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July 08, 2005
Spiritual Warfare vs. Jihad
Although it was produced six months prior to yesterday's London attacks, this Frontline episode, Al Qaeda's New Front, does give a great deal of insight into the motivation and intended purpose of jihadists in Europe.
An interesting topic that I have not heard focused on in recent years is the idea of the revival of an Islamic Caliphate state. Jihadists like the ones who planned the attacks in Madrid last year are seeking to expand the boundaries of an Islamic empire to include the territory covered at the heigh of Islam in the 15th century, when the empire covered the entire northern half of Africa, as well as the entire Iberian peninsula in Europe (Spain and Portugal), and stretched to southern Poland in Eastern Europe, all the way east to the boundaries of China.
Regarding modern-day jihadists, German ambassador Georg Witschel has said:
There are only very few leading principles [that unify the diverse group of terror networks] as for example the hate against America, against Israel or against countries and governments supporting them. Furthermore, some rather vague ideas of revitalizing basic religious values and – in the case of Al Qaida, but also Hamas and Hisballah, the establishment of an Islamist Empire, a Taliban style Kalifat-State as a response to the perceived dominance of the ‚‘Western World’’. (http://www.rcss.org/newsletters/vol_9_no_1.pdf, 2, dl 7/8/05)
From Abdul Saleeb & Norman L. Geisler, "Understanding and Reaching Muslims", http://www.equip.org/free/DM809.htm:
Jihad is the belief that one should engage in a holy struggle to preserve Islam against non-Muslim beliefs. While orthodox Muslims consider jihad a literal, even military, struggle against unbelievers, some more liberal scholars interpret it as a spiritual struggle. Both the wording of the Qur’an and the militaristic life of Muhammad favor an emphasis on the literal understanding of it.
And also:
The targets of jihad are those who do not believe in Islam, particularly Jews and Christians. “Fight against such of those who have been given the Scripture and believe not in Allah nor the last day†(Sura 9:29). Again, “O ye who believe! Take not Jews and Christians for friends. They are friends of one to another. He among you who takes them for friends is (one) of them. Lo! Allah guideth not wrongdoing folk†(5:51).
This article also contains a great comparison/contrast between Jihad and the Crusades:
First, as already shown, jihad is consistent with the teachings of the Qur’an. The Crusades, on the other hand, were not consistent with the teachings of Jesus. In fact, Jesus said to His disciples, “Put your sword back in its place…for all who draw the sword will die by the sword†(Matt. 26:52).
Biblical Christianity is nonviolent. But Christianity is also apolitical--"My kingdom is not of this world". This is not to suggest that governments don't have a responsibility to pursue justice, but only to point out that Christianity is concerned with the faith of the individual and the individual's relationship with God, and not necessarily with opposing evil empires.
That said, if a given community were truly a community of Christians, how would they conduct themselves against such opposition?
In the book of Ezra, Ezra was leading a group of exiles who were returning to Jerusalem from their Babylonian captivity. Security was indeed an issue, but Ezra chose to trust in the Lord as their protector.
Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God, to seek from him a safe journey for ourselves, our children, and all our goods. For I was ashamed to ask the king for a band of soldiers and horsemen to protect us against the enemy on our way, since we had told the king, "The hand of our God is for good on all who seek him, and the power of his wrath is against all who forsake him." So we fasted and implored our God for this, and he listened to our entreaty. (Ezra 8:21-23, ESV)
"The hand of our God is for good on all who seek him." A key theme in Biblical warfare, when the warfare is conducted according to God's will, is that it's usually God who's doing the fighting, and not the people. "Then Hezekiah the king and Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, prayed because of this and cried to heaven. And the LORD sent an angel, who cut off all the mighty warriors and commanders and officers in the camp of the king of Assyria" (2 Chr. 32:20-21a). This is a key picture of the difference between the "spiritual warfare" of Christianity and the jihad of Islam. Our battle is not against flesh and blood. Theirs is. Christ's kingdom is "not of this world." Theirs is.
"Peace give I to thee. Not as the world gives..." Christ offers internal peace to his followers in the midst of external persecution and death. Sometimes his people are miraculously delivered, sometimes they are not. But as individuals (not as a society), he calls us to turn the other cheek, and to look to God for deliverance.
Pray for God to defend his people. Pray for the people of Europe and America, that they will truly be God's people (and therefore qualify to be recipients of his retribution) by individual faith, and not only by national religious heritage. Pray for our brothers and sisters in London, that their hearts will be open to revival during this sensitive time.
Posted by aaronlord at July 8, 2005 12:30 PM
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