Tomorrow (Tuesday) afternoon on the campus of Brigham Young University<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
Quite unrelated to the image above:<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Fairly commonly, I\u2019m told by critics of Islam that Muslims believe it legitimate to lie to non-Muslims (presumably on just about anything). \u00a0Thus, supposedly, there\u2019s no value in entering into any contract with Muslims or into any treaty with an Islamic state. \u00a0Moreover, according to some, you can never trust Muslims anywhere, ever. \u00a0They may seem to be friendly with you, but they\u2019re just biding their time. \u00a0Very commonly, in fact they\u2019re bent on killing you and imposing shari\u2018a<\/em> on you. \u00a0And the fact that there\u2019s typically not even a shred of evidence to support that claim merely shows how very adept they are at concealing their attentions. \u00a0When I point out that I have dozens of Muslim friends and regularly spend considerable time in Muslim-majority areas without hurt or fear, I\u2019m pitied as na\u00efve. \u00a0Accordingly, Muslim immigration should be stopped. \u00a0Period.<\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
I expect that what lies behind this claim \u2014 which I reject \u2014 is the very real notion of taqiyya<\/em>. \u00a0Here\u2019s a preliminary stab at explaining taqiyya<\/em> for The Forthcoming Book:<\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Arabic word taqiyya<\/em> is etymologically linked to the concepts of devotion and \u201cpiety\u201d (Arabic taqwa<\/em>), but it is often translated as \u201cdissimulation.\u201d In Shi\u2019ite thought, the term taqiyya<\/em> has come to refer to a tactic used by Shi\u2018ite imams when faced with oppression from the Sunni majority. (Note that it is an idea associated with the relatively small Shi\u2018ite minority within the Islamic community, and not with Muslims as a whole.)<\/span><\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
Under persecution and pressure, Shi\u2018ite thinkers and leaders came to regard it as advisable and allowable to hide their beliefs when faced with potentially lethal oppression. \u00a0Significant justification was found for this in the Quranic verse 16:106, where God\u2019s wrath awaits the apostates \u2014 \u201cexcept those who are compelled while their hearts are firm in the faith.\u201d \u00a0Such people are those who have been forced to practice taqiyya<\/em>.<\/span><\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
Although a Muslim is expected to declare his or her belief publicly, and although to deny it is ordinarily a grievous sin (a\u00a0kabira<\/em>, perhaps literally an \u201cenormity\u201d), it was supposedly the common practice of at least some of the principal imams to conform outwardly to Sunni belief while remaining inwardly Shi\u2018ite. While some imams encouraged self-sacrifice\u201d when their community was vulnerable to oppression, others practiced taqiyya<\/em> as a balance to shahada <\/em>(a willingness to expose one\u2019s beliefs in the face of danger).<\/span><\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
There is no single clear and orthodox position on when or when not to practice taqiyya<\/em> in Shi\u2018ite law, despite numerous debates among Shi\u2018ite jurists and theologians. However, some factors to be assessed include the risk to oneself and to one\u2019s family and other believers, as well the level of malice involved. \u00a0That last point is crucial: \u00a0Taqiyya<\/em> is about protecting a persecuted minority community, not about cheating on contracts, lying in order to gain profit, or deceiving other parties to a treaty.<\/span><\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
One might compare it without too much distortion, I think, to lying to agents of the Gestapo when they ask whether you\u2019re hiding a Jewish family in your attic, which (it turns out) you are. \u00a0Although I recall one vehement dissenter on this matter, I believe that most of us would say that lying is justifiable\u00a0under such circumstances and, indeed, is the morally preferable course.<\/span><\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Quite unrelated to the image above: \u00a0 Fairly commonly, I\u2019m told by critics of Islam that Muslims believe it legitimate to lie to non-Muslims (presumably on just about anything). \u00a0Thus, supposedly, there\u2019s no value in entering into any contract with Muslims or into any treaty with an Islamic state. \u00a0Moreover, according to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1019,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[66,1769,9014],"class_list":["post-83456","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-islam","tag-muslim","tag-taqiyya"],"yoast_head":"\n
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<\/a>