Multiple recent terrorist attacks have featured an "Allahu Akbar" cry, and Islamic violence has become a major concern in the US. With similar attacks seemingly increasing in the West and the Quran's mandate to make war with "unbelievers," many have concluded that Islam necessitates violence.
Last Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving, a man ambushed a pair of National Guardsmen just around the corner from the White House. The assailant ran toward the two National Guard officers, opening fire with a revolver. Both officers were hit. Sarah Beckstrom has died from her wounds. As of the time of this writing, Andrew Wolfe is "fighting for his life," per President Donald Trump. The shooter, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, was stabbed in the head and shot multiple times following the attack. He is expected to survive. Lakanwal, a former native of Afghanistan who was in the US thanks to a program that allowed former Afghan soldiers who partnered with American soldiers in the Middle East to come to the States, drove from Washington State to Washington DC to commit the assault.
Lakanwal is also a Muslim, and, according to some reports, he shouted "Allahu Akbar" during his attack, a phrase that means "God is most great." It has been used in many instances of "jihad," which means "struggle," but it is often associated with Muslim's Quran-commanded violent struggle against non-Muslims.
Just a few days later, another Afghan national named Mohammad Dawood Alokozay was arrested for planning a terrorist attack with a car bomb and announcing it on TikTok. On the social media platform, he loudly proclaimed that he wanted to commit the atrocity for the sake of killing "infidels." Like Lakanwal, he was in America via Operation Allies Welcome.
Since the September 11th terrorist attacks in 2001, a day orchestrated by Osama Bin Laden (who said that Muslims had a right to kill Americans because it was in accordance with Allah's will), Islamic violence against the West, Christians, and Jews seems to have increased. Coverage of these events certainly has increased.
Because of this, many in the Western world have come to the conclusion that Islam requires violence. This story will examine some facts and observations about Islamic violence, what the American Left and American Right have to say on the topic, how the Quran promotes religious violence, and what the Bible teaches relative to the subject.
Some facts and observations about Islamic violence
- It is not fair or correct to say that every Muslim supports Islamic violence against non-Muslims. It is also not fair or correct to say that every Muslim views jihad as something that must be violent. However, it is fair to say that there is a large number within Islam who do see the rest of the world as being full of enemies, individuals who must be conquered, eradicated, or converted.
- The Quran (the holy book of Islam) teaches Muslims that it is appropriate, and even required, to use violence as a means of religious conversion (Surah 5:33 says, "Indeed, the penalty for those who wage war against Allah and His Messenger and spread mischief in the land is death, crucifixion, cutting off their hands and feet on opposite sides, or exile from the land. This penalty is a disgrace for them in this world, and they will suffer a tremendous punishment in the Hereafter."). Subjugation, coercion, and other unethical conversion techniques are encouraged, and violence is the response to defiance.
- The life and example of Muhammad, the founder of Islam, also serve as "religious justification" for violence against non-Muslims. There will be more on that later.
- Violent Muslims, especially in primarily Islamic areas, often target Christians and Jews. The attempted genocide of non-Muslims is ongoing in certain parts of the world (you can read about it happening to Christians in Nigeria here). Even governmental legislation allows for these types of targeting, such as Pakistan's blasphemy laws that allow death as a punishment for anything they deem as blasphemous against Islam, Muhammad, or the Quran.
- Muslims are also known for fighting amongst themselves. According to a study from Prio Research, Islamic nations have a disproportionate amount of civil wars compared to the rest of the world. This happens, according to the research findings, because more radicalized Muslims attack all who disagree with them, whether "infidel" or other, less radicalized Muslims. 20 of the 49 primarily-Islamic nations experienced civil war of some kind in 2015. Many of those wars are still ongoing in 2025, and with 53 countries now considered predominantly Muslim, a few more have joined the fray. Visionofhumanity.org has published findings that the top seven nations on the Global Terrorism Index are predominantly Muslim. All but two of the top-20 GTI scores belong to countries with at least a 15% Muslim population; most are majority Islamic.
- In 1979, the Islamic Revolution took place. Most notably in Iran, this saw much of the Middle East shift to more restrictive Muslim teachings. This infiltrated the government in a direct way in Iran. Several other nations followed, at least in part.
- As Islam, as a whole, has returned to more traditional views on Muhammad's teachings with the Islamic Revolution, so too have the nations that have adopted religious states. "Sharia Law" and other restrictive, at times even inhumane, dogmas have become the law of these lands. Countries like Iran, Afghanistan, and Saudi Arabia have implemented versions of Sharia Law.
- Militant Muslim groups like ISIS/Islamic State (IS), Boko Haram, Al-Qaeda, Al-Shabaab, Jamaat Nusrat Al-Islam wal Muslimeen (JNIM), Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), and the Taliban are some of the largest organized Islamic terrorist groups in the world. A French study revealed that these groups claim responsibility for over 80% of the world's Islamic terrorist attacks.
- In 2024, the deadliest terrorism operations were all Islamic. In fact, a Vision for Humanity publication stated that Islamic violence represented more than half of the world's terrorism deaths. That number stands, even with about one-third of terrorists having no confirmed affiliation. That means that, of the world's terrorism murders in 2024, nearly 90% were committed by Muslims.
- Most of the Islamic world argues that the Western world, Israel, and (especially) the United States are great enemies who are in league with Satan. Because of that, many Muslims view the destruction of America as a major goal.
What the Left says about Islamic violence
There is no consensus among American Democrats when it comes to Islamic violence. Some argue that it is a topic that focuses only on outliers and uncommon events. Others say that extremism is real but that it is completely separate from the rest of Islam. Still others have reservations about Muslim culture and the manifestation of certain parts of that culture, including violence against non-Muslims and discrimination against wome nand certain other demographics.
- Most modern American Democrats have a universal view that opposes looking at any group differently than any other group—unless they are conservatives. Because of that, liberals appear to have a soft spot for Muslims and for foreigners, something that can describe the majority of Muslims.
- Liberals often cite the First Amendment (specifically the part about "free exercise of" religion) when defending Islam.
- The American Civil Liberties Union characterizes violence committed by Muslims, even ones who attack others directly in the name of Islam, Muhammad, or Allah, as "bad acts or intolerant statements of a few."
- Former President Barack Obama acknowledged the existence of radical Islamic violence, though he argued it rarely affected anyone outside of the Middle East. "They’re not defending Islam or Muslims—the vast majority of the people they kill are innocent Muslim men, women, and children," he contended. Obama's former vice president, Joe Biden, during his short-lived run for president in 2016, said that Islamic radicals "twist" the Quran's teachings and aren't true Muslims.
- Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders called the view that Islam is a religion of violence "an ugly stereotype."
- Former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, in a campaign speech in 2016, actually spoke up against Islamic violence in some of the strongest language used by Democrats on the issue. Clinton said that Americans "must defeat radical jihadism."
- For some in American politics, the United States' alliance with Israel affects the way they speak about Islam. This is more common for conservatives than liberals.
What the Right says about Islamic violence
On the Right, things are a bit more united on the subject of Muslim violence. Some Republicans in the United States oppose Islam in a general sense, and many strongly oppose the notion that Islam is a peaceful religion. Some take their concerns too far and revert to racism and/or other forms of unwarranted discrimination, extending their views well beyond valid levels.
- Modern Republicans are extremely in tune with the fact that there are some Muslims who commit violence in the name of the Islamic "god," Allah. They are willing to condemn radical Islamic violence and terrorism consistently, though that can be taken too far and labeled too quickly at times.
- Texas Senator Ted Cruz has gone as far as to say that Islam has "declared jihad on America." That sentiment is one held by a large number of modern conservatives.
- Secretary of State Marco Rubio believes that some of the hate that radical Muslims hold for America stems from their belief that the US provides its people with too many liberties. "They hate us because of our freedoms," he said back when he ran for the Republican presidential candidacy in 2016.
- Some Republicans, like former President George Bush, take a less hard-line stance against Islam, believing that there is a real separation between "a religion of peace" and what violent extremists practice.
- For some in American politics, the United States' alliance with Israel affects the way they speak about Islam. This is more common for conservatives than liberals.
What the Bible says versus what the Quran says
The Bible does not mention Islam because Muhammad had not created the false religion when Scripture was written down by the biblical authors via the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. However, where the false holy text of the Quran supports violence against nonbelievers, the Bible teaches something far different.
Islam is completely incompatible with Christianity.
Though it might seem obvious, it is worth pointing out that Islam and Christianity are not compatible.
The Quran promotes the killing of those who do not convert to Islam (Surah 5:33 says, "Indeed, the penalty for those who wage war against Allah and His Messenger and spread mischief in the land is death, crucifixion, cutting off their hands and feet on opposite sides, or exile from the land. This penalty is a disgrace for them in this world, and they will suffer a tremendous punishment in the Hereafter").
It also promotes kidnapping for the purpose of "earning" ransom money (Surah 47:4) and a lower status for women than men (Surah 4:34).
Muhammad wrote in the Quran that "the disbelievers are your sworn enemies" (Surah 4:101). The theme that anyone other than Muslims must be considered enemies and destroyed is a common one.
In Surah 9:5, it says, "When the Sacred Months have passed, kill the polytheists wherever you find them. And capture them, and besiege them, and lie in wait for them at every ambush. But if they repent, and perform the prayers, and pay the alms, then let them go their way." This doesn't directly affect Christians (who are also monotheistic), but it does show Muslims' views on those who believe differently than them. The Quran clearly says that Muslims can kill any polytheistic person who doesn't convert or pay a ransom/alm.
Later in that same chapter, Muhammad wrote specifically about both Christians and Jews: "Fight those who do not believe in God, nor in the Last Day, nor forbid what God and His Messenger have forbidden, nor abide by the religion of truth—from among those who received the Scripture—until they pay the due tax, willingly or unwillingly. The Jews said, 'Ezra is the son of God,' and the Christians said, 'The Messiah is the son of God.' These are their statements, out of their mouths. They emulate the statements of those who blasphemed before. May God assail them! How deceived they are!"
Specifically speaking about Jesus, the Quran refers to Him as a prophet (Surah 19:30) and denies that He is Lord (Surah 9:29-30). Muslims vehemently deny Jesus' death and resurrection. Surah 4:157-158 says, "[They] said, ‘We have killed the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, the Messenger of God.’ They did not kill him, nor did they crucify him, though it was made to appear like that to them; those who disagreed about him are full of doubt, with no knowledge to follow, only supposition: they certainly did not kill him—God raised him up to Himself. God is Almighty and Wise."
Though Christianity requires a similar goal to Islam of proselytizing, the Lord commands His people to reach the nations with the gospel. Matthew 28:19-20 says, "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you." Violence is not the means by which God "converts" nonbelievers.
As it pertains to violence in a general sense, Psalm 11:5 says that the Lord hates "the one who loves violence." Instances of God-ordained violence were context-specific as part of His wrath against the wicked and/or His redemptive plan for His people. The Quran, though, calls for continual violence.
Surah 3:157 encourages Muslims to fight to be "killed in the cause of Allah," and other verses in the Quran tell of rewards for martyrs, leading many in Islam to commit murder-suicide in the name of jihad. That directly flies in the face of the Sixth Commandment, as Exodus 20:13 says, "You shall not murder."
It should be clear that those who claim Christianity and Islam worship the same diety are wildly mistaken.
While some verses in the Quran are taken out of context to support violence, others call for violence outright. So do the religion's leaders.
Some attempting to prove Islam's violent nature take certain writings from the Quran out of context.
For example, Surah 2:190 begins with the words, "Fight in the cause of Allah," and some use it as a proof-text for the cause of Islamic violence. However, further reading shows that the verse directly refers to self-defense. Though the Bible champions the ability to turn the other cheek (Matthew 5:39), self-defense is allowable, as well.
However, there are plenty of examples from the Quran that call for violence, even within their context. These texts (and the example of Muhammad) are often cited by terrorist groups as justification for their behavior.
In Surah 2:193, the Quran encourages retaliation, not just self-defense.
A little later in Surah 2:216, the "prophet" Muhammad wrote that violence is a necessary and good part of Muslims' lives, whether they like it or not: "Fighting has been made obligatory upon you, believers, though you dislike it. Perhaps you dislike something which is good for you and like something which is bad for you. Allah knows, and you do not know."
In Surah 47:4, Muhammad wrote, "When you encounter those who disbelieve, strike at their necks."
In several places, the Quran allows Muslims to kill individuals who "spread mischief in the land."
This follows the history of the religion's founder. Muhammad was known as a violent man who personally killed his enemies and sold their women and children into slavery or for ransom payments.
Joining the blasphemy laws discussed earlier in this article, apostasy laws in certain Islamic countries call for individuals to be put to death if they convert away from Islam. For example, when former Muslim author Salman Rushdie left his previous faith and made fun of Islam, the Ayatollah of Iran put a bounty on his head.
The Quran is a document full of other errors.
The Quran includes many contradictory statements, even in light of context. Some of the previously shared calls for violence in the Quran, seemingly, are not allowable by other verses, such as Surah 6:151 that says, "take not life."
Surah 2:256 also says that there should be "no compulsion in religion," contradicting the commands to convert or kill infidels.
The Quran repeatedly refers to Jesus as "the Messiah" but also repeatedly denies his role as the Son of God who died and rose again to redeem God's people from sin.
From a historical perspective, there are untruths in the Quran.
Surah 12:20 says that Joseph (yes, the same Joseph from Genesis who was a son of Jacob) was sold by his brother for coins. Yet, coins had not been invented at the time of Joseph. They came into existence, at least, several hundred years later. Joseph was sold for pieces of silver, not coins.
Surah 34:16 describes a flood wiping away a dam. However, archaeological studies have found that the dam was abandoned and fell into disrepair, with no signs of flood.
In Surah 12, Muhammad mentions crucifixions as punishment during the times of Joseph and Moses. That would be impossible, as the practice did not begin until over one thousand years after Joseph's time and nearly 1000 years after Moses.
Muhammad has also been accused of plagiarizing several portions of the Quran from other ancient Middle Eastern literary works.
All of this contrasts with the Bible, which has stood through centuries of scrutiny.
Final verdict
There are times in which concern over violent Islamism turns into outright racism or other prejudicial behavior. That cannot be denied. However, it also cannot be denied that there is a real correlation between Islam and violence.
The problem of Islamic violence in the world is a real one, and it affects all types of people all over the world. It is not merely a result of radicalization. Instead, it is a symptom of the teachings of the Quran, itself. Muslims are commanded to "strike," "fight," and "kill" (among other things) those who believe differently than they do. Both Christians and Jews are mentioned in the Quran as natural enemies of the Islamic faith, as well.
The worldview and teachings of Islam are not compatible with Christianity, and Muslims, accordin to the Quran, are to consider Christians their sworn enemies. This teaching has caused terrorist groups to target the Church directly.
When the Lord Jesus warned against false prophets in Matthew 7:15 ("Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves"), he was referring to all false prophets, including Muhammad. His false teaching has led billions astray over the course of 15 centuries, and today, many of those same people follow his violent example.
