The Real Islam and the Imaginary Islam
Father Michel Boniface

This article was first published in French in Pour qu’Il règne, the Society’s Magazine for Belgium, in July-August 2001.
Fr. Boniface is a priest of the Society Saint Pius X. He is Syrian by extraction, but his family lives in Belgium. He used to be Aramaic by Rite. He now is stationed in Mexico.

The civil and religious authorities of the once Christian world are dangerously deluding themselves these days about the nature of Islam. As they see it, there is on the one hand a good Islam religion, open, peaceful, tolerant, and on the other hand the bad Islam, fundamentalist, violent, that would be a falsification of Islam. What proofs do they have to claim this and to set down this image for public opinion?

The age-old interpretation of the Koran, the Islamic law, the examples of Mohammed’s life, the history of the Islamic nations, unfortunately, reveal the so-called fundamentalist Islam. The intention to concoct an image of a liberal Islam is the fruit of an idealist philosophy that does not take into account the reality. And reality always avenges itself.

The role of passive Islam

The peaceful and open-minded Islam clears the way for the fundamentalist Islam. There are the realist Muslims who, intelligently, profit from the advantageous moment to implant Islamism into dechristianized nations. Their “open” attitude contributes to strengthen Islamism. Their realism keeps them from insisting that Islamism reign in absolute command. The moderates know this well and their influence is very advantageous for Islamism. However, they do not forget that Islamism is by its very nature theocratic, that it governs the entire life of the city. They know that there is no distinction, much less separation, between the Islamic religion and State. To claim the contrary would be to wish to misrepresent Islamism; it would be to imagine an Islam religion that does not really exist.

Fundamentalist Muslims

The Muslims who are serious about their religion and who wish to put it into practice just as they are supposed to, are treated as integralists, as fanatics… This accusation is unjust because their manner of looking at things and often of acting corresponds, unfortunately, to the Islamic doctrine. The Koran and the Islamic law justify them. That one be in disagreement with such a doctrine can be legitimate, but to wish to fabricate an imaginary Islam is not right and is dangerous. To imagine an Islam religion in the Christian style, where there is a distinction between politics and religion, is an added illusion, because the Koran itself, the Islamic tradition, the deeds and words of Mohammed contradict it. The Koran, for the true Muslims, is the norm, the law, because it is the “divine” word. Thus, the Koran being the word of Allah, it must, through the laws that it contains, govern all the social and religious life.

The tolerant Muslims don’t deny that. Certain liberals deny it in their minds. But both of these in the long run prepare the way for the Muslims of the Koran who, when they will be strong, and the circumstances are favourable, will enforce, through any means, the laws of the true Islam religion… Then the civil and religious idealists will be astonished that the reality doesn’t correspond with the Islam of their imagination. Then they will perhaps have to regret not having converted the Muslims to Christianity, the majority of whom are descendants of Christians, who were made Muslims by force, by menace, or by discriminating laws which humiliated them, crushed them and sometimes forced them to become destitute. Must we be reminded that all the countries of the Near East and of North Africa once were Christians? Would it not be the principles graven in the Koran, the deeds and words of Mohammed and the Islamic law, imposed through terror on so many Christian nations, that made them Muslim? Fundamentalist Islam is the true Islam, which puts the Islamic doctrine into practice. The problem is not fundamentalist Islam, it is Islam period. Islamic fundamentalism draws its principles from the Koran and from Islamic tradition. The action of the fundamentalists frightens the ignorant who do not want to see Islam as being by nature as conquering as WARRIORS inured to war. The best service that the civil and religious authorities could render to the Muslims themselves and to the Christians would be to send missionaries to the Muslims, to communicate to them the knowledge and the belief in God, the Trinity, who is charity. Every other standpoint is an illusion.

The Koran and war

The true Muslims who want the holy war follow the Koran. In fact, the jihad (a Muslim holy war) is an essential dictate of Islamism. The Koran, without which there would not be the Islamic religion, recommends it vehemently: “The true believers say: has not God prescribed a chapter that gives orders for a holy war?” (Surah 47, 22) and again: “Kill the idolaters wherever you find them, make them prisoners, besiege them and watch intently so as to ambush them” (Surah 9, 5) and “make war with those who do not believe” (Surah 9, 29). “When you come across infidels, kill them until there is absolute carnage, and tighten the chains of those you have captured. Later you either free them or deliver them up for a ransom” (Surah 8, 57). According to the Koran, a non-Muslim is less than nothing: “In the opinion of Allah, there is no animal more vile than those who do not believe and who remain unfaithful” (Surah 8, 57). That is why we must force them to become Muslims, by humiliating them. And those who resist Islamism and its founder must be punished according to the Koran: “This is what will be the destiny of those who fight against Allah and his messenger: You will put them to death or you will have them suffer the torture of the cross. You will alternately cut their hands and their feet. They will be chased from the country.”  (Surah 5, 37). And as the Muslims are realists, they take into account the circumstances for making a temporary peace or for the war: “Do not show cowardice and do not call the infidels to peace when you are their superiors” (Surah 47, 22).

In one word, the Koran, being the word of Allah for all the Muslims, applies for all times and for all nations until the end of the world. It must be applied according to the instructions that Allah himself gave to his believers. This logically explains what is happening in Sudan, in Algeria, and in numerous Muslim countries. To idealize the Islam religion is the greatest wrong that one can do to the Muslims themselves.

News clips – Islamism

On March 11, in a solemn declaration, the bishops of Nigeria described as “irresponsible and unacceptable” the introduction of the charia (strict application of the Koranic law) in the nine states of Nigeria. They also announced that the Church intended to take judicial action against the nine states for not respecting the constitution, which forbids both the central and the local governments to adopt an official religion. The bishops have every reason to fear the consequences of this type of forced Islamization of the law and of morals.  (“Alias”, June 2, 2001)

At Motrovica, the forces of the KFOR (Kosovo-Force), under the aegis of NATO, have recently forbidden the churches of the conventional Serbian monasteries to ring the bells, so as not to disturb the tranquillity of the Albanian Muslims. (“Faits & Documents”, June 15-30, 2001)

Fifty Iranians, men and women, were condemned to the punishment of receiving from between 30 to 99 lashes for what was judged indecent conduct during an evening anniversary party in the north of Teheran, reported the official daily newspaper “Iran”. According to the newspaper, when the group of police interrupted the party, the participants were dancing in an “obscene” fashion and a number of them were “half naked”. The penalty was executed and no one resisted, which constitutes an admission of culpability. (“Le Soir”, July 6, 2001)

In Iran, no marriage is possible between a Muslim and a non-Muslim. Any conversion of a Muslim to Christianity is liable to the punishment of death. All exterior activity of minority denominations is taken for proselytism (an attempt to convert). The access to public employment, to the law, to the army, to the university, is forbidden to them or severely controlled. (Henry Tincq, “Le Monde”)