"Hinduism has turned out to be most violent religion of all" - Page 2

"On that account: We ordained for the Children of Israel that if any one slew a person - unless it be for murder or for spreading mischief in the land - it would be as if he slew the whole people: and if any one saved a life, it would be as if he saved the life of the whole people. Then although there came to them Our messengers with clear signs, yet, even after that, many of them continued to commit excesses in the land.

First, notice the gaping loophole. Killing is allowed in cases of murder or "for spreading mischief in the land." Murder is pretty straightforward, but "spreading mischief?" If anything begged for a careful and precise explanation, a phrase authorizing torture certainly would. But generations of Muslims are left to apply their own interpretation of what "mischief" means - with varying standards. Violating Sharia (Islamic law) or sharing a different religious faith appears to qualify. Verse 7:103 of the Quran even indicates that merely rejecting Muhammad and the Quran counts as "mischief".

Secondly, note the broader context of this verse. It turns out that this isn't a divine command to Muslims after all. It's a recounting of a rule that was given to the Jewish people (lifted from the Talmud, in fact). It isn't an admonition against killing. It's an imagined indictment against the Jews for violating the law given to them. "Any one doesn't mean "anyone, but rather any oneof the Jews.

Any application to Muslims would have to apply only to Muslims - as in Muslim-on-Muslim murder within the brotherhood of believers. In fact, the context of the verse is the murder of Abel by Cain. Historically, this verse has never been interpreted by Islamic scholars to mean that Allah places equal value on the lives of non-Muslims. The Quran says that restitution for murder is bound by the law of equality (2:178) and that non-believers are not equal to Muslims (39:9). Muhammad affirmed that while a Muslim may be punished with death for killing a fellow Muslim, they should never be slain for killing a non-believer.

Rather than encouraging tolerance, Sura 5 as a whole is actually an incitement of hatred with a hint of violence. Later in the chapter, Jews and Christians are explicitly cursed as wicked' people with diseased hearts' and as hateful blasphemers' respectively. Muhammad goes on to coyly remind his people that Allah loves those who "fight in his service - and it's fairly obvious who the enemy is.

Muslim apologists also leave out the fact that 5:32 is immediately followed by a gruesome verse which actually mandates killing in the case of the aforementioned "mischief" - and this isn't pulled from the Talmud. It even suggests crucifixion and "the cutting off of hands and feet from opposite sides. (This injunction is dutifully followed by ISIS)

Verse 5:33 provides the basis for blasphemy laws, in which people are executed for insulting or questioning Islam. Ironically then, the very part of the Quran that apologists use to portray Islam as a non-violent religion has long been used as justification for making verbal offense into a capital crime.