In the Times today Dr Fareed Ahmad defends Islam from the charge of embedded violence by asserting that Islam only permits violence in self-defence. The problem is that Bin Laden's insistence on violence was for self-defence against infidels in Saudi Arabia, there to protect the country from Hussain, and is an argument commonly used by extremists.
A religion should surely not advocate violence at all?
He omits, by the way, violence urged against apostates. But as any criticism or rejection of Islam is seen as an attack, the self-defence position is applied there.
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