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you quoted:
What makes jihad a
binding institution in Islam is the fact that it is a communal not an
individual obligation. The incentive for jihad lies in its two-fold
benefits: booty for this life and martyrdom with its immediate
promise for a blissful eternal hereafter for those killed in the
battle..."
to which the ancient romans, and still we today, would respond:
Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori.
(it means something like: it is sweet and right to die for the fatherland.)
So what is the difference between he who dies in a jihad and today's
posthumous medal of honor winners?
The former gives his life to an entity in which church and state are mixed.
That is a substantial difference in our two systems, but note too the
similarity as well: both condone the giving of one's life for the community.
Demistify the concept of "jihad" and what do you see?
A coffin, a black veiled grieving widow holding a folded American flag...
>From: Chris Cheatham <nchrisc@xxxxxxxxxx>
>To: Don Roos <rosewood@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>, omega-list@xxxxxxxxxx
>Subject: Re: THE ANSWER
>Date: Sat, 15 Sep 2001 09:02:46 -0500
>
>
> > In addition, I challenge any Islamic individual (or others) to present
>any
> > evidence from the Koran or other *generally accepted* Islamic scripture
>that
> > condones killing in the name of Allah.
> >
>
>Don,
>from "Islam" by Caesar E. Farah
>"Jihad -- The idea of jihad in a military context with its emphasis on
>the notion of continuous struggle against non-believers in God as the
>sole deity tended to keep alive the spirit of solidarity in the
>community over and against outsiders. While the Quran does not make
>of jihad in the "holy war" context an article of faith, it is the
>Hadith which renders it into a formula for "active struggle" that
>invariably tended toward militant expression. What makes jihad a
>binding institution in Islam is the fact that it is a communal not an
>individual obligation. The incentive for jihad lies in its two-fold
>benefits: booty for this life and martyrdom with its immediate
>promise for a blissful eternal hereafter for those killed in the
>battle..."
>
>To be clear, most sects of Islam do not adopt the militant approach. The
>book is well worth reading for those interested in the subject.
>
>Chris
>
>
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