OK, the Next Person to Call Us Violent Gets It!

I haven't seen a mention of it in the American press--not that I really scan all that much of it--but the BBC reports that the French teacher and philosopher Robert Redecker has gone into hiding after receiving death threats. This follows his Le Figaro article, "In the face of Islamist intimidation, what is the world to do?" which referred to the Prophet Mohammed as "a merciless war leader." In response to the controversy over the Pope's lecture and its aftermath, Redeker said the Koran is a "book of extraordinary violence,.. while Islam "exalts violence and hate."

Meanwhile, according to the blog jihadwatch.org, the Pentagon's Counterintelligence Field Activity unit has concluded that the main reason Islamic terrorists engage in suicide bombings is that they (the bombers AND the unit) believe the Koran instructs them to. According to jihadwatch.org, "In preparation for attacks, suicide terrorists typically recite passages from six surahs, or chapters, of the Quran: Baqura (Surah 2), Al Imran (3), Anfal (8), Tawba (9), Rahman (55) and Asr (103)..."

Ironically, lately I've been wishing there could be some way of opening a dialogue with Islam, but with many Muslims, I'm not sure this is possible. I've also been feeling that, while I'm a firm believer in free speech, this is no time to go out of one's way to insult Islam or Muslims. On the other hand, suggesting that the Prophet spread the religion through violence, or Prophet's teachings are infinitely more violent than those of Jesus--these are legitimate things to discuss. They happen to be true.

I've heard or read several people who have correctly pointed out that there were plenty of instances in which Christians used violence to spread their religion. But what they didn't point out is that, aside from the one perplexing passage where Jesus says, "I bring not peace, but a sword," Jesus' teachings are totally peaceful, while the Koran has numerous militant passages.

People have always taken their holy books and done with them what they've wanted. And even religious people tend to act the way they want to, regardless of what their religion tells them. But I do think it's fair to judge religions by their seminal writings (although, as I've discussed already, they themselves can be quite open to debate).

And I am hardly the first to point out the absurd irony of protesting the Pope's lecture or Redeker's article by rioting, killing nuns, or making death threats. As the BBC reports, even some Muslim writers have pointed this out.