In part 1, we learned that some would have us dialogue with Muslims on the basis of sharing a common love for God. This proposal is problematic because the God of the Bible is not the god of Islam. There is also the challenge posed by Islam’s historic and continued commitment to Jihad. But it may just be that Jihad does, in fact, provide us with an inroad to engage Muslims, not because we have a common God or share the same love for God, but because we agree that God is right to be angry. We both agree with the doctrine of divine wrath.
Islam and the Wrath of God
Because Islam is a theocracy, Muslim nation states are understood to be expressions of God’s will. Sharia law and Jihad are expressions of God’s will. When the ghazi (warrior) fights in Jihad, the wrath of God is given expression in religious battle. That such war is religiously significant is seen in that the ghazi who dies in battle immediately merits entrance into the Garden of Paradise, the Islamic “heaven,” which is filled with all manner of sensual delights and pleasures. Salvation is thus obtained through the supreme good work of martyrdom in Jihad, because, to be angry for God is the epitome of piety and to vent the wrath of Allah is Islam’s supreme virtue. Keep Reading...
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