By Beth Peltola

The death of the British MP, David Amess, has come as a shock, and yet, these events continue to happen.

As his family and friends grieve, society continues its barrage of opinion pieces and reasonings about why such an atrocity happened, and what can be done to stop it happening again.

When ‘lone-wolf’ attacks happens on Western shores, it becomes media’s main story. Yet, many die worldwide at the hands of Muslims who quote the Qur’an in support of their actions. Those stories we rarely hear about. Just this week, there will have been attacks in Northern Nigeria, in Ethiopia, Sudan and Mali, in Afghanistan, Pakistan, India and Indonesia, and many more countries.

Many have died this week at the hands of those quoting Islamic holy text to support their deed of murder.

The motive of the attacker on Amess has not been widely publicised, but with anti-terror police involved, it is now thought that the attacker had an Islamic motive behind his actions.

Connecting Islam to the terror act, may, or may not be the final conclusion, we will know soon enough, as more details emerge, but if it does turn out to be Islamic, Western pundits will generally do all they can to distance the religion from the atrocity.

Cultural-commentators will repeat the same opinions and politicians will make the same comments as they always do in such cases:

“This has nothing to do with Islam.”

Yet… it keeps happening, as it has done through the centuries. It started in Europe when it invaded Southern Spain in 711 AD, and it has never stopped. There may have been moments of peace, but every generation has seen Islamic terrorism at some point.

Those of us who strive for peace, feel an affinity with Muslims who also work for peace. We wish to affirm Muslims who publicly stand against acts of terrorism done in the name of Islam, BUT, this affirmation does not secure a safe future for our children, or the children of Muslims.

We may hope that our peace-loving Muslim friends are the true face of Islam, and yet we can’t ignore the nagging thought that too many Muslims, over too many centuries, have killed in the name of Allah, and will continue to do so.

Cultural commentators and policy-makers, must turn their eyes towards the obvious foundations upon which a terrorist builds their case. If we are remotely concerned about solutions to Islamism or acts of terrorism to glorify Allah, we must raise the red flag and face head-on the bull trying to mow us down - the terrorist’s text, God and prophet.

This is incredibly difficult for the many Muslims in Britain, who, just this week have had to step up and once more condemn such atrocities. Some Muslim clerics have described the murder as a “senseless murder”, and it may well be, although the location, (a church), the man (a man of faith), and a politician, may have made sense to the person who killed him.

Qur’an 3:151

We will cast terror into the hearts of those who disbelieve for what they have associated with Allah of which He had not sent down [any] authority. And their refuge will be the Fire, and wretched is the residence of the wrongdoers.

I understand why some Western leaders align their efforts and pay-checks towards moderate voices within the Islamic community. I too love and support my friends who are just such Muslims; dear friends who provide companionship and whom I would turn to in times of need. However, I am not naive about their religion. I’ve read their Qur’an (which most of them haven’t) and I’ve read the earliest biographies of Muhammad (which most of them haven’t) and I’ve read big portions of the Sunni and Shi’a Islamic law (which most of them haven’t). Anyone who has read Islamic texts will know their moderate voice, and assimilation into British society, does not bear out the religion of the Qur’an, the religion of Muhammad, nor the religion of Islamic law.

Their claims of peace, bear out more the religion of Jesus - the man of peace. And I tell them so.

Yet, if Jesus is not your man of peace upon whom you build your life, then your solutions to empower Moderate Islam against Islamism become an apparition, a ghost that is hard to see, a tenuous belief in something which isn’t quite real.

Our Moderate Muslim friends simply do not represent Islam.

They represent Muslims who are and wish to live out their lives peacefully, but they do not represent their texts, nor those who take their texts seriously.

It may be that a modern-day Islamic cleric preaches peace and anti-Islamic terror, (though his Qur’an would disagree with him), and the West might breath a sigh of relief and aid those clerics who speak out against terrorism, but three things will always transpire…

1. It will only last as long as that pundit lives, or continues to hold to this position

2. They will be disregarded by the majority of clerics worldwide, not because they are wrong in their love of peace (they are right, and even more so from a Biblical perspective), but because they are not Islamic

3. The next cleric in line, only need read the texts our moderate pundit ignored, and we are back to square one.

The religion of Islam will still remain, regardless of a temporary moderate voice. And that is the point here, moderate voices are temporary, because they have no foundation to build upon - the majority of their texts stand in judgement over them.

Islamic edicts still rule, despite a moderate tendency to rephrase or inject some ‘ijtihad’ interpretation on to them.

Next generations will rise seeking out the identity their fathers, mothers, uncles and aunts turned away from, after which a text-honouring generation will arise - fuelling acts of terrorism as a way to glorify Allah.

Qur’an 8:12-13,

[Remember] when your Lord inspired to the angels, "I am with you, so strengthen those who have believed. I will cast terror into the hearts of those who disbelieved, so strike [them] upon the necks and strike from them every fingertip." That is because they opposed Allah and His Messenger. And whoever opposes Allah and His Messenger - indeed, Allah is severe in penalty.

Allah hasn’t changed his mind on how Muslims should respond to non-Muslims, especially those who dare to challenge Islam and Muhammad. Those Qur’anic edicts remain intact.

Qur’an 5:33-35,

Indeed, the penalty for those who wage war against Allah and His Messenger and strive upon earth [to cause] corruption is none but that they be killed or crucified or that their hands and feet be cut off from opposite sides or that they be exiled from the land. That is for them a disgrace in this world; and for them in the Hereafter is a great punishment, Except for those who return [repenting] before you apprehend them. And know that Allah is Forgiving and Merciful. O you who have believed, fear Allah and seek the means [of nearness] to Him and strive in His cause that you may succeed.

The solution to the acts of terror encouraged by the Qur’an is not moderate Islam. The solution is found outside of Islam. Some might say it is found in secularism, or liberal democracy, except that neither have a solid foundation to build upon - they too, change with the current wind of societal trends, or who has the most political clout!

The solution is found on a solid rock. A house, city and society built on an immovable foundation. A rock that cannot be toppled. It might be overshadowed for a moment, but it always returns to transform and empower hearts and minds. It is a rock the Western world used to admire, it is what gave us freedom, cities, hospitals, schools and education. It is what lifted the poverty stricken masses out of barbaric depravity. It built our cathedrals and cities of excellence.

A return to that rock, will do away with Qur’anic 8:12 terrorism. It, or rather, He, is a rock that is eternal and can never be shaken.

Exodus 20:6

You shall not murder

Matthew 5:21-24,

You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.’ But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’ shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of hell fire. Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.

Jesus holds us to a high standard in his sermon recorded in Matthew chapters 5-7; but his words protect life, his words provide solutions against the way of terror.