Sunday, August 1

Speaking of "out-of-context," some Qur'anic verses are not what they appear to be

Qur'an 5:32 is used often by Muslim apologists for Islam (and non-Muslims believing that they must be more enlightened than their fellows who for some strange reason see a connection between Islam and Islamic terrorism . . . perpetrated by Muslims . . . in Islam's name . . . while quoting Muhammad) in order to deceive non-Muslims into doubting their lyin' eyes. Even though Muslims maim, rape, and butcher non-Muslims (and Muslim apostates, women, and little girls) around the world every day in the name of Islam, Muslims want us to believe that Religionists of Peace are forbidden to kill non-Muslims (except in self-defense, of course). They quote just a portion of verse 32:
"Anyone who murders any person, it shall be as if he murdered all the people."
Sounds great, doesn't it? Islamic terrorism is just a crime that has nothing to do with Islam. Its practitioners are "perverting a great world religion." Nothing to worry about, right?

Despite Muslims' best efforts to let non-Muslims read into that little sound bite the tolerance and good will which we assume are naturally part of any decent religion, the actual verse is not a prohibition against Muslims killing non-Muslims, but a condemnation of Jews, Allah’s great “enemy”:
Because of this, we decreed for the Children of Israel that anyone who murders any person who had not committed murder or horrendous crimes, it shall be as if he murdered all the people. And anyone who spares a life, it shall be as if he spared the lives of all the people. Our messengers went to them with clear proofs and revelations, but most of them, after all this, are still transgressing.
Even more ominous (and tragic), the following verse is actually much worse for "infidels" than it appears at first glance:
"The punishment of those who wage war against Allah and His Messenger, and strive with might and main for mischief through the land is: execution, or crucifixion, or the cutting off of hands and feet from opposite sides, or exile from the land: that is their disgrace in this world, and a heavy punishment is theirs in the Hereafter . . . " (Qur'an 5:33).
A non-Muslim in a nation which has never sent troops into Afghanistan or Iraq might be thinking that they're safe. After all, they're not "warring against" Allah and Muhammad, even by way of their elected officials. But their comfort is illusory. Taking the verse in the context provided by Ibn Kathir in his highly respected tafsir (Qur’anic commentary), the horrific violence required by Muhammad against non-Muslims is to be carried out against them for their not being Muslim:
“‘Wage war’ mentioned here means oppose and contradict, and it includes disbelief, blocking roads and spreading fear in the fairways. Mischief in the land refers to various types of evil.”
So, Muhammad requires execution, crucifixion, or cutting off hands and feet from opposite sides for “disbelief.”

Take Qur'anic verses in their proper context. Your civilization may depend on it.