Terrorist beheadings are condoned by scripture

Last week Islamic terrorists continued their violent barbarism by beheading several Westerners in Iraq and Saudi Arabia. Beheading was supposed to be something that only happened in ancient Arabia or during the French Revolution – not in the year 2004, and certainly not to an American. We must ask: who are these people, what motivates them, and what is their ultimate goal? This is the first in several weekly articles which will answer those questions as well as explain the imminent danger to civilization that exists because these extremists have been allowed to operate and expand their activities throughout the globe.

Muslim extremists justify this abhorrent behavior by using a verse in the Qur'an commonly called the "Verse of the Sword," "So when the Sacred Months have passed, then fight the Mushrikin [unbelievers] wherever you find them, and capture them and besiege them, and lie in wait for them in each and every ambush. But if they repent and perform the Salah [Islamic prayers five time Online], and give the Zakah [alms as required by Islamic law], then leave their way free. Verily, Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful." There are also other verses that justify jihad, or "holy war," and the killing of non-Muslims, otherwise known as ‘infidels.' Sura 4:91 states, "Seize them and kill them wherever you get them," followed by Sura 5:33 which states, "The punishment of those who wage war against Allah and his apostle. They shall be slaughtered, or crucified, or their hands and feet shall be struck off alternately, or they shall be banished from the land." A total of four verses directly reference killing non-Muslims; three others reference fighting for the cause of Allah.

Under Islamic law, beheading is not seen as inhumane and is an act of punishment. "Darb Al-A'nak", or "hitting the neck," literally means "killing" as opposed to "murdering" which carries a derogatory meaning in the ancient Muslim vocabulary. Arab satellite channels get global media attention for these terrorists as they rush to air the gruesome footage. The terrorists also publish them on the internet and are actually producing DVDs to capitalize on their treachery. They view these acts as devotion to Allah and apparently they take pride in featuring children in videos pretending to behead other children.

According to a recent news report, the Saudi government beheaded 52 people in 2003 for crimes including drug smuggling, homosexuality, robbery and murder. The beheadings were performed after Friday prayer services in the courtyards of mosques in large cities in the kingdom. But interestingly, the Saudi royal family has condemned the killings of westerners. The vice governor of the Riyadh region expressed condolences to the wife of Paul Johnson on behalf of the Crown Prince. He also stated that Johnson's beheading was a malicious crime which is rejected by Islam, contending that "this has happened for the first time in the kingdom."

In early 2004, an Al Qaeda member in Saudi Arabia informed the world that he had a message for "American soldiersÖ We promise that we will not let you live safely, and you will not see from us anything else just bombs, fire, destroying homes, cutting your heads."

Beheading of infidels has been common in certain periods of Islamic history and unfortunately it seems the practice is gaining popularity again. Since it is occurring on the other side of the planet, do Americans living in the United States need to be concerned about radical Islamic terrorists succeeding in their mission to be devoted to Allah?

We saw what they were capable of on September 11, 2001 — the answer is a
resounding "yes."

Michelle Gomez is a third year political science major at CSULB. This article is the first of a weekly series appearing Thursdays.