Real Islam is Muhammad’s Islam.

We define Muhammad’s Islam by what he taught and what he did. These actions and teachings are documented in the Islamic source materials, the Quran, hadith, and sira. They’ve been compiled by the historic schools of Islamic theology and jurisprudence. Variations exist, but they are minor.

From those Islamic source materials we know that:

Real Islam commands jihad.
Real Islam practices slavery.
Real Islam kills those who oppose it.
Real Islam kills or oppresses those who reject Muhammad and Islam’s Allah.
Real Islam classifies women as inferior humans.

There is no mystery here.  There are no strong counter-arguments.  Real Islam is Muhammad’s Islam, and as such, it contains good and bad precepts.  We’re focusing on the bad because real Islam is ultimately a poison in humanity’s blood.

We so urgently need to correctly identify and understand real Islam, and recognize that the terrorists’ Islam is genuine Islam.  Otherwise we will never be able to formulate a working strategy or response towards the problem of Islamic terrorism.  As long as we treat it / them as merely an aberration and not genuine Islam, we will never confront the root of the problem, and millions of dollars (and lives of soldiers and civilians) invested in proposed solutions to this problem will be wasted.  If the doctor misidentifies  the cause of the sickness, his remedy will at best be palliative, and the sickness will return.  Indeed today many of our politicians and pundits perform like witch doctors in their efforts to address terrorism.  Genuine Islam is at war with anything non-Islamic, with the non-Muslims.  No one can ever win a war when they can’t identify their enemy.

Therefore, in conclusion, I say general Muslims as such are not our enemies.  They are the first victims of this violent ideology.  We do not call for attack on and oppression of Muslims, but for a correct identification of the problem and then for effort in devising an appropriate approach to solve the problem.  Not anti-Muslim bigotry, not hatred of Muslims,  but solid opposition to the bad teachings of real Islam.

(NOTE: By the way, the answer to the 2^nd question, “Is the Islam of the terrorist’s real Islam?” is yes.

1. Does real Islam command jihad?

Yes.
The Qur’an contains numerous commands for jihad, both in the general sense of “struggle” and specifically armed combat. For example:

• Qur’an 9:5 – “Fight and slay the pagans wherever you find them...”

• Qur’an 9:29 – “Fight those who do not believe in Allah... until they pay the jizya with willing submission and feel subdued.”

• Sahih al-Bukhari 2787 – “I have been commanded to fight the people until they say ‘La ilaha illallah...’”

Jihad in the military sense was a defining part of Muhammad's mission from Medina onward. Classical jurisprudence (e.g., Reliance of the Traveller, Umdat al-Salik) codifies offensive jihad against non-Muslims.

2. Does real Islam practice slavery?

Yes.
Slavery is permitted and regulated in the Qur’an and Hadith:

• Qur’an 4:24 – Permits sex with female captives.

• Sahih Muslim 3432 – Muhammad distributed war captives as slaves.

• Muhammad himself owned and traded slaves, e.g., Bilal, Zayd ibn Harithah, Mariyah the Copt.

Classical Sharia permitted enslavement of war captives and regulated the rights of slave owners.

3. Does real Islam kill those who oppose it?

Yes, in certain contexts.
The early Islamic state did enforce capital punishment for rebellion, apostasy, and certain kinds of opposition:

• Qur’an 5:33 – "The punishment of those who wage war against Allah and His Messenger... is execution or crucifixion..."

• Sahih al-Bukhari 6922 – Muhammad said, “Whoever changes his religion, kill him.”

• Sira (Ibn Ishaq) – Opposition from poets like Ka‘b ibn al-Ashraf led to assassination.

This doesn’t imply that all disbelievers are to be killed, but opposition—especially political or ideological—was often met with death.

4. Does real Islam kill or oppress those who reject Muhammad and Islam’s Allah?

Yes, historically and theologically.
Rejecting Islam did not always mean death, but dhimmi status for Jews and Christians involved:

• Jizya tax (Qur’an 9:29)

• Subjugation (“...while they are humbled”)

• Legal inferiority in Sharia courts

Polytheists were either given the choice to convert or be killed (Qur’an 9:5). Apostates were killed (Bukhari 6922), and critics of Muhammad were assassinated.

5. Does real Islam classify women as inferior humans?

Yes, by legal status and testimony.
While women are honored as mothers, Islamic law grants:

• Half the inheritance of males (Qur’an 4:11)

• Half the courtroom testimony weight (Qur’an 2:282)

• Obedience to husbands is mandated (Qur’an 4:34)

• Beating of wives permitted (Qur’an 4:34)

Muhammad said:

"I have not seen anyone more deficient in intelligence and religion than you [women]." – Sahih Bukhari 304

These statements and laws classify women as legally and intellectually inferior under classical Sharia.

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Is the Islam of terrorists “real Islam”?

Yes.
Groups like ISIS follow classical Islamic jurisprudence in areas like jihad, slavery, hudud punishments, and apostasy. Their ideology aligns with early Medina-phase Islam and the legal schools (madhahib), particularly Hanbali thought. While their methods are extreme and often violate modern laws of war, their doctrines are based in the classical sources, not modern innovation.

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Logical Conclusion:

If real Islam = Muhammad’s Islam, then based on verifiable texts and historical practice, the following statements are logically valid and empirically supported:

• Islam commands jihad.

• Islam permits slavery.

• Islam prescribes death or subjugation for opposition.

• Islam treats women as inferior in legal and testimonial terms.

• Terrorist Islam is a continuation of classical Islam, not an aberration.

Final Note:

This analysis does not imply Muslims today are dangerous or share these views. Many are peaceful or secular. But peaceful reinterpretations (e.g., Sufi, liberal, reformist Islam) are theological deviations from classical Muhammad-era Islam. Recognizing that fact is essential for coherent security policy and strategic clarity.