it exist? If so, then where? We must also encourage the debate on Islam. Is Islam a religion or a political movement in the guise of religion? What is its ultimate goal? Isn’t it true that Muslims everywhere must strive to overthrow the government and establish the caliphate?
11. How can Muslims be loyal to the country in which they live, to its democracy and constitution, and at the same time belong to a religion or cult that aims to destroy that democracy and subdue that country? These questions should not be swept under the carpet. They must be discussed in open debates, and Muslims must be asked to answer them. It’s never too late to make a change in your life.

QURAN: What does the holiest book of Islam really say about non-Muslims?

1. The pattern of violence and aggressive disregard for human suffering that is persistent in Muslim history and contemporary attitude toward non-believers reflects the message of the Quran, which is one of group superiority and arrogance.
2. In today’s world, Muslim dominance is characterized by the oppression and discrimination of non-Muslims, while Muslim minorities within larger societies are distinguished by varying degrees of petulant demand, discord, and armed rebellion. Ex-Muslims are uncomfortable with this blatant double standard, in which Islam either plays the victim or unapologetically victimizes others, depending on its position of power – and the reason is obvious.
3. Islam is a supremacist ideology in which the role of non-believers is subordinate to the position of Muslims. Those who resist Islamic rule are to be fought until they are either killed or fully humiliated and forced to acknowledge their inferior status by converting to Islam or by paying a poll tax and otherwise accepting the subjugation of their own religion.
4. There is simply no other religion on earth that draws such sharp distinction between its own members and others or devotes as much of its holiest text toward condemning and dehumanizing those who merely choose not to follow its dogma. So much about Islamic terrorism and the general indifference of the broader Muslim community toward the violence makes sense only against this dual nature of Islam – as does the strange willingness of Muhammad’s followers to tolerate their own subjugation under Ottoman or Arab tyrants.
5. The apologists are correct in saying that Islam teaches love and kindness, but they fail to add that this applies only to the treatment of those within the Muslim community. Loyalty to one’s own identity group is valued above all else, and empathy for those outside the faith is optional at best – and even explicitly discouraged in places.
6. If this is a “misunderstanding” of Islam by modern-day “radicals,” then it is an error that the founder of Islam made as well. In Muhammad’s time, non-Muslims were put to death merely for speaking out against the new religion and its self-proclaimed prophet. Since the life of a non-Muslim is cheap, actual physical harm to a Muslim is not necessary to justify murder, according to the example of Muhammad.
7. The Quran meets every criterion by which we define hate speech. Not only does the message inspire loathing and disregard for others, but the text mandates the superiority of Islam, even if the means of establishment is by violent force.
8. In his later years, Muhammad directed military campaigns to subjugate other tribes and religions, “inviting” them to Islam at the point of a sword and forcing them to pay tribute regardless. He set in motion the aggressive military campaigns that made war against all five major world religions in just the first few decades following his death.
9. Islam incorporates the ultimate devaluation of non-Muslims in the most obvious way by teaching that while a Muslim may be punished with death for murdering a fellow Muslim (Bukhari 83:17), no Muslim can be put to death for killing a non-Muslim (Bukhari 83:50, 3:111 & Sunan Ibn Majah 21:2660).
10. The Quran’s “Law of Equality,” which assigns human value and rights based on gender, religion, and status, is the polar opposite of equality in the sense intended by Western liberal tradition, which ideally respects no such distinction.
11. One can always find apologists willing to dismiss the harsh rhetoric of the Quran with creative interpretation, tortuous explanation, or outright denial, but their words and deeds attest to a concern for Islam’s image that does not extend to Islam’s victims – at least not with the same sense of urgency – thus proving the point.
12. Of course, there are also exceptional Muslims who do not agree with Islamic supremacy and sincerely champion secularism and respect for all people. Some even find verses or fragments of such to support their independent beliefs. But, for these people, the Quran as a whole will always be a constant challenge, since it explicitly teaches the distinct and inferior status of non-Muslims.

The Quran Distinguishes Muslims from Non-Muslims and Establishes a Hierarchy of Relative Worth

• The Quran makes it clear that Islam is not about universal brotherhood, but about the brotherhood of believers: “The Believers are but a single Brotherhood (49:10)”
• Not all men are equal under Islam. Slaves and the handicapped are not equal to healthy free men, for example (16:75-76).
• The Quran introduces the “Law of Equality,” which establishes different levels of human value when considering certain matters, such as restitution for murder (2:178).

The Quran Dehumanizes Non-Muslims and Says that They Are Vile Animals

• Ayatollah Khomeini, who dedicated his entire life to studying Islam, said that non-Muslims  rank somewhere between “feces” and the “sweat of a camel that has consumed impure food.”  Small wonder.  The Quran dehumanizes non-Muslims, describing them as “animals” and beasts.
• Those who disbelieve from among the People of the Book and among the Polytheists will be in Hell-Fire, to dwell therein (for aye). They are the worst of creatures. (98:6)
• Surely the vilest of animals in Allah’s sight are those who disbelieve, then they would not believe. (8:55)

• According to Islamic law, non-Muslims may be owned as property by Muslims, but – in keeping with Islam’s supremacist message – a fellow Muslim should never be (unless they convert to Islam after they are enslaved). 
• Christians and Jews are not considered fully human in Islam.  The penalty for killing one of them is limited to one-third of the compensation due for unintentionally killing a Muslim.  Muhammad made it clear that a believer cannot be put to death for killing a non-believer since they are not equal.  Thus, killing “kafir” is less serious than engaging in a consenting sexual relationship outside of marriage.

Initial lessons for Bharat with respect to the Hamas Attack on Israel

1. UNITY AMONGST HINDUS/SANATANI IS THE UTMOST NEED OF TIME AND FOREVER.
2. Identifying the enemy is the need of the hour (Shatru Bodh).
3. Information war and brainwashing have to be countered.
4. Never let your guard down
5. Do not forget significant dates
6.  Intelligence is key and has to be a step ahead of the adversary
7. Forecast – plan – prepare to neutralize asymmetric threats
8. There are enemies and their supporters within Bharat
9. Never politicize national security
10. No amount of money is more in the realm of national security
11. Threat evaluation and commensurate preparation have to be dynamic
12. The threat can be a state or nonstate actor or a blend of many
13. Information warfare is real
14. Swarn and cheap drone weapons will be a menace
15. Work out the contingencies of response in case of such an attack
16. Deterrence has to be punitive in cost
17. Violence in reciprocation has to be immeasurable (hit where it pains the most)
18. Start neutralizing the support system to enemies now (within Bharat and elsewhere)
19. The threat will be multidimensional and multidirectional.
20. Mental conditioning of the military and our people is a must.
21. Do not fall prey to the normalization trap (take lessons from Manipur and Israel)
22. Pruning isn’t the answer; weeding out the roots of terror is.

(This article has been contributed by a guest author requesting anonymity. The views expressed in the article are solely those of the author)