The difference is that in the Bible, they are as you say - descriptions. In the Koran, they are injunctions. For example:
"When you meet the unbelievers in the Jihad strike off their heads and, when you have laid them low, bind your captives firmly." - Koran 47: 4
"So when the sacred months have passed away, then slay the idolaters wherever you find them, and take them captives and besiege them and lie in wait for them in every ambush, then if they repent and keep up prayer and pay the poor-rate, leave their way free to them; surely Allah is Forgiving, Merciful." The Congregation [62.6]
Dec31,1999, you must be from one of those religions that omits the Book of Lucifer from the Holy Bible. If you ask real nice, maybe followerofchrist will share some passages from his/hers.
Nice passage from the Koran. Here's a few from the Old Testament:
1 Sam 15: Samuel said to Saul. "I am the one whom the Lord sent to annoint you king of his people Israel. Now listen to what the Lord Almighty says. He is going to punish the people of Amalek because their ancestors opposed the Israelites when they were coming to Egypt. Go and attack the Amalekites and completely destroy everything they have. Don't leave a thing, kill all the men, women, children and babies; the cattle, sheep, camels and donkeys."
Your Koran passage was pretty vicious too, but the above passage describes killing (ordered allegedly by God) for being infidels too. That's my point. There can be passages taken from the Old Testament as well as the Koran to demonize a particular religion.
Here's another:
Hosea 9: 10-12
The Lord is angry that Israel was worshipping false Gods (i.e being infidels). So he pronounces judgement.
"Israel's greatness will fly away like a bird, and there will be no more children born to them, no more women pregnant, no more children conceived. But then if they did bring up children, I would take them away and not leave one alive."
One can say the Lord ordered this, just as a Muslim can say Allah ordered atrocities. Do you understand the point I making in general about religious fanaticism? I fully understand that Muslims, still being in the less civilized state, would commit atrocities, just as bible followers did before they were civilized. Hence I am not saying that there are not whacked out Muslims, I am saying the majority are probably not militant freaks. I don't judge Jews (the way anti-semites do) on the basis of a few passages in the Old Testament, nor will I judge all Muslims on the basis of a few equally atrocious passages in the Koran.
Here's another:
Hosea 13: 16--"Samaria must be punished for rebelling against me. Her people will die in war, babies will be dashed to the ground, and pregnant women will be ripped open."
This passage is allegedly a quote from God. So please don't try to tell me it wasn't written that God didn't instruct these things because it is written in black and white. The point, originally, was that those opposed to our religion can use such passages to paint us as all fundamentalist whackos.