The world would be better off without Islam

To be clear, at no point am I implying that all Muslims shouldn’t exist, or that Muslims should be wiped out. I’ll preface with the usual disclaimer: I have Muslim friends and I’m almost militant in my opposition to racism. I’m an Atheist and I believe that all religions are purely a manmade delusion. I’m against all religions, along with any other belief that promotes Iron Age mythology as fact, judges people based on archaic and unfair laws, and creates violence, hatred, or any other kind of immoral practice. However, I will say that the most alarming form of religion has to be Islam. I would not attack Jainism in the same way I would attack Islam because that wouldn’t be fair to Jainism. I’ll be using the Pickthall translation whenever possible. C1: Islam directly promotes violence and intolerance Islam as an ideology directly promotes violence, racism, misogyny, and terrorism. Muhammad was a warlord and a conqueror, he spread a very literal form of Islam by the sword. The Quran and the Hadith are packed with verses condoning violence against those who don’t profess belief in Islam. In total, there are 109 verses in the Quran that call for war against unbelievers. For example: 002.191 “And slay them wherever ye find them, and drive them out of the places whence they drove you out, for persecution is worse than slaughter. And fight not with them at the Inviolable Place of Worship until they first attack you there, but if they attack you (there) then slay them. Such is the reward of disbelievers.” 003.151 “We shall cast terror into the hearts of those who disbelieve because they ascribe unto Allah partners, for which no warrant hath been revealed. Their habitation is the Fire, and hapless the abode of the wrong-doers” 002.216 “Warfare is ordained for you, though it is hateful unto you; but it may happen that ye hate a thing which is good for you, and it may happen that ye love a thing which is bad for you. Allah knoweth, ye know not.” The history of the Muslims is packed with violence. Muhammad slaughtered and force converted people all over the Middle East in some 65 military campaigns. He enslaved children (Bukhari, Vol. 8, Bk. 74, Num. 276), raped women (Bukhari, Vol. 7, Bk. 62, Num. 137), had people’s heads and hands cut off (Abudawud, Bk. 38, Num. 4396) and plenty of other crimes against humanity. He married and deflowered a child, and directly because of this places like Saudi Arabia continue to marry off children, some of which die on their wedding night of internal bleeding. Proof of Islam’s inability to create peace is evident even in the early years of its existence. After Muhammad dies, war breaks out almost immediately. Tens of thousands of Muslims slaughter each other, relatives behead each other, and these sects break off into factions that are still fighting in some places to this day. How anybody can claim that this religion promotes peace is utterly beyond me. Keeping with this theme, there are many other policies that Islam promotes that are simply vile. I’ll do it in list form to save some space: 1. Apostasy is death: Bukhari, Vol. 4, Bk. 52, Num. 261: “…the Prophet said, 'If somebody (a Muslim) discards his religion, kill him.”2. Menstruation is a disease, 2:222, “They question thee (O Muhammad) concerning menstruation. Say: It is an illness, so let women alone at such times and go not in unto them till they are cleansed. And when they have purified themselves, then go in unto them as Allah hath enjoined upon you. Truly Allah loveth those who turn unto Him, and loveth those who have a care for cleanness.”3. Women are lesser, 2:223, “Your women are a tilth for you (to cultivate) so go to your tilth as ye will…” 2:228, “…And they (women) have rights similar to those (of men) over them in kindness, and men are a degree above them…” 4. Satanic Verses, in which Muhammad is apparently taken in by the devil and makes a few mistakes. The next time I say something stupid, I must remember the Prophet, and simply say, “Satan made me say it.” 5. Allah makes unbelievers, so don’t bother warning them: 2:6, “As for the Disbelievers, Whether thou warn them or thou warn them not it is all one for them; they believe not. Allah hath sealed their hearing and their hearts, and on their eyes there is a covering. Theirs will be an awful doom.”6. Anti-Semitism, 2:6, “And thou wilt find them (the Jews) greediest of mankind for life and (greedier) than the idolaters. (Each) one of them would like to be allowed to live a thousand years. And to live (a thousand years) would be no means remove him from the doom. Allah is Seer of what they do.”7. Even befriending an unbeliever is a crime, 4:144, “O ye who believe! Choose not disbelievers for (your) friends in place of believers. Would ye give Allah a clear warrant against you?” I could keep going, but instead, I’ll simply recommend that voters go and look it up for themselves. Any real, secular study of the Quran will lead to the same conclusion, as Sam Harris says, “The Quran, virtually on every page, is a manifesto for religious intolerance.” C2: Interpretation is no defence You can claim interpretation on several verses; and say things like, “That’s just how you see it.” This excuse might work some of the time with some of the verses, but taken as a whole, the Quran is a deeply dangerous book. It promises heavenly rewards for those who fight and die for Islam. It’s deeply misogynistic and gives rules that are truly antiquated in light of modern science. Muhammad, said to be the chosen prophet, is a deeply violent figure, a man who bathed himself in wealth and warfare until the day he died – hardly a perfect man, and hardly a good man to model oneself after. The effects of Islam are felt most plainly and obviously in the thousands of terrorist attacks that Muslim literalists commit every year – often to other Muslims! Some relate blaming Islam to condemning a neighbourhood based on the crimes of a small group of thugs. What is far more interesting to me is to ask, “Why are there so many thugs?” Why do we have to constantly face the threat of fundamentalist Islamists all throughout the Middle East? Western Islam might be tame in comparison, but to ignore the growing problem of fundamentalism is a bit like ignoring a festering wound. It is a profound problem, and not just because of terrorism. The misogyny promoted in the Quran has been an excuse for men to rape women, for example, in Bangladesh - this is a massive, massive issue. Gang rape and child rape are growing at a frightening pace, and often the police do not try the criminals who commit these acts. In the Bangladesh capital last year, only three gang rapists were actually tried for their crimes. In reality, according to the Bangledesh Shishu Adhikar Forum, in the first six months of 2015 over 280 children were raped. There have been over 900 rape cases reported, but most go unreported. In the capital city, Dhaka, the Police Commander Mohammed Shahjalal Munshi has said, “Foreign media, such as Indian TV and films are watched by our children, who then want to wear these revealing outfits. That’s the issue. We follow Islamic laws and rules here. I think if girls cover themselves up, I would be far less attracted to them and they towards me.” Those are the words of a local police commander! It is the fault of the woman for not covering themselves, and to be clear here, they live in a very Islamic city, in which many women wear the traditional veil. The Quran makes it clear that the testimony of a woman is worth half of what a man’s is worth (2.282). This, coupled with that choice verse about wives being tilth do not make for a respectful environment for women. If we used Islamic law to judge rape cases, we’d end up like Bangladesh. 4:34, “Men are in charge of women, because Allah hath made the one of them to excel the other, and because they spend of their property (for the support of women). So good women are the obedient, guarding in secret that which Allah hath guarded. As for those from whom ye fear rebellion, admonish them and banish them to beds apart, and scourge them. Then if they obey you, seek not a way against them. Lo! Allah is ever High, Exalted, Great.” 4:15 “As for those of your women who are guilty of lewdness, call to witness four of you against them. And if they testify (to the truth of the allegation) then confine them to the houses until death take them or (until) Allah appoint for them a way (through new legislation).” So, in conclusion, we'd be better off not fooling ourselves by believing in fairy tales that can be interpreted as a call to arms by thousands and thousands of Muslims. We’d be better off using modern law, living in a world of science and reason, and using a modern sense of morality, not one that says 5:38, “As for the thief, both male and female, cut off their hands. It is the reward of their own deeds, an exemplary punishment from Allah.” Sources The Quran – Pickthall https://globalvoicesonline.org... http://www.vice.com... http://www.answering-islam.org...