Ban Islam

I agree with this statement. Freedom of religion is a core principle of Western democracy. "I myself hold to the beliefs that all religions should not be persecuted, according to Islam". According to Islam, there is no concept of freedom of religion. I would like my opponent to provide evidence in the Quran and/or other Islamic scriptures where religious freedom is recognized. I will provide evidence to the fact that Islam is intolerant of other beliefs: Quran (4:89) - "They wish that you should reject faith as they reject faith, and then you would be equal; therefore take not to yourselves friends of them, until they emigrate in the way of Allah; then, if they turn their backs, take them, and slay them wherever you find them; take not to yourselves any one of them as friend or helper. " Where is the freedom in this verse? This verse clearly establishes that Muslims are not to befriend unbelievers and furthermore those who 'turn their backs' (reject Islam) are to be slain by Muslims. Sahih Bukhari (52:260) - ". .. The Prophet said, 'If somebody (a Muslim) discards his religion, kill him. ' ". Self-explanatory. Those who leave Islam should be killed. It doesn't sound like freedom of religion to me. Sahih Bukhari (84:57) - [In the words of] "Allah's Apostle, 'Whoever changed his Islamic religion, then kill him. '" Sahih Bukhari (89:271) - A man who embraces Islam, then reverts to Judaism is to be killed according to "the verdict of Allah and his apostle. " The verses above clearly show that Islam and freedom of religion are not compatible. While I respect the freedom of all religions, Islam poses a threat to take that very freedom away from society. I would like to ask my opponent, if Islam became the majority religion of the United States, will democracy and freedom function the same way as it is today. I'm hoping my opponent's honest answer is no. The reality is Islam is intolerant of other religions and the only reason Muslims in the West are "peaceful" today is because they are a tiny minority. My opponent said that my claim about extremists being inspired by the Quran "does not serve as a basis for argument" because apparently the same could be said about Christianity. The fact is that the Christian Crusades and Muslim terrorism cannot be compared. The difference between Muslim and Christian violence is that Muslims are simply following the commands of Allah when they kill for Islam while Christians are going against the teachings of Christ when they kill in His name. While Allah told his followers to slay unbelievers, this is what Jesus had to say about non-Christians: Matthew 5:44 "But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you," 1 Peter 3:9 "Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. " Our Lord Jesus Christ commands us to love those who hate us and pray for those who persecute us. Nowhere are we commanded to take up arms and fight unbelievers. When my opponent brings up the Christian Crusades and other historical violence by Christians as a way of attacking Christianity, I would simply dismiss them since they do not follow the teaching of Christ. Muslims, on the other hand, are obeying their religion perfectly when they kill in the name of Allah. Despite me stating that my problem is not with Muslims, but with Islam, my opponent continued to claim that I was judging Islam by a small minority of Muslims. I'm here to clarify that I judge Islam not by Muslims of today but by the Quran and the actions of Muhammad. Anyone who studies the Quran and Muhammad's life will understand Islam is full of violence and intolerance. On the contrary, anyone who reads the Bible and studies the life of Jesus will understand Christianity is a religion of peace, love and tolerance. My opponent also quoted Deuteronomy 17:12 in an effort to undermine the Bible. A closer look at the context of this verse should be helpful: Deuteronomy 17:12 "Anyone who shows contempt for the judge or for the priest who stands ministering there to the LORD your God is to be put to death. You must purge the evil from Israel. " The context of this verse is that those who do not show respect and mock the priest of the Jewish temple must be put to death as per the Law given to Israel. This verse only applies to a certain people, in a certain context and at a certain time. This cannot be applied to Christians today as the Jewish temple was destroyed in 70 AD. In other words, this is a law given to the nation of Israel not Christians. This verse cannot be applied anywhere else except the given context. On the other hand, the verses of violence in the Quran can be applied in any context as they simply promote attacks on non-Muslims. Finally, the decision to ban Muslims is not my opponent's or mine. It is ultimately up to the governments of Western nations to decide. If there was a proposed bill to ban Muslims from entering the West, I would be in favor of it. The reality is a country with a large Muslim population is more dangerous to live in. Look at France. Roughly ten percent of its population is Muslim (the highest in any European country) and look at the terrorism there. Statistics show Muslim population has a direct correlation with terrorism activity in that area. I wish it wasn't as such but that's reality and countries need to tighten its borders from Muslims to ensure safety and national security.