In defense of Islam
May. 12th, 2010 09:40 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sarasvatiIt seems like I spent a good portion of yesterday defending Islam from another of Christianity's ignorants.
This is a shame for many reasons. Mostly, because both religions have a lot of merit, and neither should have so many stupid vocal people in it making a bad name for the rest. I know some wonderful Christians, and some wonderful Muslims, and it drives me nuts when I see either side being violently and gleefully ignorant about the other.
(And for those who think I'm just picking on the JCI side of things, I've known some profoundly stupid pagans, too, who give paganism a bad name through willful ignorance also. No, stupidity comes in all flavours.)
I found one of the countless articles yesterday that claimed that Islam was trying to take over the world through population growth, that Muslim women have more babies than Christian women and so will eventually overrun Christianity through need for living space. The good Christian response to this, of course, is to have more babies to drive to Muslims out. (Commencing headdesk is 3... 2... 1...)
I replied that for one thing, the world is already overpopulated and that having more babies isn't going to reduce that burden. Also, "my kid's religion can beat up your kid's religion" is an appalling reason to want to have and raise children.
I replied to comments made on that article, comments saying that Muslims force kids to learn how to kill Christians and go on suicide missions and preach a doctrine of hate and war (complete with links to YouTube videos, so of course it must have involved meticulous research...) and that the Quran teaches that violence is the right way to live.
One such rebuttal to comments like that went as follows:
Me - I seem to recall that the bible also says a few things about stoning heretics, and has plenty of violence in the beginning when early leaders of the religion went on a genocide spree in the name of God.
Person 1 - Yeah, well, Mohammad was a terrible person because he married a 6 year old!
Person 2 - [Me], you're just ignorant. Look at the videos, they prove everything!
Person 3 - People who compare Islam to Christianity just don't know their facts, and dragging up ancient history is wrong because today is today and Muslims are violent. What doctrine of Christianity teaches that you should be violent, anyway? None!
Me - Christians aren't violent in the name of God? Guess this article must be completely wrong, then. Also, if the past is the past and today is today, then people shouldn't "prove" Islam is wrong by bringing up Mohammad's marriage to a very young girl. I seem to recall that the bible also has a few poignant things to say about liars and deceivers. Also has a thing or two about loving they neighbour.
People see what they want to see. It drives me batty when people ignore the facts and revel in rolling around in an ignorant little mudhole. I could cite a thousand examples of peaceful Muslims and violent Christians and tell people that they shouldn't see a violent religion because of some fucktarded extremists, and those people would say that yeah, well, I shouldn't see Christianity as bad because of some violent extremists (who, because they aren't peaceful are not following Christ as much as they like to think they are), but Islam is still bad bad bad!
*headdesk*
I normally try to stay out of religious debates. But sometimes staying quiet just becomes too difficult. If I can counter hate, then shouldn't I? Even if it doesn't sway opinions in the end, am I not a better person for speaking up against ignorance and blind hatred? Is staying quiet as bad as joining in the hate speech when I know that speech to be wrong?
I'm going to read through the Quran, so that I can pull out plenty of quotes about love and peace and tolerance to counter those who pull out bible quotes about the same while simultaneously trying to raise hate against innocents who have no say in what extremists morons do with their time. (I somehow doubt bringing history into it, like mentioning all the times that Christians and Muslims have used the same temples for prayer, will mean much to some people, since scripture means more to some than real events.) Maybe it's not fair to cherry-pick there, because I know there are some passages in the Quran that advocate violence and tit-for-tat. But the bible has similar messages in its pages at times. The passages about love and peace are just more common, and more fitting with the overall theme. (At least in some places. You know, not the ones talking about all the religious genocide.)
This is a shame for many reasons. Mostly, because both religions have a lot of merit, and neither should have so many stupid vocal people in it making a bad name for the rest. I know some wonderful Christians, and some wonderful Muslims, and it drives me nuts when I see either side being violently and gleefully ignorant about the other.
(And for those who think I'm just picking on the JCI side of things, I've known some profoundly stupid pagans, too, who give paganism a bad name through willful ignorance also. No, stupidity comes in all flavours.)
I found one of the countless articles yesterday that claimed that Islam was trying to take over the world through population growth, that Muslim women have more babies than Christian women and so will eventually overrun Christianity through need for living space. The good Christian response to this, of course, is to have more babies to drive to Muslims out. (Commencing headdesk is 3... 2... 1...)
I replied that for one thing, the world is already overpopulated and that having more babies isn't going to reduce that burden. Also, "my kid's religion can beat up your kid's religion" is an appalling reason to want to have and raise children.
I replied to comments made on that article, comments saying that Muslims force kids to learn how to kill Christians and go on suicide missions and preach a doctrine of hate and war (complete with links to YouTube videos, so of course it must have involved meticulous research...) and that the Quran teaches that violence is the right way to live.
One such rebuttal to comments like that went as follows:
Me - I seem to recall that the bible also says a few things about stoning heretics, and has plenty of violence in the beginning when early leaders of the religion went on a genocide spree in the name of God.
Person 1 - Yeah, well, Mohammad was a terrible person because he married a 6 year old!
Person 2 - [Me], you're just ignorant. Look at the videos, they prove everything!
Person 3 - People who compare Islam to Christianity just don't know their facts, and dragging up ancient history is wrong because today is today and Muslims are violent. What doctrine of Christianity teaches that you should be violent, anyway? None!
Me - Christians aren't violent in the name of God? Guess this article must be completely wrong, then. Also, if the past is the past and today is today, then people shouldn't "prove" Islam is wrong by bringing up Mohammad's marriage to a very young girl. I seem to recall that the bible also has a few poignant things to say about liars and deceivers. Also has a thing or two about loving they neighbour.
People see what they want to see. It drives me batty when people ignore the facts and revel in rolling around in an ignorant little mudhole. I could cite a thousand examples of peaceful Muslims and violent Christians and tell people that they shouldn't see a violent religion because of some fucktarded extremists, and those people would say that yeah, well, I shouldn't see Christianity as bad because of some violent extremists (who, because they aren't peaceful are not following Christ as much as they like to think they are), but Islam is still bad bad bad!
*headdesk*
I normally try to stay out of religious debates. But sometimes staying quiet just becomes too difficult. If I can counter hate, then shouldn't I? Even if it doesn't sway opinions in the end, am I not a better person for speaking up against ignorance and blind hatred? Is staying quiet as bad as joining in the hate speech when I know that speech to be wrong?
I'm going to read through the Quran, so that I can pull out plenty of quotes about love and peace and tolerance to counter those who pull out bible quotes about the same while simultaneously trying to raise hate against innocents who have no say in what extremists morons do with their time. (I somehow doubt bringing history into it, like mentioning all the times that Christians and Muslims have used the same temples for prayer, will mean much to some people, since scripture means more to some than real events.) Maybe it's not fair to cherry-pick there, because I know there are some passages in the Quran that advocate violence and tit-for-tat. But the bible has similar messages in its pages at times. The passages about love and peace are just more common, and more fitting with the overall theme. (At least in some places. You know, not the ones talking about all the religious genocide.)
(no subject)
Date: 2010-05-12 04:56 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2010-05-12 06:41 pm (UTC)Was the article about quiver-fulls? Because oh my goodness, quiver-fulls creep me out. Religion is one of the worst reasons I can think of for having kids.
(no subject)
Date: 2010-05-12 11:27 pm (UTC)The Quran has a lot of hate and violence in it, just as yes, the Bible does. That whole 'love thy neighbor unless they aren't just like you' bit and all. But just because Christianity has its bad points doesn't make Islam good. The lesser of two evils is still evil.
Any group that has little or no tolerance for those unlike itself (so, pretty much most religions when you get down to the nuts and bolts - which is very different, I realize, from what most people practice - I'm railing against the actual roots of the religion, the 'real meaning', not what most people who practice it really are like) is bad. Period.
I don't like Islam. And I don't think I am either ignorant or mis-informed. But then, I don't like Christianity, either, so at least I'm being fair.