Does Islam promote violence?
A lot of people say Islam is about violence. This is what we hear in the media and from the government. But how much of it is really true. To be honest, the only things most people know about Islam is what they hear from others and see on tv, myself included. Can someone shed a little light on this? Thank you.
Does the Quran teach violence?
Here is a few examples of the "religion of peace," taken directly from the Quran - 4:89 They long that ye should disbelieve even as they disbelieve, that ye may be upon a level (with them). So choose not friends from them till they forsake their homes in the way of Allah; if they turn back (to enmity) then take them and kill them wherever ye find them, and choose no friend nor helper from among them.. That clearly states that Muslims should not have any unbelieving friends. 4:91 Ye will find others who desire that they should have security from you, and security from their own folk. So often as they are returned to hostility they are plunged therein. If they keep not aloof from you nor offer you peace nor hold their hands, then take them and kill them wherever ye find them. Against such We have given you clear warrant. This passage, and the one before it teach us that if the unbelievers do not offer you peace, kill them wherever you find them. Against such you are given clear warrant. It is clearly ADVOCATING killing in the name of Islam. The Quran is RIFE and REPLETE with violence. So you tell me.. Does that sound like a religion of peace to you?
Do Malays think that Islam teaches violence?
caveat emptor: I'm not a religious personI suspect it's like a restaurant menu , you eat what you ordered . You don't get anything you didn't order .You can't be violent unless you're already violent or it was indoctrinated into you . Some beliefs are very personal. If you're a twat who wants to whack someone because they don't agree with you , you're going to whack that person no matter what you believe .When Muslims want to be peaceful they recital peaceful verses , the “Medina verses”. There , there's proof the Qur'an teaches peace , Islam is a religion of peace , a true Muslim is peaceful (no true Scotsman fallacy)If you think Islam is peaceful you'll point at peaceful verses, that's what Islam teaches. If you need to think Islam teaches violence, or rather most see it as righteousness but violence is inflicted through their hands at God's will. No one thinks they're evil or violent or they would have quit Islam.By doctrine Islam is perfect , so if Muslims think violence is bad there can be no way Islam teaches violence.Personal unreliable anecdotal account from meThere was a chap who was angry over someone whom he perceived was insulting Islam. Swearing he will whack the guy . When i suggested Muslims shouldn't use violence ( been a while, I was probably trolling him with a cheap remark)His reply was “Islam not violent, aku violent “Now if you're familiar with the phase “God's man on Sunday, the devil's for the rest of the week" that's how I viewed the exchange .Personally I do believe Islam and all other religions lead to violence .conditions like poorer socio economic status , poor upbringing , poor education, a herd mentality, all contribute greatly to violence. Terrorism would be another issue , if you're looking at violence you'll see from Pakistan to Malaysia to blangadesh to Indonesia, mob violence has a common link . Someone must be blamed , let us act in a violent stupid way to show we are just, righteous and pious while we loot your stores, burn your house , beat these infidels.There is also the belief non Muslims are filthy . Deserving of punishment . These are specific directions thoughts may point in . Not exactly a secret , there was already a laundromat incident. If you remove the religion it's clear they are meant to dehumanise the targets .The moment your religion isn't personal, a group is formed with outsiders created , is the point the violence starts.
Does the quran really teaches Violence?
If thats how you want to interpret it.
Does Islam really support violence in the Qur'an? If yes what are the verses? Can those verses be justified or interpreted properly with context?
Absolutely yes.Anyone who says otherwise hasn't read the quran(or is in denial).Let me quote some ayats from the quran(which I will obviously be blamed to have taken out of context,but when they pick up some decent ones that is by default,in context):Quran 2:19-"And kill them wherever you find them, and turn them out from where they have turned you out. And Al-Fitnah [disbelief] is worse than killing...but if they desist, then lo! Allah is forgiving and merciful. And fight them until there is no more Fitnah [disbelief and worshipping of others along with Allah] and worship is for Allah alone. But if they cease, let there be no transgression except against Az-Zalimun (the polytheists, and wrong-doers, etc.)2:216 Warfare is ordained for you, though it is hateful unto you; but it may happen that ye hate a thing which is good for you, and it may happen that ye love a thing which is bad for you. Allah knoweth, ye know not.5:33 The only reward of those who make war upon Allah and His messenger and strive after corruption in the land will be that they will be killed or crucified, or have their hands and feet on alternate sides cut off, or will be expelled out of the land. Such will be their degradation in the world, and in the Hereafter theirs will be an awful doom.I can go on and on..but my answer would be downvoted anyway.
Do you think Islam promotes violence more or less than any other religions?
"promotes"? ..... i wouldn't say it "promotes" any at all... but a lot of people do commit acts of violence in the name of Islam. that doesn't mean Islam is violent, it means that there are some violent people who happen to be Islamic. people are violent by nature (regardless of religion, creed, race, color), but we recognize that violence is only ever permitted if there is some legit reason for it (if then). so instead of changing ourselves and becoming less violent (because that's really hard), we just invent justifications for our violence (much easier). people twist things around to fit their agenda. nothing new there. think of Jesus. the way he is portrayed, he would arguably be the most peaceful/loving/forgiving/non-violent person to ever live. yet somehow the religion based on his teachings lead to the crusades, the spanish inquisition. the salem witch trials. people outright hate others in the name of "the god of love", commit acts of violence in the name of "the prince of peace"...... if u take a step back, u see all off that could only come from complete insanity... or from people twisting things around to meet their own agendas. they use the guise of religion to hide ulterior motives. i want money. but i can't say that. so i say god told me to steal from you. that sounds much better. it never had anything to do with religion, it had to do with greed.
Does Islam and the Quran promote violence more than other religions? Is this why it has more violent, fanatical sub-groups? From what I’ve heard, Muhammad could be likened to a war-lord, whereas Jesus or Buddha were pacifists.
The problem with Islam is that it sees itself as the final revelation that replaces and thereby supersedes the monotheistic understandings of earlier theologies (Judaism and Christianity).While Christianity went through a similar phase during the dark, medieval and early renaissance periods this initiative lost steam with the passage of the reformation, enlightenment and nationalistic phases that characterized western history. The Religious Wars, the French Revolution and Germany’s Kulturkampf negated clerical zeal replacing it temporarily with excessive nationalism and destructive socialisms that culminated in the two world wars. However it also allowed as well in the long term for the necessary growth of liberal democracy and free markets that have guaranteed the standard of living and openness to debate that we enjoy today. Islam in a sense remained frozen in time, wedded to an ideology grounded in medieval simplicity, it essentially escaped the age of reason and now struggles as an unwanted anachronism in the modern world. Unlike Judaism and Christianity, which have opened themselves up to critical intellectual interpretation, Islam continues to resist this trend. While there are a select few who have tried with an honesty to breach this barrier, the bulk of the discourse and certainly its mainstream voice is dominated by an orthodoxy not far removed from the expansionist belief that characterized Islam’s rapid ascendancy in the latter part of the first millennium.However as a belief system, Islam does bring in some positive attributes from Judaism and Christianity. It incorporated into its ethos charity and prayer both of which have origins in the Torah and it does champion equality before God. Where I think Islam deviates most from the other two religions is in its central core teaching of submission. In fact the word Islam means submission. This is a dangerous tenant, in that it discourages questioning of God, the necessary wrestling with the higher power that Abraham, Jacob and Moses exemplified. It is in this wrestling that we most exercise our free will, the philosophical notion that makes us human. The first great initiative in a real Islamic revolution would be to reject the submission notion, a necessary step towards clear thought and enlightenment.
Does the QURAN HAVE TOO MUCH VIOLENCE IN IT or is it just the right amount?
Go to a Quran word search engine and type in any violent words you can think of and see what comes up. http://www.islamicity.com/ Just about any word of violence will get you hundreds of hits. If youve read the Quran before you know what Im talking about. Its loaded with violence. Muslims explain "well it was written during wartime when Muhammad was defending himself alllll over the place...he defended himself into Medina and then Mecca and the whole of Arabia!" Well, putting Muhammad's new defintion of "defending" aside, we still are left with the question of why Allah would think it wise to fill most of his book with violence? I mean, whatever Muhammad's violenent idea of religion was, certainly Allah was not subject to Muhammad was he? I mean, Allah never had to mention anything about war and Muhammad's beheading of 800 jewish prisoners, he could have simply used his book to impart wisdom and law as opposed to war narratives.