TheReligionofPeace - Islam: Forced Conversion

TheReligionofPeace.com Guide to Understanding Islam

What does the Religion of Peace Teach About... Forced Conversion

Question:
Can Muslims force others to accept Islam?

Summary Answer:
Muslims are commanded to fight unbelievers until they are either dead, converted to Islam, or in a permanent state of subjugation under Muslim domination. Allowing people of other faiths to live and worship independently of Islamic rule is not an option.

The Qur'an:
Sura (9:29) - "Fight those who believe not in Allah nor the Last Day, nor hold that forbidden which hath been forbidden by Allah and His Messenger, nor acknowledge the religion of Truth, (even if they are) of the People of the Book, until they pay the Jizya with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued." Suras 9 and 5 are the last "revelations" that Muhammad handed down. Sura (9:5) "But when the forbidden months are past, then fight and slay the Pagans wherever ye find them, and seize them, beleaguer them, and lie in wait for them in every stratagem (of war); but if they repent, and establish regular prayers and practice regular charity, then open the way for them..." Prayer and charity are among the Five Pillars of Islam, as salat and zakat. See below. Sura (9:11) - (Continued from above) "But if they repent and establish worship and pay the poor-due, then are they your brethren in religion" This confirms that Muhammad is speaking of conversion to Islam. Sura (2:193) - "And fight them until persecution is no more, and religion be only for Allah. But if they
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TheReligionofPeace - Islam: Forced Conversion

desist, then let there be no hostility except against wrong-doers." The key phrase is to fight until "religion be only for Allah."

From the Hadith:

Sahih Muslim (1:33) The Messenger of Allah said: "I have been commanded to fight against people till they testify that there is no god but Allah, that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah..." This is the Shahada, or profession of faith in Islam. Sahih Muslim (19:4294) - "When you meet your enemies who are polytheists [Christians...], invite them to three courses of action. If they respond to any one of these, you also accept it and withhold yourself from doing them any harm. Invite them to (accept) Islam; if they respond to you, accept it from them and desist from fighting against them ... If they refuse to accept Islam, demand from them the Jizya. If they agree to pay, accept it from them and hold off your hands. If they refuse to pay the tax, seek Allah's help and fight them" Bukhari (8:387) - "Allah's Apostle said, 'I have been ordered to fight the people till they say: 'None has the right to be worshipped but Allah.' And if they say so, pray like our prayers, face our Qibla and slaughter as we slaughter, then their blood and property will be sacred to us and we will not interfere with them except legally and their reckoning will be with Allah.'" Bukhari (53:392) - "While we were in the Mosque, the Prophet came out and said, "Let us go to the Jews" We went out till we reached Bait-ul-Midras. He said to them, "If you embrace Islam, you will be safe. You should know that the earth belongs to Allah and His Apostle, and I want to expel you from this land. So, if anyone amongst you owns some property, he is permitted to sell it, otherwise you should know that the Earth belongs to Allah and His Apostle." Bukhari (2:24) - "Allah's Apostle said: "I have been ordered (by Allah) to fight against the people until they testify that none has the right to be worshipped but Allah and that Muhammad is Allah's Apostle, and offer the prayers perfectly and give the obligatory charity, so if they perform a that, then they save their lives and property from me except for Islamic laws and then their reckoning (accounts) will be done by Allah." Bukhari (59:643) - "Testify that none has the right to be worshipped except Allah, or else I will chop off your neck!" Words of a military leader that Muhammad sent on an expedition to destroy the local religion in Yemen. Ibn Ishaq 959 - Then the apostle sent Khalid bin Walid to the Banu al-Harith and ordered him to invite them to Islam three days before he attacked them. If they accepted then he was to accept it from them, and if they declined he was to fight them. So Khalid set out and came to them, and sent out riders in all directions inviting the people to Islam, saying, If you accept Islam you will be safe. So the men accepted Islam as they were invited. The text goes on to say that Khalid taught the al-Harith about Islam after their "conversion," proving that it was based on fear of slaughter rather than a free and intelligent decision.
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Additional Notes:
Following his flirtation with preaching relative peace and tolerance at Mecca - a 13-year disaster that netted less than 100 followers (mostly friends and family) - Muhammad changed tactics during the last ten years of his life. Near the end, he summed things up for his followers by telling them that he had been commanded by Allah to fight unbelievers until they spoke the Shahada (profession of faith in Islam). During his later years, Muhammad did not seem at all bothered by conversions that were made under obvious duress. Mecca was a city whose residents and leaders detested him. Yet nearly all of them "converted" to Islam the day that he conquered them with an army so dominant that no resistance was offered. These even included his sworn enemies of Abu Sufyan and his wife Hind. Anyone who is familiar with their life to that point would find it quite a stretch to believe that their "religious epiphany" just happened to coincide with the sword at their throat (according to Muhammad's biographer, the exact words spoken to Abu Sufyan during his "acceptance" of Islam were "Submit and testify that there is no God but Allah and that Muhammad is the apostle of Allah before you lose your head"). Meccans who would not change their religion were expelled from the city following that last Haj (Quran 9:5). The Christians and Jews living in Arabia suffered the same fate. The choice was given to them to either accept Islam or leave their land at the point of a sword (Sahih Muslim 19:4366). The Jews at Khaybar were not at war with Muhammad when he ordered his warriors to attack them. Even his faithful son-in-law, Ali, whom he chose to head the mission was somewhat perplexed as to the pretext on which they were to assault this peaceful farming community so far away from Medina: Muhammad said: 'Proceed on and do not look about until Allah grants you victory', and Ali went a bit and then halted and did not look about and then said in a loud voice: 'Allah's Messenger, on what issue should I fight with the people?' Thereupon he (the Prophet) said: 'Fight with them until they bear testimony to the fact that there is no god but Allah and Muhammad is his Messenger' (Sahih Muslim 31:5917) The Jews were caught entirely be surprise, of course. Their wealth was stolen and their women and children distributed as slaves by the prophet of Islam to his men. Muhammad even took a woman for himself (after ordering the death of her husband). Before his death, Muhammad sent his warriors against pagan Arab tribes, such as the al-Harith, demanding that they either convert to Islam or be wiped out (they opted for the Religion of Peace). On his deathbed, he cursed Christians and Jews (Bukhari (59:727)). Muslims are taught to follow in the way of Muhammad. Putting two and two together, Muslims down through the centuries have forced Christians, Jews, Hindus, Buddhists, Zoroastrians, pagans
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and others to accept Islam, either by bluntly offering them death as an alternative, or by making their lives so miserable (ie. taxes, denial of rights...) that the conquered convert to Islam under the strain. Forced conversions persist among extremists. Recently in Egypt, a Christian girl was kidnapped and told that she would be raped if she did not convert. Another notable case was the kidnapping and forced videotaped conversion of two FOX reporters in Gaza in September, 2006. Neither of these examples of forced conversion was condemned by Islamic organizations, even in the West. Since Muslims believe so sincerely that their religion is truth, they often can't help but feel, on some level, that forced conversion is more of a favor done to the subject - a case of the end justifying the means. Another point to keep in mind on this issue is the distinction between speaking and believing. Although Muslims are supposed to fight unbelievers until they say they believe in Allah, Muhammad well knew that belief itself can't be forced (ie. "there is no compulsion in religion" - an early Medinan verse that is liberally quoted by Muslim apologists, who prefer to ignore the later, more numerous verses of intolerance). But once a conquered person outwardly converts to Islam under the strain of taxes and discrimination, they are not allowed to recant upon penalty of death. Their children must also be raised Muslim. And, if they aren't, then it is a sign of apostasy. This is how Islam managed to spread so successfully within conquered populations to ratios in the high 90th percentiles over native religion. See also: MYTH: Muhammad Rejected Conversions Made Under Duress

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