Holier Than Thou - Muslims declare each other apostates--with violent results.

OpinionJournal ^ | 3/31/06 | MASOOD FARIVAR

[ricks_place]

The international uproar over the case of Abdul Rahman, the Afghan convert to Christianity charged with apostasy, has drawn attention away from a far more common and nefarious practice infecting religious practice in Islam: the accusation of heresy leveled by Muslims against fellow Muslims, a practice known as takfir. Historically, little more than a rhetorical device, takfir has in recent years grown into a deadly weapon in the hands of Muslim extremists bent on purging Islam of just about anyone who does not subscribe to their views. Today jihadist terrorists in Iraq have begun to use takfir as a rallying cry for violence against the Shiites.

The concept of religious censure is not unique to Islam, of course, but under Islamic law the charge of apostasy may not only condemn the person to hell but require his immediate death, if he does not repent. Recognizing the danger of such charges to the peace of the community, the Prophet Muhammad went out of his way to discourage takfir. Muhammad's recorded sayings, known as hadith, are full of admonitions against takfir. In one famous hadith, the Prophet said: "If a Muslim accuses a fellow Muslim of unbelief, the accuser himself becomes an unbeliever should the accusation prove untrue."

[antiRepublicrat]

Can these Radical Muslims be encouraged to destroy their own?

This is just another tools for the radicals to kill the moderates. No good can come from it.

[Question_Assumptions]

Oh, there were plenty of Christians killed for switching from Catholic to Protestant or vice versa. Take a good look at the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre, when as many as 70,000 Protestant Huguenots were murdered by a Catholic mob or the 30 Years War which may have resulted in the death of 15-20 percent or more of Germany's population. If that's too ancient for you, how about the violence between Protestants and Catholics in Northern Ireland or Catholic Croatians and Orthodox Serbs in the former Yugoslavia? This is not a uniquely Muslim problem. The question is whether it will be the mainstream or the fringe for Islam.

[George W. Bush]

The concept of religious censure is not unique to Islam, of course, but under Islamic law the charge of apostasy may not only condemn the person to hell but require his immediate death, if he does not repent.

No, not unique to Islam. But the West gave up such coercive methods centuries ago.

The writer tries to let the barbarians off the hook by an everyone-does-it remark. But this would be meaningful only if the Inquisition was still raging around the Christian world today.

I do like the tactice these Muslims are using to grab power and destroy their political opponents. After all, no one expects the Spanish Inquisition.

[Thumper1960]

Drop cases of KY, copies of "Muhammad Does Mecca." (Cameo by Michael Jackson), and blow-up camel dolls.

That'll keep the buggers busy until the troops find 'em.

[SledgeCS]

You forgot to drop the leaflets with the Mo-Mad cartoons and thousands of stuffed Piglet dolls.

[4U2OUI]

Ahhhh, yes. Encourage them to eat their own. It'll save us a few more $$$ on ammo.

[Stopislamnow]

All muslims agree on killing all non-muslims. Or at least saying they don't want to kill all non-muslims while actively pursuing the death of all non-muslims.

They need to ramp up the muslim/muslim murders regardless.

[Emmet Fitzhume]

I know.

A child's board game at that.

"If a man renounces Islam and chooses another religion (ESPECIALLY CHRISTIANITY), then he must be killed immediately."

OR

"If a man says 'I Divorce You' in his sleep, the woman must leave the house immediately."

My favorite Mohammedans are the ones who referred to the recent solar eclipse as a work of wizards and witches.

The term "stupid" does not even begin to describe these people.