Talkback radio is again abuzz with questions asking why there are so many global acts of violence in the name of Islam. Callers are quoting various sections of the Qur’an (aka Koran) that inspire and incite calls to arms in the name of Islam. As the world searches for answers at the source of the repetitive global acts of random violence, plenty of non-Muslims today are well versed in the passages of the Qur’an. Each time there’s another ‘isolated incident’ the same question is asked. What is it about Islam that encourages the worst of human behaviour in so many of its followers? Muslim callers also phone in, wanting to disprove that Islam is a religion of conquest and violence. The host takes their calls and lets them have their say. They no longer say ‘Islam is a religion of peace’. Clearly nobody believes that. On that note, the ‘religion of peace’ is indeed a goal by Muslims. In Islam the world will truly be at ‘peace’ once a global caliphate has been established and the Islamic community of Ummah has been established, hence Islam is the ‘religion of peace’. The other defence I’ve heard tonight is the quote from the Qur’an that is trotted out every time there’s another act of Islamic violence. It goes like this: “The Qur’an teaches us that “…whosoever kills a human being… it is as if he has killed all mankind, and he whos saves the life of one, it is as if he had saved the life of all mankind…” “ That’s partly correct, except that it’s not the full quote, not the entire sentence – it’s an edited excerpt from the Qur’an 5:32. The full quote is: 5:32: “For that cause We decreed for the Children of Israel that whosoever killeth a human being for other than manslaughter or corruption in the earth, it shall be as if he had killed all mankind, and whoso saveth the life of one, it shall be as if he had saved the life of all mankind. Our messengers came unto them of old with clear proofs (of Allah’s sovereignty), but afterwards lo! Many of them become prodigals of the earth.” Spot the difference? It’s a commandment to the Jews, not Muslims. It’s followed by 5:33: “Indeed, the penalty for those who wage war against Allah and His Messenger and strive upon earth [to cause] corruption is none but that they be killed or crucified or that their hands and feet be cut off from opposite sides or that they be exiled from the land. That is for them a disgrace in this world; and for them in the Hereafter is a great punishment,” It’s telling that the most often quoted passage to defend Islamic violence is not what it’s promoted to be. Shame that there are no other passages of peace ever quoted, but the one that is, is misquoted and it is in fact demanding others behave themselves.
Posted on: Tue, 13 Jan 2015 08:12:18 +0000