Woolwich - A Muslim Murder?
Reply #3 - May 29, 2013, 04:35 PM
Nice find. This was a fairly accurate assessment of the situation. The bigger and far more difficult problem, however, is coming up with a solution.
It is true that Islam is facing the same growing pains that Christianity has had to go through, but I don’t think that the message of Islam is as amiable to change as Christianity was.
Unlike Muhammad in the Qur’an and Hadith, Jesus in the New Testament did not put as much emphasis on maintaining religious orthopraxy. Islamic literature is fairly straightforward on its prohibition on changing things. This is not to say that the majority of Muslims will not end up evolving and innovating; but scripture will always encourage a certain population to take it at face value.
Secondly, an inconvenient truth is that a follower of Jesus as he is portrayed in the New Testament has far less persuasion towards violence, whether correctly or incorrectly perceived, than a follower of Muhammad. This is a point that simply can not be overlooked. Without getting into a debate about particulars and circumstances, the fact remains that a great deal of Islamic literature is dedicated towards explicitly inciting violence. One does not have to read far into the Qur’an to find injunctions to kill in the imperative. Anyone familiar with the Prophet’s biography knows that he was, on many occasions, nonchalantly asked by the band of men around him for permission to “strike the necks” of anyone who opposed him. Yes, there were times when he was benevolent and peaceful, but his tolerance for violence and killing simply can not be dismissed. It has left a clear blemish on his faith till this day
So we have a religion that undeniably sanctions violence while at the same time encourages its followers not to evolve and innovate. I am afraid that we will continue to see acts of violence inspired by individuals’ interpretations of Islamic texts well into the future.
Topic: Woolwich - A Muslim Murder?