marking for a later read
I've seen several posts that refer to pre-Islamic times- like that must be almost prehistoric. I have run into a TON of folk who think Islam was the 1st religion and that Jews and Christians are recent arrivals and that is why the Muslims feel they OWN the entire middle East and have a perfect right to slaughter every Jew there and take over Israel.
Facts. Jews were there 6000 years ago give or take a few months. Christians showed up 2000yrs ago and Islam was established by Muhammad who lived from 570AD to 632AD!The Jews lost their "country" when the Romans invaded in 78(?) and got it back after the 2nd WW.
Reading the Qaran gives you a better understanding of Muhammad and how he thought. It was apparent that as he got older he grew less and less tolerant of people who didn't accept him as the one and only GOD. He became bitter and aggressive and I believe many of the passages in the last half of the Qaran are the ones being used my the militant clerics today. Early passages were somewhat tolerant and forgiving of those who did not accept Muhammad as the one and only. Later on there is a much more hostile bent to the passages and towards the end is pretty much "KILL THEM ALL and I'll sort it out later!" It's not hard to see how some of that can be interpreted by the radicals as giving justification for ANY act that promotes Islam, destroys its "enemies" and provides jihadists or shihadists with a glorious martyrdom and the rewards therein.