Does the Rev. Johnnie Moore actually believe that Islam’s teachings are fully and accurately represented by what he summarizes here of the teachings of al-Husayn? Does he not know about Qur’an verses such as these?
“And kill them wherever you find them, and drive them out from where they drove you out; persecution is worse than slaughter. But fight them not by the Holy Mosque until they should fight you there; then, if they fight you, kill them — such is the recompense of unbelievers, but if they give over, surely Allah is all-forgiving, all-compassionate. Fight them until there is no persecution and the religion is Allah’s; then if they give over, there shall be no enmity save for evildoers.” (Qur’an 2:191-193)
“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 authority. And their refuge will be the Fire, and wretched is the residence of the wrongdoers.” (Qur’an 3:151)
“They wish that you should disbelieve as they disbelieve, and then you would be equal; therefore do not take friends from among them, until they emigrate in the way of Allah; then, if they turn their backs, seize them and kill them wherever you find them; do not take for yourselves any one of them as friend or helper.” (Qur’an 4:89)
“This is the recompense of those who fight against Allah and His Messenger, and hasten about the earth to do corruption there: they shall be killed, or crucified, or their hands and feet shall be struck off on opposite sides; or they shall be exiled from the land. That is a degradation for them in this world; and in the world to come awaits them a mighty chastisement.” (Qur’an 5:33)
“When your Lord was revealing to the angels, ‘I am with you; so confirm the believers. I shall cast terror into the hearts of the unbelievers; so strike the necks, and strike every finger of them!” (Qur’an 8:12)
“Fight them, till there is no persecution and religion is all for Allah; then if they give over, surely Allah sees the things they do.” (Qur’an 8:39)
“Make ready for them whatever force and strings of horses you can, to strike terror into the enemy of Allah and your enemy, and others besides them that you know not; Allah knows them. And whatever you spend in the way of Allah shall be repaid you in full; you will not be wronged.” (Qur’an 8:60)
“Then, when the sacred months are over, kill the idolaters wherever you find them, and take them, and confine them, and lie in wait for them at every place of ambush. But if they repent, and perform the prayer, and pay the alms, then let them go their way; Allah is All-forgiving, All-compassionate.” (Qur’an 9:5)
“Fight those who believe not in Allah and the Last Day and do not forbid what Allah and His Messenger have forbidden, and do not practice the religion of truth, even if they are of the People of the Book — until they pay the jizya with willing submission and feel themselves subdued.” (Qur’an 9:29)
“Allah has bought from the believers their selves and their possessions against the gift of Paradise; they fight in the way of Allah; they kill, and are killed; that is a promise binding upon Allah in the Torah, and the Gospel, and the Koran; and who fulfils his covenant truer than Allah? So rejoice in the bargain you have made with Him; that is the mighty triumph.” (Qur’an 9:111)
“O believers, fight the unbelievers who are near to you; and let them find in you a harshness; and know that Allah is with the godfearing.” (Qur’an 9:123)
“When you meet the unbelievers, strike their necks, then, when you have made wide slaughter among them, tie fast the bonds; then set them free, either by grace or ransom, till the war lays down its loads. So it shall be; and if Allah had willed, He would have avenged Himself upon them; but that He may try some of you by means of others. And those who are slain in the way of Allah, He will not send their works astray.” (Qur’an 47:4)
Is Johnnie Moore completely unaware of how Muslims throughout history have actually understood the Qur’an’s exhortations to warfare? He can find out in great detail, largely from Muslim sources, in The History of Jihad From Muhammad to ISIS, which you and he can order here.
Does Johnnie Moore really think that the mullahs would be able to get away, in a country full of Shi’ite Muslims, with ignoring the actual teachings of Shi’ite Islam and “hijacking” the religion? If he would respond, “Why, yes, because they brutally repress dissent,” what about the Shi’ite authorities in Iraq and elsewhere outside Iran? Why haven’t they ever denounced the Islamic regime of Iran as un-Islamic? The Iranian regime gets its legitimacy, insofar as it has any at all, in the eyes of the Iranian people precisely by claiming to implement Islamic law in its fullness and with exacting rigor. Does Johnnie Moore really think that an American Christian such as himself, who clearly is unfamiliar with core Islamic texts and teachings, would be able to spot the ways in which the regime is un-Islamic at a glance, but that the regime would be able to last forty years while calling itself Islamic without there ever being a murmur of protest about how un-Islamic it really is? Protests continue all over Iran, but if Johnnie Moore has seen any of the protesters say that the Islamic regime is un-Islamic, or that it should follow the teachings of al-Husayn, I respectfully request that he send me some evidence of this, because I watch all the protest news and video out of Iran that I can find, and have never seen any hint of that.
This is, in short, self-deception and wishful thinking at its finest.
“Iran should return to ancient teachings of Islam, a religion hijacked in 1979 by a dictatorial regime,” by the Rev. Johnnie Moore, Fox News, February 19, 2019:
…When I think of the 1979 Iranian revolution I see the tragedies of the past 40 years against the backdrop of another idea of Islam best articulated by an early Islamic leader named Imam Ali ibn al-Husayn. He lived from s659 [sic] to 713 and wrote a book called “Risalt al-Huquq,” which translates as “Treatise on Rights”[.]
Al-Husayn called on Muslims to follow these rules of good conduct in dealing with others:
1) Protect your neighbor’s interests when he is absent.
2) Show him respect when he is present.
3) Help him when he suffers an injustice.
4) Do not remain on the lookout to detect his faults; and if you happen to know any undesirable thing about him, hide it from others.
5) At the same time, try to dissuade him from improper habits, if there is any chance that he will listen to you.
6) Never leave him alone at any calamity.
7) Forgive him if he has done any wrong.
8) In short, live with him a noble life, based on the highest Islamic ethical code.
We could certainly use more of these enlightened sentiments in our modern world. Despite our education, prosperity and sophistication, many of us have found it increasingly difficult to accept our neighbors who look, think, believe or vote differently than we do.
Al-Husayn said Muslims should embrace tolerance, coexistence and acceptance of those who are different from them and hold different beliefs. He said Muslims should promote these values of understanding in their societies.
These rules of good conduct reflect a fundamental piece of theology shared by all Abrahamic faiths. Each teaches in its own way that every man, woman and child is made in the very image of God.
Yet Iran’s current theocratic leadership, while claiming to be loyal followers of Shiite Islam, rejects the rules laid out more than 1,000 years ago by al-Husayn, a revered figure who was the great grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, the founder of Islam.
As a student of religion, I’ve often wondered how especially frustrated many of Iran’s Shiite citizens – whose ire for their tyrannical regime is emblazoned daily on social media – must be to see how far their nation’s leaders have departed from the teaching of al-Husayn.
The Iranian people have seen extremism hijack their historic faith and seen their government instead adopt a dangerous mix of Marxism and Islamism – both political ideologies that are only as old as the last century and that have left extraordinary suffering in their wake. These ideas are not part of Islam – they only masquerade as Islam.
The current supreme leader of Iran is Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. He and his and his henchmen – along with Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the leader of the 1979 revolution – have entirely rebranded Shiite Islam in our popular imagination through their unrelenting pursuit of personal political power.
The true Shiite Islam is the religion of al-Husayn – a religion marked by benevolence towards one’s neighbor. Khomeini and Khamenei have ruthlessly perverted Islam to turn into a hateful ideology that has victimized Iran’s own citizens and justified hatred against America, Israel and many Western nations….
All of Iran’s activities against its own people and those in other nations have been carried out under the protective cover of religion, defiling the name of God with actions that are not only inhumane, but also irreligious.
Take, for instance, the fact that Iran rounded up more than 100 Christians right in the middle of Advent season, days before they were to celebrate Christmas.
This is not a version of Islam that most Iranians support. It is un-Islamic hatred disguised in the cloak of a great world religion.
Iranians must continue to proclaim from every corner of their country their support for the Islam of the Prophet Muhammad.
The prophet himself once wrote a letter to “the Christians in Persia” that said “they shall not be persecuted for their faith or their customs, but shall be allowed to pray as they will in their own places of worship and according to their own rites.” This is the true Islam.
Yet Ayatollah Khamenei defies the Prophet Muhammad, making a mockery of his claim to be a follower of Islam….