The Death Card in the Tarot means that something is going to end--not that someone is going to die. This is a good, healthy, and powerful symbol, similar to Shiva in Hindu and Buddhist mythology. Death precedes rebirth. Autumn and winter lead to spring. It can mean that bad things will end--illness, mistaken beliefs, anger, a problem.
Both Varanasi and Hardiwar, in India, are cities of Shiva. At Varanasi, the Ghanges River is wide and sluggish, at the end of its journey. At Hardiwar, it is narrow and rapid, at the beginning of its journey.
If some lunatic (or fanatic) has used it as part of his evil madness, it does not otherwise reflect on the Tarot. Lunatics, fanatics, and evil people pervert anything to their use.
The Tarot is not only old. It's a good thing!
Yes. Our contemporary playing card deck has evolved from the Tarot deck. The Joker (The Fool) is the only card of the 21 Major Arcana that has survived. But the Tarot deck contains 20 other archetypes just as interesting as the Joker.
The idea that the Tarot has an Islamic source is, I think, totally spurious. Not least because Islam forbids the creation of images. Also, the historical data point unequivocally to Italy as the place of origin.