WHEN I RECEIVED the link to a blog post by someone preaching that Muslims should not use contraception, of any kind, I was taking a taxi from Juanda International Airport, Surabaya, to Airlangga University. My close friend sent it to me via Whatsapp, accompanied with a message: ‘You need to read this.’ I skimmed over the article.

According to the writer, it is every Muslim’s responsibility to bear Muslim children in order to outnumber the infidels. He further explains that Muslims must not stop spreading Islam, and that their children are the future Muslim soldiers who will bear this holy duty. They will engage in intellectual fight through da’wah – described as a way to share information about Islam, though, for over-eager Muslims, it means convincing others that there is no truth but the truth of Islam – or, literally, fight for the cause of Allah. He goes on with a justification of polygamy, for it is another way that can be chosen to bear as many Muslim children as you can. He decorates his article with verses taken from the Qur’an and Hadith that support his argument.