The Koran says it is OK to lie to unbelievers. David
> On Jan 19, 2015, at 11:42 AM, BILROJ via Centroids: The Center of the Radical > Centrist Community <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > Honesty: The Muslim World’s Scarcest Resource? > > In the aftermath of the House hearing on American Muslims, Representative > Keith Ellison appeared on HBO’s Real Time to further testify to the benign > nature of Islam. Attempting to bring some glint of reality to the > conversation, Bill Maher posed the following question: > > Have you read Sam Harris’s book, The End of Faith?… [Harris] says, “On almost > every page, the Qur’an instructs observant Muslims to despise non-believers.” > > The Congressmen rejected this description of the Qur’an as “absurd, > ridiculous and untrue”—the result of taking certain passages “out of > context.” When Maher asked how jihadists can justify their actions by reading > these same passages in context, Ellison claimed that jihadists do nothing of > the sort. Rather, they think in terms of “political grievances,” not > religious doctrine, and those who oppose them have the true doctrine of Islam > on their side. > > It is not my purpose to defend the House hearing on American Muslims (which I > did not get a chance to watch). But it is growing increasingly disconcerting > to see moderate Muslims reflexively lie about the tenets of their faith. Of > course, it’s hard to know whether Ellison was actually lying or is merely > unaware of the contents of the Qur’an. But I have witnessed too many of these > exchanges with Muslim apologists, both in public and private, to ignore the > general trend. Who will reform Islam if moderate Muslims refuse to speak > honestly about the very doctrines in need of reform? > > Here is the section of The End of Faith that Maher was referring to, in which > I provide five pages of quotations from the Qur’an. Please know that these > are not the only passages of this kind in the text. I simply broke off the > litany of sacred hatred once I felt I had proved my point. Even worse > passages appear later in the book (in chapters 8 and 9, for instance). > > (from The End of Faith, pp. 117-123) > > Open the Koran, which is perfect in its every syllable, and simply read it > with the eyes of faith. You will see how little compassion need be wasted on > those whom God himself is in the process of “mocking,” “cursing,” “shaming,” > “punishing,” “scourging,” “judging,” “burning,” “annihilating,” “not > forgiving,” and “not reprieving.” God, who is infinitely wise, has cursed the > infidels with their doubts. He prolongs their life and prosperity so that > they may continue heaping sin upon sin and all the more richly deserve the > torments that await them beyond the grave. In this light, the people who died > on September 11 were nothing more than fuel for the eternal fires of God’s > justice. To convey the relentlessness with which unbelievers are vilified in > the text of the Koran, I provide a long compilation of quotations below, in > order of their appearance in the text. This is what the Creator of the > universe apparently has on his mind (when he is not fussing with > gravitational constants and atomic weights): > > “It is the same whether or not you forewarn them [the unbelievers], they will > have no faith” (2:6). “God will mock them and keep them long in sin, > blundering blindly along” (2:15). A fire “whose fuel is men and stones” > awaits them (2:24). They will be “rewarded with disgrace in this world and > with grievous punishment on the Day of Resurrection” (2:85). “God’s curse be > upon the infidels!” (2:89). “They have incurred God’s most inexorable wrath. > An ignominious punishment awaits [them]” (2:90). “God is the enemy of the > unbelievers” (2:98). “The unbelievers among the People of the Book > [Christians and Jews], and the pagans, resent that any blessing should have > been sent down to you from your Lord” (2:105). “They shall be held up to > shame in this world and sternly punished in the hereafter” (2:114). “Those to > whom We [God] have given the Book, and who read it as it ought to be read, > truly believe in it; those that deny it shall assuredly be lost” (2:122). > “[We] shall let them live awhile, and then shall drag them to the scourge of > the Fire. Evil shall be their fate” (2:126). “The East and the West are > God’s. He guides whom He will to a straight path” (2:142). “Do not say that > those slain in the cause of God are dead. They are alive, but you are not > aware of them” (2:154). “But the infidels who die unbelievers shall incur the > curse of God, the angels, and all men. Under it they shall remain for ever; > their punishment shall not be lightened, nor shall they be reprieved” > (2:162). “They shall sigh with remorse, but shall never come out of the Fire” > (2:168). “The unbelievers are like beasts which, call out to them as one may, > can hear nothing but a shout and a cry. Deaf, dumb, and blind, they > understand nothing” (2:172). “Theirs shall be a woeful punishment” (2:175). > “How steadfastly they seek the Fire! That is because God has revealed the > Book with truth; those that disagree about it are in extreme schism” (2:176). > “Slay them wherever you find them. Drive them out of the places from which > they drove you. Idolatry is worse than carnage. . . . f they attack you put > them to the sword. Thus shall the unbelievers be rewarded: but if they > desist, God is forgiving and merciful. Fight against them until idolatry is > no more and God’s religion reigns supreme. But if they desist, fight none > except the evil-doers”(2:190–93). “Fighting is obligatory for you, much as > you dislike it. But you may hate a thing although it is good for you, and > love a thing although it is bad for you. God knows, but you know not” > (2:216). “They will not cease to fight against you until they force you to > renounce your faith—if they are able. But whoever of you recants and dies an > unbeliever, his works shall come to nothing in this world and in the world to > come. Such men shall be the tenants of Hell, wherein they shall abide > forever. Those that have embraced the Faith, and those that have fled their > land and fought for the cause of God, may hope for God’s mercy” (2:217–18). > “God does not guide the evil-doers” (2:258). “God does not guide the > unbelievers” (2:264). “The evil-doers shall have none to help them” (2:270). > “God gives guidance to whom He will” (2:272). > > “Those that deny God’s revelations shall be sternly punished; God is mighty > and capable of revenge” (3:5). “As for the unbelievers, neither their riches > nor their children will in the least save them from God’s judgment. They > shall become fuel for the Fire” (3:10). “Say to the unbelievers: ‘You shall > be overthrown and driven into Hell—an evil resting place!’” (3:12). “The only > true faith in God’s sight is Islam. . . . He that denies God’s revelations > should know that swift is God’s reckoning” (3:19). “Let the believers not > make friends with infidels in preference to the faithful—he that does this > has nothing to hope for from God—except in self-defense” (3:28). “Believers, > do not make friends with any but your own people. They will spare no pains to > corrupt you. They desire nothing but your ruin. Their hatred is evident from > what they utter with their mouths, but greater is the hatred which their > breasts conceal” (3:118). “If you have suffered a defeat, so did the enemy. > We alternate these vicissitudes among mankind so that God may know the true > believers and choose martyrs from among you (God does not love the > evil-doers); and that God may test the faithful and annihilate the infidels” > (3:140). “Believers, if you yield to the infidels they will drag you back to > unbelief and you will return headlong to perdition. . . . We will put terror > into the hearts of the unbelievers. . . . The Fire shall be their home” > (3:149–51). “Believers, do not follow the example of the infidels, who say of > their brothers when they meet death abroad or in battle: ‘Had they stayed > with us they would not have died, nor would they have been killed.’ God will > cause them to regret their words. . . . If you should die or be slain in the > cause of God, God’s forgiveness and His mercy would surely be better than all > the riches they amass” (3:156). “Never think that those who were slain in the > cause of God are dead. They are alive, and well provided for by their Lord; > pleased with His gifts and rejoicing that those they left behind, who have > not yet joined them, have nothing to fear or to regret; rejoicing in God’s > grace and bounty. God will not deny the faithful their reward” (3:169). “Let > not the unbelievers think that We prolong their days for their own good. We > give them respite only so that they may commit more grievous sins. Shameful > punishment awaits them” (3:178). “Those that suffered persecution for My sake > and fought and were slain: I shall forgive them their sins and admit them to > gardens watered by running streams, as a reward from God; God holds the > richest recompense. Do not be deceived by the fortunes of the unbelievers in > the land. Their prosperity is brief. Hell shall be their home, a dismal > resting place” (3:195–96). > > “God has cursed them in their unbelief” (4:46). “God will not forgive those > who serve other gods besides Him; but He will forgive whom He will for other > sins. He that serves other gods besides God is guilty of a heinous sin. . . . > Consider those to whom a portion of the Scriptures was given. They believe in > idols and false gods and say of the infidels: ‘These are better guided than > the believers’” (4:50–51). “Those that deny Our revelation We will burn in > fire. No sooner will their skins be consumed than We shall give them other > skins, so that they may truly taste the scourge. God is mighty and wise” > (4:55–56). > > “Believers, do not seek the friendship of the infidels and those who were > given the Book before you, who have made of your religion a jest and a > pastime” (5:57). “That which is revealed to you from your Lord will surely > increase the wickedness and unbelief of many among them. We have stirred > among them enmity and hatred, which will endure till the Day of Resurrection” > (5:65). “God does not guide the unbelievers” (5:67). “That which is revealed > to you from your Lord will surely increase the wickedness and unbelief of > many among them. But do not grieve for the unbelievers” (5:69). “You see many > among them making friends with unbelievers. Evil is that to which their souls > prompt them. They have incurred the wrath of God and shall endure eternal > torment. . . . You will find that the most implacable of men in their enmity > to the faithful are the Jews and the pagans, and that the nearest in > affection to them are those who say: ‘We are Christians’” (5:80–82). “[T]hose > that disbelieve and deny Our revelations shall become the inmates of Hell” > (5:86). > > “[T]hey deny the truth when it is declared to them: but they shall learn the > consequences of their scorn” (6:5). “We had made them more powerful in the > land than yourselves [the Meccans], sent down for them abundant water from > the sky and gave them rivers that rolled at their feet. Yet because they > sinned We destroyed them all and raised up other generations after them. If > We sent down to you a Book inscribed on real parchment and they touched it > with their own hands, the unbelievers would still assert: ‘This is but plain > sorcery.’ They ask: ‘Why has no angel been sent down to him [Muhammad]?’ If > We had sent down an angel, their fate would have been sealed and they would > have never been reprieved” (6:5–8). “Who is more wicked than the man who > invents falsehoods about God or denies His revelations?” (6:21). “Some of > them listen to you. But We have cast veils over their hearts and made them > hard of hearing lest they understand your words. They will believe in none of > Our signs, even if they see them one and all. When they come to argue with > you the unbelievers say: ‘This is nothing but old fictitious tales.’ They > forbid it and depart from it. They ruin none but themselves, though they do > not perceive it. If you could see them when they are set before the Fire! > They will say: ‘Would that we could return! Then we would not deny the > revelations of our Lord and would be true believers’ (6:23–27). “But if they > were sent back, they would return to that which they have been forbidden. > They are liars all” (6:29). “Had God pleased He would have given them > guidance, one and all” (6:35). “Deaf and dumb are those that deny Our > revelations: they blunder about in darkness. God confounds whom He will, and > guides to a straight path whom He pleases.” (6:39) “[T]heir hearts were > hardened, and Satan made their deeds seem fair to them. And when they had > clean forgotten Our admonition We granted them all that they desired; but > just as they were rejoicing in what they were given, We suddenly smote them > and they were plunged into utter despair. Thus were the evil-doers > annihilated. Praise be to God, Lord of the Universe!” (6:43–45). “[T]hose > that deny Our revelations shall be punished for their misdeeds” (6:49). “Such > are those that are damned by their own sins. They shall drink scalding water > and be sternly punished for their unbelief” (6:70). “Could you but see the > wrongdoers when death overwhelms them! With hands out-stretched, the angels > will say: ‘Yield up your souls. You shall be rewarded with the scourge of > shame this day, for you have said of God what is untrue and scorned His > revelations” (6:93). “Avoid the pagans. Had God pleased, they would not have > worshipped idols. . . . We will turn away their hearts and eyes from the > Truth since they refused to believe in it at first. We will let them blunder > about in their wrongdoing. If We sent the angels down to them, and caused the > dead to speak to them, . . . and ranged all things in front of them, they > would still not believe, unless God willed otherwise. . . . Thus have We > assigned for every prophet an enemy: the devils among men and jinn, who > inspire each other with vain and varnished false- hoods. But had your Lord > pleased, they would not have done so. Therefore leave them to their own > inventions, so that the hearts of those who have no faith in the life to come > may be inclined to what they say and, being pleased, persist in their sinful > ways” (6:107–12). “The devils will teach their votaries to argue with you. If > you obey them you shall yourselves become idolaters. . . . God will humiliate > the transgressors and mete out to them a grievous punishment for their > scheming” (6:121–25). “If God wills to guide a man, He opens his bosom to > Islam. But if he pleases to confound him, He makes his bosom small and narrow > as though he were climbing up to heaven. Thus shall God lay the scourge on > the unbelievers” (6:125). > > Yes, the Bible contains its own sadistic lunacy—but the above quotations can > be fairly said to convey the central message of the Qur’an—and of Islam at > nearly every moment in its history. The Qur’an does not contain anything like > a Sermon on the Mount. Nor is it a vast and self-contradictory book like the > Old Testament, in which whole sections (like Leviticus and Deuteronomy) can > be easily ignored and forgotten. The result is a unified message of > triumphalism, otherworldliness, and religious hatred that has become a > problem for the entire world. And the world still waits for moderate Muslims > to speak honestly about it. > > > > > ---------------------------------------- > > > The Reality of Islam > > > By Sam Harris > In recent days, crowds of thousands have gathered throughout the Muslim > world—burning European embassies, issuing threats, and even taking > hostages—in protest over 12 cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad that were > first published in a Danish newspaper last September. The problem is not > merely that the cartoons were mildly derogatory. The furor primarily erupted > over the fact that the Prophet had been depicted at all. Many Muslims > consider any physical rendering of Muhammad to be an act of idolatry. And > idolatry is punishable by death. Criticism of Muhammad or his teaching—which > was also implicit in the cartoons—is considered blasphemy. As it turns out, > blasphemy is also punishable by death. So pious Muslims have two reasons to > “not accept less than a severing of the heads of those responsible,” as was > recently elucidated by a preacher at the Al Omari mosque in Gaza. > > The religious hysteria has not been confined to the “extremists” of the > Muslim world. Seventeen Arab governments issued a joint statement of protest, > calling for the punishment of those responsible. Pakistan’s parliament > unanimously condemned the drawings as a “vicious, outrageous and provocative > campaign” that has “hurt the faith and feelings of Muslims all over the > world.” Turkey’s prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, while still seeking > his nation’s entry into the European Union, nevertheless declared that the > cartoons were an attack upon the “spiritual values” of Muslims everywhere. > The leader of Lebanon’s governing Hezbollah faction observed that the whole > episode could have been avoided if only the novelist Salman Rushdie had been > properly slaughtered for writing “The Satanic Verses.” > > Let us take stock of the moral intuitions now on display in the House of > Islam: On Aug. 17, 2005, an Iraqi insurgent helped collect the injured > survivors of a car bombing, rushed them to a hospital and then detonated his > own bomb, murdering those who were already mortally wounded as well as the > doctors and nurses struggling to save their lives. Where were the cries of > outrage from the Muslim world? Religious sociopaths kill innocents by the > hundreds in the capitols of Europe, blow up the offices of the U.N. and the > Red Cross, purposefully annihilate crowds of children gathered to collect > candy from U.S. soldiers on the streets of Baghdad, kidnap journalists, > behead them, and the videos of their butchery become the most popular form of > pornography in the Muslim world, and no one utters a word of protest because > these atrocities have been perpetrated “in defense of Islam.” But draw a > picture of the Prophet, and pious mobs convulse with pious rage. One could > hardly ask for a better example of religious dogmatism and its > pseudo-morality eclipsing basic, human goodness. > > It is time we recognized—and obliged the Muslim world to recognize—that > “Muslim extremism” is not extreme among Muslims. Mainstream Islam itself > represents an extremist rejection of intellectual honesty, gender equality, > secular politics and genuine pluralism. The truth about Islam is as > politically incorrect as it is terrifying: Islam is all fringe and no center. > In Islam, we confront a civilization with an arrested history. It is as > though a portal in time has opened, and the Christians of the 14th century > are pouring into our world. > > Islam is the fastest growing religion in Europe. The demographic trends are > ominous: Given current birthrates, France could be a majority Muslim country > in 25 years, and that is if immigration were to stop tomorrow. Throughout > Western Europe, Muslim immigrants show little inclination to acquire the > secular and civil values of their host countries, and yet exploit these > values to the utmost—demanding tolerance for their backwardness, their > misogyny, their anti-Semitism, and the genocidal hatred that is regularly > preached in their mosques. Political correctness and fears of racism have > rendered many secular Europeans incapable of opposing the terrifying > religious commitments of the extremists in their midst. In an effort to > appease the lunatic furor arising in the Muslim world in response to the > publication of the Danish cartoons, many Western leaders have offered > apologies for exercising the very freedoms that are constitutive of civil > society in the 21st century. The U.S. and British governments have chastised > Denmark and the other countries that published the cartoons for privileging > freedom of speech over religious sensitivity. It is not often that one sees > the most powerful countries on Earth achieve new depths of weakness, moral > exhaustion and geopolitical stupidity with a single gesture. This was > appeasement at its most abject. > > The idea that Islam is a “peaceful religion hijacked by extremists” is a > dangerous fantasy—and it is now a particularly dangerous fantasy for Muslims > to indulge. It is not at all clear how we should proceed in our dialogue with > the Muslim world, but deluding ourselves with euphemisms is not the answer. > It now appears to be a truism in foreign policy circles that real reform in > the Muslim world cannot be imposed from the outside. But it is important to > recognize why this is so—it is so because the Muslim world is utterly > deranged by its religious tribalism. In confronting the religious literalism > and ignorance of the Muslim world, we must appreciate how terrifyingly > isolated Muslims have become in intellectual terms. The problem is > especially acute in the Arab world. Consider: According to the United > Nations’ Arab Human Development Reports, less than 2% of Arabs have access to > the Internet. Arabs represent 5% of the world’s population and yet produce > only 1% of the world’s books, most of them religious. In fact, Spain > translates more books into Spanish each year than the entire Arab world has > translated into Arabic since the ninth century. > > Our press should report on the terrifying state of discourse in the Arab > press, exposing the degree to which it is a tissue of lies, conspiracy > theories and exhortations to recapture the glories of the seventh century. > All civilized nations must unite in condemnation of a theology that now > threatens to destabilize much of the Earth. Muslim moderates, wherever they > are, must be given every tool necessary to win a war of ideas with their > coreligionists. Otherwise, we will have to win some very terrible wars in > the future. It is time we realized that the endgame for civilization is not > political correctness. It is not respect for the abject religious > certainties of the mob. It is reason > > > -- > -- > Centroids: The Center of the Radical Centrist Community > <[email protected]> > Google Group: http://groups.google.com/group/RadicalCentrism > <http://groups.google.com/group/RadicalCentrism> > Radical Centrism website and blog: http://RadicalCentrism.org > <http://radicalcentrism.org/> > > --- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "Centroids: The Center of the Radical Centrist Community" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected] > <mailto:[email protected]>. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout > <https://groups.google.com/d/optout>. -- -- Centroids: The Center of the Radical Centrist Community <[email protected]> Google Group: http://groups.google.com/group/RadicalCentrism Radical Centrism website and blog: http://RadicalCentrism.org --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Centroids: The Center of the Radical Centrist Community" group. 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