We are constantly admonished that the 9/11 jihadis and other jihad murderers are just a tiny minority of extremists who have nothing to do with Islam. But if that were true, why is Othman Al-Khamis teaching that non-Muslims must be converted or pay the jizya, or be killed? Clearly, Muslims who think that 9/11 was a great thing, a strike for Allah against the “Great Satan,” have a theological leg to stand on within Islam.

“Kuwaiti Cleric Othman Al-Khamis: Non-Muslims Must Convert to Islam, Pay Jizya, or Be Fought and Killed; Don’t Be Ashamed of Our Religion; Apostates Must Be Killed, Don’t Feel Sorry for Them,” MEMRI, October 14, 2015 to January 9, 2019:

In his weekly fatwa session, which he uploads to his YouTube channel, Kuwaiti cleric Othman Al-Khamis said that apostates must be killed. In a video uploaded on January 9, 2019, Sheikh Al-Khamis said that apostasy is tantamount to scorning Islam. In an October 14, 2015 video, Sheikh Al-Khamis said that only infidels may be enslaved, adding that people who do not worship Allah must convert to Islam, pay the jizya poll tax, be forced into slavery, or be fought against and killed. He urged people to not be ashamed of their religion and not to feel sorry for the apostates Al-Khamis added that people should not feel sorry for infidels who are punished for refusing to obey Allah.

Following are excerpts:

Sheikh Othman Al-Khamis, on January 9, 2019: Killing an apostate is not done in order to make him a Muslim [again]. Apostates are committing a crime, just like adulterers. If an adulterer is married, he is stoned. If he is not married, he is flogged. If the conditions for chopping off the hand of a thief apply, then the hands of thieves are chopped off. Murderers are killed. All these are punishments for acts committed by these people. The same is true for apostasy. A person who commits apostasy is killed. However, he is left [unharmed] if her repents.

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Such a person is punished because apostasy is tantamount to scorning Islam, and he is therefore punished as if he cursed the Prophet Muhammad or Allah. This is why an apostate is killed. It’s not that we’re trying to force Islam upon him. Islam does not need or want mercenaries. We don’t say: “turn Muslim or we will slaughter you.”

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On October 14, 2015: Only infidels may be enslaved. Muslims may not be enslaved. If there is fighting between Muslims because of fitna or for any other reason… Muslims must not be enslaved. Only infidels may be enslaved.

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I ask people not to be ashamed of their religion and to refrain from saying: “No, this was only in the past, Islam does not call for this…” No! Be firm in your religion, proclaim it, and say: “Yes, this is my religion!” Those who do not want to worship Allah should be enslaved, forced to pay the jizya poll tax, convert to Islam, or fought against. These are the four options, and there is no fifth option. First, a person is called to convert to Islam: “Worship Allah! Allah created you in order for you to worship Him.” If he says: “I don’t want to worship Allah,” we say to him: “If you live on Allah’s land but do not worship Him, you have to pay the jizya.” But if he says: “I will not pay the jizya!”… If he refuses to either worship Allah or pay the jizya, we say to him: “We have no choice but to fight you.” So we fight him for that reason. If we kill him, he goes to the Hellfire, and if we capture him, he becomes a slave. In such a case, he is forced into slavery. Since he refused to willfully become a respected slave [of Allah], he shall become a despicable slave against his will. This is the way things go with people who do not worship Allah. Don’t feel sorry for them. They are infidels who refuse to worship Allah. They refuse to obey Allah. They are hostile toward Allah and they curse Him. People should not be blinded by mercy towards Allah’s enemies. They are aggressors. It is tantamount to showing mercy to a criminal who kills people, robs them of their money, violates the honor of their women, and hurts them… And then someone comes along saying: “True, he killed five or six people, but we must be forgiving.” No. It is wrong to forgive such a person.