The Quran:

Some say Islam is a religion of peace, and Jihad is a personal religious struggle.  That may well be true for some Muslims. 

 But other Muslims, hijack airplanes and fly them into skyscrapers, attack and massacre innocent civilians, burn prisoners alive, and call America "The Great Satan"

Clearly there are some Imams and Clerics who do not preach peace.  And their Muslim followers view Jihad as a war to be fought against non-believers.

Following are some of the Quran verses these Muslims use to form their worldview.  Robert Spencer (author of The Critical Quran) shows how the non-peaceful Muslime interpret the Quran.

Robert Spencer's Quran Interpretation is the one used by radical Imams, Clerics, and Jihadi Terrorists.

Spencer's Conclusion:

Spencer's overarching thesis is that the Quran is not a "book of peace" but a text that:

1. Defines all non-Muslims as enemies ("infidels" / kuffar)

2. Commands their subjugation or destruction through jihad

3. Establishes a system of domination (dhimma/jizya) for those who submit

4. Was never intended to be read charitably by non-Muslims — indeed, the Quran "discourages Infidels from reading it" 

"Political correctness would have us believe that the Koran is a book of peace, and that anyone who says otherwise is 'bigoted,' 'hateful,' and 'Islamophobic.' But is it, really? What the Koran really says can easily be verified. If the Koran really curses Jews and Christians (9:30) and calls for warfare against them in order to bring about their subjugation (9:29), it is not 'Islamophobic' to forewarn Infidels by pointing this out."  

Specific Verses:

47:4

The command to "strike [their] necks" as evidence that the Quran explicitly commands decapitation of disbelievers in battle, followed by either release or ransom. 

22:19

The "two adversaries" are the believers and disbelievers. This illustrates the Quran's framing of existence as a binary conflict between Islam and disbelief, with the disbelievers' punishment being "garments of fire" and "scalding water." 

9:5 ("Sword Verse")

"the notorious Verse of the Sword" is "understandably, a verse much beloved by present-day jihadists." In The Critical Quran, Spencer describes Sura 9 as:

"A violent denunciation, anchored in anger and frustration in not overcoming the hated Christians at Tabuk, to Jews, Christians, pagans and insufficiently pious and Jihadic Muslims, that they must 'repent' the error of their ways and accept the totality of the Muhammad-Allah project and cult." 

The command to "kill the idolaters wherever you find them" is not limited to a specific historical context but represents a general, ongoing command.  The only "out" is conversion to Islam.

9:29 - 30

"Verse 29 of Sura 9 of the Qur'an is the one place where Allah directs Muslims explicitly to make war against and subjugate Jews and Christians, who once subjugated enter the dhimma, the protection of the Muslims, and become dhimmis, protected (or guilty) people." 

This verse is "a command to fight the People of the Book." The choice for Jews and Christians is "conversion, subjugation, or death," and that:  "The imperative to subjugate non-Muslims as mandated by Qur'an 9:29 and elaborated by this Pact remained part of Islamic law, and does to this day." 

9:30  shows mutual denunciation between Jews and Christians in the Quran, with both labeled as having "not [true] faith." The Quran views both groups as fundamentally misguided. 

9:123

"O you who believe, fight those of the unbelievers who are near to you, and let them find harshness in you, and know that Allah is with those who keep their duty." 

He cites Ibn Kathir's tafsir: "Allah commands the believers to fight the disbelievers, the closest in area to the Islamic state, then the farthest."    9:123 commands all believers to fight the disbelievers nearest to them, with no exemption.

8:12

This passage became one of the chief justifications for the Islamic practice of beheading hostages and war captives. This verse, along with 47:4, have been used by groups like ISIS to sanction decapitation of captives. 

8:60

This is a standing, universal command to maintain military readiness.  Islamic commentators read "force" (quwwah) as encompassing all available military means, and that the verse's purpose is explicitly to terrify (turhibun) not only known enemies but also "others besides them that you know not" — i.e., potential future threats. This  contrasts  with the common Western characterization of Islam as a "religion of peace," .   A verse commanding perpetual military preparation against all disbelievers is difficult to reconcile with "peace".

8:65 (The Spoils of War)

"O Prophet, urge the believers to battle. If there are among you twenty [who are] steadfast, they will overcome two hundred. And if there are among you one hundred [who are] steadfast, they will overcome a thousand of those who have disbelieved because they are a people who do not understand."

"The unbelievers are stupid — urge the Muslims to fight them."  In the Quran's words, enemies are stupid or unintelligent, which is presented as the reason why a small Muslim force can overcome a much larger one.

5:33

This verse prescribes execution, crucifixion, or maiming for those who "fight Allah and His Messenger" — i.e., any non-Muslim who resists Islamic rule. 

3:85

This confirms Islam as the sole acceptable religion, with all other faiths eternally rejected. It is the theological foundation for the other violent verses. 

2:191–193

These are among the verses "calling for violent attacks upon infidels," and argues that "it is the duty of every faithful Muslim to kill Christians and Jews" based on these passages. "Fitnah is worse than killing" (2:191) as justifying killing to prevent religious persecution of Muslims.