Mohammed was a brutal, tyrannical conqueror who gained worldly political power in his lifetime and used it to persecute opponents and impose his religion. It’s absurd to equate Islam and Christianity. Pointing to the Spanish Inquisition tends to undermine the point rather than confirm it: if you have to look back five hundred years to find atrocities, it’s because there are so few of them today. The mass crimes committed under the name of Islam, by contrast, are fresh and openly boasted about it.
The news is constantly bringing us a story of some imam somewhere declaring it consistent with Islam for a man to beat his wife, and the rise of the Islamic State in Syria has provided us current examples of Islam sanctioning slavery, including the capture and systematic rape of sex slaves. This is a religion that is still very much in the “rights of the conqueror” mode, in which the strong do what they can and the weak suffer what they must. [FONT="]http://thefederalist.com/2015/01/27/why-islam-is-more-violent-than-christianity-an-atheists-guide/ [/FONT]
All religions have had their fair share of violence and intolerance towards the "other." Whether this violence is ordained by God or whether warlike man merely wished it thus is the all-important question.
Old Testament violence is an interesting case in point. Yahweh clearly ordered the Hebrews to annihilate the Canaanites and surrounding peoples. Such violence is therefore an expression of God's will, for good or ill.
Regardless, all the historic violence committed by the Hebrews
and recorded in the Old Testament is just that-history.
It happened; God commanded it. But it revolved around a specific time and place and was directed against a specific people. At no time did such violence go on to become standardized or codified into Jewish law (i.e., the Halakha).
This is where Islamic violence is unique. Though similar to the violence of the Old Testament-commanded by God and manifested in history-certain aspects of Islamic violence have become standardized in Islamic law (i.e., Sharia) and apply at all times.
Thus while the violence found in the Koran is in fact historical, its ultimate significance is theological, or, more specifically, doctrinal. Consider the following Koranic verses, better known as the "sword-verses":
Then, when the sacred months have passed, slay the pagans wherever you find them-take them [captive], besiege them, and prepare for them each ambush. But if they repent and establish worship and pay the poor-due [i.e. submit to Islam], then leave their way free. Lo! Allah is Forgiving, Merciful (K 9:5).
As with Old Testament verses where Yahweh commanded the Hebrews to attack and slay their neighbors, the sword-verses also have a historical context. Allah first issued these commandments after the Muslims under Muhammad's leadership had grown sufficiently strong enough to invade their Christian and pagan neighbors.
But unlike the bellicose verses and anecdotes of the Old Testament, the sword-verses became fundamental to Islam's subsequent relationship to both the "people of the book" (Christians and Jews) and the "pagans" (Hindus, Buddhists, animists, etc). For instance, based on 9:5, Islamic law mandates that pagans and polytheists must either convert to Islam or be killed, while 9:29 is the primary source of Islam's well-known discriminatory practices against Christians and Jews.
In fact, based on the sword-verses (as well as countless other
Koranic verses and oral traditions attributed to Muhammad),
Islam's scholars, sheikhs, muftis, imams, and qadis throughout the ages have all reached the consensus, binding on the entire Muslim community, that Islam is to be at perpetual war with the non-Muslim world until the former subsumes the latter. [FONT="]Judeo-Christian Violence versus Islamic Violence
[/FONT]In Islam
Children
4 out of 5 Middle-Eastern women are sexually abused
between the ages of 3 and 6 by family members.
More than half of all Yemeni girls are married before reaching puberty.
About 1 in 10 pregnancies in the Arab world ends in
abortion. In Pakistan every 6th pregnancy is terminated.
94% of Yemeni children (2-14 yrs) subjected to violence from a parent or guardian.
Crime & Prejudice
2011 Pew study finds Muslims are more "phobic" of non-
Muslims than the non-Muslims are "Islamophobic" of Muslims.
According to FBI 2008 statistics, anti-Muslim incidents in the
US are dropping and only account for 1.3% of all hate crimes.
Jewish victims of hate crimes in the US
outnumber Muslim victims by a 10-1 ratio.
Anti-Christian hate crime incidents outnumber
anti-Muslim incidents in the US.
Free Speech
Turkey has more journalists in prison than any other country
in the world, almost double that of China and Iran.
40% of Indonesian Muslims say they would use
violence against those blaspheming Islam.
78% of British Muslims support punishing people who
publish cartoons mocking the Prophet Muhammad.
Since 1990, 52 people accused of blasphemy in Pakistan
have been extra-judicially killed by lynch mobs.
Homosexuals
Homosexual relationships, acts or behavior illegal in 36 Islamic
countries. 10 impose the death penalty for homosexuals.
As of 1999 in Iran, more than 4000 lesbians and gays
had been executed since the 1979 Islamic revolution.
Two thirds of all reported incidents of anti-gay
violence in Amsterdam are by Muslim youths.
A 2009 Gallup survey could not find a single
UK Muslim who approved of homosexuality.
Honor Violence
91 percent of all honor-related killings around the world
are carried out by Muslims (84% in US, 96% in Europe).
The number of honor killings in Pakistan are estimated
to be around 2,500 to 3,000 cases every year.
Nearly 3,000 honor attacks mainly carried out against
Muslim women were recorded by British police in 2010.
More than two-thirds of all murders in the
Gaza Strip and West Bank are honor killings.
Marriage
The Maldives, an Islamic country with a 100% Muslim
population, has the highest divorce rate in the world.
Turkey tops Europe and US for incidents of violence against
women, with 4 out of 10 women beaten by their husbands.
Divorce rates among Muslims in Malaysia is
five-times higher than among non-Muslims.
91% of Jordanian university students approve of wife
beating. Acceptable reasons include burning a meal.
Persecution
There are 13 countries in the world where the state can execute
you for being atheist. Every single one is officially Islamic.
9 of the top 10 persecutors of Christians are Islamic countries.
Of the top 50 countries, only 12 have a source other than Islam.
Turkey tops list of countries violating the European Convention
on Human Rights (ECHR) for 3 consecutive years.
As of 2010, Indonesia had over 150 religiously
motivated regulations restricting minorities’ rights.
Shari'ah
1 out of 3 British Muslims aged 16 to 24 believe
that Muslim apostates should be executed.
Majority of world's Muslims favor changing laws in their countries
to allow stoning/amputation for "crimes", and death for apostasy.
Only 26% of Muslims in Turkey say they would adhere to
laws passed by Parliament if it contradicted religious laws.
Poll finds neither education nor age explains
attitudes toward the role of Shari’ah in legislation.
Scripture
There are 164 Jihad verses in the Qur'an & nearly 500
verses (roughly 1 out of every 12) that speak of Hell.
Practicing Muslims recite anti-Semitic & anti-Christian
rhetoric at least 17 times a day, and over 5,000 times a year.
Compared to Mein Kampf, the non-abrogated Medinan verses
of the Qur'an contain more than 2x the amount of anti-Jewish text.
122 peaceful Qur'anic verses have been abrogated
by the Sword verse (9:5) and Fighting verse (9:29).
Slavery
Africans taken (or died in the process of being taken) as slaves
by Muslims is estimated to be higher than 140 million.
1.25 million white European Christians were captured and sold
into the Muslim slave trade between the 16th and 19th century.
The Islamic slave trade still flourishes in Muslim countries.
There are over half a million slaves in Mauritania alone.
Christian Solidarity International (CSI) has liberated over
80,000 Sudanese slaves taken captive by Arab Muslims.
Terrorism
2012 report finds the majority of world's terrorism committed
by Muslims. Almost 9000 deaths caused by Sunni terrorists in 2011.
Esposito/Mogahed find almost 4 out of 10 Muslims worldwide are
extremists who think 9/11 was totally/partially/somewhat justified.
More than 95% of all suicide bombing attacks
conducted worldwide are carried out by Muslims.
2011 Study finds no link between poverty and
support for militant Islamic groups.
Women
In terms of cultural/tribal/religious danger to women,
4 of the 5 most dangerous countries are Muslim majorities.
Egyptian women are sexually harassed 7 times every 200 meters
and well over two-thirds are harassed on a daily basis.
All 10 countries with the worst gender gaps are countries
where Muslims are the majority or Islam is the largest religion.
Egyptian study contradicts widely held belief that unveiled women
are more likely to suffer harassment than veiled ones.
[FONT="]https://wikiislam.net/wiki/Muslim_Statistics[/FONT]
The news is constantly bringing us a story of some imam somewhere declaring it consistent with Islam for a man to beat his wife, and the rise of the Islamic State in Syria has provided us current examples of Islam sanctioning slavery, including the capture and systematic rape of sex slaves. This is a religion that is still very much in the “rights of the conqueror” mode, in which the strong do what they can and the weak suffer what they must. [FONT="]http://thefederalist.com/2015/01/27/why-islam-is-more-violent-than-christianity-an-atheists-guide/ [/FONT]
All religions have had their fair share of violence and intolerance towards the "other." Whether this violence is ordained by God or whether warlike man merely wished it thus is the all-important question.
Old Testament violence is an interesting case in point. Yahweh clearly ordered the Hebrews to annihilate the Canaanites and surrounding peoples. Such violence is therefore an expression of God's will, for good or ill.
Regardless, all the historic violence committed by the Hebrews
and recorded in the Old Testament is just that-history.
It happened; God commanded it. But it revolved around a specific time and place and was directed against a specific people. At no time did such violence go on to become standardized or codified into Jewish law (i.e., the Halakha).
This is where Islamic violence is unique. Though similar to the violence of the Old Testament-commanded by God and manifested in history-certain aspects of Islamic violence have become standardized in Islamic law (i.e., Sharia) and apply at all times.
Thus while the violence found in the Koran is in fact historical, its ultimate significance is theological, or, more specifically, doctrinal. Consider the following Koranic verses, better known as the "sword-verses":
Then, when the sacred months have passed, slay the pagans wherever you find them-take them [captive], besiege them, and prepare for them each ambush. But if they repent and establish worship and pay the poor-due [i.e. submit to Islam], then leave their way free. Lo! Allah is Forgiving, Merciful (K 9:5).
Fight those who believe not in Allah nor the Last Day, nor hold that forbidden which hath been forbidden by Allah and His Messenger [i.e. do not adhere to Islamic law], nor acknowledge the religion of Truth [i.e. Islam], from the people of the book [i.e. Jews and Christians], until they pay tribute with willing submission, and feel themselves utterly subdued (K 9:29).
As with Old Testament verses where Yahweh commanded the Hebrews to attack and slay their neighbors, the sword-verses also have a historical context. Allah first issued these commandments after the Muslims under Muhammad's leadership had grown sufficiently strong enough to invade their Christian and pagan neighbors.
But unlike the bellicose verses and anecdotes of the Old Testament, the sword-verses became fundamental to Islam's subsequent relationship to both the "people of the book" (Christians and Jews) and the "pagans" (Hindus, Buddhists, animists, etc). For instance, based on 9:5, Islamic law mandates that pagans and polytheists must either convert to Islam or be killed, while 9:29 is the primary source of Islam's well-known discriminatory practices against Christians and Jews.
In fact, based on the sword-verses (as well as countless other
Koranic verses and oral traditions attributed to Muhammad),
Islam's scholars, sheikhs, muftis, imams, and qadis throughout the ages have all reached the consensus, binding on the entire Muslim community, that Islam is to be at perpetual war with the non-Muslim world until the former subsumes the latter. [FONT="]Judeo-Christian Violence versus Islamic Violence
[/FONT]In Islam
Children
4 out of 5 Middle-Eastern women are sexually abused
between the ages of 3 and 6 by family members.
More than half of all Yemeni girls are married before reaching puberty.
About 1 in 10 pregnancies in the Arab world ends in
abortion. In Pakistan every 6th pregnancy is terminated.
94% of Yemeni children (2-14 yrs) subjected to violence from a parent or guardian.
Crime & Prejudice
2011 Pew study finds Muslims are more "phobic" of non-
Muslims than the non-Muslims are "Islamophobic" of Muslims.
According to FBI 2008 statistics, anti-Muslim incidents in the
US are dropping and only account for 1.3% of all hate crimes.
Jewish victims of hate crimes in the US
outnumber Muslim victims by a 10-1 ratio.
Anti-Christian hate crime incidents outnumber
anti-Muslim incidents in the US.
Free Speech
Turkey has more journalists in prison than any other country
in the world, almost double that of China and Iran.
40% of Indonesian Muslims say they would use
violence against those blaspheming Islam.
78% of British Muslims support punishing people who
publish cartoons mocking the Prophet Muhammad.
Since 1990, 52 people accused of blasphemy in Pakistan
have been extra-judicially killed by lynch mobs.
Homosexuals
Homosexual relationships, acts or behavior illegal in 36 Islamic
countries. 10 impose the death penalty for homosexuals.
As of 1999 in Iran, more than 4000 lesbians and gays
had been executed since the 1979 Islamic revolution.
Two thirds of all reported incidents of anti-gay
violence in Amsterdam are by Muslim youths.
A 2009 Gallup survey could not find a single
UK Muslim who approved of homosexuality.
Honor Violence
91 percent of all honor-related killings around the world
are carried out by Muslims (84% in US, 96% in Europe).
The number of honor killings in Pakistan are estimated
to be around 2,500 to 3,000 cases every year.
Nearly 3,000 honor attacks mainly carried out against
Muslim women were recorded by British police in 2010.
More than two-thirds of all murders in the
Gaza Strip and West Bank are honor killings.
Marriage
The Maldives, an Islamic country with a 100% Muslim
population, has the highest divorce rate in the world.
Turkey tops Europe and US for incidents of violence against
women, with 4 out of 10 women beaten by their husbands.
Divorce rates among Muslims in Malaysia is
five-times higher than among non-Muslims.
91% of Jordanian university students approve of wife
beating. Acceptable reasons include burning a meal.
Persecution
There are 13 countries in the world where the state can execute
you for being atheist. Every single one is officially Islamic.
9 of the top 10 persecutors of Christians are Islamic countries.
Of the top 50 countries, only 12 have a source other than Islam.
Turkey tops list of countries violating the European Convention
on Human Rights (ECHR) for 3 consecutive years.
As of 2010, Indonesia had over 150 religiously
motivated regulations restricting minorities’ rights.
Shari'ah
1 out of 3 British Muslims aged 16 to 24 believe
that Muslim apostates should be executed.
Majority of world's Muslims favor changing laws in their countries
to allow stoning/amputation for "crimes", and death for apostasy.
Only 26% of Muslims in Turkey say they would adhere to
laws passed by Parliament if it contradicted religious laws.
Poll finds neither education nor age explains
attitudes toward the role of Shari’ah in legislation.
Scripture
There are 164 Jihad verses in the Qur'an & nearly 500
verses (roughly 1 out of every 12) that speak of Hell.
Practicing Muslims recite anti-Semitic & anti-Christian
rhetoric at least 17 times a day, and over 5,000 times a year.
Compared to Mein Kampf, the non-abrogated Medinan verses
of the Qur'an contain more than 2x the amount of anti-Jewish text.
122 peaceful Qur'anic verses have been abrogated
by the Sword verse (9:5) and Fighting verse (9:29).
Slavery
Africans taken (or died in the process of being taken) as slaves
by Muslims is estimated to be higher than 140 million.
1.25 million white European Christians were captured and sold
into the Muslim slave trade between the 16th and 19th century.
The Islamic slave trade still flourishes in Muslim countries.
There are over half a million slaves in Mauritania alone.
Christian Solidarity International (CSI) has liberated over
80,000 Sudanese slaves taken captive by Arab Muslims.
Terrorism
2012 report finds the majority of world's terrorism committed
by Muslims. Almost 9000 deaths caused by Sunni terrorists in 2011.
Esposito/Mogahed find almost 4 out of 10 Muslims worldwide are
extremists who think 9/11 was totally/partially/somewhat justified.
More than 95% of all suicide bombing attacks
conducted worldwide are carried out by Muslims.
2011 Study finds no link between poverty and
support for militant Islamic groups.
Women
In terms of cultural/tribal/religious danger to women,
4 of the 5 most dangerous countries are Muslim majorities.
Egyptian women are sexually harassed 7 times every 200 meters
and well over two-thirds are harassed on a daily basis.
All 10 countries with the worst gender gaps are countries
where Muslims are the majority or Islam is the largest religion.
Egyptian study contradicts widely held belief that unveiled women
are more likely to suffer harassment than veiled ones.
[FONT="]https://wikiislam.net/wiki/Muslim_Statistics[/FONT]
