This article was taken from http://aol.beliefnet.com/story/88/story_8849_3.html#qfour. I added some coloring to the article to make it easier for the reader to locate the Noble Verses from the Noble Quran and some important information.
What does the Qu'ran say about violence?
The word Islam, which means "surrender (to GOD)," is related to the Arabic salam, “peace.” When the Prophet Muhammad brought the revealed scripture called the Qu'ran (“recitation”) to the Arabs in the early 7th century C.E., one of his main purposes was precisely to stop the kind of indiscriminate killing we saw on September 11th.
At the time the Arabian Peninsula was in crisis. The tribal system was breaking down,
and the various tribes were locked into a murderous cycle of vendetta and counter
vendetta. For a weak tribe, or a man who lacked powerful protection, survival was nearly
impossible. The Prophet himself suffered several assassination attempts, and when his
religious and social message ran him afoul of the establishment of Mecca, the small Muslim
community was persecuted. Things got so bad that the Muslims had to migrate to Medina,
some 250 miles to the north, and there they were subject to attack by the Meccan army, the
greatest power in Arabia.
For about five years, there was war and the Muslims narrowly escaped
extermination. Terrible things were done on both sides. But when Muhammad sensed that the
tide had just begun turn in his favor, he completely changed tack. He concentrated on
building a peaceful coalition of tribes, and initiated an inspired, brave and ingenious
policy of non-violence. This proved so successful that eventually Mecca opened its gates
to the Muslims voluntarily, without a single drop of blood being shed.
Because the Qu'ran was revealed in the context of an all-out war, several passages deal
with the conduct of armed conflict. Warfare was a desperate business in Arabia. An Arab
chieftain was not expected to take prisoners; it was a given that he would simply kill
everybody he could get his hands on. Muhammad knew that if the Muslims were defeated they
would all be slaughtered to the last man or woman.
Sometimes the Qu'ran seems to have imbibed this spirit. Muslims are ordered by God to “slay [the enemy] wherever you find them. (4:89). Muslim
extremists like Bin Laden like to quote these verses, but they do so selectively, never
quoting the exhortations to peace and forbearance that in almost every case mitigate these
ferocious injunctions in the verses immediately following. Thus “If
they leave you alone and offer to make peace with you, God does not allow you to harm
them.” (4:90)
Therefore the only war condoned by the Qu'ran is a war of self-defense. "Warfare is an awesome evil" (2:217), but sometimes it is
necessary to fight in order to bring the kind of persecution suffered by the Muslims to an
end [2:217] or to preserve decent values [22:40]. But Muslims may never initiate
hostilities, and aggression is forbidden by God [2:190] While the fighting continues,
Muslims must dedicate themselves wholly to the war in order to bring things back to normal
as quickly as possible, but the second the enemy sues for peace, hostilities must cease.
[2:192]
Back to Islam's laws on War, Jihad and Terrorism, and treatment of enemy Civilians and Captives.
My explanation to the "Attack" on the US from the Islamic perspective. See the debate that I made up between pro and anti Sept. 11 attack on the US using the Noble Quran for both sides. You judge for yourself.