Give me a break
Malkin wants to “ask uncomfortable questions” (from Investor’s Business Daily. Not sure why they’re dabbling in religion - and I do mean dabbling):
What better time for CAIR and other Muslim leaders to step up, cut through the politically correct fog and provide factual answers to the questions that give so many non-Muslims pause?
Generally speaking, those questions focus on whether the Quran does indeed promote violence against non-Muslims, and how many of the terrorists’ ideas — about the violent jihad, the self-immolation, the kidnappings, even the beheadings — come right out of the text?
I am a reader of the Bible. I want to state that up front, so that when I say that the number of terrible, violent ideas that have come out of the text of the bible must rival if not outnumber those that have come out of the Qu’ran, I won’t be accused of some sort of war against Christianity.
All religious texts must be read with context, and as I understand it, the Qu’ran is no different. After the fold, responses to a few of IBD’s questions.
(Ed. responses are Auguste’s):
Does Islam advocate expansion by force? And is the final command of jihad, as revealed to Muhammad in the Quran, to conquer the world in the name of Islam (9:29)?
Ed.: One of many examples…Exodus 17:23-36: “And Joshua discomfited Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword. And the LORD said unto Moses, Write this for a memorial in a book, and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua: for I will utterly put out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven. And Moses built an altar, and called the name of it Jehovahnissi: For he said, Because the LORD hath sworn that the LORD will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.”
Is Islam the only religion that does not teach the Golden Rule (48:29)?
Ed.: Actually, it does. “No one of you is a believer until he desires for his brother that which he desires for himself.”
Does the Quran instead teach violence and hatred against non-Muslims, specifically Jews and Christians (5:50)?
Ed.: I’m gonna assume they mean 5:51, which reads: “O ye who believe! Take not the Jews and the Christians for friends. They are friends one to another. He among you who taketh them for friends is (one) of them. Lo! Allah guideth not wrongdoing folk.”
Sounds a lot like Titus 1:10: “For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, specially they of the circumcision.” or 2nd Corinthians 6:14: “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?”
There are other questions, but these should do for a start. If the answers are “yes,” then at least Americans will know there’s no such thing as moderate Islam, even as they trust that there are moderate Muslims who do not act out on its violent commands.
By these simplistic criteria, there’s no such thing as moderate Christianity.
Q for Michelle: “Does Jesse still beat you?”
Comment by LA — March 29, 2006 @ 1:17 am
Your point is well taken Auguste. But if I may indulge in some political incorrectness, we have to go by behavior today. If a Muslim converts to Christianity, you get Muslims marching in the streets calling for him to get the death penalty. You don’t see Christians calling for the death of those who renounce Christianity. There are no Christians blowing themselves up in shopping malls or pizzerias. Christian girls are not the victims of honor killings by their families.
Yes, taken literally, the OT and the NT contain bad things that justify violence and discrimination against non-believers, and followers of Christianity in the past have committed atrocities inspired by zealous faith or just plain old power lust. But that impulse has been curbed over time. Unfortunately, Islam at this time is still at the same level as Medieval Christianity.
Comment by Tommykey — March 29, 2006 @ 4:01 am
Tommy, you’re not absolutely wrong, but you’re certainly not absolutely right either.
Followers of Christianity are committing atrocities inspired by zealous faith and power lust every day. Some of those atrocities may differ in degree, as may their numbers. Then again, there’s a reporting bias which does not link Christianity as a whole to actions such as hate crimes by white supremacist groups.
Why? Because, we say, those are fringe groups, distorting and twisting Christianity to their own ends.
Bingo.
If you make the argument that Islamic extremism is more mainstreamed than Christian extremism, I’ll start to walk that road with you…but then I’ll begin discussing the effect geopolitics has on the “modernization” of religion.
Meanwhile, none of that justifies a statement along the lines of: “Americans will know there’s no such thing as moderate Islam…”
Comment by Auguste — March 29, 2006 @ 4:12 am
Juan Cole has covered this pretty well over at “Informed Comment”
Comment by Ted — March 29, 2006 @ 5:12 pm
Tell Malkin to go here:
http://www.examinethetruth.com/page_against_01.htm#Answering_Islam_debunked
Comment by ja — April 2, 2006 @ 8:20 pm