Radical or Faithful? The Truth About Jihad and Islam’s “Peace” Claim

☠️Radical or Faithful? Jihad, Terror, and the “Religion of Peace” Claim

The Crescent Against the Cross article 10

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1. From Cultural Strategy to Violent Reality

In our last study, we examined how Islam spreads in the West—through demographics, propaganda, and interfaith compromise. But alongside cultural strategy lies a deeper question: is Islam truly what it claims, a “religion of peace”? Or is violence at its core?

Many in the West, eager to preserve tolerance, insist that terror is a distortion of Islam. Yet the testimony of the Qur’an, the Hadith, and Islamic history says otherwise. Jihad is not fringe; it is foundational.

Jesus warned: “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly” (John 10:10). By their fruits we will know them—and the fruit of Islam has been bloodshed and conquest, while the fruit of Christ’s kingdom has been life and peace.

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2. Jihad in the Qur’an and Hadith

Jihad is often presented in two ways: the “greater jihad” of inner struggle and the “lesser jihad” of armed conflict. While some Muslim apologists emphasize the former, the Qur’an and Hadith consistently elevate the latter.

“Fight those who do not believe in Allah or in the Last Day and who do not consider unlawful what Allah and His Messenger have made unlawful… until they give the jizyah willingly while they are humbled” (Qur’an 9:29).

Muhammad himself said: “I have been commanded to fight against the people until they testify that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah” (Sahih Muslim 1:33).

Muhammad’s career was marked not by peaceful coexistence but by raids, battles, and campaigns against unbelievers. Later caliphs institutionalized jihad, framing expansion by the sword as the duty of the faithful.

This is not extremism—it is obedience to Islam’s foundational texts.

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3. Terrorism: Radical or Faithful?

When groups like ISIS, Al-Qaeda, or Boko Haram commit violence in the name of Islam, are they radicals twisting the faith? Or are they faithful Muslims living it out?

The evidence is plain: they are not innovators but imitators. Their doctrines, slogans, and strategies echo Muhammad’s commands and the early caliphates’ practice. When ISIS invoked Qur’an 9:5—the so-called “verse of the sword”—they were not inventing something new. They were walking in Muhammad’s footsteps.

So what of “moderate Islam”? In many cases, cultural Islam separates itself from doctrinal Islam. A Muslim neighbor who longs for peace may personally reject jihad, but the texts of his religion do not. When violence erupts in Islam’s name, it is not betrayal but fidelity.

As historian Bernard Lewis observed: “For Muslims, the jihad was not a war of aggression but a war of expansion, as obedience to God’s command” (The Political Language of Islam, 1988).

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4. The Fruits of Violence vs. the Fruit of the Spirit

Jesus said: “You will recognize them by their fruits” (Matt. 7:16). Islam’s fruits are plain. Its history is marked by conquest, coercion, and fear. From the Battle of Badr to the Ottoman sieges of Europe, Islam’s advance has been written in blood.

Christianity’s advance, by contrast, has come through preaching, service, and martyrdom. The early church did not conquer Rome with armies but with the gospel. Missionaries today do not advance the kingdom with terror but with truth.

The fruit of jihad: destruction, death, and despair.

The fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control (Gal. 5:22–23).

The contrast could not be sharper.

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5. Applications for the Church

Expose. Do not buy the myth of “peaceful Islam.” Look to its texts, history, and fruits. Jihad is not a fringe distortion but a core expression.

Equip. When conversations arise in culture about Islam and terror, respond with clarity. Terror is not an aberration but a logical outcome of the Qur’an’s commands.

Encourage. Do not fear Islam’s sword. Civil rulers may rightly bear the sword against evil (Rom. 13:4), but Christ’s kingdom advances by Word and Spirit. True and lasting peace is found only in the Prince of Peace.

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6. Conclusion: Peace or the Sword?

Terrorism is not a betrayal of Islam—it is its fruit. Islam may call itself a “religion of peace,” but its founder wielded the sword, its texts command the sword, and its history testifies to the sword.

Christ, by contrast, is the Prince of Peace. He conquers not by killing others but by dying for sinners. His blood brings reconciliation, not conquest. His kingdom advances not by coercion but by grace.

As the church, we must remember: “Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end” (Isa. 9:7). Islam’s jihad will fade, but Christ’s reign of peace will endure forever.

Next, we turn to another area of distortion: Islam and Women: Veil of Oppression (Article 11).

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✍️ Reflection & Application

Personal: Do you ever shrink back from conversations about Islam’s violence for fear of being called intolerant? How does Christ’s truth give you courage?

Church: How can your congregation equip believers to answer the “religion of peace” claim with clarity and compassion?

Mission: How can you lovingly show Muslim friends that Christ offers what jihad never can—true peace with God?

For Families:

Teach your children that Jesus is the Prince of Peace. His kingdom is not spread by violence but by love and truth.

Pray together for Muslims trapped in systems of violence, that they might find rest in Christ.

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📚 Key Sources Consulted:

Qur’an 9:5, 9:29.

Sahih Muslim 1:33.

John 10:10; Matthew 7:16; Romans 13:4.

Galatians 5:22–23.

Bernard Lewis, The Political Language of Islam (1988).

Mark Durie, The Third Choice: Islam, Dhimmitude and Freedom (2010).

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