Ted Babbitt

Islam is the second largest religion in the world.  Its tenets are simple, but there are many misconceptions. For instance, not all of its followers believe in Jihad and the term itself can be interpreted as anything from self examination to all out war. The basic beliefs of Islam are encapsulated in the “five pillars of Islam.”

First, that there is but one God and that Mohammed is his prophet.

Second, that five prayers must be done each day in the proper way.

Third, that each Muslim must pay an alms tax to benefit the poor and the needy.

Fourth, that each Muslim must fast during the month of Ramadan

Fifth, that every Muslim must make a pilgrimage to Mecca if he can afford to do so.

Most people believe that Islam is an insular religion, whereas in fact, it is “all-encompassing”. Muslims believe that God’s word was passed down not only to Muhammad but to Noah, Abraham, Moses, Elijah and Jesus as well as other Christian and Jewish prophets.

Muslims believe that the Quran is the direct word of God but  they also believe in the Torah, the Psalms, and the Gospel.

Muslims believe that actions and behavior during life will be judged upon death.

Islam is as much a religion of peace and love as is Christianity, or Judaism. Contrary to popular belief the Quran does not encourage subjugation of women or the killing of anyone who disagrees with the Islamic religion. By contrast, there are many statements in the Christian Bible that may be interpreted as such.  In the New Testament Paul advises women to be fully submissive, not to teach or have authority over a man, and to be silent. His argument is that, since Adam was formed first, Eve was the sinner, not Adam and she was the one who caused their banishment from Paradise. The Quran on the other hand states that men and women are equal and that whoever lives a good life will be rewarded at death. Contrary to most religious concepts, Islamic women are permitted to own property without interference from their husbands. The Quran does not encourage murder or terrorism unless its meaning is misconstrued.

There are certainly phrases in the Quran that could be interpreted to justify violence but if read in context they only permit that extreme a measure in the face of severe oppression of their religion and then only under the auspices of a religious leader. For every verse misconstrued by terrorists there are verses in the Quran that encourage peace and brotherhood and respect. In fact, the Quran requires compassion even for a conquered people.

The fact is that groups like Isis and Al Qaeda kill far more Muslims than they do Christians. An analysis of murder within societies concluded that the more Muslims in a society the lower the rate of homicide. In fact, there are over 1.8 billion Muslims in countries worldwide, all of whose rates of homicide are less than half the rate of the United States, an overwhelmingly predominantly Christian country.

Words alone don’t incite violence. If they did Christian fundamentalists would be committing the same type of acts perpetrated by Muslim extremists/terrorists. Some would argue that they do, such as murdering doctors who perform abortions.

Deuteronomy 17:12 “Anyone arrogant enough to reject the verdict of the holy man who represents God must be put to death. Such evil must be purged.” Leviticus 20:10 and Quaran 8:67 “If a man commits adultery with another man’s wife, both the man and the woman must be put to death.” Leviticus 21:9 A holy man’s daughter who loses her honor by committing fornication and thereby dishonors her father also, shall be burned to death.”

Neither the Quran nor the Bible kill people with terrorist acts – people who misinterpret the words in the holy texts do.

Both the Bible and the Quran were written at a time that is very different from now. Their words cannot be taken literally, as to do so is to justify violence unacceptable in any civilized society. There is no such thing as a religion which espouses only peace and love or only war and violence. They all espouse all of those things. They are not intended to justify hate or murder, they are intended to teach behavior which leads to redemption. They do that, not by pulling words out of context, but by showing  a way of life that helps others, that leads by example, that views all people, not- regardless of religious differences- as enemies, but rather as fellow travelers in a shared life where our interactions with others are valued.