The evil that is Islam

I applaud you for finally attempting to write with some relevance to the question of Islam"s morality and on deciding to continue with this debate. But you have not understood my argument. The purpose of my argument is to demonstrate that Islam is not objectively evil. It is not designed to undermine, question or "logically deny" your beliefs. Your quotation of Bertrand Russell assumes that I am trying to "defend parts of the faith"; I assure you that I am not. Rather, I am trying to argue that Islam is not objectively evil. I shall prove this by summarising my argument from the previous round in the following steps: 1.It is a truism of Islam that its 5 pillars encompass all the fundamental teachings of the Qu"ran. 2.The Qu"ran is Islam"s single holy text, upon which all Islamic law is dependent, since it is believed to be the unaltered word of God. 3.All Muslims must follow the Qu"ran in order to be recognised as faithful. 4.The 5 pillars, which all Muslims must practice are the Shahadah (declaration of faith: "there is no God but Allah and Muhammad is his messenger"), Zakat (alms-giving,), Hajj (pilgrimage), Sawm (Fasting) and Salah (5 daily prayers). 5.Each of these pillars either alleviate suffering or increase happiness; none of them have the quality of instigating suffering or decreasing happiness 6.The 5 pillars provide a moral framework for the majority of Muslims in the world to live peacefully. As a spiritual enlightenment, it is a pure connection to the God they believe in. 7.Furthermore, it is an intrinsic property of the pillars themselves that, should they be practiced, only "Good" is the result 8.Thus, they can be considered moral. 9.Therefore, Islam, as a religion, is not objectively evil. As you can see, your opinion on the number of times the Salah and call to prayer should be performed is irrelevant to the question of whether or not Islam is objectively evil. Moreover, you stated: "The central principle of brainwashing is endless repetition, so effective in Islam" - this is relevant, as one could argue indoctrination is evil, however, you have not formed a coherent, logical argument based on this premises and have thus not come to the conclusion that Islam is objectively evil. Regardless, I would question how the Islamic call to prayer indoctrinates; repetition does not necessarily equate to indoctrination. Here is the English translation of the call to prayer: 1.God is greatest 2.I bear witness that there is no deity except God 3.I bear witness that Muhammad is the messenger of God 4.Come to prayer 5.Come to success 6.God is greatest 7.There is no deity except God How does this demonstrate that Islam is objectively evil? It is essentially an invitation. You are very misleading on the topic of Jizya. Jizya is not a form of Zakat, one of the five pillars mentioned in my above argument; it is thought to be a tax on non-Muslim males of affording power (although there is discourse over this definition). At first glance, taking this definition may appear to be vaguely "subjugation" or "humiliation"; however, there is more to it than that. Jizya is proof of one"s subjection to the state and its laws, rather than subjection to Islam, and in return it provides exemption from military service and, critically, the Zakat made obligatory to Muslims. The Qu"ran does not propagate these economic attributes, and, interestingly, if we take a look at the hadith of Sahih Bukhari Volume 3, Book 34, Number 425, you will find that it is written Jesus (Isa), upon his second coming, will abolish the Jizya (from an Islamic thought). And this opens the door for Muslims to debate over Jizya. More critically, it does not demonstrate that Islam is objectively evil, given its purpose, parallel taxes upon Muslims and lack of mention in the Qu"ran. Here (below) is the summary of your argument which I made in round 3. 1.There are as many as "20,000" attacks committed by people in the name of Islam. 2.Evidence (in the form of anti-Islamic websites) demonstrates this "deadly terrorism" since 9/11. 3.Therefore, Islam is objectively evil. Of course I am implying the anti-Islamic websites may not be factual; they are anti-Islamic and inherently biased. Facts are easily distorted. Surely one would look for more objective forms of evidence to answer the question of Islam's morality. Also, how many times must I comment on your hasty generalisations? People 'mutilating and beheading innocent people whilst screaming Allah-Hu'Akbar' does not objectively prove that Islam is objectively evil, given that it is permeated with wild assumptions that I have exposed in previous rounds. In concluding this round, I would like to note your radical assumption that I sympathise with "heroic jihadists". Also, my comment "I believe that I have done well in this round to focus" was made in spite of your endless assumptions, not as a "smug" assumption in its own right. Sure enough, the voters will recognise this.