The Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam and the Crusades

Chapter 8

TH E LU RE OF IS LA MI C PA RA DI SE

Howe verstr ang e it may see m to Wes ter ner s, the muc h-pub lici ze d

vi r gi ns pr o mi se d t o Is l am i c ma r t yr s i n Pa r ad i se i s no my th or

di st or ti on of Is la mi c th eo lo gy. Mu ha mm ad pa in te d a pi ct ur eof a

frankly material and lushly sensual Paradise for his followers—containing

everyt hing a seventh-centur y Arabian desert-dwelle r could possibly

dream of: gold and fine mater ial thing s, fruit s, wine, water , women ...

!and boys. Of co ur se , no t ev er yo ne wa s bu yi ng in to th is , ev en

du ri ng th e - pro phet 's sala ddays .Duri ng one enga geme nt agai nst the

Qura ysh (the Batt leof the Tre nch) , Muha mmad ask ed his fol lowe rs:

"Wh o is a man Whowi ll go up and see for us how th e ene my is

doi ng and th en com e bac k?" He promised to ask Allah that that spy "may

be my companion in paradise." Yet he found no volunteers, requiring him

finally to assign the mission to one of his men.'

Still, the promise of Paradise was one of the principal means by which

Muhammad motivated his followers. It made fighting in jihads a win-win

pr op os it io n; If a Mu sl im wa rr io r wa s vi ct or io us , he en jo ye d bo ot y

onearth ; if hewaskilled , he enjoy ed virtu ally ident ical rewar ds in the

afterli fe--on a mu ch gr an de r sc al e, Du ri ng th e Ba tt le of Ba dr ,

Mu ha mma durgedon the Muslims with promises of Paradise

: "By God in whose handis the soul of Muhammad, no man will be slain

this day fighting against

G u e s s w h a t?

* The Qur'an describes

Paradisein terms

that make it clear

that it is a place

merely to indulge

one's physical

appetites.

September 11

hijacker Muhammad

Atta packed a 'paradise

wedding suit"

into his luggage on

that fateful day.

• Pa ra di se is
  gu ar anteed only to
  these who "slay
  and are slain' for
  Allah.