{"id":7218,"date":"2014-04-15T11:11:29","date_gmt":"2014-04-15T18:11:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/?p=7218"},"modified":"2014-04-15T11:11:29","modified_gmt":"2014-04-15T18:11:29","slug":"taqiyya-about-taqiyya","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/taqiyya-about-taqiyya\/","title":{"rendered":"Taqiyya about Taqiyya"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Raymond Ibrahim \/\/\u00a0RaymondIbrahim.com<\/a>\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

I was recently involved in an interesting exercise\u2014examining taqiyya\u00a0about<\/em>\u00a0taqiyya\u2014and believe readers might profit from the same exercise, as it exposes all the subtle apologetics made in defense of the Islamic doctrine, which permits Muslims to lie to non-Muslims, or \u201cinfidels.\u201d\"taqiyya1\"<\/p>\n

Context: Khurrum Awan, a lawyer, is suing Ezra Levant, a Canadian media personality and author, for defamation and $100,000.\u00a0 Back in 2009 and on his\u00a0own website<\/a>, Levant had accused Awan of taqiyya in the context of Awan\u2019s and the Canadian Islamic Congress\u2019 earlier attempts to sue Mark Steyn.<\/p>\n

For more on Levant\u2019s court case, go to\u00a0www.StandWithEzra.ca<\/a>.<\/p>\n

On behalf of Awan, Mohammad Fadel\u2014professor of Islamic Law at the University of Toronto\u2019s Faculty of Law\u2014provided an expert report to the court on the nature of taqiyya, the significance of which he portrayed as \u201ca staple of right-wing Islamophobia in North America.\u201d<\/p>\n

In response, Levant asked me (back in 2013) to write an expert report on taqiyya, including by responding to Fadel\u2019s findings.<\/p>\n

I did.\u00a0 And it had the desired effect.\u00a0 As Levant put it in an email to me:<\/p>\n

It was an outstanding report, very authoritative and persuasive. Of course, we don\u2019t know what the plaintiff\u2019s [Awan\u2019s] private thoughts about it were, but we do know that after receiving the report, he decided to cancel calling his own expert witness [Dr. Fadel]\u2014who happens to be a Muslim Brotherhood sympathizer. After reading your rebuttal, he decided he would rather not engage in that debate.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

My expert report follows.\u00a0 In it, I quote relevant portions of Fadel\u2019s expert report (which can be read in its entirety here<\/a>).\u00a0 Most intriguing about the professor\u2019s report is that it\u2019s a perfect example of taqiyya about taqiyya.\u00a0 By presenting partial truths throughout the report, Fadel appears to have even employed taqiyya\u2019s more liberal sister, tawriya.<\/p>\n

Accordingly, readers interested in learning more about the role of deception in Islam\u2014and how to respond to those trying to dismiss it as an \u201cIslamophobic fantasy\u201d\u2014are encouraged to read on.<\/p>\n

Raymond Ibrahim\u2019s Expert Report on\u00a0Taqiyya<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Instructions:<\/strong> I have been asked to assess a report concerning the doctrine of\u00a0taqiyya<\/em>\u00a0in Islam, written by one Mohammad Fadel; and, if I disagreed with any parts of it, to explain why\u2014objectively, neutrally, and in a non-partisan manner.\u00a0 My findings follow.<\/p>\n

Introduction<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Islamic doctrine of\u00a0taqiyya<\/em>\u00a0permits Muslims to actively deceive non-Muslims\u2014above and beyond the context of \u201cself-preservation,\u201d as is commonly believed.<\/p>\n

One of the few books exclusively devoted to the subject,\u00a0At-Taqiyya fi\u2019l-Islam<\/em>\u00a0(\u201cTaqiyya in Islam\u201d) make this unequivocally clear. Written (in Arabic) by Dr. Sami Mukaram, a former Islamic studies professor at the American University of Beirut and author of some twenty-five books on Islam, the book demonstrates the ubiquity and broad applicability of\u00a0taqiyya\u00a0<\/em>in its opening pages:<\/p>\n

Taqiyya<\/em>\u00a0is of fundamental importance in Islam. Practically every Islamic sect agrees to it and practices it \u2026 We can go so far as to say that the practice of\u00a0taqiyya<\/em>\u00a0is mainstream in Islam, and that those few sects not practicing it diverge from the mainstream \u2026\u00a0Taqiyya<\/em>\u00a0is very prevalent in Islamic politics, especially in the modern era.[1]<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The following report is written as a response to\u00a0Mohammed Fadel\u2019s report (henceforth referred to as MFR)<\/a>\u00a0which deals with the topic of\u00a0taqiyya<\/em>\u00a0and its place and usage in Islamic jurisprudence.\u00a0\u00a0 Because MFR is written in a premises-conclusion format, the following report will follow MFR\u2019s numbering schemata, pointing out which premises are agreeable and which are not\u2014offering correctives to these latter resulting in an antithetical conclusion.<\/p>\n

Numbers\/Premises of MFR in Order:<\/strong><\/p>\n

1-3:<\/strong> Preliminary statements.<\/p>\n

4:<\/strong> Agreed.<\/p>\n

5<\/strong>:\u00a0 Agreed, with the following caveat:\u00a0 To many Muslims, jihad, that is, armed struggle against the non-Muslim, is the informal sixth pillar.\u00a0\u00a0 Islam\u2019s prophet Muhammad said that \u201cstanding in the ranks of battle [jihad] is better than standing (in prayer) for sixty years,\u201d[2]\u00a0even though prayer is one of the Five Pillars, and he ranked jihad as the \u201csecond best deed\u201d after belief in Allah as the only god and he himself, Muhammad, as his prophet, the\u00a0shehada<\/em>, or very First Pillar of Islam.[3]<\/p>\n

All this indicates jihad\u2019s importance in Islam\u2014and thus importance to this case, since, as shall be seen,\u00a0taqiyya<\/em>\u00a0is especially permissible in the context of jihad or struggle to empower Islam and\/or Muslims over non-Muslims.<\/p>\n

6: <\/strong>Agreed.\u00a0\u00a0Qiyas<\/em>, or analogical reasoning, the practice of finding antecedents in the teachings of the two revelatory sources (Qur\u2019an and Hadith) and rationalizing their applicability to modern phenomena, also belongs to\u00a0usul al-fiqh<\/em>, or Islam\u2019s roots of jurisprudence.\u00a0 It gives more elasticity to Islam\u2019s rules (a major theme throughout this report).\u00a0\u00a0Qiyas<\/em>, for example, is the way al-Qaeda and other jihadi organizations justify suicide attacks: although killing oneself is clearly forbidden in Islam, in the context of jihad\u2014in the context of trying to empower Islam\u2014suicide attacks are rationalized as legitimate forms of stealth warfare, since those giving their lives are not doing so out of despair but rather for Islam (as in Qur\u2019an 9:111).[4]<\/p>\n

7-19<\/strong>: Generally agreed (or indifferent to: some information in these numbers is not necessarily germane to the issue at hand and did not warrant confirmation).<\/p>\n

20:\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0\u201cNormative Islamic doctrine places strong emphasis on the obligation to speak the truth.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

This is the first of many statements\/premises that are only partially true.<\/p>\n

For starters, Islamic jurisprudence separates humanity into classes.\u00a0 The rules concerning the relationship between a Muslim and a fellow Muslim differ from the rules concerning the relationship between a Muslim and a non-Muslim.<\/p>\n

First there is the\u00a0umma<\/em>\u2014the \u201cIslamic nation,\u201d that is, all Muslims of the earth, irrespective of national, racial, or linguistic barriers.\u00a0 Many of the Qur\u2019an\u2019s and Hadith\u2019s teachings that appear laudable and fair are in fact teachings that apply only to fellow Muslims.<\/p>\n

For example, although the Qur\u2019an\u2019s calls for Muslims to give charity (zakat<\/em>) appear to suggest that Muslims may give charity to all humans\u2014in fact, normative Islamic teaching is clear that Muslim charity (zakat<\/em>) can only be given to fellow Muslims, never to non-Muslims.[5]<\/p>\n

As for legal relations between Muslims and non-Muslims\u2014or\u00a0kuffar<\/em>, the \u201cinfidels\u201d (kafir<\/em>, singular)\u2014within the Islamic world, these fall into two main categories: first, the\u00a0harbi<\/em>, that is, the non-Muslim who does not reside in the Islamic world; if at any time a Muslim comes across him in the Muslim world, according to classic Islamic doctrine, he is free to attack, enslave, and\/or kill him (the exception is if he is\u00a0musta\u2019min<\/em>\u2014given a formal permit by an Islamic authority to be on Muslim territory, such as the case of the many foreigners working in the Arabian Peninsula).[6]<\/p>\n

Second is the\u00a0dhimmi<\/em>, the non-Muslim who lives under Muslim domination (for example, all the indigenous Christians, Jews, Zoroastrians, Berbers, etc. whose lands were conquered by Muslims beginning in the 7th\u00a0century).\u00a0\u00a0 By today\u2019s standards, the rules governing the\u00a0dhimmi<\/em>, most of which are based on the so-called \u201cConditions of Omar<\/a>\u201d (sometimes the \u201cPact of Omar\u201d) are openly discriminatory and include things such as commanding non-Muslims to give up their seats whenever a Muslim wants it.[7]<\/p>\n

It is, then, in this divisive context that one must approach the Qur\u2019an, keeping in mind that most of the verses discussing human relations are discussing intra-relations between Muslims, not Muslims and non-Muslims.\u00a0 For examples of the latter, see Qur\u2019an 9:5, 9:29, 5:17, and 5:73 for typical verses that discuss relations between Muslims and non-Muslims, verses which have further abrogated the earlier, more tolerant ones.[8]<\/p>\n

As for the Qur\u2019an verses listed in MFR 20\u2014which are meant to support the statement that \u201cNormative Islamic doctrine places strong emphasis on the obligation to speak the truth,\u201d a close reading, supported by mainstream Islamic exegeses, demonstrates that the true function of those verses is to portray true believers (Muslims) and Islam\u2019s prophets as the epitome of honesty and sincerity.\u00a0 Significantly, none of the verses mentioned in MFR 20 actually\u00a0exhort<\/em>\u00a0Muslims to be honest and truthful, including to fellow Muslims, in the same vein as, for example, unequivocal statements such as\u00a0\u201c<\/strong>Do not lie to one another\u201d (Colossians 3:9) and \u201cYou shall not bear false witness against your neighbor\u201d (Exodus 20:16).<\/p>\n

The fact is, other Islamic teachings and caveats have permitted Muslims to deceive even fellow Muslims.\u00a0 For example, the doctrine of\u00a0tawriya<\/em>\u00a0allows Muslims to lie in virtually\u00a0all<\/em>\u00a0circumstances provided that the lie is articulated in a way that it is technically true.<\/p>\n

The authoritative\u00a0Hans Wehr Arabic-English Dictionary<\/em>\u00a0defines\u00a0tawriya<\/em>\u00a0as, \u201chiding, concealment; dissemblance, dissimulation, hypocrisy; equivocation, ambiguity, double-entendre, allusion.\u201d Conjugates of the trilateral root of the word,\u00a0w-r-y<\/em>, appear in the Quran in the context of hiding or concealing something (e.g., 5:31, 7:26).<\/p>\n

As a doctrine, \u201cdouble-entendre\u201d best describes\u00a0tawriya\u2019s<\/em>\u00a0function. According to past and present Muslim scholars (several documented below),\u00a0tawriya<\/em>\u00a0is when a speaker\/writer asserts something that means one thing to the listener\/reader, though the speaker\/writer means something else, and his words technically support this alternate meaning.<\/p>\n

For example, if someone declares \u201cI don\u2019t have a penny in my pocket,\u201d most listeners will assume the speaker has no money on him\u2014though he might have dollar bills, just literally no pennies.<\/p>\n

This is legitimate according to Islamic law, or\u00a0shari\u2018a<\/em>\u2014the body of legal rulings that defines how a Muslim should behave in all circumstances\u2014and does not constitute \u201clying.\u201d<\/p>\n

In a fatwa, or Islamic decree, popular Sheikh Muhammad Salih al-Munajid asserts that, \u201cTawriya<\/em>\u00a0is permissible if it is necessary\u00a0or serves a\u00a0shari\u2018a<\/em>\u00a0interest.\u201d\u00a0 As mentioned, empowering Islam is one of the highest\u00a0shari\u2018a<\/em>\u00a0interests [9]\u00a0(hence why jihad, so lauded by Islam\u2019s prophet as aforementioned, is sometimes seen as the \u201csixth pillar\u201d).<\/p>\n

After surveying the consensus of the Islamic community (ijma<\/em>, a root source of Islamic jurisprudence, as MFR 6 correctly indicates) Sheikh al-Munajid concludes by saying: \u201cTawriya<\/em>is permissible under two conditions: 1) that the words used fit the hidden meaning; 2) that it does not lead to an injustice\u201d [\u201cinjustice\u201d as defined by\u00a0shari\u2018a<\/em>; empowering Islam throughtawriya<\/em>\u00a0or empowering a Muslim against an infidel is certainly not an injustice from an Islamic point of view].<\/p>\n

Otherwise, it is permissible for a Muslim even to swear when lying through\u00a0tawriya<\/em>. Munajid, for example, cites a man who swears to Allah that he can only sleep under a roof (saqf<\/em>); when the man is caught sleeping atop a roof, he exonerates himself by saying \u201cby roof, I meant the open sky.\u201d This is legitimate. \u201cAfter all,\u201d Munajid adds, \u201cQur\u2019an 21:32 refers to the sky as a roof [saqf<\/em>].\u201d<\/p>\n

By way of modern examples, and because some Muslims hold it to be a \u201cgreat sin\u201d[10]\u00a0to acknowledge Christmas (since doing so validates Christianity, a different message than Islam), one Muslim cleric\u00a0recently appeared on video counseling Muslims to tell Christians, \u201cI wish you the best,\u201d whereby the latter might \u201cunderstand it to mean you\u2019re wishing them best in terms of their [Christmas] celebration.\u201d But\u2014here the sheikh giggles as he explains\u2014\u201cby saying\u00a0I wish you the best<\/em>, you mean in your heart\u00a0I wish you become a Muslim<\/em>.\u201d[11]<\/p>\n

As with most Muslim practices,\u00a0tawriya<\/em>\u00a0is traced to Islam\u2019s prophet Muhammad. After insisting Muslims \u201cneed\u201d\u00a0tawriya<\/em>\u00a0because it \u201csaves them from lying,\u201d and thus sinning, in a video, Sheikh Uthman al-Khamis\u00a0adds that Muhammad often used it.[12]\u00a0Indeed, Islam\u2019s prophet is on record saying \u201cAllah has commanded me to equivocate among the people inasmuch as he has commanded me to establish [religious] obligations\u201d; and \u201cI have been sent with obfuscation\u201d; and \u201cwhoever lives his life in dissimulation dies a martyr.\u201d[13]<\/p>\n

More specifically, in a hadith, Muhammad said: \u201cIf any of you ever pass gas or soil yourselves during prayers [thus breaking ablution purity, or\u00a0wudu\u2018<\/em>\u00a0[14], hold your nose and leave\u201d[15]: Holding one\u2019s nose and leaving implies smelling something offensive\u2014which is true\u2014though it implies someone other than the offender is responsible.<\/p>\n

Following their prophet\u2019s example, many leading Muslim figures have used\u00a0tawriya<\/em>, such as\u00a0Imam Ahmed bin Hanbal, founder of one of Islam\u2019s four schools of law, practiced in Saudi Arabia (the teachings of which have spread far and wide among the world\u2019s Muslims, thanks to Saudi funding). Once when Hanbal was conducting class, someone came knocking, asking for one of his students. Hanbal answered, \u201cHe\u2019s not here, what would he be doing here?\u201d[16]\u2014all the time pointing at his hand, as if to say \u201che\u2019s not in my hand.\u201d The caller, who could not see Hanbal\u2019s hands, assumed the student was simply not there and left.<\/p>\n

Sheikh Muhammad Hassan,[17]\u00a0another very popular Egyptian cleric (who once said Islam\u00a0forbids\u00a0Muslims from smiling to infidels, except when to Islam\u2019s advantage [18]) and\u00a0Dr. Abdullah Shakir, [19]\u00a0are also on record justifying\u00a0tawriya<\/em>. In recorded videos they both give the example of someone knocking on your door, you do not wish to see them, so a relative answers the door saying, \u201cHe\u2019s not here,\u201d and by \u201chere\u201d they mean the immediate room, which is true, since you will be hiding in another room.<\/p>\n

On the popular Islam Web,[20]\u00a0where Muslims submit questions and Islamic authorities respond with a fatwa, a girl poses her moral dilemma: her father has explicitly told her that, whenever the phone rings, she is to answer saying \u201che\u2019s not here.\u201d The fatwa solves her problem: she is free to lie, but when she says \u201che\u2019s not here,\u201d she must mean in her mind that he is not in the same room, or not directly in front of her.<\/p>\n

Despite their deceptive natures, and in accordance to mainstream Islamic teaching, none of the aforementioned examples of\u00a0tawriya<\/em>\u2014beginning with Islam\u2019s prophet and followed\u00a0 by Islam\u2019s doctrinaires, past and present\u2014are considered lies.<\/p>\n

This is significant.<\/p>\n

Furthermore, that\u00a0tawriya<\/em>, which allows Muslims to deceive fellow Muslims, is legitimate according to\u00a0shari\u2018a<\/em>, should be indicative of how much leeway there is for Muslims when speaking to non-Muslims\u2014considering that Islam also teaches Muslims to be loyal to fellow Muslims and to have enmity for non-Muslims, as in the doctrine of\u00a0wala\u2019 wa bara\u2019<\/em>.[21]<\/p>\n

21: <\/strong>Again, the statement that\u00a0\u201cThe Prophet Muhammad also emphasized the importance of honesty as a central principle of Islam,\u201d<\/em>\u00a0followed by the hadith\u00a0\u201cHonesty leads to righteousness\u2026\u201d<\/em>\u00a0is only valid in the context of Muslim to Muslim relations.<\/p>\n

Again, because\u00a0tawriya<\/em>\u00a0is techincally not lying, as Islamic consensus holds\u2014provided the words fit the meaning used to mislead others\u2014it is considered permissible, or\u00a0mubah<\/em>, though a minority categorize it as \u201cdisliked,\u201d meaning that its performance is not a sin, though not performing it is rewarded (as MFR 17 correctly indicates).<\/p>\n

As for the Islamic prophet himself\u2014whose example is to be upheld as closely as possible by Sunni Muslims (sunna<\/em>\u00a0meaning \u201cexample\u201d)\u2014above and beyond the aforementioned, according to a canonical hadith, it is well known that he permitted lying in three scenarios: to reconcile quarreling parties, to one\u2019s wife, and in war, or jihad.[22]<\/p>\n

It is the third of these categories, jihad, that is relevant here.<\/p>\n

According to one Arabic legal manual devoted to jihad as defined by the four schools of Sunni Islamic law, \u201cThe\u00a0ulema<\/em>\u00a0[\u201cscholars\u201d] agree that deception during warfare is legitimate \u2026 deception is a form of art in war.\u201d[23]\u00a0 Moreover, according to Dr. Mukaram, the foremost expert on\u00a0taqiyya<\/em>, this deception is classified as\u00a0taqiyya<\/em>: \u201cTaqiyya<\/em>\u00a0in order to dupe the enemy is permissible.\u201d[24]<\/p>\n

This Muslim notion that \u201cwar is deceit\u201d goes back to the Battle of the Trench (year 627), which pitted Muhammad and his followers against several non-Muslim tribes known as Al-Ahzab. One of the members of Ahzab, Na\u2018im ibn Mas\u2018ud, went to the Muslim camp and converted to Islam. When Muhammad discovered that the Ahzab were unaware of his conversion, and thus defection, he told Mas\u2018ud to return and try to get the Ahzab forces to abandon the siege. It was then that Muhammad memorably declared, \u201cFor war is deceit.\u201d Mas\u2018ud returned to the Ahzab without their knowing that he had switched sides and intentionally began to give his former kin and allies bad advice. He also went to great lengths to instigate quarrels between the various tribes until, thoroughly distrusting each other, they disbanded, lifting their siege.[25]<\/p>\n

A more compelling expression of the legitimacy of deceiving non-Muslims is found in the following authentic anecdote from the Muslim prophet\u2019s life. A poet, Ka\u2018b ibn Ashraf, offended Muhammad with his verse, prompting the latter to exclaim, \u201cWho will kill this man who has hurt Allah and his prophet?\u201d A young Muslim named Muhammad ibn Maslama volunteered on condition that in order to get close enough to Ka\u2018b to assassinate him, he be allowed to lie to the poet.<\/p>\n

Muhammad\u00a0agreed.[26]<\/p>\n

Ibn Maslama traveled to Ka\u2018b and began to denigrate Islam and Muhammad. He carried on in this way till his disaffection became so convincing that Ka\u2018b took him into his confidence. Soon thereafter, Ibn Maslama appeared with another Muslim and, while Ka\u2018b\u2019s guard was down, killed him.[27]<\/p>\n

Accordingly, normative Islam teaches that deceit is integral to jihad: Ibn al-Arabi declares that \u201cin the Hadith [sayings and actions of Muhammad], practicing deceit in war is well demonstrated. Indeed, its need is more stressed than the need for courage.\u201d Ibn al-Munir (d. 1333) writes, \u201cWar is deceit, i.e., the most complete and perfect war waged by a holy warrior [mujahid<\/em>] is a war of deception, not confrontation, due to the latter\u2019s inherent danger, and the fact that one can attain victory through treachery without harm [to oneself].\u201d And Ibn Hajar (d. 1448) counsels Muslims \u201cto take great caution in war, while [publicly] lamenting and mourning in order to dupe the infidels.\u201d[28]<\/p>\n

In short, the earliest historical records of Islam clearly attest to the prevalence of\u00a0taqiyya<\/em>\u2014deception and betrayal, as in the case of the poet Ka\u2018b \u2014as a form of Islamic warfare against the non-Muslim infidel.\u00a0 And this is still a legal strategy for Muslims vis-\u00e0-vis non-Muslims\u2014especially if the lying is rationalized as a form of jihad to empower Islam or Muslims.<\/p>\n

Furthermore, early Muslims are often depicted in early Islamic texts as lying their way out of binds\u2014usually by denying or insulting Islam or Muhammad\u2014often to the approval of the latter, his only criterion being that their intentions (niya<\/em>) be pure.[29] During the centuries-long wars with Christians, whenever and wherever the latter were in authority, the practice of\u00a0taqiyya<\/em>\u00a0became even more integral and widespread.<\/p>\n

Professor Mukaram states, \u201cTaqiyya<\/em>\u00a0was used as a way to fend off danger from the Muslims, especially in critical times and when their borders were exposed to wars with the Byzantines and, afterwards, to the raids of the Franks and others.\u201d[30] The widespread use of\u00a0taqiyya<\/em>\u00a0was one of the main reasons that prompted the Spanish Inquisition: hundreds of thousands of Muslims who had feigned conversion to Christianity secretly remained Muslim, conspiring with North African Muslim tribes to reconquer the Iberian Peninsula.[31]<\/p>\n

22-23-24:<\/strong>\u00a0 Partially agreed. These three sections deal primarily with the importance for a Muslim to uphold his covenant (a presumably immaterial point in the case at hand).\u00a0 Covenants are in fact to be honored according to mainstream Islamic teaching.\u00a0 Even so, however, and as with the general ban on lying, caveats abound:<\/p>\n

Consider the role of covenants between Muslims and non-Muslims in the context of the perpetual nature of jihad: based on the 10-year treaty of Hudaybiya (628), ratified between Muhammad and his Quraish opponents in Mecca, mainstream Sunni jurists are agreed that ten years is the maximum amount of time Muslims can be at peace with non-Muslims; once the treaty has expired, the situation needs to be reappraised.<\/p>\n

Based on Muhammad\u2019s example of breaking the treaty after two years (by claiming a Quraish infraction), the primary function of the truce is to buy weakened Muslims time to regroup before renewing the offensive.[32]\u00a0According to\u00a0shari\u2018a<\/em>\u00a0law expert Dr. Majid Khadurri,\u00a0\u201cBy their very nature, treaties must be of temporary duration, for in Muslim legal theory, the normal relations between Muslim and non-Muslim territories are not peaceful, but warlike.\u201d[33] Hence \u201cthe\u00a0fuqaha<\/em>\u00a0[jurists] are agreed that open-ended truces are illegitimate if Muslims have the strength to renew the war against them [non-Muslims].\u201d[34]<\/p>\n

Some of Sunni Islam\u2019s four schools of law (or\u00a0madhahib<\/em>), such as the Hanafi, assert that Muslim leaders may abrogate treaties merely if it seems advantageous for Islam.[35]\u00a0This is reminiscent of the following words of Prophet Muhammad as found in a canonical\u00a0hadith<\/em>: \u201cIf you ever take an oath to do something and later on you find that something else is better, then you should expiate your oath and do what is better.\u201d[36]<\/p>\n

Nearly 1400 years after Muhammad abrogated the covenant with the Quraish, Yasser Arafat, soon after negotiating a peace treaty criticized as conceding too much to Israel, addressed an assembly of Muslims in a mosque in Johannesburg justifying his actions by referring to Muhammad\u2019s example: \u201cI see this agreement as being no more than the agreement signed between our Prophet Muhammad and the Quraish in Mecca.\u201d[37] In other words, like Muhammad, Arafat gave his word only to annul it once \u201csomething better\u201d came along\u2014that is, once the opportunity to renew the offensive to empower Islam came along.<\/p>\n

In short, the idea of making covenants with non-Muslims revolves around Muslim capability. This is made clear in an authoritative Sunni legal text,\u00a0Umdat as-Salik<\/em>, compiled by a 14thcentury Egyptian scholar, Ahmad Ibn Naqib al-Misri: \u201cThere must be some benefit [maslaha<\/em>] served in making a truce other than the status quo: \u2018So do not be fainthearted and call for peace when it is you who are uppermost\u2019 [Qur\u2019an 47:35].\u201d[38]<\/p>\n

25-26-27:<\/strong> These sections finally deal directly with the topic of\u00a0taqiyya<\/em>.\u00a0 Again, because they are built atop some invalid premises, they are only partially correct.<\/p>\n

Thus,\u00a0\u00a0\u201cA Muslim who is subject to severe religious persecution\u2014which exposes him to a reasonable fear of death or severe bodily injury unless he renounce Islam\u2014is permitted, but not required, to renounce Islam verbally even though he remains inwardly a faithful Muslim.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

This is true. However, fear of religious persecution is hardly the only criterion to justify deception in Islam, as demonstrated above.<\/p>\n

Accordingly, the assertion from MFR 26 that\u00a0\u201cSignificantly, however, he [Muslim] is only permitted to lie about his religious belief if he is subjected to severe persecution, e.g., loss of life or severe bodily pain\u201d<\/em>\u00a0is plainly false.<\/p>\n

As mentioned, according to\u00a0shari\u2018a<\/em>\u00a0law, deception is permissible in several contexts above and beyond the question of self-preservation against persecution.<\/p>\n

Furthermore, MFR mentions Qur\u2019an al-Nahl (16:106), which discusses the permission for Muslims to dissemble their identity if persecuted by non-Muslims, as the primary verse justifying\u00a0taqiyya<\/em>.\u00a0 In fact, Muslim jurists often point to another verse, Qur\u2019an 3:28, which better captures the overall nature of\u00a0taqiyya<\/em>\u00a0in a more applicable context: \u201cLet believers [Muslims] not take infidels [non-Muslims] for friends and allies instead of believers. Whoever does this shall have no relationship left with God\u2014unless you but guard yourselves against them, taking precautions.\u201d[39]<\/p>\n

The exegesis of Qur\u2019an 3:28 of Muhammad ibn Jarir at-Tabari (d. 923), author of one of the most standard and authoritative Qur\u2019an commentaries throughout the Islamic world, follows:<\/p>\n

If you [Muslims] are under their [non-Muslims\u2019] authority, fearing for yourselves, behave loyally to them with your tongue while harboring inner animosity for them \u2026 [know that] Allah has forbidden believers from being friendly or on intimate terms with the infidels rather than other believers\u2014except when infidels are above them [in authority]. Should that be the case, let them act friendly towards them while preserving their religion.[40]<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Regarding Qur\u2019an 3:28, Ibn Kathir (d. 1373), another standard authority on the Qur\u2019an, writes, \u201cWhoever at any time or place fears \u2026 evil [from non-Muslims] may protect himself through outward show.\u201d As proof of this, he quotes Muhammad\u2019s close companion Abu Darda, who said, \u201cLet us grin in the face of some people while our hearts curse them.\u201d Another companion, simply known as Al-Hasan, said, \u201cDoing\u00a0taqiyya<\/em>\u00a0is acceptable till the Day of Judgment [i.e., in perpetuity].\u201d[41]<\/p>\n

Other prominent scholars, such as Abu Abdullah al-Qurtubi (1214-73) and Muhyi al-Din ibn al-Arabi (1165-1240), have extended\u00a0taqiyya<\/em>\u00a0to cover deeds. In other words, Muslims can behave like infidels and worse\u2014for example, by bowing down and worshiping idols and crosses, offering false testimony, and even exposing the weaknesses of their fellow Muslims to the infidel enemy\u2014anything short of actually killing a Muslim.[42]<\/p>\n

[Note<\/strong>: Although MFR 25 correctly asserts that \u201cthere are occasions in which it is permitted,\u00a0or even required<\/em>, to lie,\u201d nowhere in the report are examples offered of when it is \u201crequired\u201d for Muslims to lie.]<\/p>\n

28-29<\/strong>:\u00a0\u00a0\u201cIn no case, as far as I know, have Muslim theologians taken the position that it is generally permissible, much less obligatory, for Muslims to lie to non-Muslims, whether in matters regarding religious belief or secular practices\u2026\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 And (#29),\u00a0\u201c\u2026there is no doctrinal basis in authentic Islamic teachings to support the claim, made by Ezra Levant and others \u2026 that\u00a0<\/em>taqiyya\u00a0is anything other than an exceptional doctrine justified under circumstances of extreme duress that are simply inapplicable to Muslims living in Canada and the United States.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

The many references above (with endnotes below) from the Qur\u2019an, from the sayings and deeds of Islam\u2019s prophet Muhammad, and from the decrees and consensus of past and present Islamic authorities, demonstrate otherwise.<\/p>\n

As for the idea that\u00a0taqiyya<\/em>\u00a0is \u201can exceptional doctrine justified under circumstances of extreme duress,\u201d it is well to remember that the premiere authority on\u00a0taqiyya<\/em>, Dr. Mukaram, asserts that:<\/p>\n

Taqiyya<\/em>\u00a0is of fundamental importance in Islam. Practically every Islamic sect agrees to it and practices it \u2026 We can go so far as to say that the practice of\u00a0taqiyya<\/em>\u00a0is mainstream in Islam, and that those few sects not practicing it diverge from the mainstream \u2026\u00a0Taqiyya<\/em>\u00a0is very prevalent in Islamic politics, especially in the modern era.[43]<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Conclusion<\/strong><\/p>\n

Deception\u2014known under the broad term\u00a0taqiyya<\/em>\u2014is permissible in Islam, above and beyond the limited issue of self-preservation.\u00a0 This assertion is not \u201cIslamophobic\u201d; it is true.\u00a0 From a legalistic point of view, and as seen especially via the concept of\u00a0tawriya<\/em>, as long as deceptions are technically true (\u201cI don\u2019t have a penny in my pocket,\u201d only dollars), they are not even considered lies.\u00a0 The prophet of Islam, Muhammad\u2014the example that Sunni Muslims especially pattern their lives after\u2014regularly made use of deceit. In order to assassinate a poet (Ka\u2018b ibn Ashraf) who offended him, Muhammad permitted a Muslim to lie to the poet.\u00a0 Muhammad is further on record giving license to breaking oaths (\u201cif something better\u201d comes along) and openly lying (without even employing\u00a0tawriya<\/em>) to one\u2019s wife and in war.\u00a0 As for the latter, which assumes a perpetual nature in the guise of the jihad against the non-Muslim in order to make Islam (and Muslims) supreme (e.g., Qur\u2019an 8:39), deception and lies are certainly permissible.<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n

[1]\u00a0Sami Mukaram,\u00a0At-Taqiyya fi<\/em>\u00a0\u2019l-Islam<\/em>\u00a0(London: Mu\u2019assisat at-Turath ad-Druzi, 2004), p. 7, author\u2019s translation.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

[2]\u00a0John Calvert,\u00a0Islamism: A Documentary and Reference Guide<\/em>\u00a0(Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 2008),\u00a0 p. 197.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

[3]\u00a0Sahih Bukhari:\u00a0Volume 1, Book 2, Number 26:<\/em>\u00a0<\/em>http:\/\/www.usc.edu\/org\/cmje\/religious-texts\/hadith\/bukhari\/002-sbt.php#001.002.026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

[4]\u00a0See Raymond Ibrahim,\u00a0The Al Qaeda Reader<\/em>\u00a0(New York: Doubleday, 2007), pgs. 141-144 where al-Qaeda leader Ayman Zawahiri tries to rationalize suicide attacks through\u00a0qiyas<\/em>\u00a0and in the context of deceit.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

[5]\u00a0Shaykh Faraz Rabbani, \u201cZakat Cannot Be Given To Non-Muslims,\u201d Sunni Path, Question ID 1527:\u00a0http:\/\/qa.sunnipath.com\/issue_view.asp?HD=1&ID=1527&CATE=5<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

[6]\u00a0Majid Khadduri,\u00a0War and Peace in the Law of Islam<\/em>\u00a0(London: Oxford University Press, 1955), p. 162-163.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

[7]\u00a0Mark Durie,\u00a0The Third Choice: Islam, Dhimmitude, and Freedom<\/em>\u00a0(Australia: Deror Books, 2010), pgs. 40, 141-146.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

[8]\u00a0David Bukay, \u201cPeace or Jihad? Abrogation in Islam,\u201d\u00a0Middle East Quarterly<\/em>, Fall 2007, pgs. 3-11:\u00a0http:\/\/www.meforum.org\/1754\/peace-or-jihad-abrogation-in-islam<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

[9]\u00a0Sheikh Muhammad al-Munajid, \u201cWhen Is Tawriya Legitimate,\u201d\u00a0Islam Q&A<\/em>, Fatwa no. 27261:http:\/\/islamqa.info\/ar\/ref\/27261<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

[10]\u00a0\u201cSaying Merry Christmas is worst [sic<\/em>.] than fornication or killing someone,\u201d Islamic scholar.\u00a0 YouTube:\u00a0http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=FFW3ZNC8sjw<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

[11]\u00a0\u201cDon\u2019t say Merry Christmas, say I wish you the best, meaning I hope you come to Islam,\u201d Islamic scholar. YouTube video:\u00a0http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=-ssc7MB32Sk<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

[12]\u00a0Sheikh al-Khamis, \u201cThe Ruling on Tawriya and Lying.\u201d\u00a0 YouTube:http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=R0XZxF7uvSo<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

[13]\u00a0Sami Mukaram,\u00a0Al Taqiyya Fi Al Islam<\/em>\u00a0(London: Mu\u2019assisat al-Turath al-Druzi, 2004), p. 30.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

[14]\u00a0\u201cDoes little amount of gas (a bubble) break wudu,\u201d\u00a0Qibla<\/em>, Question ID:7260:http:\/\/spa.qibla.com\/issue_view.asp?HD=1&ID=7260&CATE=102<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

[15]\u00a0Sunan Abu Dawud<\/em>\u00a0(one of the six canonical hadith collections), 681:http:\/\/library.islamweb.net\/newlibrary\/display_book.php?flag=1&bk_no=74&ID=649<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

[16]\u00a0\u201cWhat to do in the following situations,\u201d\u00a0Islam Door<\/em>:\u00a0http:\/\/www.islamdoor.com\/k\/297.htm<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

[17]\u00a0\u201cWhat is the difference between lying and obfuscating?\u201d YouTube:http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=VUcTJPS2po4<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

[18]\u00a0Raymond Ibrahim, \u201cSharia\u2019s Sinister Smiles,\u201d\u00a0RaymondIbrahim.com<\/em>:http:\/\/www.raymondibrahim.com\/from-the-arab-world\/sharias-sinister-smiles\/<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

[19]\u00a0\u201cFatwa concerning lies and their circumstances.\u201d\u00a0 YouTube:http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=wEAjSTsieQg<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

[20]\u00a0http:\/\/fatwa.islamweb.net\/fatwa\/printfatwa.php?Id=39152&lang=A<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

[21]\u00a0See \u201cLoyalty and Enmity\u201d in Raymond Ibrahim,\u00a0The Al Qaeda Reader<\/em>\u00a0(New York: Doubleday, 2007), pgs 63-115.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

[22]\u00a0Imam Muslim, \u201cKitab al-Birr wa\u2019s-Salat, Bab Tahrim al-Kidhb wa Bayan al-Mubih Minhu,\u201d\u00a0Sahih Muslim<\/em>, rev. ed., Abdul Hamid Siddiqi, trans. (New Delhi: Kitab Bhavan, 2000).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

[23]\u00a0Ahmad Mahmud Karima,\u00a0Al-Jihad fi\u2019l Islam: Dirasa Fiqhiya Muqarina<\/em>\u00a0(Cairo: Al-Azhar, 2003), p. 304, author\u2019s translation.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

[24]\u00a0Mukaram,\u00a0At-Taqiyya fi<\/em>\u00a0\u2019l-Islam<\/em>, p. 32.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

[25]\u00a0Mukaram,\u00a0At-Taqiyya fi<\/em>\u00a0\u2019l-Islam<\/em>, pp. 32-3.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

[26]\u00a0Sahih Bukhari<\/em>, Hadith no. 4271:\u00a0http:\/\/www.sacred-texts.com\/isl\/bukhari\/bh4\/bh4_274.htm<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

[27]\u00a0Ibn Ishaq,\u00a0The Life of Muhammad<\/em>\u00a0(Karachi: Oxford University Press, 1997), pp. 367-8.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

[28]\u00a0Raymond Ibrahim,\u00a0The Al Qaeda Reader<\/em>\u00a0(New York: Doubleday, 2007), pp. 142-3.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

[29]\u00a0\u00a0Mukaram,\u00a0At-Taqiyya fi<\/em>\u00a0\u2019l-Islam<\/em>, pp. 11-2.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

[30]\u00a0Ibid., pp. 41-2.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

[31]\u00a0Devin Stewart, \u201cIslam in Spain after the Reconquista<\/a>,\u201d Emory University, p. 2, accessed Nov. 27, 2009.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

[32]\u00a0Denis MacEoin, \u201cTactical Hudna and Islamist Intolerance<\/em><\/a>,\u201d\u00a0Middle East Quarterly<\/em>, Summer 2008, pp. 39-48.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

[33]\u00a0Majid Khadduri,\u00a0War and Peace in the Law of Islam<\/em>\u00a0(Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins Press, 1955), p. 220.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

[34]\u00a0Ahmad Mahmud Karima,\u00a0Al-Jihad fi\u2019l Islam: Dirasa Fiqhiya Muqarina<\/em>, p. 461, author\u2019s translation.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

[35]\u00a0Ibid., p. 469.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

[36]\u00a0Sahih al-Bukhari,\u00a0<\/em>Volume 9, Book 89, Number 260<\/em>:\u00a0<\/em>http:\/\/www.usc.edu\/org\/cmje\/religious-texts\/hadith\/bukhari\/089-sbt.php#009.089.260<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

[37]\u00a0Daniel Pipes, \u201cLessons from the Prophet<\/em>\u00a0<\/em>Muhammad\u2019s Diplomacy<\/em><\/a>,\u201d\u00a0Middle East Quarterly<\/em>, Sept. 1999, pp. 65-72.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

[38]\u00a0Ahmad Ibn Naqib al-Misri,\u00a0Reliance of the Traveller: A Classic Manual of Islamic Sacred Law<\/em>(Beltsville: Amana Publications, 1994), p. 605.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

[39]\u00a0See also Quran 2:173, 2:185, 4:29, 16:106, 22:78, 40:28, verses cited by Muslim jurisprudents as legitimating\u00a0taqiyya<\/em>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

[40]\u00a0Abu Ja\u2019far Muhammad at-Tabari,\u00a0Jami\u2019 al-Bayan \u2018an ta\u2019wil ayi\u2019l-Qur\u2019an al-Ma\u2019ruf: Tafsir at-Tabari<\/em>(Beirut: Dar Ihya\u2019 at-Turath al-\u2018<\/em>Arabi, 2001), vol. 3, p. 267, author\u2019s translation.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

[41]\u00a0\u2019Imad ad-Din Isma\u2019il Ibn Kathir,\u00a0Tafsir al-Qur\u2019an al-Karim<\/em>\u00a0(Beirut: Dar al-Kutub al-\u2018<\/em>Ilmiya, 2001), vol. 1, p. 350, author\u2019s translation.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

[42]\u00a0Mukaram,\u00a0At-Taqiyya fi<\/em>\u00a0\u2019l-Islam<\/em>, pp. 30-7.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

[43]\u00a0Sami Mukaram,\u00a0Al Taqiyya Fi Al Islam<\/em>\u00a0(London: Mu\u2019assisat al-Turath al-Druzi, 2004), p. 7.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Raymond Ibrahim \/\/\u00a0RaymondIbrahim.com\u00a0 I was recently involved in an interesting exercise\u2014examining taqiyya\u00a0about\u00a0taqiyya\u2014and believe readers might profit from the same exercise, as it exposes all the subtle apologetics made in defense of the Islamic doctrine, which permits Muslims to lie to non-Muslims, or \u201cinfidels.\u201d Context: Khurrum Awan, a lawyer, is suing Ezra Levant, a Canadian […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[29,87,225,227],"tags":[1017,1061,431,30,399,545,935],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p466Sb-1Sq","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1864,"url":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/how-taqiyya-alters-islams-rules-of-war-defeating-jihadist-terrorism\/","url_meta":{"origin":7218,"position":0},"title":"How Taqiyya Alters Islam’s Rules of War: Defeating Jihadist Terrorism","author":"victorhanson","date":"January 31, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"by Raymond Ibrahim Middle East Quarterly\u00a0(Winter 2010) Islam must seem a paradoxical religion to non-Muslims. 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In \u201cSecret Muslims: Are Muslims allowed to hide their faith?\u201d in\u00a0Slate, July 3, Juliet Lapidos wonders \"whether there's a history of Muslims who deny their\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Raymond Ibrahim"","block_context":{"text":"Raymond Ibrahim","link":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/ahref=\/index.php\/categories\/angry-reader\/categorylink\/a\/our-contributors\/raymond-ibrahim\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":2917,"url":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/taqiyya-revisited-a-response-to-the-critics\/","url_meta":{"origin":7218,"position":2},"title":"Taqiyya Revisited: A Response to the Critics","author":"victorhanson","date":"March 8, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"by Raymond Ibrahim Jihad Watch Having written at length on various aspects of Islam, it is always my writings concerning doctrinal deceit that elicit (sometimes irate) responses. As such, the purpose of this article is to revisit the issue of deceit and\u00a0taqiyya\u00a0in Islam, and address the many ostensibly plausible rebuttals\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Raymond Ibrahim"","block_context":{"text":"Raymond Ibrahim","link":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/ahref=\/index.php\/categories\/angry-reader\/categorylink\/a\/our-contributors\/raymond-ibrahim\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1476,"url":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/liberalism-and-islam\/","url_meta":{"origin":7218,"position":3},"title":"Liberalism and Islam?","author":"victorhanson","date":"July 31, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"Top Muslim cleric Qaradawi urges western Muslims to 'liberalize' outwardly, anyway. by Raymond Ibrahim PJ Media A\u00a0recent episode\u00a0of the popular Arabic show\u00a0al-Sharia wa al-Haya\u00a0(Law and Life), which airs weekly on Al Jazeera and features renowned Muslim scholar Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi, addressed the important yet little known Muslim concept of\u00a0taysir\u00a0(pronounced \"tey-seer\").\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Raymond Ibrahim"","block_context":{"text":"Raymond Ibrahim","link":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/ahref=\/index.php\/categories\/angry-reader\/categorylink\/a\/our-contributors\/raymond-ibrahim\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":2935,"url":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/war-and-peace-and-deceit-in-islam\/","url_meta":{"origin":7218,"position":4},"title":"War and Peace–and Deceit–in Islam","author":"victorhanson","date":"February 26, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"by Raymond Ibrahim PJ Media Editor's note: Substantial portions of the following essay made up part of Mr. Ibrahim's written testimony that was presented to Congress on February 12, 2009 Today, in a time of wars and rumors of wars emanating from the Islamic world \u2014 from the current conflict\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Raymond Ibrahim"","block_context":{"text":"Raymond Ibrahim","link":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/ahref=\/index.php\/categories\/angry-reader\/categorylink\/a\/our-contributors\/raymond-ibrahim\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1789,"url":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/the-islamist-mindset-how-it-rationalizes-and-promotes-sex-sins\/","url_meta":{"origin":7218,"position":5},"title":"The Islamist Mindset: How it Rationalizes–and Promotes–‘Sex Sins’","author":"victorhanson","date":"March 12, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"by Raymond Ibrahim PJ Media Is it inconsistent for Muslim \u201choly warriors\u201d to engage in voyeuristic acts of lasciviousness? 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