Does Islam Condone Beheading?

In National Review yesterday, Mustafa Akyol argued that the violent detention and beheading of Western hostages by Islamists is not condoned by the Koran. Akyol wrote that, "... the kidnappings and murders we see today, like all other acts of terrorism committed against civilians, are un-Islamic cruelties. They stem from a kind of necrophilic nihilism, not from the essence of Islam." In his article, Akyol cited verses from the Koran to bolster his contention that Islam requires hospitality and safe passage for what he characterized as "prisoners of war."

Andrew McCarthy destroyed Akyol's argument in an article published today by National Review. While welcoming Akyol's condemnation of terrorist barbarity, McCarthy put the verses cited by Akyol into proper Koranic context, added several verses of his own, and provided illustrations from the life of Muhammed, to demonstrate that Islamists are not necessarily misconstruing their religion. McCarthy ended with these words: "I applaud Akyol for condemning the depravity of the militants who have savaged Johnson, Berg, il-Sun, Pearl, and others. But I don't believe he has made a compelling case for the "Islamic condemnation of the al Qaeda killings." Such a case would require taking these troubling verses and incidents head-on, and providing a cogent explanation of why they should not be interpreted as jihadists have interpreted them."

Both articles are worth reading- Akyol for an understanding of the Islamic theology wished for by many Muslims, and McCarthy for an understanding of Islamic theology in reality.