The Development of a Jihadist's Mind

This is a fascinating article by Tawfik Hamid an Islamic ex-jihadist, in which he explains the process by which he became one, and how he thinks differently now. It's interesting in many ways, perhaps most notably because it illustrates something that I have said here many times, and which those who set out to discredit me and misrepresent me have always ignored: there is a very clear pattern in the Islamic world that shows that as Muslims become more devout and study Islamic theology and law more and more, they begin to somehow get the idea that Muhammad said they should hate and fight non-Muslims. And yet all the time, people accuse me of stirring up hatred by quoting the Qur'an as a non-Muslim with no Qur'anic studies qualifications, as if I have interpreted these passages myself, when in fact it is incredibly learned scholars in the Islamic world who are coming up with this stuff. There has also been a great outcry among dhimmis I've debated online whenever I suggest that moderate Muslims should be examining and reforming the elements of Islam that lead to jihad violence. But here, we see one moderate Muslim encouraging, and actually doing, exactly that. I have been asked a number of times who I consider to be a genuine moderate Muslim, and who I think we should ally with. Well, Tawfik Hamid is one.

So this is a note to all those apologists: next time you call me a bigot, please also take the time to spew some vitriol at Tawfik Hamid, as well.

Below is an extract from his article, but you should read the whole thing. I've bolded the most important bits.

By immersing myself in Salafi ideology, I was better able to judge the impact of its violent tenets on the minds of its followers. Among the more appalling notions it supports are the enslavement and rape of female war prisoners and the beating of women to discipline them. It permits polygamy and pedophilia. It refers to Jews as "pigs and monkeys" and exhorts believers to kill them before the end of days: Say: "Shall I tell you who, in the sight of God, deserves a yet worse retribution than these? Those [the Jews] whom God has rejected and whom He has condemned, and whom He has turned into monkeys and pigs because they worshiped the powers of evil: these are yet worse in station, and farther astray from the right path [than the mockers]" (Koran 5:60). Homosexuals are to be killed as well; to cite one of many examples, on July 19, 2000, two gay teenagers were hanged in Iran for no other crime than being gay.

These doctrines are not taken out of context, as many apologists for Islamism argue: They are central to the faith and ethics of millions of Muslims, and are currently being taught as part of the standard curriculum in many Islamic educational systems in the Middle East as well in the West.

Moreover, there is no single approved Islamic textbook that contradicts or provides an alternative to the passages I have cited. It has thus become clear to me that Salafi ideology is what is largely responsible for the so-called "clash of civilizations." Consequently, I have chosen to combat Salafism by exposing it and by providing an alternative, peaceful and theologically rigorous interpretation of the Koran.

My reformist approach naturally challenges well-established Salafi tenets, and leads Muslims who follow Salafi Islam to reject me. Why? I have not altered the Koran itself. My system is simply one of inline commentary, in which dangerous passages are flagged and reinterpreted to be nonviolent. I have added these inline interpretations to key Koranic passages and examples of the commentary are freely and easily available.

For over 15 years I have tried to preach my views in mosques in the Middle East, as well as to my local community in the West, but have faced the unwavering hostility of most Salafi Muslims in both regions. Muslims who live in the West - who insist to outsiders that Islam is a "religion of peace" and who enjoy freedom of expression, which they demand from their Western hosts - have threatened me with murder and arson. I have had to choose between accepting violent Salafi views and being rejected by the overwhelming majority of my fellow Muslims.

I have chosen the latter....