Islam: A Theology of Hate and Violence

This piece is intended only to convey a close view of Islam and its theology, and is not meant as an affront to Muslims as human beings.

On August 12, 2022, Salman Rushdie, the writer who became well-known as the author of The Satanic Verses, a novel that deeply offended many followers of Islam, was assaulted with a knife by a young Muslim man at a public appearance in Chautauqua, New York. Salman Rushdie has lived with ongoing threats to his life since 1989, when Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the Supreme Leader of Iran, declared that Rushdie was guilty of blasphemy and called for him to be murdered, but until now he had never been subject to a physical assault.

Although Salman Rushdie was, fortunately, not killed by his assailant on August 12, he did suffer grievous injuries, including serious wounds to his neck and one of his eyes. He is the latest casualty of Islam, a religion that, throughout the course of its history, has promoted a theology of hate and violence. Other religions, Christianity among them, have also proven to be harmful in the past, but in the 21st century, it has become starkly apparent that Islam is the religion which currently poses the greatest danger to the freedom and peace of mankind.

Muhammad, a self-proclaimed prophet and the founder of Islam, was, unquestionably, a man of ruthless violence, a warrior who led savage armies into battle, deliberately using bloodshed to spread his religion and enforce its harsh precepts. Violence fueled by an unbending structure of hateful beliefs has been an essential part of Islam since its beginning in the 7th century. In addition, Islam strongly prohibits freedom of thought and expression, always demanding that its followers think and say only what they are told to think and say.

During the past several decades, Islamist terrorists (usually young men with a wild, irrational hatred of Western culture) have carried out vile acts of unspeakable violence around the world, frequently with widespread support, whether passive or overt, from the mainstream of Muslim opinion. The alleged righteousness of violence is never disputed within Islam. (It is also true that, in a number of cases, such acts are clearly intended as a direct response to the evil, unjust wars being waged against Muslim civilians by the United States and other Western nations.)

The problem is made much worse by the rampant foolishness of Western liberals who virtuously contend that "tolerance for the beliefs of others" requires a total acceptance of any doctrines (those of Islam, for example) that are espoused by anyone, anywhere, no matter how condemnable, or how violent, they might be. If one voices opposition in regard to a particular doctrine, one will be accused of lacking "tolerance," a lack that liberals consider to be among the worst of all sins. Thus, liberals serve as unwitting allies of Islamist mayhem.

In the West, the necessity of free speech is a fundamental value that must be steadfastly affirmed, especially in the face of Islamist terrorism. If we choose to stifle ourselves, surrendering through fear of brutality, we will ensure our inevitable defeat, and any trace of freedom that remains will be false, hollow, and meaningless. If we allow that to happen, our lives will be irreparably diminished, and Salman Rushdie's suffering will have been for nothing. For the sake of our collective integrity, we must stand united against the hate and violence of Islam.