'Real Islam' Is Kidnapping Christian Women, Forcing Conversions and Destroying Churches, Controversial Shiite Ayatollah Claims
Grand Ayatollah Ahmad al-Baghdadi, the leading Shiite cleric of Iraq, has claimed in an interview that "real Islam" consists of forcefully converting people into the faith, abducting Christian women, and destroying churches. The cleric's comments stand in contrast to other Islamic leaders, who have condemned terroristic actions.
Al-Baghdadi reportedly made the comments during a televised interview, Frontpage Mag said, in which the cleric claimed that Muslims are obligated to go on the offensive and conquer people of other faiths, when circumstances permit.
"If they are people of the book [Jews and Christians] we demand of them the jizya — and if they refuse, then we fight them. That is if he is Christian. He has three choices: either convert to Islam, or, if he refuses and wishes to remain Christian, then pay the jizya," the cleric reportedly said in the interview.
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"But if they still refuse — then we fight them, and we abduct their women, and destroy their churches — this is Islam!... Come on, learn what Islam is, are you even a Muslim?!" he continued.
He added that people of other religions face the choice between Islam and war as well.
The Grand Ayatollah insisted in the interview that "this is the word of Allah," and is not just his opinion.
Muslim leaders in Britain and other countries have condemned the Islamic State terror group, which is carrying out many of the actions suggested by al-Baghdadi, and said that Muslims express "grave concern" at the violence being carried out in the name of their religion.
"ISIS does not represent the main Sunni Muslims' ideology," Maulana Shahid Raza, of Leicester Central Mosque, told Sky News.
"They are involved in acts of terror and violence, they are involved in destructing and demolishing the Muslim shrines. ... We condemn it."
Shuja Shafi, of the Muslim Council of Great Britain, added: "Violence has no place in religion, violence has no religion.
"It is prohibited for people to present themselves for destruction."
Back in January, Duke University's director of the Islamic Studies Center, Omid Safi, told The Christian Post that Islamic leaders have strongly been condemning terrorism.
"The real issue is not whether Muslims are condemning terror, but whether the rest of us are willing to hear it. And if we are not, what does that say about our own presumptions?" he asked.
