ThePoliticallyIncorrect Guide to Islam(and the Crusade,the Qur 'an and the Sun nah of the Prop het as moti vat ion s for ter ror ist
activity? If so, thenjihad terrorists worldwide are themselves "Islamo-
phobic." for, as we have seen, they routinely point to jihad passages from
the Qur'an and Hadit h to justi fy their actio ns. Nor is a frank discu ssion
of the doctrin e of Islamic jihad equival ent to saying that the "entir e
religion of Islam" is a "problem for the world." No one is saying that
tayammum (ablution with sand instead of water) or dhikr (a dervish
religious devotion) or other elements of Islam pose a problem for the
world.
Defini ng the condemn ation of "all of Islam and its histor y as extrem-
ist"as"Islamo phobic"issimila rly proble matic—and not just becaus e of
the slop py impr ecisi on of the word "extr emist ." Jiha d and dhim mitu de
are part of Islam. Yet no commandment of any religion has ever been
uniformly observed by its adherents, nor any law universally enforced.
Jewsand Christi ans in Islamic lands were able at various times and
places to live with a great deal of freedo m: however , this does not
contra dict thefact that the laws of the dhimma always remained on the
books, able tobe enforced by any Muslim ruler.
Likewise, while it may seem "Islamophobic" to deny "the active exit.-
tence, in the contem porary world, of a moderat e Muslim majorit y," it is
al so be si de th e po in t. Whe th eramod er at e Mus lim maj or it y ex is ts
depends on how you define "moderate Muslim." Is it one who will never
engage in terrorist acts? That would make moderates an overwhelming
majority of Muslims worldwide- Or is a moderate one who sincerely
disapprovesof those terrorist acts? That would reduce the number of
moderates. Or is a moderate Muslim one who actively speaks out and
worksagainst the jihadist s? That would lower the number yet again. Or
finallyis a moderate Muslim one who actively engages the jihadists ina
theological battle , trying to convi nce Musli ms that jihad terro rism is
wring on Islamic grounds? That would leave us with a tiny handful.
Moreover, it would be silly for anyone to treat "all conflicts involving
Muslims ...as the fault of Muslims themselves," or toincite "war against