I'm tired of all the spin from both sides on whether or not Islam is s religion of violence and have decided to read the Quran myself and make an informed decision. Good site here if anyone else cares to do the same. http://www.wright-house.com/religions/islam/Quran/2-cow.php
Well, it kind of depends on what you mean by "of" in this case. What does "Islam is a religion of peace" mean? Does it mean it there are those who interpret it peacefully? Or that everyone will interpret it peacefully? The very fact that the question can be interpreted in different ways indicate to me that it's not a very useful statement, and it's more used for potshots than for actual information. I find that anyone who brings up the idea of Islam being "of" peace with any certainty (on either side) is interested in soundbites and not interested (or successful) in actually conferring any interesting point. If they were, they'd chose a more meaningful statement.
What I am getting so far in my reading is that Islam is completely intolerant of non believers and considers them the enemy. Supposedly a good Muslim does not attack them first but if they feel they have been attacked they are instructed to " slaughter the enemy ".
The greater glory of our immortal souls should not have to include "slaughter of the enemy" or sow that form of discord among brethren.
Good.. Before you start keep in mind a few basics and the time frame and place when Islam emerged. A few basics. There is no original sin in Islam.. and Eve was not the instigator.. There is no blood sacrifice *.. so sins are not washed away by the blood of innocents. They revere Jesus as the purest of the prophets.. a man without sin, born of a virgin from the mind of God (like Adam) Keeping those differences in mind, Islam strives for a peaceful, civil society where there are no middlemen in man's accountability to God. And, while I am not a Muslim, IMO there's a certain order and logic to their beliefs.
You are 100% correct ! Look at a few passages ; >Quran (3:151) - "Soon shall We cast terror into the hearts of the Unbelievers, for that they joined companions with Allah, for which He had sent no authority". This speaks directly of polytheists, yet it also includes Christians, since they believe in the Trinity (ie. what Muhammad incorrectly believed to be 'joining companions to Allah'). Quran (9:29) - "Fight those who believe not in Allah nor the Last Day, nor hold that forbidden which hath been forbidden by Allah and His Messenger, nor acknowledge the religion of Truth, (even if they are) of the People of the Book, until they pay the Jizya with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued." "People of the Book" refers to Christians and Jews. According to this verse, they are to be violently subjugated, with the sole justification being their religious status. I'm NOT seeing peaceful !
For better or for worse, Islam isn't only what you would make out of reading the Qur'an, but what others who read it will make out of it. Some will see a violent version, some will see a peaceful one, and others will see anything in between. This much is as obvious from the Qur'an as it is from international relations today or a basic understanding of human psychology. When it comes to bigger conclusions, both need to be taken into account.
I'm no expert , nor do I care to be BUT I'm sure you could check those passages and see exactly what is written . 3:151 and 9:29 and see what is says . It could be mis-quoted. http://www.thereligionofpeace.com/pages/quran/violence.aspx
There'll be people on both sides of the spectrum. It's not uncommon to argue that the best way of achieving peace is to make war on those who don't want peace (an argument which is common in the west too). I think we need to be very mindful of the spectrum of people and opinions that exist. If we claim that all Muslims are violent, we will end up targeting Muslims who aren't actually violent. If we say that all Muslims (or Islam as a whole) is peaceful, then those with a less nuanced picture of Islam will see people like ISIS and assume that Islam's suggested peacefulness is an outright lie, which could be just as bad.
That site is not balanced or honest.. Why don't you read the Koran for yourself and skip the "commentary"...
Thank you for responding.. ISIS and the savages of other terrorist groups are killing more Muslims that Westerners.. Perhaps not for lack of scheming.. but I just think its important to me that I not dignify their savage insanity.
Being an Atheist I hope that I can be somewhat objective regarding religions. Islam is probably one of the most complex religions and set of beliefs with dozens of different denominations and branches of Islamic faith and thought. It has both liberal, fundamentalist, and mystical/esoteric traditions and calling it a religion of violence is pointless just because it indeed breeds violence. (All religions breed violence, even Buddhism does, I really doubt that there are exceptions). Studying the Quran is a good start to get the general idea, but to really understand the nature of Islam (and this applies to most religions) one must study its history and culture as well. And since Islam has a spectacularly diverse and interesting history, this may seem as a hard task, but worth the effort. The real and relevant question probably should not be "is Islam dangerous?" instead it should be why aggressive tendencies of Islam prevail instead of the peaceful ones in many cases.
All religious scriptures are subject to interpretation by their followers. A "religious" case can be made to justify violence in every religion. In fact, there hasn't been many wars fought where "god" has not been on both sides of the conflict. Considering that the vast majority of muslims do not go around killing unbelievers points to this fact.
Who decides what's honest ? What does Verse (3:151) and Verse (9:29) in YOUR honest site claim these verses state ? If it different in your version quote it !
I think reading the Quran for myself lets me get the tone of the religion. I'm just getting started but so far it is like the old testament squared. A real propensity toward violence and no tolerance of other beliefs. There is also not much respect for women in the scheme of things. For instance when a man dies he is supposed to leave his wives only one years residence and income, parents or siblings get the bulk.
I think the real problem lies where I noted in red. Religion should not be a society it should be a personal group of beliefs shared by other private individuals. Religion has no place in government. Islam therefore, can never tolerate a secular government like the U.S.
I understand your feelings, however.. the people of the Arabian peninsula were highly tribal and raided caravans ... The Arabs believe that Abraham and Ishmael built the Kaaba as an altar and that Arabs had fallen away into "the time of the ignorance"... Striving for a peaceful, civil society is not a bad goal..
