Have you ever read about, or personally experienced, the strange disturbing change of a seemingly well-adjusted, normal Muslim — someone who is a good neighbor, workmate and citizen — who becomes either radicalized or worse, violent? Major Nidal Hasan is one of the saddest examples. Hasan was convicted of killing 13 people and injuring more than 30 others in the Fort Hood mass shooting on November 5, 2009.
Often, when this happens, so-called experts rush to explain that this is the sad example of a very personal emotional disturbance, or a psychic break, that could happen to any person of any religious or ideological affiliation. Such so-called experts might say that the event should be entirely separated from the individual’s adherence to Islam.
I believe this is an effort to whitewash a dangerous Islamic doctrine that is seldom discussed, but is a significant belief in Islam. In Arabic, it is called al-Wala’ Wal-Bara’.
This phrase is difficult to translate, but in practice it represents alliance with or support for fellow Muslims, on one hand, and disavowal, enmity, and contempt for non-Muslims, on the other. This doctrine inculcates the sense that Muslims are to firmly support their Muslim brothers, but be antagonistic to non-Muslims. Thus, if there is conflict between non-Muslims and Muslims, every Muslim must support his Muslim brothers against the non-Muslim infidels.
A Muslim who lives in a Western system run by the kuffar (infidels) is confronted with an emotional dilemma. Being a good citizen and neighbor within the infidel society produces cognitive dissonance and guilt feelings. He or she is failing his/her Muslim brethren and Allah, if his/her country, or adopted country, is at war with a Muslim majority country, or at war with an Islamist organization such as Taliban or al-Qaeda. They are to support their coreligionists’ cause even against the interests of country in which they are citizens.
To explain this doctrine, many Muslims often cite a passage from the Qur’an’s fifth chapter, Surat al-Maida: “O you who believe, do not take Jews and Christians as patrons; they are patrons of each other. Whoever amongst you affiliates with them, he is one of them. God does not guide the folk who do wrong.” (Quran 5:51)
Take, for example, al-Jaza’iri, a Salafi commentator on the Quran, who explains the basic idea behind the doctrine we are considering. He says, “Those who support the enemies of Allah and his prophet have abandoned their patronage of Allah, Muhammed and the Muslims (…) You will see in the hearts of those who support them a sickness.”
Al-Jaza’iri defines that sickness as doubt, hypocrisy and Shirk (associating an idol with Allah in worship).
Al-Jaza’iri concludes, “It is generally agreed that lack of active support for the Muslim cause is an abandoning of a major precept of true faith.”
In addition, al-Qurtubi, in his commentary, identifies this phenomenon (al-Wala’ wa al-Bara’) with the Battle of Uhud (624 A.D), when early Muslims were defeated by the Meccan pagans, and hypocrites among the Muslims who had secret deals to support the Jews while proclaiming themselves to be with the Muslims. This idea has planted in a belief in many Muslims that one is obeying this Quranic precept only through overt support for Muslim victory in conflicts with non-Muslims.
Another commentator, al-Bayḍāwī, says that Muslims must not rely upon Non-Muslims or associate with them as if they are dear.
But as-Samarqandī gives a harsher verdict and says that the Muslim who takes this kind of patronage and friendship with Jews and Christians is actually in their false religions, and will join them in hellfire.
This doctrine combines with the Quranic description of non-Muslims as Unclean (Quran 9:28) and worse than animals (Quran 7: 179).
The Quranic patriarch Ibrahim (Abraham) declares the Muslim hatred against non-Muslims: “Indeed, there is an excellent example for you in Ibrahim and those with him, when they said to their people, “We disown (bara’) you and what you worship instead of Allah. We disbelieve in you. Enmity and hatred has arisen between us and you forever, unless you believe in Allah alone.” [Quran 60:4]
This is an effective emotional witches’ brew of ideas that implants a contempt for non-Muslims in the Muslim’s psychology. At the same time, a Muslim may feign outward conformity to the non-Muslim society in which a Muslim lives. This may be called, in some situations, in particular in Shiite Islam, Taqiyyah; the practice of concealing one’s belief and foregoing ordinary religious duties when under threat.
The popular contemporary Saudi author, Dr. Ahmed b Umar al-Bazmoul, in his book on this topic, Al Wala’ wa al-Bara’, claims that even open business dealing with the infidels and sharing in mutual home visits and gift-giving is all viewed as transgressing the Quranic injunction in Quran 5:51.
In sum, this doctrine raises emotional pressure on devout Muslims in the West until many feel that they must be against the infidel state or power. They must take actions that are antagonistic in order to truly self-actualize their Islamic faith in a way that honors Allah, his prophet and the Muslim community.
As long as contempt for the other is an Islamic “ethical” value, there will be Muslims who live in the midst of a people they hate and disdain. That emotional tension will make some of them an unintentional/unwitting Fifth column in any society in which they live, but do not control.
Darrell Pack is an Arabist and a member of the Islamic Reform Forum.