The misunderstood distinction between "moderate" and "extremist" Muslims

So you think you’re really virtuous for insisting that there are moderate Muslims. You’re not saying anything new. Islam created them, and they are nothing like what you think.

Muslims in Aceh watching 60-year-old woman being caned.

Islam has a doctrinal division between two kinds of Muslim, one peaceful and the other violent, but they are complementary, rather than antithetical, in that each has its assigned role in jihad. On both sides, peaceful and violent, are Muslims in whose interest it is to deny any such division. Peaceful Muslims deny the division by simply denying that the violent Muslims are Muslims, while the violent Muslims deny the division by insisting that they are all Muslims without distinction. What is really going on here? Islamic sacred texts throw some light.

Warfare is commanded for you, even though it is odious for you, but it may happen that you hate something that is good for you, and it may happen that you love something that is bad for you. Allah knows, you do not know. (Qur’an 2:216)

Warfare is commanded for you — Every Muslim must wage war, jihad (against the infidel)

even though it is odious for you — even though you are not disposed towards violence

but it may happen that you hate something that is good for you — What Allah commands of you is good for you, but Allah understands your nature

and it may happen that you love something that is bad for you — Your nature can lead you to wrongdoing

Allah knows, you do not know — Do not trust you nature; hear and obey Allah, if you wish what is good

The great fault line of the ummah runs right through the very heart of Islam, jihad: those who fight, and those who do not fight. This is the most fundamental point, so much so that dying while killing in jihad is the sole guarantee of reaching Paradise, bypassing even Judgement Day. Everything else, including sixty years of piety, gives at best a 50:50 shot at getting to Heaven. Those not disposed to violence, the peaceful Muslims, are not relieved of the obligation to wage jihad. Their non-violent jihad role is to create or secure the conditions for jihad, so the violent Muslims may carry out the killing. Naturally, they enjoy a lower status in the eyes of Allah and are entitled to a lesser reward.

Those of the believers who sit still, other than those who have an injury, are not equal with those who wage jihad in the way of Allah with their wealth and lives. Allah has conferred on those who wage jihad with their wealth and lives a rank above the sedentary. Allah has promised good to each, but he has bestowed on those who wage jihad a great reward above that of the sedentary. (Qur’an 4:95) (My emphasis)

In other words, despite Allah acknowledging that some Muslims are by nature peaceful, he nonetheless incentivises them to be violent, to go out to slay and be slain in the cause of Allah.

At this point the careful reader might wonder why the peaceful Muslim might want to have anything to do with killing at all. This is one of those situation when the true genius of Islamic evil stands out in sharp relief: in the main, jihad is a communal obligation. This means that the obligation to wage war on the infidel and die in the process of killing is on the Muslim community, rather than on each individual Muslim. The way this pans out is that as long as some in the community do the killing, everyone in that community has fulfilled the obligation. But if no one does it, then they have all sinned.

Jihad is a communal obligation. When enough people perform it to successfully accomplish it, it is no longer obligatory upon others. (Reliance of the Traveller, Book O9.1)

It is therefore in the peaceful, moderate Muslim’s interest that there by violent, extremist Muslims who will do the killing on behalf of them all, and the “moderate Muslim” will do his or her jihad duty to ensure that the killing takes place. This is the main reason so-called “peaceful Muslims” never speak up against the killing (there are other reasons, too). There are many ways in which “moderate Muslims” contribute to the killing: driving the killer to the intended victims; providing the killers with information on their intended victims or the whereabout of law-enforcement personnel; concealing the whereabout of the killers from law-enforcement; providing the killers with a bed and provisions; etc.—incidentally, a minimum of 12.5 percent of all zakat, “alms,” collected must be allocated to jihad terror. This minimum allocation of funds for killing infidels is fixed for all time, everywhere. A community may spend more on jihad, but never less. Zakat is obligatory on every Muslim. Thus, being Muslim means you fund terrorism, no exceptions.

The Prophet of Allah said: He who equips a warrior in the way of Allah (is like one who actually fights), and he who looks after the family of a warrior in the way of Allah, in fact, participated in the battle. (Sahih Muslim 1895b)

In an interview with Islam 21c, Sheikh Dr Yasir Qadhi reminded “moderate Muslims” of their minimum jihad duty:

What can the average Muslim do? The average Muslim can be visibly Muslim and demonstrate the beauty of Islam to their peers, their colleagues, their co-workers, their neighbours. That is the biggest victory for Islam and the ummah. Do not trivialise your role. If you can influence your immediate circle to understand our religion is a positive force for society, that’s all we need you to do.

Now, if you can go one level above this and get into the reality of what’s happening in Gaza and Falastin, you’ll need to know some knowledge and back-up, but even that’s not necessary. But if you’re able to, fine.

But just at that [basic] level, if you can do that, you have lived your life as a success, and you can meet Allah with the clean conscience. That’s all that Allah requires of you. This is a religion of ease and Allah does not require superhuman feats. You do the best you can, and you’ve won in this world and in the Ahira. (My emphasis)

This minimum jihad role of the “moderate Muslim” is to disrupt the target population’s effectiveness in detecting and responding to jihad, thereby disarming their peers, colleagues, co-workers and neighbours. The supposed “friendliness” of moderate Muslims is pure psychological warfare and highly successful, so much so that some infidels insist on calling them “non-jihadist Muslims”. The only problem here is that there is no Islam without jihad and no Muslim escapes jihad. Whether by action or omission, they are guilty, because they are Muslim.

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Picture credit:

Above Whispers

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