Gaza Islamic Scholar Abd Al-Hamid Dabbous: The Goal of Jihad Is to Make People Convert to Islam; People Who Convert by Force Later Regret Not Converting on Their Own Free Will; People Who Refuse to Convert Can Pay the Jizya Poll Tax Instead

Gazan Islamic scholar Abd Al-Hamid Dabbous said in an April 10, 2022 show on Al-Quds Al-Youm TV (Palestine – Islamic Jihad) that Jihad is the "pinnacle of Islam" and makes Islam "glamorous, strong, and lovable." He said that Jihad is the means by which Muslims defend their lands and spread Islam to the entire world. Explaining that Muslims do not want to terrorize people but rather to convert them to Islam, Dabbous said that if non-Muslims do not accept Islam and refuse to pay the jizya poll tax "in humiliation," then the Muslims will fight them until they attain martyrdom or victory. The show also featured footage of fighters from the Palestinian Islamic Jihad's Al-Quds Brigades in military exercises, praying, and launching rockets, as well as footage from an Israeli military funeral and Israeli infantry training.

Abd Al-Hamid Dabbous: "Through Jihad, Allah conquers lands as well as hearts and minds. Jihad is the means by which the Muslims, first of all, defend their lands, their lives, their honor, and their religion, and in addition, it is a means to spread this religion, because the bottom line is that Allah sent down this religion so it would spread throughout the world until all the people become Muslims.

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"We do not want to kill or terrorize people, nor do we want to plunder people's lands or rights, but we want people to convert to Islam. This is Allah's will, not ours.

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"When groups of [Muslims] set out on jihad for the sake of Allah, they first call people to join Islam. If they accept this – this is what Allah wants and what the Muslims want. Then, those [people] become Muslims with the same duties and rights as ours. If not, they must pay the jizya poll tax in humiliation, or we will fight them, until we attain either martyrdom or victory, with the help of Allah.

"Jihad is the pinnacle of Islam. It is what makes Islam glamorous, strong, and lovable. Even people who were coerced into converting to Islam through jihad for the sake of Allah expressed regret that they had to be forced. They said: 'If only we had the sense to convert on our own will...' This is because Islam is the best religion sent by Allah."