Altaf Ahmad
Extremists thrive on distortion. They pluck verses from the Quran, strip them of history and context, and weaponize them to justify bloodshed. They shout “kill them wherever you find them” as if Islam commands open-ended slaughter. It does not. This is intellectual dishonesty at its worst.
The so-called “Sword Verse” (Quran 9:5) is the favorite weapon of radicals and Islamophobes alike. On the surface, it seems to endorse violence. In truth, it addressed a specific 7th-century conflict when certain pagan tribes broke peace treaties and waged war against the Muslims. It was about defending a community under siege, not about killing non-believers in general. The very next verse (Quran 9:6) instructs Muslims to give protection and safe passage to enemies who seek peace. The extremists conveniently ignore that.
The Quran’s position is unambiguous: fighting is permitted only in self-defence. It warns, “Fight those who fight you, but do not transgress. God does not love transgressors” (Quran 2:190). The first permission to fight (Quran 22:39) was granted only after Muslims endured years of persecution. Even in war, civilians were off limits, property was not to be destroyed, and force was to stop once the aggressor relented. Compare that with the savagery of extremist groups. They are not defenders of Islam, they are its violators.
Extremists also twist verses about Jews and Christians to sow hatred. Quran 5:51 is often misread as “do not take Jews and Christians as friends.” This mistranslates the Arabic word “awliya.” It does not mean casual friendship. It means political or military alliances with groups actively at war with Muslims. The verse was revealed in the context of betrayal by a hostile tribe, not as a ban on peaceful coexistence. The Quran elsewhere praises fair Christians and calls for justice and kindness toward all who live in peace. Again, the radicals are lying.
Another favorite distortion is Quran 60:1, which cautions against allying with God’s enemies. Extremists stretch it into a doctrine of hatred toward all non-Muslims. Yet the verse referred to Meccans who were in open war with Muslims. The same chapter clarifies that those who do not fight you must be treated with fairness and compassion. The Prophet himself maintained friendships with non-Muslims. If his example means anything, the extremist reading collapses.
The pattern is clear. Extremists mutilate the text to serve their ideology. They rely on fear, ignorance, and cherry-picking. When you restore context, their narrative crumbles. The Quran, read honestly, points not to endless war but to restraint, mercy, and peace. “If they incline towards peace, then you incline towards it” (Quran 8:61). “There is no compulsion in religion” (Quran 2:256). These are not marginal lines. They are core principles.
Those who claim to fight in God’s name by massacring innocents betray the very book they quote. They are not champions of Islam but its saboteurs. To defeat their propaganda, we must insist on context, history, and scholarship. The extremists twist the Quran. We must untwist it. Only then can the truth stand: Islam’s message is justice, compassion, and peace, not cruelty masquerading as faith.
