The evil that is Islam

The proposition's thesis statement and general argument is deeply flawed on many levels and, throughout my response in this round, I shall demonstrate its incoherence through, for the most part, adopting the falsification principle. Firstly, you have misunderstood what one would characterise as a 'Holy Book' from an Islamic perspective. The Qu'ran is rightly attributed as such, however, by citing the 'Hadiths' and 'Sunnah' you have committed an egregious error. The Hadiths are not regarded by any Muslim as sacred but rather as a collection of literature which contributes to Islamic jurisprudence, also known as 'Fiqh'. It should also be noted that many Hadiths are disputed, since they have been collected over time, and I am near-certain that you have some of your misconceptions precipitated by subjects that dominate these discourses, which deserve close scrutiny, however, rather than attacking straw men at this point, I shall leave you to present them yourself. Furthermore, the 'Sunnah', cannot be regarded as a Holy text at all, given that, by definition, it denotes the practice of the Prophet himself. Secondly, I shall refute some of your points on the nature of Islam itself as stated in the first paragraph. You stated that Islam 'seeks to terrorize and control, not only non-believers but those who dare question' without giving any evidence. Now, consider the following Qu'ranic quotations: '"To you your religion, and to me mine" (revealed during the polytheist persecution of the Muslims) and ' We have not sent you, [O Muhammad], except as a bringer of good tidings and a warner '. The first Qu'ranic verse clearly emphasises the importance, on part of the faithful, to respect religious differences, since it marks this difference in a period where Muslims were persecuted. Furthermore, the second quotation clearly addresses the role of Muhammad: to simply warn mankind of God's promise that the life of this world is temporal. Given that the Qu'ran is the sole Holy Book, which all Islamic Jurisprudence is dependent upon, surely this shows that Islam as a religion does not seek to 'terrorise and control', but rather to encourage its followers to practice good, meaningful lives and respect the rights of others. Therefore, surely Islam is not a religion of evil. This is a basic interpretation and I am willing to delve into more detail with regards to these verses, however, I am keen to first read your response. With regards to it seeking to 'remain mired in 7th century behaviour', you"re implying that there is room for Islam to become "good" by coming out of this behaviour and that, therefore, it cannot be regarded as "evil" in a literal sense. Am I not correct? Further, it will always remain absurd that you have condemned Islam"s '7th century behaviour', given that there wasn't anything remotely violent about it during this time, or its adherents. Rather, that whilst being persecuted, the Muslims defended their right to defend themselves. With regards to Islam promoting torture, I ask that you especially explain this claim and produce evidence, because this is not a widespread view, and I am surprised to see this in your argument. Finally, I will address the content of your third paragraph. Firstly, by citing the Prophet as a psychopath you're travelling down the radical road of labelling without referencing evidences or examples with regards to his frame of mind. Perhaps you're linking this with other 'traits' you cited: namely 'pervert', 'mass murderer' and 'narcissist'. On the subject of 'pervert' I, yet again, ask you to clarify this claim. On 'mass murderer' I am able to work on: as a military General, amongst other things, Muhammad was a man of justice who sought to end the persecution of the Muslims by the Qurayshi tribe and thus led military campaigns in self-defence. If this is a mass murderer, in your opinion, then surely every other military commander can be regarded as such? On 'narcissist' I will say that Muhammad was a humble man, who often rested his head on leaves whilst sleeping, causing marks on his face, and wore torn, simple clothing which mirrored his simple life. If this is a narcissist, in your opinion, then what truly is humble? You also stated that Islam wants to 'destroy western civilisation' - this is appalling, given that it was Islam that orchestrated, built and regulated many western facets that are seen today. It was Islam that was criticised by 'western civilisation' for being 'too lenient' towards topics such as women. The opposite is seen today due to media outlets sensationalising its 'threat' in post-9/11 era. In final analysis, it is difficult for me not to refute some of the sensationalist claims you have made instead of focusing on my own argument but, as I have repeated throughout this rebuttal, I will wait for your response to generate my own core argument.