Date: 20 Mar 2010
Understanding Muhammad A Psychobiography of Allâh's Prophet By Ali Sina © Ali Sina. All Rights Reserved About the Author am a Canadian of Iranian descent. I received my Islamic education at school during a time when Iran was secular and Islamic revivalism, although simmering beneath the surface, had not yet erupted. Back then, few actually knew the reality of it. I left Iran before the Islamic Revolution in my mid-teens to continue my higher studies in Europe. In Europe I learned about freedom of thought and democracy. Democracy is a concept completely alien to the Muslim psyche to the extent that there is no equivalent terminology for it in Arabic or other languages spoken by Muslims. If they have no word for it, they have no idea of it. After studying the history of the western philosophy and seeing how it had evolved to eventually give birth to Renaissance and Enlightenment, I concluded that what ailed the Muslim world is lack of freedom of thought. However, it was only when I read the Qur’an from cover to cover for the first time that I realized the main cause of the backwardness of the Muslims is Islam. After reading the Qur’an, I was in shock. I was shocked to see the violence, hate, inaccuracies, scientific errors, mathematical mistakes, logical absurdities, grammatical solecisms and dubious ethical pronouncements. After a period of confusion, guilt, disillusionment, depression and anger, I accepted the conclusion that the Qur’an was not a book of God, but Satanic verses, a hoax, and the product of a sick mind. The experience was like awakening and realizing that what I was so intensely experiencing thus far was just a dream. After studying the sacred Islamic texts, the hadith (traditions) and the Sira (the biography of Muhammad), I became convinced that the ills affecting \ iv Understanding Muhammad the Muslim world are caused by Islam and that this religion is a serious threat to mankind. As will be seen in this book, it is a destructive and anti-human idea reflecting the very mind of Muhammad. I launched my counter-jihad in 1998. The notion of reforming Islam was impossible. Islam is brittle stone. You can’t mold it, but you can smash it into pieces and pulverize it. Muslims are aware of its vulnerability and that is why they are so intolerant of criticism. Islam is like a house of cards, sustained by lies; all it takes to demolish it is to challenge one of those lies holding it together. It is a tall building, erected on quicksand; once you expose its foundation, the sand will wash away and this mighty edifice will fall under its own weight. In 2001, I announced that Islam will be nothing but a bad memory, in just three decades or so, and that many of us would see the end of it in our own lifetime. My claim raised many eyebrows. I must admit I was hesitant making such a statement because I knew many would dismiss it as unrealistic and even foolhardy. Yet the more I thought about it, the more certain I became. Today, many others are also seeing the inevitability of the death of Islam. The whisperings of criticism of Islam are being heard everywhere, both by those who were born within Islam and by others. It is becoming increasingly clear that the problem is not with Muslims and how they interpret Islam but with Islam itself. Muslims are the primary victims of Islam. My objective is not just to expose the dangers of Islam, but also to rescue Muslims from this web of lies. I want to save them from blowing up the world, realize that mankind is one family, and help them come back to the human race, to prosper and live in peace. I want the unity of Mankind, not by introducing yet another doctrine, which always ends up dividing mankind further, but by exposing and removing the chief doctrine of hate in the world. There are many disillusioned Muslims who are confused and can find no answers anywhere. They are ready to leave Islam but they don’t know where to turn. They need answers and a support group. Faithfreedom.org, the site I created, was to meet that need. The Internet, because of one’s anonymity, is an ideal place for apostates to meet, exchange ideas, clear each other’s doubts, share experiences, support and affirm one another. Islam would have imploded a long time ago if thinking Muslims had the opportunity to question Islam without fearing for their lives. Islam has survived so far only because it has suppressed all criticisms. Faithfreedom.org is read by millions of people across the world. It has become the meeting ground for those who are concerned about the threat of Islam and want to know what drives some Muslims to this much hate and savagery. Faith Freedom International has grown to become a movement. It is a grassroots movement of ex-Muslims. Its aims are (a) to unmask Islam and show that it is an imperialistic ideology akin to Nazism but disguised as religion, v and (b) to help Muslims leave it, end this culture of hate caused by their "us" vs. "them" ethos and embrace the human race in amity. As some have defined it, Faith Freedom International is “a quiet global revolution in the making.” Many new apostates are made daily and they in turn are becoming soldiers in the struggle of light against darkness and we are growing exponentially. What started as a trickle has become a torrent. What a wonderful way to wage this war where the enemy becomes your friend and best ally! Jim Ball, Sydney’s No. 1 overnight broadcaster writes: “Ali Sina is the Iranian ex-Muslim behind the website faithfreedom.org. Along with other former Muslims such as Ibn Warraq, Sina is spearheading what may be the first organized movement of ex-Muslims in Islamic history, made possible during the past ten to fifteen years by Muslim immigration to the West and the growth of the Internet….It is no exaggeration to say that if the likes of Ali Sina, Ibn Warraq and Wafa Sultan prevail in the face of the traditional death penalty for leaving Islam, then Islam will never again be the same.” As for my own convictions, I am a Secular Humanist and a World Federalist. Politically, I have neither left nor right inclinations. I am particularly critical of the political left for its misguided and suicidal support of Islam. It seems that in their distorted weltanschauung, the leftists are convinced that anyone who is against Judeo Christianity deserves to be supported. While in mine, anyone who supports Islam deserves be condemned. Ali Sina Acknowledgement I owe thanks to many people who helped me write this book. They corrected my English and provided valuable criticism. Unfortunately I can’t name them. That is because I do not know their real names. Even though they remain anonymous, I am immensely indebted to them. I also would like to thank the wonderful friends who volunteered their time to take full control of the operation of faithfreedom.org, as site administrators, editors and moderators of its forums. This allowed me to have time to work on this book. The fight against Islamic terrorism is fought by unsung heroes. These people give their time and talent to awaken the world to the danger of Islam. They ask nothing in return and remain anonymous. Preface By Ibn Warraq r. Ali Sina was born into a Muslim family in Iran. Some of his relatives were Ayatollahs. Like most educated Iranians he believed that Islam was a humanistic religion that respected human rights. But Dr. Sina was also blessed with an enquiring mind, a rationalistic spirit that questioned, probed, and looked at the evidence unflinchingly. What he slowly discovered about the real Islam shook him morally and intellectually, and what is more, made him realize, long before September 11, 2001, that unless someone spoke the truth about the faith he was born into, the world would be faced with a system of thought and belief that would destroy not just the West, but civilization as a whole. Since his epiphanous moment when he discovered the inhuman nature of this religion, Dr. Sina has dedicated his life to discussing, criticizing, exposing the unacceptable aspects of Islam on his widely quoted website Faith Freedom International. The West can make use of defectors, like Dr. Sina, from Islam (apostates) in the way the West used defectors from communism. As I wrote in Leaving Islam,1 there are very useful analogies to be drawn between Communism and Islam, such as the ones Maxime Rodinson2 and Bertrand Russell have pointed out between the mindset of the communists of the 1930s and the Islamists of the 1990s and 21st century. As Russell said, “Among religions, Bolshevism [Communism] is to be reckoned with Mohammedanism rather than with Christianity and Buddhism. Christianity and Buddhism are primarily personal religions, with mystical doctrines and a love of contemplation. 1 Ibn Warraq. Leaving Islam. Apostates Speak Out. Amherst: Prometheus Books. p.136 2 Maxime Rodinson: Islam et communisme, une ressemblance frappante, in Le Figaro [Paris, daily newspaper], 28 Sep. 2001 W viii Understanding Muhammad Mohammedanism and Bolshevism are practical, social, unspiritual, concerned to win the empire of this world.”3 Hence the interest in the present situation and its haunting parallels with the communism of the western intellectuals in the 1930s. As Koestler said, “You hate our Cassandra cries and resent us as allies, but when all is said, we ex-Communists are the only people on your side who know what it’s all about.”4 As Crossman wrote in his introduction, “Silone [an ex-Communist] was joking when he said to Togliatti that the final battle would be between the Communists and ex-Communists. But no one who has not wrestled with Communism as a philosophy and Communists as political opponents can really understand the values of Western Democracy. The Devil once lived in Heaven, and those who have not met him are unlikely to recognize an angel when they see one.”5 Communism has been defeated, at least for the moment, Islamism has not, and unless a reformed, tolerant, liberal kind of Islam emerges soon, perhaps the final battle will be between Islam and Western Democracy. And these ex- Muslims, to echo Koestler’s words, on the side of Western Democracy, are the only ones who know what it’s all about, and we would do well to listen to their Cassandra cries. We who live in the free West and enjoy freedom of expression and scientific inquiry should encourage a rational look at Islam, should encourage Quranic criticism. Only Quranic criticism can help Muslims to look at their Holy Scripture in a more rational and objective way, and prevent young Muslims from being fanaticized by the Quran’s less tolerant verses. It is the civic duty of all individuals living in the West to inform themselves about Islam. But if they only consult the works available in the megastores, they will find apologists of Islam. It is only by going through the meticulously documented and impeccably argued website of Dr. Sina and his team of writers that we would be able to obtain a more just appraisal of Islam. Now, of course, we have Dr. Sina's book which I urge all responsible citizens whose critical faculties have not been lulled into confusion and befuddlement by oft-repeated slogans about Islam being a religion of peace to read carefully. Thanks to the courageous efforts of independent scholars like Dr. Ali Sina, there can no longer be any excuse for remaining ignorant about a religion that may annihilate all that you cherish and hold worth defending. Ibn Warraq is the author of Leaving Islam, What the Koran Really Says, The Quest for the Historical Muhammad, The Origins of the Koran and Why I Am Not a Muslim, the book that inspired many Muslims to awake and question their cherished faith. 3 B.Russell, Theory and Practice of Bolshevism, London, 1921 pp .5, 29, 114 4 A.Koestler, et al, The God That Failed, Hamish Hamilton, London, 1950, p.7 5 Ibid. p16 ix Table of Contents Subject Page Introduction 1 Chapter 1 Who was Muhammad? The Birth and childhood of Muhammad Marriage to Khadijah Mystic Experience The Myth of Persecution Immigration to Medina Divide and Rule Promise of Heavenly Rewards Incite to Violence Raids Rape Torture Assassination Genocide Invasion of Banu Qainuqa’ Invasion of Banu Nadir Invasion of Banu Quraiza Taqiyyah: the Holy Deception 7 8 14 15 17 19 23 25 26 32 36 38 40 45 45 47 51 54 Chapter 2 Muhammad’s Personality Profile What is Narcissism The Cult of the Narcissist The Cause of the Narcissist The Narcissist Wants to Leave a Legacy The Narcissist Wants to be God What Causes Narcissism? Khadijah’s Influence on Muhammad Muhammad’s Belief in His Own Cause More on the Policy of Divide and Rule A Comparison between Islam and the Cult of the Narcissist 59 60 63 65 67 68 70 74 81 85 87 x Understanding Muhammad Chapter 3 Muhammad’s Ecstatic Experiences Suicidal Thoughts Temporal Lobe Epilepsy The Symptoms of Temporal Lobe Seizure Other Symptoms of TLE The Heavenly Night Journey Muhammad Was Telling the Truth The Origin of Muhammad’s Mystical Experiences Brain Stimulation Creates Shadow Person Camel Kneeling Under the Power of Revelation The Case of Phil K. Kindred Other Cases of TLE Other Famous People with Epilepsy Sexuality, Religious Experience and Temporal Lobe Hyperactivation TLE is a Multifaceted Disorder Schizophrenia Bipolar Disorder: 101 108 112 113 116 117 122 123 126 127 128 130 135 144 144 Chapter 4 Muhammad’s Physical Ailment 147 Chapter 5 Muhammad and his Cult The Harder the Better A Few Famous Narcissist Cult Leaders Jim Jones David Koresh Order of the Solar Temple Heaven's Gate Charles Manson Joseph Kony The Power of the Big Lie Use of Violence Why Did Everyone Praise Muhammad? 155 161 164 164 165 166 167 167 169 170 173 175 xi Chapter 6 When Sane People Follow Insane People Absolute Obedience Death as the Proof of Faith Punishment and Coercion Elimination of Dissention Inconsistencies Destruction of Family Ties The Power of Persuasion Claims of Grandiosity Claim to Secret Knowledge Performing Miracles Distrust of Outsiders and Self –Blame Self Justification Isolationism Gradual Absorption Demanding the Ultimate Sacrifice Overwhelming the Believers Control of Information 179 180 182 184 185 187 191 192 193 195 196 200 201 202 205 217 219 230 Chapter 7 Dialogue between Civilizations? 235 Introduction fter the 9/11 attack on America, a distraught American mother told me that her son, aged 23, had converted to Islam at 14. He had married a Muslim woman whom he had never seen before in an arranged marriage by his Imam (Islamic cleric), and now, with a baby, he wanted to go to Afghanistan to fight for the Taliban killing American soldiers and become a “martyr.” She also said that a few years earlier he told her that once Islam takes over America, he would not hesitate to behead her, should the order come to slay the unbelievers. **** Samaira Nazir, a bright and well educated 25 year old British national of Pakistani descent was stabbed to death. Her throat was slashed by her 30 year old brother and her 17 year old cousin at her parents’ home. Samaira had dishonored her family by falling in love with an Afghan man they thought was of lower caste and had rejected suitors lined up to meet her in Pakistan. In April 2005 she was summoned to the family home and ambushed by everyone. A neighbor witnessed seeing her trying to escape while her father grabbed her by the hair, pulled her back into the house and slammed the door. She was heard screaming, “you are not my mother anymore,” which indicates that her mother was also involved in her cold-blooded murder. Her nieces, aged 2 and 4 were made to watch the whole proceeding as the neighbors heard them screaming. T 2 Understanding Muhammad The amount of blood on the children suggested that they were only feet from the attack. The family was educated and well to do. **** Muhammad Ali al-Ayed, a 23 year old Saudi millionaire's son living in America, one August evening, in 2003, called Sellouk, his old Jewish Moroccan friend and suggested they get together. The two had drinks at a bar before going to Al-Ayed’s apartment about midnight. There he took a knife, stabbed and nearly decapitated his friend. Al-Ayed’s roommate told police the two “were not arguing before Al-Ayed killed Sellouk.” The reason for this cold blooded murder was “religions differences,” said Ayed's attorney. **** Mohammad Taheri-azar was a 25 year old Iranian graduate from the University of North Carolina. One day, in March 2006, he rented a SUV and drove it slowly onto the campus. Then he suddenly accelerated into the college crowd with the intent to kill as many people as he could. He hit nine people and injured six of them. **** Sanao Menghwar and his wife, a Hindu couple residing in Karachi, Pakistan, were traumatized one November evening in 2005, when upon returning from work they discovered that all their three daughters were missing. After two days of futile searching, they found out that their daughters had been kidnapped and forced to convert to Islam. The police arrested three Muslim youths in connection with the crime, who were later granted bail by a court because they were minors. The girls remain missing. “Kidnapping Hindu girls like this has become a normal practice. The girls are then forced to sign stamped papers stating that they’ve become Muslims,” says Laljee, a Hindu resident of Karachi. “Hindus here are too frightened to vent their anger — they fear victimization,” he added. Many Hindu girls meet similar fates in Pakistan. They are abducted, forced to convert to Islam and forced to marry a Muslim man while their parents are denied the right to see or talk to them. “How can a Muslim girl live and maintain contact with kafirs (infidels)?” remarked Maulvi Aziz, the cleric representing a Muslim kidnapper in another case that was taken to the court. When a Hindu girl is converted to Islam, hundreds of Muslims take to the streets and chant religious slogans. The cries of the parents fall on deaf ears of the authorities. The unfortunate girls are then threatened that if they recant Introduction 3 Islam they would be executed as apostates. Often lawyers avoid taking up these cases, fearing a backlash from the extremists. **** In October 2005, three girls were walking through a Cocoa plantation near the city of Poso in Indonesia. The girls attended a private Christian school. They were attacked and beheaded by a group of Muslims. Police said the heads were found some distance from the bodies and one of the heads was left outside a church. The Muslim militants have targeted central Sulawesi Province and believe that it could be turned into the foundation stone of an Islamic state. In 2001 and 2002, Muslims attacked the Christians in that province. The fighting drew Islamic militants from all over Indonesia and resulted in the death of more than 1,000 Christians. **** Muriel Degauque was a 38 year old Belgian woman who, according to a neighbor who knew her since childhood, was an “absolutely normal” little girl who liked to go for sled rides when it snowed. She converted to Islam when she married a Muslim man. Later she traveled with her husband through Syria to Iraq, where she blew herself up in an attack on an Iraqi police patrol on November 9, 2005. Five policemen were killed outright and a sixth officer and four civilians were seriously injured. These acts are insane, but the irony is that none of the perpetrators were insane. They were “absolutely normal” people. What motivated them to commit these heinous crimes? The answer is Islam. Such occurrences are daily events in the Islamic world. Everywhere Muslims are busy killing people for what they believe. Why? What makes sane people commit such evil? Why are Muslims, as a lot, so angry with others, so at war with the world that they are often quick to resort to violence? That millions of Muslims riot, protest, and kill completely innocent people anytime, anywhere, says something about Muhammad. This kind of behavior is not rational. Yet those who perpetrate it are completely sane people. How can we explain this paradox? To understand this we must understand that Muslims are expected to be, and to think like their prophet. As such, their attitudes, beliefs, thoughts and actions come to reflect his personality and mind. Since Muhammad is the model for all that is righteous in Islam, it is expected that they emulate him in every 4 Understanding Muhammad way, to do what he did and to think the way he thought. The result of this is that Muslims, as a whole, by virtue of taking on the life of Muhammad, leave behind their own, forsaking their humanity and to a large degree, their individuality. As they come to inhabit the narcissistic bubble universe of their prophet, and to the extent that they follow his examples, they become extensions of him. Muslims are twigs from the tree of Islam and the root of that tree is Muhammad. They share his character, his attitude and his mindset. You could say each Muslim is a mini Muhammad of a sort. Therefore, to understand Muslims, individually as well as collectively, we must first come to know and understand Muhammad. As a subject, Muhammad is one very few like to engage. Muslims get offended if anyone slights their prophet. Any comment, no matter how innocuous can elicit opprobrium. Though they may allow you to criticize his followers, they do not tolerate any criticism of the prophet himself. It is not possible to make a thorough evaluation of the psychological profile of someone centuries after his death. However, there is a wealth of information about the details of the life of Muhammad and his sayings that are recorded meticulously. Many of these accounts are embellished by exaggeration and are full of hyperbole. It is to be expected that believers would elevate the status of their prophet, falsely attribute miracles to him and make him look saintly. In the biography of Muhammad, however, we also find thousands of accounts that do not portray him as a holy man, but rather, depict him as vile, ruthless, cunning, and even as a sexual pervert. There is no reason to believe these stories are fabrications. It would not be characteristic of believers to portray their prophet as a villain. So if such stories exist, narrated by his companions, those who believed in him and loved him, in such a large numbers, it is likely that they are true. Traditions that are diffusely recurrent are called mutawattir. These traditions have come down to later generations through a large number of chains of narrations, involving diverse transmitters. It is virtually impossible that all these people, living in different localities and espousing (at times radically) different views, would come together, to fabricate the exact same lie and attribute it to their prophet. Availing ourselves of these stories, called hadith, and the Qur’an, a book believed by every Muslim to be the verbatim word of God, we shall peer into Muhammad’s mind, as we try to understand him and to figure out why he did what he did. I will quote the opinions and theories of various psychologists and psychiatrists, and compare what Muhammad did with what these experts of the mind say. The sources that I quote are all experts in psychopathology. What 000000000