Islam Is Not Only a Peaceful Religion, but a Reasonable Religion

People are Good, Islam is BadIn response to my asking how the evil of others excuses the evil of Islam, my opponent accuses me of making broad and unjust generalization about his religion. Indeed, that is precisely what I am doing, but let us not befuddle that with the people who practice the religion. Were all self-respecting Muslims to accurately follow the word of the Qua'ran and of Mohammed and of Islam's bloody history, they would all be forced to admit that the likes of ISIS were right. However, it is the humanity of people that prohibits religion, including Islam, from committing the wrongs derived from the outdated despotism it was based on. One of my favorite quotes, by Christopher Hitchens, is "left alone, good people will do good things, and wicked people will do wicked things. To make a good person do a wicked thing, well, that takes religion". As an extension of my belief that people are generally good, those who subscribe to Islam are as well. But that does not connote that Islam cannot therefore be bad. People are good, and Islam, like most religions, does its utmost to corrupt human nature. SourcesThis is likely a lost cause, given that my opponent will likely never accept a source that disagrees with him as credible. I will note, though, there is a difference between biased and false. A source can have an agenda and simply be using facts to perpetuate it, which my opponent doesn't seem to realize, preferring to apply the "well, it says something bad about Islam, so it must be a lie" philosophy. In my last round I cited two books regarding the "dead poet's society", the sizable collection of satirists and intellectuals murdered on the orders of Mohammed. Simply on the grounds that they oppose Islam, my opponent dismisses them as infeasible and even bigoted. This is denial at its most hilarious and its most tragic, simultaneously. The Massacre of the JewsCould I possibly emphasize this point any more? Mohammed and his immediates slaughtered, in cold blood, over 900 unarmed men. So what if the tribe betrayed Islam? So what if the attack targeted not Jews, but simply the "traitors"? The victims of the bloody assault had done nothing, nor had their wives and children, who met equally gruesome fates. Government Vs IslamFinally, I will confess to my opponent making a strong argument, that the federal abuses in the Middle East are the fault of government, not of the religion which they claim to represent. To which I say, you're wrong. Iran, the example my opponent saw as most prevalent, is a theocracy; it calls for a mild form of Sharia law, which has an etymology dating back to the Qua'ran's reference to the "way", or the correct method by which to conduct oneself as a Muslim. (1) One of the basic tenants is that women must be entirely covered, one of the less barbaric portions of the system. Whatever Sharia was originally intended to convey, the evil of it is clear, and has been used, as it was supposed to be, by Islamist governments the world over. In short, literal translation of Islam created the abusive governments in the Middle East, not the other way around. ConclusionI see little else to rebut, so I conclude here. Islam, the force, the philosophy, the solution, whatever you wish to call it, is evil, from its very conception. Its beloved founder, its early followers, and even its holy book radiate the filth practiced by extremists like Al-Qaeda and Isis. Constrained by basic humanity, the ordinary Muslim, like my adversary, only assists this process in their refusal to soul-search, and instead lashing out at any who question or accuse. Over the course of this debate, my will has only been strengthened by my research and my opponent's vague and telling evasions and re-directions. With that said, good job to Pro, and may the best man win. (1) . http://en.wikipedia.org...