True or False: Muslim beliefs cause violence?
By Tom Quiner
Muslim beliefs have nothing to do with Muslim terrorism.
This seems to be the mantra of the Left.
A Quiner’s Diner reader responded along these lines to my post yesterday (“Islamic terrorism is not your fault”):
“Tom the seemingly infinite depths of your dishonesty and willingness to lie never ceases to amaze me. Historically America’s elected political leaders have had a nasty habit of interfering both militarily and economically – openly and covertly in the affairs of other nations. Indeed it was our leaders’ incompetent meddling in the middle east that brought about the very conditions that led to the rise of Saddam in Iraq and the problems we have with Iran today. As long as American citizens continue to allow their leaders free reign to interfere in the affairs of other nations they can expect to get a ‘bloody nose’ from time to time.”
In other words, the Boston Marathon bombing was not fueled by a Muslim belief system, but rather by us (American foreign policy).
Georgetown sociology professor, Michael Eric Dyson, agrees. He said the causes of this violence could be anything at all, even music:
“So you take one part of the element, that he’s Muslim. But he also might have listened to classical music. He might have had some Lil Wayne.”
In other words, it seems the one thing these liberals think has nothing to do with unrelenting Islamic terrorism is their belief system.
When the Koran says, “Kill the unbelievers wherever you find them.” [Koran 2:191] … to the political Left, this has nothing to do with Muslim violence.
We’re hearing this viewpoint all over the place in the past few days. MSNBC host Melissa Harris- Perry expressed the liberal viewpoint this way:
“I keep wondering is it possible that there would ever be a discussion like, ‘This is because of Ben Affleck and the connection between Boston and movies about violence?’ And of course, the answer is no. … Our very sense of connection to them is this framed-up notion of, like, Islam making them something that is non-normal.”
So she wants to have a conversation that maybe it’s American movies that are the engine to Muslim rage (although these same liberals want to deny that Hollywood movies have anything to do with breeding nutty mass murderers). In fact, they said the same thing about the Benghazi massacre where the American ambassador and others were butchered. It had nothing to do with Islam, they claimed, but an offensive movie. The movie we later learned had nothing to do with it.
Is Ms. Harris-Perry correct? When the Koran says: “Make war on the infidels living in your neighborhood.” [Koran 9:123] … does the average Muslim really read that to mean “love your neighbor as yourself?”
Another talking head on MSNBC built on Ms. Harris-Perry’s thesis. Zaheer Ali is a Harvard graduate, recipient of Columbia University’s Merit Scholars Graduate Fellowship, recipient of the Social Science Research Council’s Mellon Mays Pre-Doctoral Research Grant. Impressive credentials! He opined:
“It isn’t Muslim that is a common thing here, it’s people who are alienated.”
Again, I’m confused. The Koran says, “Maim and crucify the infidels if they criticize Islam” [Koran 5:33]. Just writing this post makes me nervous in light of Muslim scripture. But liberals are adamant that Muslim beliefs are irrelevant to the conversation.
Don’t liberals behave based on THEIR belief system?
Don’t you?
I know I do.
So why would Muslims be the ONLY group in the world who don’t? And yet, another college professor, Brian Levin (director of the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University, San Bernardino (formerly associate director of the Southern Poverty Law Center) weighed in to tell us conservatives that we’re the nutty ones, not the Muslims. Here’s what he said on Bill Maher’s show:
“Look, it’s not like people who are Muslim who do wacky things have a monopoly on it. We have hypocrites across faiths, Jewish, Christian who say they’re out for God and end up doing not so nice things.”
I’m scratching my head over that one in light of what the Koran says: “Terrorize and behead those who believe in scriptures other than the Qur’an.” [Koran 8:12].
The bible says to “turn the other cheek.” Kind of a different point of view than that expressed in the Koran, don’t you think? But you’ve got to admit that there’s no shortage of Christian hypocrites. In a sense, we are all hypocrites each time we sin.
The difference is this: the Koran espouses a belief system that advocates Jihad. It’s right in the Koran. We’ve seen the “fruit” of that belief system down through history, and that fruit is more than a few “bloody noses.” The fruit is a staggering loss of life and denial of religious liberty down through the ages.
Modern day liberals are so hamstrung by political correctness that they refuse to associate Muslim beliefs with Muslim violence.
Writing in 1899, Winston Churchill was not bound by the constraints of political correctness in his assessment of Islam:
“The religion of Islam above all others was founded upon the sword … Moreover it provides incentives to slaughter, and in three continents has produced fighting breeds of men – filled with a wild and merciless fanaticism”.
The Muslim terrorists must get side-aches from laughter when they hear these comments from the terrorist apologists. I am guessing it also irritates them because it denies what the Koran teaches. They WANT credit for these acts because they are doing it in the name of their god.
Be assured though, I DO NOT take this as an excuse to judge the Muslim next door. That person I have to judge individually based on their actions. To judge the individual without knowing them is the essence of bigotry.
To deny the obvious truth about Islam is political correctness. And a dangerous one at that.
Tom,
You are absolutely right about the doctrines of Islam being a source of violence for Muslims. I can think of three reasons why many people, liberals included, do not acknowledge that:
One is that most people have very little knowledge about the doctrines of Islam.
Two, most Muslims seem to be pretty peaceful people, especially in the West. And if one knows any Muslims and talks about Islam with them, one will probably get that Muslim’s personal perspective on Islam. And because of Reason One, the non-Muslim will have no idea about the accuracy of that personal perspective. Islam will be judged by the actions and explanations of these Western Muslims.
Three, it is difficult for folks in the West to conceive of a religion existing in the modern world that would teach intolerance and hatred of, and violence against, non-believers.
The reality is that since 622 AD Islam has taught and commanded intolerance and hatred of, and violence against, non-Muslims. However, just as with most of the Muslims in the West, throughout the last 1,400 years there have been Muslim rulers who have had varying degrees of adherence to these doctrines of Islam. So it is always possible to find a Muslim ruler who was charitable toward non-Muslims, just as we find many Muslims today who get along quite well with non-Muslims. But the reality is that such Muslims have strayed away from those doctrines of Islam and are actually bad Muslims. However, those doctrines are as valid today as they were 1,400 years ago. And anytime Muslims want to, they can return to Islam.
Thus, if we truly understood Islam, we would not be surprised when jihadist activity like that of the Tsarnaev brothers takes place or is attempted. But we would then have to take the next (uncomfortable) step and question the compatibility of Islam with the values expressed in our Declaration of Independence and Constitution.
New thread so I will repost this comment here:
All the religions that sprung from Abraham have the “death to non-believers” rule in their holy books. Perhaps you can explain to me the writtings starting with Matthew 5:17? Why would Jesus say this only to have others interpret it as something else?
As I have said before Bob, you cannot read the Bible like you do and pick one phrase out of context to attempt to trap us.
If you know ANYTHING about Jesus, you know that he taught non-violence. He was ALL ABOUT forgiveness, love, gentleness. Can you say that about the Koran?
And I don’t quite understand you picking out that particular phrase to make your point. Jesus in fact did away with a lot of the old Testament laws. But his life fulfilled it. For example, you don’t have to be circumcised in order to be a Christian, or swear off pork.
I would like to hear from a Muslim scholar what the Koran really means by those violent teachings. All I know is that there are thousands of acts of violence being perpetrated in the name of Allah and the Koran, the whole concept of Jihad is based on killing those who don’t believe in their religion. Any and all Christian scholars would tell you that Jesus was not about violence.
I don’t quite understand why someone who doesn’t even believe in God would practically break their back defending Islam while doing all they can to disprove Christianity.
What gives?
And furthermore, Christians live by the New Testament. Does the Koran have a new book that advocates peace?
You, like most, avoid attention to details when it comes to passages like this. With some things it’s all about the details – such as homosexuality. Other times, like here, we are told it is all about looking at the big picture.
It’s a moving target which makes it hard to pin down but also is why so many different versions of Christianity exists today because ultimately it comes down to translation.
Let me make it clear here in that I don’t condone any violence – whether rooted in religion or not, and I will concede that radical Muslims are a definite threat to our way of life.
Look at our demographics here in the U.S. In a large part, the life we are born into determines how we will end up. Yes, there are exceptions, but if you’re born poor, more than likely you will remain poor and have to deal with much more violence in your life than someone who was born into wealth. But even our poorest can’t compare to what some people deal with on a daily basis in other countries. We need to find solutions – not just assign blame.
ALL Christians will tell you that Jesus does not condone violence. All Christians will tell you that Christians live by the New Testament.
These things are not a moving target.
You, who don’t really know the Bible want to trap me with the Bible. You do not know the truth it teaches but pretend to be a scholar on it. There is nothing I can say to you Bob that will hear or listen to.
I repeat, I would like to hear from a Muslim Holy man who will tell me what the multiple calls to Jihad in the Koran mean. If it doesn’t mean, “kill the infidels”, what does it mean?
I repeat, the New Testament is what Christians are called to live by. There is no similar call to violence in the New Testament. We are called to love and forgive.
We are not discussing homosexuality here. That is another discussion.
Not sure what you are saying here, Bob. Read further in Matthew 5. For example, Matthew 5:43-45:
“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor[i] and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.”
Gee that sounds like Jesus was trying to raise up the rabble to kill non-believers, right?
Does the Bible say Christians should treat non-Christians as 2nd class citizens (dhimmi)?
Does the Bible say the stones will call out exposing any hidden Jews?
Does the Bible say that “fighting is prescribed to you”?
Do Christians kill those who convert from Christianity to another faith, for the “crime” of apostasy?
Do Jews or Christians, in their schools, teach that Muslim bread is made from the blood of Jews or Christians?
Do Christians and Jews rise up when a newspaper does a cartoon depicting God or Christ in a demeaning way? Do they issue death threats when someone writes a book, declaring Christianity a false religion? Do they riot in the streets over a youtube video? Do they celebrate in the streets at the mass slaughter of innocent civilians in an office building?
Does our Holy Bible say any of this?
“The punishment of those who wage war against Allah and His messenger and strive to make mischief in the land is only this, that they should be murdered or crucified or their hands and their feet should be cut off on opposite sides or they should be imprisoned; this shall be as a disgrace for them in this world, and in the hereafter they shall have a grievous chastisement”
“I will cast terror into the hearts of those who disbelieve. Therefore strike off their heads and strike off every fingertip of them”
The morning after the murder of Ashraf, the Prophet declared, “Kill any Jew who falls under your power.”
“Killing Unbelievers is a small matter to us”
This is only a small smattering of the violent verses found in the Koran. And Muslims typically believe that where the Koran contradicts itself, the later writings supercede the earlier ones. And the later writings of Mohammed are typically his most violent and most bigotted.
Don’t make a moral comparison between Christianity and Islam. I thought you were smarter than that.
[…] And by all means, don’t blame Islam for this. These guys just happen to be followers of that Religion of Peace. It’s not like Islam is to blame for this kind of repeated violence. Or is it? […]
I am by no means an expert, but here is what I found about Jihad.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYI-c83r3Ag
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fIxdsXbrC64
I will have to watch the second video later tonight Bob, and I promise to do so.
I appreciated the first one a great deal. The teacher seems like a beautiful and God-filled man and I loved hearing what he had to say. What was interesting though, is that what he had to say was clearly upsetting to the men in the crowd because it was a different message than they had ever heard before. If the Muslim holy man is teaching the true faith, they need to do a better job of getting the message out there, because clearly it is not what is being taught.
If you listen carefully, he didn’t discount physical Jihad, but said “The greater Jihad is in your heart.”
I did hear him say that the Koran teaches against violence against innocent people and he was trying his best to make the case against terrorism. That could easily get confused though by Muslims, (and even a growing number of Americans, you included Bob) who seem to think that Americans are all guilty just by virtue of being Americans.
One final thought, that is a man I would like having for a neighbor and maybe even a friend. You can look at his eyes and see that God is alive in him.
I very much appreciate you taking the time to find that video and I will watch the other one tonight.
Thanks for your response. I got up before 3AM this morning because your question weighed so heavily on my mind so in a strange way I thank you for prompting me to investigate this. It helped me susbstain my views that, whether Muslim or Christian or none of the above, the majority of people are good.
I agree that the message he was giving was not what they wanted to hear, but when it comes down to it, they are terrorists looking for revenge. To me, if you look hard enough with the right motivation, you can probably find someone or something in any holy book to justify your actions, and do it in the name of religion. The desire is already there, they just want to feel justified in acting on it.
I never said Americans were guilty of anything – at least not the people of America. I feel the same of Muslims or Christians. You can’t blame a whole group for the actions of a few.
I do stand behind the facts that people in our government have abused their power and meddled in other peoples’ governments mainly due to protect private business interests of American-based companies, despite the will of the people of those countries. I don’t think that makes me unAmerican. On the rare occasions that I am asked for ID, I pull out my retired military ID card instead of my driver’s license like most because I am proud to have served this country.
The one thing I probably agreed with Ron Paul on was the one that he got the most crap about, and that is we as Americans should not be the police force for the entire world.
I also believe the majority of people are good. Muslims included.
I do stand by my belief though that the leadership is very flawed, too many of them don’t speak out against terrorism, and the religion itself teaches some pretty violent things. The primary tenet of the Christian faith is forgiveness, love, and peace. I don’t think forgiveness is a primary teaching of the Muslim faith. I am guessing that most Muslim congregations in this country are probably peace loving Americans. I would not bet that that is the case around the world. As Steve Kirby said, even if 5% of the worlds Muslims advocate violence against the non-believers, that is a lot of Muslims.
I hear and even understand your view of American meddling. I disagree that our “meddling” is always bad or for selfish, business interests, but I acknowledge that it is sometimes. But a good portion of the world looks to us to protect them and take care of them. America does a lot of good around the world.. . more good than any other country on earth. We not only offer military protection, but we offer food and medicine. I think one of the reason we are hated is that we are rich and the world is jealous. Thank heavens we are rich though because it enables us to send so much help around the globe.
Everyone thought Hussein had weapons of mass destruction, many democrats included. A very good case could be made that we should not have gone into Iraq, but I believe that Bush did it because he believed it was necessary for our protection. He, as well as many other foreign governments, as well as many Democrats, thought he had W.O.M.D. Hindsight is always perfect. I was never sure it was the right move.
And I do not think you are un-American. I truly don’t. I do puzzle over your automatic defense of Muslims and your automatic criticism of Christians. You are much more likely to attribute bad motives to Christians than Muslims.
Karen,
I think both Christianity and Islam as religions are misguided. That is not to say that many benefit positvely from it, but in my view, the religion is just the mechanism to be a positive influence. You don’t need religion to be a good person. Slowly, I think people are figuring that out. Just look at church attendance across the country.
I can see why you think I favor Muslims, but I don’t think I do. Islam is completely foriegn to me and really has no effect on my personal life here in Iowa. In a global sense I know it does, but there is little I can do or say to change that. I have no doubt that we agree on more than we disagree, but we do disagree on things and because of the nature of this new media, we “discuss”. I learned more about Islam in a couple of videos last night than I have learned my whole life, which I am actually embarassed about considering how many Muslims there are in the world. Rest assured, I have no plans on joining – ever.
I have no doubt that Tom’s heart is in the right place, but I read Tom’s article as having no purpose except to attack Muslims for being terrorists. I could easily be wrong, but that is how I read it. And my point was and still is, bad people do bad things, and religion only serves to justify their actions. It’s not the reason.
A normal person does not seek out radical believers who convince them to blow people up unless they have major issues to begin with. “Suspect #1” had issues first, which caused him to isolate himself and seek extreme radicalism. I assume his father had a major influence. I believe his uncle when he said that this guy was a loser. He apparently hated his life. Not normal behavior.
If the Pope came out and said he wished Catholics would rise up and kill all puppies, I don’t think you and Tom would go out and start slaughtering puppies, unless you really don’t like puppies and this was the push you needed. That would not be normal behavior.
Just for the record I am not implying the Pope hates puppies – it’s just a hypothetical for discussion purposes only.
If the Pope came out and said he wished Catholics would rise up and kill all puppies, I would seriously consider whether I should continue to be Catholic.
Toms purpose is not simply to attack Muslims. We are at war, radical Islam has declared war on us, and if you don’t see clearly what is going on, you cannot fight it and protect yourself.
I don’t hate Muslims, I don’t hate anyone. I don’t judge anyone except by their actions. There are too many radical Muslims that have declared war on Americans and Christians around the world, and it started long before we got into Iraq or Afghanastan. Jihad against non-Muslims has been going on long before America even existed.
You say slowly people are figuring out that we don’t need religion. The tide will turn again because the world is in a Mess with a capital M without God and getting worse. People will turn back to him when it gets bad enough.
I pray for you Bob on a regular basis. I really do. I am certain you are a good guy, but you need God as much as anyone, even if you don’t see it now. God made you and you were made for God. You don’t know what you are missing.
[…] Diner has expressed concerns about Islam here and here. Our position is that belief fuels action. The Koran advocates violence. Therefore, some Muslims […]
As we know, Christians and others who kill wantonly are going against their faiths. In Islam, they are following their “constitution.”
In his book “The Great Heresies,” the French historian Hilaire Belloc wrote that he was concerned about the re-emergence of Islam… this was in 1938 when the rest of the world had Hitler & Co. to keep an eye on, too. Modern-day liberals would be wise to do likewise.
I had an interesting encounter this morning, with a friend whose wife is dying of cancer. The wife’s doctor is Muslim. He has been wonderful to her, with a very good bedside manner. He acknowledges her Catholic faith. He has treated her (and her faith) with the utmost dignity. They think the world of him. Islam presents complications to the Western world. There are so many very decent Muslims, like this doctor. There are so many jihadists killing people on a daily basis throughout the world in the name of Mohammed, as the Koran calls for. It is very complicated.