Nabeel Qureshi, in his new book, Answering Jihad: A Better Way Forward, explains the way in which radical Muslims use the Qur’an to promote jihad. His recent column in USA Today provides a readable summary of his presentation.

He describes his experience growing up as a Muslim. His imams and the Muslim community taught that Islam is a religion of peace. But when he began to investigate the Qur’an and the traditions of Muhammad’s life while he was in college, he was surprised to discover how many pages of Islamic history are filled with violence.

He explains that radical Muslim groups like ISIS use frequent references to the Qur’an and the hadith to justify jihad. A recent two-page spread in the third issue of their propaganda magazine uses the foundational texts of Islam in calling others to leave their homes and join their cause.

Radical Muslim groups quote extensively from surah 9, which is chronologically the last major chapter of the Qur’an. It commands Muslims to disavow all treaties with polytheists and to subjugate Jews and Christians (9:29) so that Islam may prevail over all religions (9:33). Muslims are to fight, and if they do not, their faith is called into question (9:44-45). If they do fight, they are promised various rewards (9:111).

Nabeel Qureshi adds that most Muslims are peaceful. The vast majority of Muslims do not live their lives based on chapter 9 of the Qur’an. But it is also true that ISIS and other terrorist groups lure youth through a variety of methods, and radicalize them by encouraging them to follow the literal teachings of the Qur’an.

He therefore concludes that any solution to radical Islam “that overlooks the spiritual and religious roots of jihad can have only limited effectiveness.” We must not ignore the way they use Islamic sources to justify their jihad against the west.