Make sure you know the rules of engagement before reading on…

Anecdote from instigators of Holy War:

“Our Prophet ordered us to Fight you till you worship Allah alone or pay us the Jizyah tribute tax in submission. Our Prophet has informed us that our Lord says: ‘Whoever amongst us is killed as a syahid shall go to Paradise to lead such a luxurious life as he has never seen, and whoever survives shall become your master.’”

Sahih Bukhari 4:53:386

Etymology of Sacrifice:

Sacrifice is a mid-13c. word coming from Old French sacrifise (12c.), from Latin sacrificium, from sacrificus “performing priestly functions or sacrifices,” which combines sacra “sacred rites” and the root of facere “to do, perform” (see factitious). Latin sacrificium is glossed in Old English by ansegdniss. The sense of “something given up for the sake of another” is first recorded 1590s. Typically this means that the modern usage implies that something has been devoted to destruction by a priest or other holy person fit for such a job.

Three famous people who adhered to this term

1. Constantine
2. Mohammed the Prophet (peace be upon him)
3. Joshua, the disciple of Moses

List of terms: Who? Where? When? Why? How?

• Who devotes enemies to destruction? Those who have been chosen for the task because of having been set apart by their God.
• Where devote enemies to destruction? Typically on territory given to the chosen people for the sake of inhabiting or religious purposes. Often ancient tribes would war with one another and personify these wars in their gods, and thus territorial battles served religious purposes.
• When devote enemies to destruction? Any time the “enemy” contradicts the holiness of the chosen people.
• Why devote enemies to destruction? To establish holiness in the land–to cleanse the land from the scourge of infidels.
• How devotes their enemies to destruction? Complete destruction or assimilation into the holy culture.

Three positive tendencies of this term:

1. At very least, adherents to holy war care little for exploitation. They simply want to purify the land.
2. Holy War adherents who truly mean well couch their studies in personal holiness. True personal holiness will disallow injustice.
3. Though empires were founded on holy war, no true holy war was ever initiated for something as petty as gold, lumber, oil, or diamonds. At very least, this is a war of conflicting virtues, not economics.

Three negative tendencies of this term

1.  Defers the guilt of injustice to the mere existence of “infidels”
2. Exterminates entire cities by creating cultures of violent extremists
3. Blackballs religions by giving them a bad name

Fantastic example

Vampires and Werewolves

Further Reading:

Holy War by Nigel Cliff (on Amazon)