The Issue of Taqiyyah

Guest Blogger
R Phil Lefkowitz

Regarding Muslim beliefs for Israel and the world is the issue of Taqiyyah.  Listening to many apologists for Islam I always wonder how influential Taqiyyah is in forming their responses.
Taqiyya = saying something that isn't true in certain circumstances based primarily on a verse in the Koran.

3:28 prohibits Muslims to befriend non-Muslims over Muslims unless it is needed to protect themselves.
"Let not the believer take the disbelievers for friends rather than believers. And whoever does this has no connection with Allah except that you guard yourselves against them guarding carefully. And Allah cautions you against his retribution. And to Allah is the eventual coming."
Regarding 3:28, Ibn Kathir, <http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ibn_Kathir>

a prominent Muslim authority writes, "meaning, except those believers who in some areas or times fear for their safety from the disbelievers. In this case, such believers are allowed to show friendship to the disbelievers outwardly, but never inwardly." He quotes Muhammad's companion, Abu Ad-Darda', who said "we smile in the face of some people although our hearts curse them," and Al-Hasan who said "the tiqyyah is acceptable till the Day of Resurrection."

An example of Taqiyya is when Muhammad used deception to trick his personal enemies into letting down their guard and exposing themselves to slaughter by pretending to seek peace.  This happened in the case of Usayr ibn Zarim, <http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Usayr_ibn_Zarim»

a surviving leader of the Banu Nadir tribe, a Jewish tribe, which had been evicted from their home in Medina by the Muslims. At the time, Usayr ibn Zarim was attempting to gather an armed force against the Muslims from among a tribe allied with the Quraish (against which Muhammad had already declared war).  Muhammad's "emissaries" went to ibn Zarim and persuaded him to leave his safe haven on the pretext of meeting with the prophet of Islam in Medina to discuss peace.  Once vulnerable, ibn Zarim and his thirty companions were massacred by the Muslims, as they were mostly unarmed, having been given a guarantee of safe passage (Ibn Ishaq 981, Muslim historian).

Also See:
How Taqiyya Alters Islam's Rules of War
Defeating Jihadist Terrorism
by Raymond Ibrahim
Middle East Quarterly
Winter 2010, pp. 3-13
http://www.meforum.org/2538/taqiyya-islam-rules-of-war

Phil Lefkowitz


Kol Tuv,
RRW