By Erasmus Ikhide
From Australia, echoes of “send them home” have been flaming global angst against Islamic fundamentalism and its celebrated barbarity. This follows the Bondi Beach attack in Sydney that resulted in the death of fifteen persons and left several others wounded. It was one of the darkest commentaries yet on the barefaced anti-human religious extremism emanating from Islam in foreign lands.
Perhaps nothing can beat Winston Churchill’s dismissal of Islam as a religion characterized by “a wild and merciless fanaticism.” Nothing can be more brilliantly caustic, balefully acerbic, and deceptively debasing of a religious movement that should have prided itself as an icing on the cake of moral ethos and rectitude signposting human civilization.
There have never been any pretenses that Islam, as professed by Prophet Muhammad, has its foundation watered, nourished, and flourished on human blood. This is fueled by the “Satanic Verses” from the Quran, whose expansion is derived from forced taxation, enslavement, raping, and beheading of those who do not subscribe to Islamic nihilism. These commands, forced on Muslim adherents, have been responsible for wanton terror across the globe for the last 1,400 years.
Examining the “Verses in the Quran”
In the modern geopolitical landscape, the rhetoric of extremist groups often leans heavily on specific passages from the Quran. These verses, frequently referred to by critics and radicals alike as “Sword Verses,” are cited to justify acts of violence, expansionism, and the harsh treatment of non-believers. However, for the world’s 1.9 billion Muslims and the academic community, these verses remain a central point of intense debate regarding context, historical application, and modern relevance.
The Language of War
The mandates for combat comprise a significant portion of the verses cited by extremist ideologues that focus on the physical act of “Jihad” or struggle. Verses such as Quran 2:216 state that “Fighting has been enjoined upon you, though it is disliked by you,” while Quran 9:111 describes a spiritual contract where believers “trade” their lives for the promise of Paradise. In the heat of battle, the Quranic text often employs stark, visceral language.
Tactical Commands
Quran 8:12 mentions striking the necks and fingertips of enemies, a verse often used by groups to justify modern-day beheadings, such as those seen in the Syrian and Iraqi conflicts (Quran 47:4). This concept of terror is documented in verses like Quran 3:151 and Quran 59:2, which speak of “casting terror” into the hearts of disbelievers. While extremists view this as a permanent mandate, many historians argue these were specific psychological tactics used during 7th-century Arabian warfare to end conflicts quickly.
The “Sword Verse”
The most famous of these citations is Quran 9:5, often called the “Verse of the Sword”: “Slay the polytheists wherever you find them…” Terrorist organizations often use this verse to argue that it “abrogates” (cancels out) earlier verses of peace and tolerance. Conversely, mainstream scholars point to the immediate context of the verse: a broken treaty between the early Muslim community in Medina and specific pagan tribes who had persecuted them. They argue that the verse applies to a specific historical war rather than serving as a standing order against all non-Muslims for all time.
Interaction with “People of the Book”
The relationship with Jews and Christians is equally nuanced in the text. While Quran 5:51 advises against taking them as “allies” or “friends,” and Quran 9:29 calls for fighting those who do not believe in the “true religion” until they pay a tax (Jizya), other parts of the Quran emphasize the shared Abrahamic lineage. The interpretation of Quran 48:29—which describes the companions of the Prophet as “harsh against disbelievers and merciful among themselves”—has become a cornerstone for “in-group/out-group” radicalization, creating a binary world of “believers” versus “infidels.”
Divine Agency and Martyrdom
Perhaps the most potent verses for radicalization are those that remove the moral burden of killing from the individual. Quran 8:17 states, “It was not you who killed them, but Allah,” suggesting that the warrior is merely an instrument of divine will. This, coupled with the “great reward” promised in Quran 4:74 for those who are slain in the cause of God, forms the ideological backbone of suicide missions and “martyrdom” operations.
A Decades-Long Chronology of Global Terrorist Incidents (1972–2018)
For nearly half a century, the global community has been shaped by a series of high-profile attacks that have redefined national security, international travel, and religious discourse.
The Early Era: State-Linked & Regional Tensions (1970s – 1980s)
Modern international terrorism gained significant global attention in the 1970s. The Munich Olympic Massacre (1972) brought violence to the world’s most peaceful sporting stage, followed by high-stakes aerial incidents like the Air France Hijacking (1976). The decade closed with the Iranian Embassy Takeover (1980), signaling a shift toward ideologically driven confrontations. The 1980s saw large-scale bombings, including the Beirut Marine Barracks and Embassy bombings (1983), the hijacking of the Achille Lauro (1985), and the tragedy of Pan-Am Flight 103 (1988) over Lockerbie, Scotland.
The 1990s: Emerging Networks
As the 20th century closed, transnational patterns emerged. In 1993, the first World Trade Center bombing proved major Western landmarks were targets. Between 1994 and 1998, attacks expanded to South America (Buenos Aires AMIA bombing) and East Africa, where the U.S. Embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania (1998) signaled the rise of Al-Qaeda. In 2000, the bombing of the U.S.S. Cole in Yemen further highlighted the vulnerability of naval assets.
2001–2010: The Post-9/11 World
The September 11 attacks (2001) served as a global turning point, leading to the “War on Terror.” Following 9/11, a wave of synchronized attacks followed: the Bali Nightclub bombings (2002), the Madrid Train bombings (2004), and the London 7/7 bombings (2005). The Moscow Theatre (2002) and Beslan School (2004) crises shocked Russia, while the Mumbai Attacks (2008) paralyzed India’s financial capital.
2011–2018: The Era of Lone Actors and Insurgencies
The nature of threats evolved again, with a mix of organized insurgent massacres and “lone wolf” attacks. This included the Libyan U.S. Embassy attack (2012) and the brutal Yazidi Massacre (2014) by ISIS forces. France was hit repeatedly, from the Charlie Hebdo attacks (2015) and the Paris Bataclan massacre (2015) to the Nice truck attack (2016). In the U.S., the Boston Marathon bombing (2013), San Bernardino (2015), and the Orlando Pulse shooting (2016) underscored the difficulty of tracking radicalized individuals. The timeline concludes with the Manchester Arena bombing (2017) and the Surabaya church bombings (2018).
In the last 1,400 years of Islamic Jihadist existence; conquest and expansionism, up until the political and Islamic Caliphate ended in 1924, over 270 million people were reportedly slaughtered on the global scene. There is no better time for Islam to stay out of flames, reform and reinvent itself from the blood-curdling cult of Jihadism.
Erasmus Ikhide contributed this piece via: ikhideluckyerasmus@gmail.com
