Islam is a religion of peace

My opponent has offered some very good arguments. I shall counter and I wish him the best of luck in future debates. On his first question: Catholicism use to have laws regulating apostasy, same as Judaism. They are no longer in effect and are often not taken to be 'literal'. So yes Muslim ARE operating on a double standard and only furthers my argument that Islam is NOT peaceful. I shall continue: First concerning the video. The individual claims that HE does not believe that an apostate should be put to death upon renouncing Islam. That is an opinion of ONE Muslim. Over 80% of Egyptians in 2010 -one of the most populated locations of Muslims in Africa- believed that apostasy should result in the death penalty.[1] To make matters worse this is also similar in Pakistan. The video also claims that no punishment is mentioned in the Qur'an for apostasy. However the Qur'an does mention that But if they repent and establish worship and pay the poor-due, then are they your brethren in religion. We detail our revelations for a people who have knowledge. And if they break their pledges after their treaty (hath been made with you) and assail your religion, then fight the heads of disbelief -- Lo! they have no binding oaths in order that they may desist. (9:11,12) [2] While it is also true that the Qur'an doesn't specify punishment, Muslims must now turn to the Haddath to look for punishment – which is well known – of death. Even his own video makes mention of this, and places such as Jordan(84%), Egypt(84%), Nigeria (51%) and Pakistan(76%) all agree that apostasy is death.[3] So .. why the discrepancies then? Why would one Muslim (or because of the debate two) claim that Islam has no punishment for apostasy when several COUNTRIES disagree? Very simple answer: Islam permits Muslims to lie in trying to gain followers. Muhammad said: "Lying is wrong,except in three things: the lie of a man to his wife to make her content with him; a lie to an enemy, for war is deception; or a lie to settle trouble between people" [Ahmad, 6.459. H]. In this case because this is an intellectual despite he is totally within his rights to lie to the audience. I dare say that the audience is much more intelligent than that, do not insult them. But if you still think Islam does not have a punishment for apostasy then I encourage you to look at the following videos (posted to the right). http://www.youtube.com... (stated in 6:44 in the video by a Muslim with a doctorate) http://www.youtube.com... (and finally one more proof) http://www.youtube.com... http://www.youtube.com... PS Nonie Darwish is an apostate from the Middle East whom (is a primary source .. an eye witness, one of the most valuable pieces of evidence) is against Islam as peaceful. In short Apostasy is death in Islam. It is justified through strength in numbers, the Haddith, and the Sira. For more reading: http://answering-islam.org... On Salam Rushdie. My opponent tends to forget that this punishment was handed down to him by the Ayatollah at this point and time and still remains in place. Thus a contradiction is in place here: if a fatwa is an Islamic legal opinion, then how can the legal opinion in the name if Islam against Rushdie call for his death and yet still be peaceful? He cannot dispute this fact yet again. However he claims that the Qur'an does not claim earthly punishment for someone whom mocks Allah, this is true that punishment is very much mentioned in the Qur'an but not on earth. That is mentioned in the haddith and the Sharia! The Sharia is an important part of Islam (literally meaning law) and thus is a stain on Muslims. What they are to do is kill Salam Rushdie for 'blasphemy' or exercising his freedom to criticize Muhammad. What a lack of freedom of speech/expression. It's censorship. But it isn't just Rushdie, it is also in Norwegian territory for a cartoon. Also against the American television show South Park for joking about Muhammod. http://www.youtube.com... http://www.youtube.com... Wife Beating: Again in the Qur'an it states very clearly, if you fear high handedness, you may strike them. But lets look at the context you place it in. If that is true then there are several things to be hit: 1. Go through (Road) 2. Click (Mouse) 3. Drink (Bottle) 4. Land (Target) 5. Reach (market) When someone "hits the road," it means he "departed" or "went through the road." It surely doesn't mean he got a hammer and hit the road. Does "hit the woman" mean "go through the woman"? When someone says they will "hit the Mouse," they mean to say they will "click on the mouse." Does "hit the woman" mean "click on the woman"? When someone says they'll "hit the bottle," what they really mean is, they'll "drink the bottle" or "drink alcohol heavily." Does "hit the woman" mean "drink the woman"? When a darts player "hits the target," he didn't get the dart board and break it, he simply shot the dart and it "landed on the target." Does "hit the woman" mean "land on the woman"? When an author's book "hits the market," it means the book "reaches the market." Does "hit the woman" mean "reach the woman"? As you can clearly see, each of those sentences require a different interpretation of the word "hit", which is applied accordingly to the object used in combination with it. With all these supposedly "different meanings" of the word "hit" in mind, what is your understanding of the sentence "I will hit my woman?" It still has no other meaning than "I will beat my woman."' The difference between, for example, "hit the road" and "hit the woman", is the object to be hit, and not the meaning of "hit" itself.[4] Again Islam means submission: I have already addressed this earlier in the debate. As it either must be one or both. Either through submission there shall be peace (which implies violence before peace and thus making Islam NOT peaceful) or submission to God. Otherwise again there would not be two words.[5] Pro claims that slavery is not allowed in Islam when the the Islamic Center of Studies states: Muhammad captured slaves, sold slaves, bought slaves as gifts of pleasure, received slaves as gifts, and used slaves for work.The Sira is exquisitely clear on the issue of slavery.(Muhammad and the Unbelievers: a Political Life) [6] [7] I think that that video very clearly shows slavery in Sudan and shows in fact that in the name of Islam it is not peaceful, no minority has ever flourished in an Islamic State (such as IRAN whom head of state is the Ayatollah is NOT secular) [8] But if you still think Islam is peaceful, watch this: http://www.youtube.com... http://www.youtube.com... Discriminative to women, Muhammad was a warlord whom conquered in over 65 campaigns[9] and married a 9 year old girl whom would have been impossible to mature into womanhood as she didn't hit puberty at that time. Lying to people, and no country under the flag of Islam has ever had a better quality of life rating from a third party organization. The conclusion is simple: Islam is not a religion of peace. Thank you for your time and please vote con! Sources: [1] http://www.pewglobal.org... [2] http://answering-islam.org... [3] http://www.pewglobal.org... [4] http://wikiislam.net...(Quran_4-34)#Apologetic_Claim [5] http://www.thereligionofpeace.com... [6] Ibid [7] http://www.youtube.com... (video to the right) [8] http://www.thereligionofpeace.com... [9] Ibid http://www.youtube.com...