Dark passages Does the harsh language in the Koran explain Islamic violence?

Boston Globe ^ | March 8,2009 | By Philip Jenkins

[ninonitti]

WE HAVE A good idea what was passing through the minds of the Sept. 11 hijackers as they made their way to the airports. Their Al Qaeda handlers had instructed them to meditate on al-Tawba and Anfal, two lengthy suras from the Koran, the holy scripture of Islam. The passages make for harrowing reading. God promises to "cast terror into the hearts of those who are bent on denying the truth; strike, then, their necks!" (Koran 8.12). God instructs his Muslim followers to kill unbelievers, to capture them, to ambush them (Koran 9.5). Everything contributes to advancing the holy goal: "Strike terror into God's enemies, and your enemies" (Koran 8.60). Perhaps in their final moments, the hijackers took refuge in these words, in which God lauds acts of terror and massacre. On a much lesser scale, others have used the words of the Koran to sanction violence. Even in cases of domestic violence and honor killing, perpetrators can find passages that seem to justify brutal acts (Koran 4.34). Citing examples such as these, some Westerners argue that the Muslim scriptures themselves inspire terrorism, and drive violent jihad. Evangelist Franklin Graham has described his horror on finding so many Koranic passages that command the killing of infidels: the Koran, he thinks, "preaches violence." Prominent conservatives Paul Weyrich and William Lind argued that "Islam is, quite simply, a religion of war," and urged that Muslims be encouraged to leave US soil. Today, Dutch politician Geert Wilders faces trial for his film "Fitna," in which he demands that the Koran be suppressed as the modern-day equivalent to Hitler's "Mein Kampf."

[Paladin2]

Satanic Verses.

[BuffaloJack]

Holland is lost. Any pretense of free speech in the Netherlands is gone with the upcoming trial of Geert Wilders for daring to criticize the Koran.

[chuck_the_tv_out]

The quran is a terrorist manual.

Any country who allows believers in that terrorist manual to remain must have a death wish.

[Diogenesis]

WE HAVE A good idea what was passing through the minds of
the Sept. 11 hijackers as they made their way to the airports.

The terrorists from Boston were no doubt working up their hate for
America, by reading their copy of the Boston Globe.

[Vigilanteman]

The tired old “moral equivalence” argument again. Never mind that white supremacists and their sympathizers make up about 0.000000000014% of professed Christians whereas terrorists and their sympathizers make up a majority of Muslims.

[Arthur Wildfire! March]

Actually, the ‘martyrs’ want to snuff themselves [along with school kids] so they can have orgies. It’s a Hollyweird Fantasy they seek, a school boy’s naughty dream. That’s their ‘sacred goal’ — 72 virgins from Allah the Ultimate Pimp.

I think that, instead of a sickle moon for a symbol, the Islamics would be more accurate to cap their mosques with a ‘sacred dildo’.

[Erik Latranyi]

Who cares what causes Islamic violence? This is like asking what causes rape!

Just kill those using violence and the cause will become less important.

Simple.

[Vaduz]

The Koran be suppressed as the modern-day equivalent to Hitler’s “Mein Kampf.” Yes it should.

[mel]

I was looking at some youtube video of that day. There is a 911 tape of a young woman named Melissa that will break your heart.

[Impy]

See post # 7 for the quote of the day!

[TigersEye]

I think that, instead of a sickle moon for a symbol, the Islamics would be more accurate to cap their mosques with a ‘sacred dildo’.

I thought that's what those domes were supposed to be.

[SunkenCiv]

“Does the harsh language in the Koran explain Islamic violence?”

No, but Islamic violence began with Mohammed, and that explains the harsh language in the Koran.

[SunkenCiv]

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[Grimmy]

I disagree. The Koran shouldn’t be suppressed. It should be torn out by the roots and burned into non existence, using whatever means necessary.

[SunkenCiv]

http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o72/c_l_mathews/GEverythingAboutIslam.jpg
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_1-3OmEx6C1U/Rrj_H0YgQwI/AAAAAAAAAE0/DO36zXAwqdw/s320/lesson_learned.jpg
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_YcRcfWRe0OI/SMmaUgmGelI/AAAAAAAAAMI/eCkJZUn_Lbk/s400/untitled.bmp
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_NXsPCTsdJ5s/SGDT7LZGxRI/AAAAAAAADeY/OR7F8BvmZrw/s1600/Everything%2BI%2BNeed%2Bto%2BKnow%2Babout%2BIslam...%5B3%5D.jpg
http://www.al-ghoul.com/images/mom_and_shaheed.jpg

http://www.militantislammonitor.org/article/id/342

[bigheadfred]

"The Arab character has always been composed of contrasts. They are -- for here we will employ the present tense, the Arabs of the present day resembling the portrait drawn in the poetry and other documents anterior to Islamism--they are therefore both liberal and rapacious, inviolably faithful to an oath between private individuals, yet always ready to betray their allies. Their character is excessively facile, as is seen in all their actions. They have an innate taste for fighting, and violent love for even disorderly liberty. In their habits of life they eek their ease, and will not be constrained by punctilious regulations. They are more violent than sanguinary. They profess sentiments of honor, as they understand the word, and are always careful of their reputation among other Arabs. Determined thieves, a life of highway robbery is no disgrace to them, but possesses even a certain prestige."

An excerpt from the book at this link: A Manual...

Islam just gave their violence a channel, a focus. And while I realize the Iranians aren't Arabs, nor are many other Moslems, they are all cut from the same cloth, IMO.

And Sharia is just the excuse to grind their own under the wheels of ignorance, depravity, slavery, etc. They love to live in a litterbox. Let them. But I refuse to let them turn this country into one. We can do that ourselves.

[dervish]

“Nor is there any suggestion that the Canaanites and their kin were targeted for destruction because they were uniquely evil or treacherous: They happened to be on the wrong land at the wrong time. And Joshua himself was by no means alone. In Judges again, other stories tell of the complete extermination of tribes with the deliberate goal of ending their genetic lines.”

This is totally bogus. Only the Amalekites were targeted for annihilation and it was specifically stated that it was for cause - the way they attacked the weakened Israelites as they left Egypt. That was this weeks portion.

Further the Jews and Christians don’t have to answer for their texts. They are not out there chopping off heads and hands, stoning women, and performing random acts of annihilation against civilians. Our justice doesn’t call for blinding people ( http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/12/14/iran.acid.justice/).

Also the author forgets the other texts, the Hadiths, that are incredibly violent and followed by Mulims.

But in the end it is the problem that Pope Benedict alluded to that damns Islam to regressive deluded violence. Islam demands submission without reason. There is no chance there for reform.

[Little Ray]

Kinda hard to kill them when the off themselves in the process of committing mass murder.
My solution is to hunt down their families and give ‘em a choice: Give us the recruiters, trainers, handlers, techs, and/or paymasters, or die to the last man, woman and child.
For some reason this gets me flamed...

[PapaBear3625]

The Koran be suppressed as the modern-day equivalent to Hitler’s “Mein Kampf.” Yes it should.

Mohammod and his followers supported themselves through robbery, banditry, raiding, conquest and pillage. Does any sane and rational person really expect his religion to really be about "peace" in the conventional Western use of the word? It's not. Islam is about submission, it's about forcing the rest of the world to submit to Islamic rule.