ES Views Letter of the Day: Jihadists are not following the Koran

Your correspondent, Rosamund Urwin, gave an account of historian Tom Holland’s documentary on Isis: The Origins of Violence [“I was told: if Isis catch you, kill yourself fast”, May 17]. But the documentary contains some baseless arguments.

Mr Holland claims the origins of IS’s violence is justified by the tenets and scriptures of Islam. Nothing can be further from the truth. The Koran does not direct believers to kill any infidel.

Muhammad was engaged in defensive fights which were thrust upon the Muslims. When they entered Mecca, the idols were cleared from the Kaba, which was built by the Prophet Abraham for the monotheistic faith. But no one was killed.

The Koran does not sanction fighting for personal gain, hatred or revenge. The minority of Muslims who are politicised, disillusioned or brainwashed and the opponents of Islam are just giving false accounts to malign Islam.

Asaduzzaman Malik

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