Quick question: Is Islam a peaceful religion? Are the anti-Islamic sentiments that we increasingly hear the result of narrow minded, anti-Muslim, intolerant bigots? Or, is there actually something about the Islamic religion that promotes and encourages intolerance and violence?
It wouldn’t be fair to just look at a few isolated points and draw a conclusion about Islam or any other religions. To really evaluate what a religion is about, we have to look at several aspects:
First, what does the religion formally teach? That is, what do the sacred writings of the religion actually say? Second, how have the people of the religion historically interpreted those writings? Third, what is the actual, balanced, factual record of the actions of the followers. And finally, and probably most importantly, what is the current mindset of the people who support the religion, as indicated by their recent words and actions.
Before we delve into the specifics of Islam, there is one thing that we should get out in the open. Whether we state is overtly or not, in the back of all of our minds is the thought: How does Islam compare with Christianity and Judaism? This is natural because here in the US, our culture, our laws, and our sense of justice and fairness is largely derived from the Judeo-Christian ethic. It is also apropos to compare Islam to Christianity and Judaism because, almost always when someone attributes an act of violence to Islam, someone else will point out that the Jewish and Christian religions have been responsible for their own fair share of violence, brutality and bloodshed (think Crusades and the Spanish Inquisition, for starters). And these are obviously valid points. A lot of violence has absolutely been done in the name of Judaism and Christianity. So as we look at Islam, let’s also keep in mind that we need to be willing to apply whatever measuring stick we decide to use to the Jewish and Christian religions also.
The main evidence I have encountered that points to Islam being an inherently violent, treacherous, and intolerant far beyond Christianity and Judaism really can be boiled down to a few highly visible characteristics of Islam.
taqiyya
Taqiyya is the Islamic doctrine that instructs “Muslims to practice deception, or to lie, when it serves the purposes of Islam.” That quote from an excellent article by Mindy Belz of World Magazine. But don’t just take Mindy’s article, google “taqiyya definition” and you will get a multitude of web sites that deal with this well known doctrine. Taqiyya is directly supported by (according to Mindy) “at least half a dozen verses of the Quran”. Contrast this doctrine with the doctrines of Christianity, in which believers are obligated to tell the truth, even if it means death to them. In this respect, Islam and Christianity are two world view that are polar opposites. It also means that a Muslim who follows the doctrine of by Taqiyya by definition can’t be trusted. It is in his/her religions indoctrination to lie to you.
Honor Killings
There is a lot of buzz about Muslim “Honor Killings”. An Honor Killing generally occurs when a Muslim father kills one of the women of his family because they have “disgraced” him. It could be because of an affair, or because of conversion to Christianity, or for other reasons. Whenever we hear of an “Honor Killing”, it is difficult to determine what the facts actually are. This is because not every murder committed by a Muslim man is necessarily a religiously motivated honor killing. Sometimes Muslim men just kill for the same reasons that anyone of any religion kills. Deciphering the truth is further complicated by the fact that sometimes the news media stumbles all over themselves in an attempt to portray a killing as not being a “Honor Killing” even if the evidence suggest that it is. Why would they do that? Because it is inconsistent with their politically correct, biased world view to even consider that such a thing could be true. So it may be difficult in a single instance to tell from news reports whether a killing was a “Honor Killing” or not, but there are far too many instances of Muslim men killing women in their family who have “dishonored” them for us to think that a large number of these are not true Honor Killings. One thing that is easy to ascertain though, we don’t even HEAR of any Christian or Jewish honor killings, or even anything remotely similar. This is a definite difference in Islam on the one hand and Judaism and Christianity on the other.
Intolerance of criticism and other Religions.
The murders of Muslims who have converted to Christianity and the murders of people who have criticized Islam point to another indication of the violent and intolerant nature of Islam. This intolerance of hard core Muslims is so visible to anyone who pays attention and stays informed of world news that it really doesn’t need explanation.
The Mindset of Islam seems to be one of Conquest
If a religion does not allow anyone to convert out of said religion under threat of death, the religion is inherently attempting to grow. Think about it. It is a pretty simple proposition: You can join, but you can’t leave. Kind of like the Mafia, or Hotel California. The evidence to me is pretty strong that a disturbingly large number of Muslims are not just trying to live their life as they see fit and worship God as they see fit…they really want to change the culture and religion of others.
There just seems to be too much anecdotal evidence that Islam is a dangerous religion to ignore. I would really like to see a rigorous examination of Islam, and see if my perceptions hold. I’m not going to hold my breath for anyone in the popular media to do it though.
C. R. Grizzle