Demonization of Muslims and Islam

[John_James]

@Clayton

Woodenly literal reading of a text does not convey its intended meaning. This is as true of Greek myths as it is of the Bible or the Q’ran. So, there is always an element of subjectivity involved in understanding religious texts (or any text, for that matter).

You obviously know very little about Islam.

But what really matters are not Sam Harris’s ideas about what Islam “obviously means”, what matters are the schools or pedigrees of Islam. There are radicalized schools of Islam. There are more radicalized schools of Islam than there are radicalized Christian sects.

I am not aware of any reputable mullah who can trace his pedigree back to the prophet giving Osama bin Laden the authority to act as he did with the stamp of approval of Islam. So, Harris is being extremely disingenuous in substituting his own judgment of what Islam “obviously is” for what Muslim scholars and leaders - who can trace their pedigree back to Mohammed and who are not just fly-by-night radicals - actually teach.

Find me a Muslim who will claim “The Qur’an is not to be taken literally”, “The Qur’an needs interpretation and subjectivity to be honestly understood”, “The Qur’an includes passages that are less than perfect, and need to be taken in context”, and we can talk.

Religion is a human activity. I don’t think I get to substitute my judgment for what constitutes a “proper chess match” for the judgment of the World Chess Federation. Similarly, I don’t get to substitute my judgment that Islam is “not a religion of peace” because of ancient history, that is, that it was founded on blood and conquest (no different than Mosaic Judaism or, much later, Roman Christianity).

Blah blah blah. This “no true Scotsman” nonsense has gotten quite old. Again, find me a Muslim who will make any of the statements above, or even one who will publically condemn Hamas and we can have a conversation.

The upsetting of Muslim moderation and the radicalization of Muslims is, in fact, a response to their betrayal by their own secular leaders into the hands of the West. We (the West) are bombing, torturing, occupying and pillaging them. And then we blame their religion when they become radicalized.

This is exactly what I’m talking about. This is just nonsense. This idea that there isn’t any blame at all to go around.

It either suggests that Muslims are just mindless zombies that have no choice in the matter…they just react like Pavlov’s dog.

Or that they respect and revere this religion they live by…that virtually every single aspect of their lives is in some way dictated or at least regulated by, and that they voluntarily submit to…that they have this religion of peace that they are guided by so much, that they are willing to defy it’s very principles not only in everyday life, but in reaction to “infidels” denigrating it.

Someone burns a book halfway around the world, and they cut people’s heads off. Either because they just can’t help themselves, or because their passion for their religion of peace is just so great that they can’t sit peacefully by while someone speaks ill of it.