Islam: A Peaceful Religion?

Slate ^ | 18 Oct 2001 | Seth Stevenson

[white trash redneck]

An interesting article on Islam. While the author makes the politically correct conclusion (after all, he is writing for Slate, it's not hard to read between the lines.

[Fighting Falcons]

There are also portions of Islam doctrines that command Islamics to practice deceit of all kinds, therefore no Muslim should be trusted.

[philosofy123]

Actually Christianity, and Jewdism also has so many statement in their books that can be considered barbaric. The difference is Christianity, and Jewdism has graduated from the stone-age religeon, and learned to ignor the savage/barbaric stuff. Islam is either unable or unwilling to graduate. The less people pay attention to the literal words of the religous books, the better they are. Now I am Christian, but I found most Christians and Jews not aware of the barbaric statement in their books. To give you a few: Exodus 21-20, Leviticus 15-19, Numbers 19-11 and 31-17, 2Samuel 5-13,1King 11-3, Thalmud Menahoth 43b-44 If Moslem people would have a leader that will teach exclusively tolorance and love like most Christian churches do, may be they will reform their barbaric religeon just like we did with ours.

[AppyPappy]

Funny, I heard the same thing about the Jews. Maybe you could provide some references.

[KirklandJunction]

Islam, having no formal hierarchy like the Vatican to Catholics, has more splinter groups than a woodpile.
Perhaps Islam will have something like Martin Luther's Reformation to retain the positive ethics and trash the doctrinaire bureaucracy?

[philosofy123]

If a moslem leader would have the courage to start a reform movement, he will have to have a mess of life-guards. The fanatics will do with him what they did with Sadat !

[wildbill]

The problem, of course, is that the two militantly evangelical religions are like great tectonic plates, rubbing against one-another and causing friction. No one fears "militant fundamentalist Bhuddists." The idea is an oxymoron.

For the most part, the fundamentalist Christians have forsworn the sword (miltancy) for the meeker and more civilized "outreach and missionary" approach. As we see in the plight of the women on trial in Afghanistan for teaching Christianity, even this approach is punishable by death from Muslim fundamentalists. One could hardly have a starker contrast.

Anyone who doubts there are millions of fundamentalist Muslims that are militant in the strictest sense of the word has not been reading newspaper or watching TV for a very long time. Arab moderates have never seemed to get the hang of how to handle this branch of Islam--and they don't want anyone else to deal with it either--lest a fellow Muslim be harmed. That seems to be a pernicious doctrine that will not solve the problem for anyone.

Make no mistake. This IS a religious war, foisted upon us by the fundamentalist Muslim factions. The now infamous "root causes" are found within the Muslim religion and not within the foreign policies of the United States or the territorial claims of Jews and Palestinians.

[MaxwellWolf]

Old testament has been superseded by the New Testament and Christ's teaching can only be found in the latter. A simple question for you - how does the fact that these statements exist in the Old Testatment justify their existence in the Koran? Can the same justification be used by US to kill Muslim civilians since Muslims killed innocent civilians here?

[rebdov]

Taqiyah is permission to lie to confound one's enemy.

[ChadGore]

To quote Forest Gump: Islam is as Islam does.

[rebdov]

Let's take the test. You see a group of Jewish Yeshiva students walking down a dark street. Do you feel nervous and cross the street, walk around them, or walk through them? You see a group of Catholic Seminarians walking down the same street, same questions. You see a group of Islamic Madrassa students walking down the same street, same questions.

[eno_]

This is what it comes down to. But, as the article points out Wahabbist Imams are in 80% of U.S. Mosques. It's a bit like saying all Germans are not Nazis, but if you have evidence 80% are reading Mein Kampf, you got a problem.

[Utah Girl]

Ping

[gfactor]

George W. Bush says yes, Osama Bin Laden says no. Who's right?

If bin laden is right about this, could he also be right about the US being an imperialist/terrorist nation? And who cares if islam is peaceful or not -- even if it were, i'd hate to see a bunch of conservatives "blame society" instead of the guilty.

[MissAmericanPie]

"If one kills an "innocent" person, it is as if he killed the entire world"

This would hinge on what the meaning of "innocent" is, wouldn't it. If you reject Islam you are no longer innocent but an infidel. A full 95% of Muslims in the USofA while not actually having committed terrorists acts have certainly made it clear enough that they are anti-American, and a large percent of them have given evidence, by dancing in the streets of America, that they are pro-terrorists. That is all I need to know, they can stowe the PR garbage, I don't care to hear it.

[Fighting Falcons]

Why I am not a Muslim

[white trash redneck]

Talk about cutting to the chase!

[Rick_Hunter]

Mohammad was a pervert, who liked little girls. Nuff said.

Damn right. He was also a stupid, goat-f**king peasant with an insane religion.

[steenkeenbadges]

PC, welfare and the Black Panthers laid the groundwork. Prior to their being radicalized and enraged, black males were outstanding family men with a lower divorce rate than the white population. They lived out the principles of the Gospel more sincerely and effectively than many whites, as well.