D´Souza Mirrors the Left on Islam

D´Souza is a conservative who is doing what many on the American left have done: reducing grave foreign policy challenges to mere reflections of petty domestic animosities between the opposing American political parties. Thus Democrats hate Bush so much that they often care more about their dispute with him than they do about the external totalitarian threat. D´Souza adopts the same absurd misplacement of priorities and makes what the Democrats are allegedly doing wrong more significant than what the terrorists and totalitarian Islam are doing wrong. D´Souza and the conservatives who follow him, and many Dems, are thus guilty of a kind of navel-gazing narcissism that fails to recognize that not everything in the world is purely a function of American domestic politics. Islam has its own internal forms that have been developing since the time of Muhammad, long before Bush and long before the supposed decadence of American liberal culture. Islam is innately more fundamentalist than the other major religions, in part because violence is systematically built into the Koran as a very effective means of suppressing doubt and questions and as a way of maintaining an extreme fundamentalist interpretation. By contrast, Christian fundamentalism is just one part of Christianity, and even among Christian fundamentalists, hardly any would advocate state theocracy or the use of violence to compel belief. It just ain´t there in the New Testament to do that. But theocracy and religious violence are certainly there in the Koran and in the reports of Muhammad´s life that most Muslims consider reliable, Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim.

Too frequently people assume, without question, that every great religion is ¨the same.¨ But such an assumption needs at least to be put in question. Especially when a religion appears to be totalitarian in its documents and practices, and when its chief (Muhammad) was the ruler of a state theocracy and a leader of many wars. By the end of the century, at least under current trends, Muslims will be a majority in Europe, so if one cares at all about religious freedom and civil rights and liberties, one should not blindly assume anything about Islam. Else it may soon be too late to save Europe´s freedoms.

Muslims´ own primary documents show that Muhammad employed torture, assassination of critics, rape, and deception for the purpose of spreading Islam´s dominance. The use of Koranically sanctioned deception by Muslim apologists seeking to make Islam look compatible with Western values must be kept well in mind. Please check these facts for yourselves, check thoroughly.

Image Links to Jean-Mairet's Site; New Movie on Radical Islam

At Jean-Mairet's site, check out this great cartoon about the recent apostasy trial in Afghanistan, and also this beautiful promotional image for the new award-winning documentary: "Obsession, Radical Islam's War Against The West". If you click on the above link to the promotional image, once the image appears you can click on the image itself and you'll be taken to the movie's website, where you can inquire about getting a showing near you and find other info. Nationally syndicated radio host Micheal Medved:

"Obsession" is one of the most powerful, expertly crafted and undeniably important films I've seen this year. This courageous, utterly gripping expose deserves the attention of every American -- and merits serious consideration for the Academy Award for Best Feature Length Documentary.

Ledeen Responds to Hersch, and Believes Iran Has the Bomb.

On the Laura Ingraham radio show Tuesday evening, Iran analyst Michael Ledeen, who writes for National Review Online, said he didn't believe Seymour M. Hersch's claim (made in the April 17th New Yorker magazine) that American special ops are even now swarming secretly throughout Iran to prepare the ground for American bombing. Ledeen apparently thinks little of Hersch's anonymous inside sources. I'm assuming Ledeen read the New Yorker piece, knows it was not merely speculative, and knows that Hersch claimed inside sources.

Ledeen also noted to Ingraham that it took the U.S. only four years, without outside help, to create atomic weapons. He made it clear that for him it strained credibility to believe the Iranians don't have the Bomb, given the fact they have been working on it for fifteen years and have had all kinds of outside help. He clearly believes they've got it, and argues that's not really the concern anyway. What matters, he said, is not the Bomb per se, but the kind of regime that has it. A liberal democratic Iran would not be a threat. I didn't catch whether he supports a U.S. bombing campaign in Iran at this point. He advocates regime change there, and counts strongly on the 70% of Iranians he says hate the regime. He thinks any regime change program should involve generous U.S. support for Iran's internal resistance forces.

Iran To Nuke Israel? Fallows, Frum and Hersh Respond

James Fallows in the latest Atlantic Monthly argues we shouldn't bomb Iran to stop it from making nukes. Among other things, war games conducted by retired Pentagon and intelligence people in 2004 under the auspices of the Atlantic demonstrated this, Fallows claims. Meanwhile Frum at National Review Online retorts that following Fallows' do-nothing counsel would be tantamount to giving nukes to Iran. And on Friday, Amadinejad repeats his thinly veiled threat to nuke Israel (AP article):

"Like it or not, the Zionist regime is heading toward annihilation," Ahmadinejad said at the opening of a conference in support of the Palestinians. "The Zionist regime is a rotten, dried tree that will be eliminated by one storm."

And Seymour M. Hersh in the latest issue of the New Yorker details the various signs and indications from insiders that the U.S. administration is already heavily into military planning, including infiltration of special ops into Iran with targeting lasers:

If the order were to be given for an attack, the American combat troops now operating in Iran would be in position to mark the critical targets with laser beams, to insure bombing accuracy and to minimize civilian casualties. As of early winter, I was told by the government consultant with close ties to civilians in the Pentagon, the units were also working with minority groups in Iran, including the Azeris, in the north, the Baluchis, in the southeast, and the Kurds, in the northeast. The troops “are studying the terrain, and giving away walking-around money to ethnic tribes, and recruiting scouts from local tribes and shepherds,” the consultant said. One goal is to get “eyes on the ground”—quoting a line from “Othello,” he said, “Give me the ocular proof.”

Karsh Sums Up History of Islamic Imperialism

Efraim Karsh, whose book on the history of Islamic imperialism is about to be published by Yale, has a brilliant short piece in the latest Commentary. An excerpt:

“I was ordered to fight all men until they say, ‘There is no god but Allah.’” With these farewell words, the prophet Muhammad summed up the international version of the faith he brought to the world.

Does anyone know where Karsh got this quote? The only similar thing I recall is the online USC translation of Sahih Bukhari*, Volume 1, Book 2, number 24:

I have been ordered (by Allah) to fight against the people until they testify that none has the right to be worshipped but Allah and that Muhammad is Allah's Apostle, and offer the prayers perfectly and give the obligatory charity, so if they perform a that, then they save their lives an property from me except for Islamic laws and then their reckoning (accounts) will be done by Allah.

(my emphasis) To continue the Karsh excerpt:

As a universal religion, Islam envisages a global political order in which all humankind will live under Muslim rule as either believers or subject communities. In order to achieve this goal, it is incumbent on all free, male, adult Muslims to carry out an uncompromising “struggle in the path of Allah,” or jihad. As the 14th-century historian and philosopher Abdel Rahman ibn Khaldun wrote, “In the Muslim community, the jihad is a religious duty because of the universalism of the Islamic mission and the obligation [to convert] everybody to Islam either by persuasion or by force.”

Karsh’s article is an extremely useful short summary of the whole history of Islamic imperialism. Take a look.

*According to the University of Southern California website, Compendium of Muslim Texts:

"...Bukhari's collection is recognized by the overwhelming majority of the Muslim world to be one of the most authentic collections of the Sunnah [life] of the Prophet... The Sunnah is the second source of Islamic jurisprudence, the first being the Qur'an. Both sources are indispensable; one cannot practice Islam without consulting both of them."

In Short Compass, the Quran's Attitude to Love

One way to begin to understand the Quran's attitude to love is to see how many of its verses mention the word 'love,' and what they say. I searched the USC-MSA database and out of the Quran’s roughly 6,220 verses, there are 76 in which at least two of the three translations in the database use the word ‘love.’ (In an additional 17 verses, love is mentioned, but only by one of the three translations.)

I put the 76 verses below into 3 color coded categories:

23 verses speak of what Allah does not love;
24 verses speak of what Allah loves;
29 verses are harder to categorize, but most of them mention kinds of love of which Allah approves or disapproves.

Taken altogether, what sort of love doctrine do the 76 contain? One thing to notice is that only one or two of the 76 use love as a noun or focus on love itself. Instead, the verses focus on what Allah loves or does not love, or what someone else loves. Love itself is hardly noticed. In fact its use as a word seems to be mostly a slightly veiled way to explain how to please and not to anger Allah, whom the Quran conceives after the fashion of an extremely despotic earthly tyrant. Here are all the verses in which the Quran mentions love:

From the USC triple translation of the Qur’an: Chapter 2, Verse 165
(SHAKIR VERSION): And there are some among men who take for themselves objects of worship besides Allah, whom they love as they love Allah, and those who believe are stronger in love for Allah and O, that those who are unjust had seen, when they see the chastisement, that the power is wholly Allah's and that Allah is severe in requiting (evil).

From the USC triple translation of the Qur’an: Chapter 2, Verse 177
(SHAKIR VERSION): It is not righteousness that you turn your faces towards the East and the West, but righteousness is this that one should believe in Allah and the last day and the angels and the Book and the prophets, and give away wealth out of love for Him to the near of kin and the orphans and the needy and the wayfarer and the beggars and for (the emancipation of) the captives, and keep up prayer and pay the poor-rate; and the performers of their promise when they make a promise, and the patient in distress and affliction and in time of conflicts-- these are they who are true (to themselves) and these are they who guard (against evil).

From the USC triple translation of the Qur’an: Chapter 2, Verse 190
(SHAKIR VERSION): And fight in the way of Allah with those who fight with you, and do not exceed the limits, surely Allah does not love those who exceed the limits.

From the USC triple translation of the Qur’an: Chapter 2, Verse 195
(SHAKIR VERSION): And spend in the way of Allah and cast not yourselves to perdition with your own hands, and do good (to others); surely Allah loves the doers of good.

From the USC triple translation of the Qur’an: Chapter 2, Verse 205
(SHAKIR VERSION): And when he turn,s back, he runs along in the land that he may cause mischief in it and destroy the tilth and the stock, and Allah does not love mischief-making.

From the USC triple translation of the Qur’an: Chapter 2, Verse 216
(SHAKIR VERSION): Fighting is enjoined on you, and it is an object of dislike to you; and it may be that you dislike a thing while it is good for you, and it may be that you love a thing while it is evil for you, and Allah knows, while you do not know.

From the USC triple translation of the Qur’an: Chapter 2, Verse 222
(SHAKIR VERSION): And they ask you about menstruation. Say: It is a discomfort; therefore keep aloof from the women during the menstrual discharge and do not go near them until they have become clean; then when they have cleansed themselves, go in to them as Allah has commanded you; surely Allah loves those who turn much (to Him), and He loves those who purify themselves.

From the USC triple translation of the Qur’an: Chapter 2, Verse 276
(SHAKIR VERSION): Allah does not bless usury, and He causes charitable deeds to prosper, and Allah does not love any ungrateful sinner.

From the USC triple translation of the Qur’an: Chapter 3, Verse 014
(SHAKIR VERSION): The love of desires, of women and sons and hoarded treasures of gold and silver and well bred horses and cattle and tilth, is made to seem fair to men; this is the provision of the life of this world; and Allah is He with Whom is the good goal (of life).

From the USC triple translation of the Qur’an: Chapter 3, Verse 031
(SHAKIR VERSION): Say: If you love Allah, then follow me, Allah will loveyou and forgive you your faults, and Allah is Forgiving, MercifuL

From the USC triple translation of the Qur’an: Chapter 3, Verse 032
(SHAKIR VERSION): Say: Obey Allah and the Messenger; but if they turn back, then surely Allah does not love the unbelievers.

From the USC triple translation of the Qur’an: Chapter 3, Verse 057
(SHAKIR VERSION): And as to those who believe and do good deeds, He will pay them fully their rewards; and Allah does not love the unjust.

From the USC triple translation of the Qur’an: Chapter 3, Verse 076
(SHAKIR VERSION): Yea, whoever fulfills his promise and guards (against evil)-- then surely Allah loves those who guard (against evil).

From the USC triple translation of the Qur’an: Chapter 3, Verse 092
(SHAKIR VERSION): By no means shall you attain to righteousness until you spend (benevolently) out of what you love; and whatever thing you spend, Allah surely knows it.

From the USC triple translation of the Qur’an: Chapter 3, Verse 118
(SHAKIR VERSION): O you who believe! do not take for intimate friends from among others than your own people; they do not fall short of inflicting loss upon you; they love what distresses you; vehement hatred has already appeared from out of their mouths, and what their breasts conceal is greater still; indeed, We have made the communications clear to you, if you will understand.

From the USC triple translation of the Qur’an: Chapter 3, Verse 119
(SHAKIR VERSION): Lo! you are they who will love them while they do not love you, and you believe in the Book (in) the whole of it; and when they meet you they say: We believe, and when they are alone, they bite the ends of their fingers in rage against you. Say: Die in your rage; surely Allah knows what is in the breasts.

From the USC triple translation of the Qur’an: Chapter 3, Verse 134
(SHAKIR VERSION): Those who spend (benevolently) in ease as well as in straitness, and those who restrain (their) anger and pardon men; and Allah loves the doers of good (to others).

From the USC triple translation of the Qur’an: Chapter 3, Verse 140
(SHAKIR VERSION): If a wound has afflicted you (at Ohud), a wound like it has also afflicted the (unbelieving) people; and We bring these days to men by turns, and that Allah may know those who believe and take witnesses from among you; and Allah does not love the unjust.

From the USC triple translation of the Qur’an: Chapter 3, Verse 146
(SHAKIR VERSION): And how many a prophet has fought with whom were many worshippers of the Lord; so they did not become weak-hearted on account of what befell them in Allah's way, nor did they weaken, nor did they abase themselves; and Allah loves the patient.

From the USC triple translation of the Qur’an: Chapter 3, Verse 148
(SHAKIR VERSION): So Allah gave them the reward of this world and better reward of the hereafter and Allah loves those who do good (to others).

From the USC triple translation of the Qur’an: Chapter 3, Verse 159
(SHAKIR VERSION): Thus it is due to mercy from Allah that you deal with them gently, and had you been rough, hard hearted, they would certainly have dispersed from around you; pardon them therefore and ask pardon for them, and take counsel with them in the affair; so when you have decided, then place your trust in Allah; surely Allah loves those who trust.

From the USC triple translation of the Qur’an: Chapter 3, Verse 188
(SHAKIR VERSION): Do not think those who rejoice for what they have done and love that they should be praised for what they have not done-- so do by no means think them to be safe from the chastisement, and they shall have a painful chastisement.

From the USC triple translation of the Qur’an: Chapter 4, Verse 036
(SHAKIR VERSION): And serve Allah and do not associate any thing with Him and be good to the parents and to the near of kin and the orphans and the needy and the neighbor of (your) kin and the alien neighbor, and the companion in a journey and the wayfarer and those whom your right hands possess; surely Allah does not love him who is proud, boastful;

From the USC triple translation of the Qur’an: Chapter 4, Verse 107
(SHAKIR VERSION): And do not plead on behalf of those who act unfaithfully to their souls; surely Allah does not love him who is treacherous, sinful;

From the USC triple translation of the Qur’an: Chapter 4, Verse 148
(SHAKIR VERSION): Allah does not love the public utterance of hurtful speech unless (it be) by one to whom injustice has been done; and Allah is Hearing, Knowing.

From the USC triple translation of the Qur’an: Chapter 5, Verse 013
(SHAKIR VERSION): But on account of their breaking their covenant We cursed them and made their hearts hard; they altered the words from their places and they neglected a portion of what they were reminded of; and you shall always discover treachery in them excepting a few of them; so pardon them and turn away; surely Allah loves those who do good (to others).

From the USC triple translation of the Qur’an: Chapter 5, Verse 018
(SHAKIR VERSION): And the Jews and the Christians say: We are the sons of Allah and His beloved ones. Say: Why does He then chastise you for your faults? Nay, you are mortals from among those whom He has created, He forgives whom He pleases and chastises whom He pleases; and Allah's is the kingdom of the heavens and the earth and what is between them, and to Him is the eventual coming.

From the USC triple translation of the Qur’an: Chapter 5, Verse 042
(SHAKIR VERSION): (They are) listeners of a lie, devourers of what is forbidden; therefore if they come to you, judge between them or turn aside from them, and if you turn aside from them, they shall not harm you in any way; and if you judge, judge between them with equity; surely Allah loves those who judge equitably.

From the USC triple translation of the Qur’an: Chapter 5, Verse 054
(SHAKIR VERSION): O you who believe! whoever from among you turns back from his religion, then Allah will bring a people, He shall lovethem and they shall love Him, lowly before the believers, mighty against the unbelievers, they shall strive hard in Allah's way and shall not fear the censure of any censurer; this is Allah's Face, He gives it to whom He pleases, and Allah is Ample-giving, Knowing.

From the USC triple translation of the Qur’an: Chapter 5, Verse 064
(SHAKIR VERSION): And the Jews say: The hand of Allah is tied up! Their hands shall be shackled and they shall be cursed for what they say. Nay, both His hands are spread out, He expends as He pleases; and what has been revealed to you from your Lord will certainly make many of them increase in inordinacy and unbelief; and We have put enmity and hatred among them till the day of resurrection; whenever they kindle a fire for war Allah puts it out, and they strive to make mischief in the land; and Allah does not love the mischief-makers.

From the USC triple translation of the Qur’an: Chapter 5, Verse 087
(SHAKIR VERSION): O you who believe! do not forbid (yourselves) the good things which Allah has made lawful for you and do not exceed the limits; surely Allah does not love those who exceed the limits.

From the USC triple translation of the Qur’an: Chapter 5, Verse 093
(SHAKIR VERSION): On those who believe and do good there is no blame for what they eat, when they are careful (of their duty) and believe and do good deeds, then they are careful (of their duty) and believe, then they are careful (of their duty) and do good (to others), and Allah loves those who do good (to others).

Of Abraham:
From the USC triple translation of the Qur’an: Chapter 6, Verse 076
(SHAKIR VERSION): So when the night over-shadowed him, he saw a star; said he: Is this my Lord? So when it set, he said: I do not love the setting ones.

From the USC triple translation of the Qur’an: Chapter 6, Verse 141
(SHAKIR VERSION): And He it is Who produces gardens (of vine), trellised and untrellised, and palms and seed-produce of which the fruits are of various sorts, and olives and pomegranates, like and unlike; eat of its fruit when it bears fruit, and pay the due of it on the day of its reaping, and do not act extravagantly; surely He does not love the extravagant.

From the USC triple translation of the Qur’an: Chapter 7, Verse 031
(SHAKIR VERSION): O children of Adam! attend to your embellishments at every time of prayer, and eat and drink and be not extravagant; surely He does not love the extravagant.

From the USC triple translation of the Qur’an: Chapter 7, Verse 055
(SHAKIR VERSION): Call on your Lord humbly and secretly; surely He does not love those who exceed the limits.

From the USC triple translation of the Qur’an: Chapter 7, Verse 079
(SHAKIR VERSION): Then he turned away from them and said: O my people I did certainly deliver to you the message of my Lord, and I gave you good advice, but you do not love those who give good advice.

From the USC triple translation of the aQur’an: Chapter 8, Verse 058
(SHAKIR VERSION): And if you fear treachery on the part of a people, then throw back to them on terms of equality; surely Allah does not love the treacherous.

From the USC triple translation of the Qur’an: Chapter 9, Verse 004
(SHAKIR VERSION): Except those of the idolaters with whom you made an agreement, then they have not failed you in anything and have not backed up any one against you, so fulfill their agreement to the end of their term; surely Allah loves those who are careful (of their duty).

From the USC triple translation of the Qur’an: Chapter 9, Verse 007
(SHAKIR VERSION): How can there be an agreement for the idolaters with Allah and with His Messenger; except those with whom you made an agreement at the Sacred Mosque? So as long as they are true to you, be true to them; surely Allah loves those who are careful (of their duty).

From the USC triple translation of the Qur’an: Chapter 9, Verse 023
(SHAKIR VERSION): O you who believe! do not take your fathers and your brothers for guardians if they love unbelief more than belief; and whoever of you takes them for a guardian, these it is that are the unjust.

From the USC triple translation of the Qur’an: Chapter 9, Verse 108
(SHAKIR VERSION): Never stand in it; certainly a masjid founded on piety from the very first day is more deserving that you should stand in it; in it are men who lovethat they should be purified; and Allah loves those who purify themselves.

story of Shu’eyb/Shu’aib
From the USC triple translation of the Qur’an: Chapter 11, Verse 090
(SHAKIR VERSION): And ask forgiveness of your Lord, then turn to Him; surely my Lord is Merciful, loving-kind.

From the USC triple translation of the Qur’an: Chapter 12, Verse 030
(SHAKIR VERSION): And women in the city said: The chiefs wife seeks her slave to yield himself (to her), surely he has affected her deeply with (his) love; most surely we see her in manifest error.

From the USC triple translation of the Qur’an: Chapter 14, Verse 003
(SHAKIR VERSION): (To) those who love this world's life more than the hereafter, and turn away from Allah's path and desire to make it crooked; these are in a great error.

From the USC triple translation of the Qur’an: Chapter 16, Verse 023
(SHAKIR VERSION): Truly Allah knows what they hide and what they manifest; surely He does not love the proud.

From the USC triple translation of the Qur’an: Chapter 16, Verse 107
(SHAKIR VERSION): This is because they love this world's life more than the hereafter, and because Allah does not guide the unbelieving people.

From the USC triple translation of the Qur’an: Chapter 19, Verse 096
(SHAKIR VERSION): Surely (as for) those who believe and do good deeds for t them will Allah bring about love.

Story of Moses and Aaron:
From the USC triple translation of the Qur’an: Chapter 20, Verse 039
(SHAKIR VERSION): Saying: Put him into a chest, then cast it down into the river, then the river shall throw him on the shore; there shall take him up one who is an enemy to Me and enemy to him, and I cast down upon you love from Me, and that you might be brought up before My eyes;

From the USC triple translation of the Qur’an: Chapter 22, Verse 038
(SHAKIR VERSION): Surely Allah will defend those who believe; surely Allah does not love any one who is unfaithful, ungrateful.

From the USC triple translation of the Qur’an: Chapter 24, Verse 019
(SHAKIR VERSION): Surely (as for) those who love that scandal should circulate respecting those who believe, they shall have a grievous chastisement in this world and the hereafter; and Allah knows, while you do not know.

From the USC triple translation of the Qur’an: Chapter 28, Verse 056
(SHAKIR VERSION): Surely you cannot guide whom you love, but Allah guides whom He pleases, and He knows best the followers of the right way.

From the USC triple translation of the Qur’an: Chapter 28, Verse 076
(SHAKIR VERSION): Surely Qaroun was of the people of Musa, but he rebelled against them, and We had given him of the treasures, so much so that his hoards of wealth would certainly weigh down a company of men possessed of great strength. When his people said to him: Do not exult, surely Allah does not love the exultant;

From the USC triple translation of the Qur’an: Chapter 28, Verse 077
(SHAKIR VERSION): And seek by means of what Allah has given you the future abode, and do not neglect your portion of this world, and do good (to others) as Allah has done good to you, and do not seek to make mischief in the land, surely Allah does not love the mischief-makers.

(Shakir's translation of this verse uses "friendship", but the other two translations use "love" or a form of the word "love.")From the USC triple translation of the Qur’an: Chapter 29, Verse 025
(SHAKIR VERSION): And he said: You have only taken for yourselves idols besides Allah by way of friendship between you in this world's life, then on the resurrection day some of you shall deny others, and some of you shall curse others, and your abode is the fire, and you shall not have any helpers.

From the USC triple translation of the Qur’an: Chapter 30, Verse 021
(SHAKIR VERSION): And one of His signs is that He created mates for you from yourselves that you may find rest in them, and He put between you love and compassion; most surely there are signs in this for a people who reflect.

From the USC triple translation of the Qur’an: Chapter 30, Verse 045
(SHAKIR VERSION): That He may reward those who believe and do good out of His grace; surely He does not love the unbelievers.

From the USC triple translation of the Qur’an: Chapter 31, Verse 018
(SHAKIR VERSION): And do not turn your face away from people in contempt, nor go about in the land exulting overmuch; surely Allah does not love any self-conceited boaster;

From the USC triple translation of the Qur’an: Chapter 42, Verse 023
(SHAKIR VERSION): That is of which Allah gives the good news to His servants, (to) those who believe and do good deeds. Say: I do not ask of you any reward for it but love for my near relatives; and whoever earns good, We give him more of good therein; surely Allah is Forgiving, Grateful.

From the USC triple translation of the Qur’an: Chapter 42, Verse 040
(SHAKIR VERSION): And the recompense of evil is punishment like it, but whoever forgives and amends, he shall have his reward from Allah; surely He does not love the unjust.

From the USC triple translation of the Qur’an: Chapter 49, Verse 009
(SHAKIR VERSION): And if two parties of the believers quarrel, make peace between them; but if one of them acts wrongfully towards the other, fight that which acts wrongfully until it returns to Allah's command; then if it returns, make peace between them with justice and act equitably; surely Allah loves those who act equitably.

part of Quran’s description of paradisal virgins:
From the USC triple translation of the Qur’an: Chapter 56, Verse 037
(SHAKIR VERSION): loving, equals in age,

From the USC triple translation of the Qur’an: Chapter 57, Verse 023
(SHAKIR VERSION): So that you may not grieve for what has escaped you, nor be exultant at what He has given you; and Allah does not love any arrogant boaster:

(Shakir uses "befriending" in this verse, but the other two translations use "love" or a form of the word "love".) From the USC triple translation of the Qur’an: Chapter 58, Verse 022
(SHAKIR VERSION): You shall not find a people who believe in Allah and the latter day befriending those who act in opposition to Allah and His Messenger, even though they were their (own) fathers, or their sons, or their brothers, or their kinsfolk; these are they into whose hearts He has impressed faith, and whom He has strengthened with an inspiration from Him: and He will cause them to enter gardens beneath which rivers flow, abiding therein; Allah is well-pleased with them and they are well-pleased with Him these are Allah's party: now surely the party of Allah are the successful ones.

From the USC triple translation of the Qur’an: Chapter 59, Verse 009
(SHAKIR VERSION): And those who made their abode in the city and in the faith before them love those who have fled to them, and do not find in their hearts a need of what they are given, and prefer (them) before themselves though poverty may afflict them, and whoever is preserved from the niggardliness of his soul, these it is that are the successful ones.

From the USC triple translation of the Qur’an: Chapter 60, Verse 001
(SHAKIR VERSION): O you who believe! do not take My enemy and your enemy for friends: would you offer them love while they deny what has come to you of the truth, driving out the Messenger and yourselves because you believe in Allah, your Lord? If you go forth struggling hard in My path and seeking My pleasure, would you manifest loveto them? And I know what you conceal and what you manifest; and whoever of you does this, he indeed has gone astray from the straight path.

(Shakir uses "friendship" for this verse, but the other two translations use "love" or a form of the word "love.") From the USC triple translation of the Qur’an: Chapter 60, Verse 007
(SHAKIR VERSION): It may be that Allah will bring about friendship between you and those whom you hold to be your enemies among them; and Allah is Powerful; and Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.

From the USC triple translation of the Qur’an: Chapter 60, Verse 008
(SHAKIR VERSION): Allah does not forbid you respecting those who have not made war against you on account of (your) religion, and have not driven you forth from your homes, that you show them kindness and deal with them justly; surely Allah loves the doers of justice.

From the USC triple translation of the Qur’an: Chapter 61, Verse 004
(SHAKIR VERSION): Surely Allah loves those who fight in His way in ranks as if they were a firm and compact wall.

From the USC triple translation of the Qur’an: Chapter 61, Verse 013
(SHAKIR VERSION): And yet another (blessing) that you love: help from Allah and a victory near at hand; and give good news to the believers.

From the USC triple translation of the Qur’an: Chapter 75, Verse 020
(SHAKIR VERSION): Nay! But you love the present life,

From the USC triple translation of the Qur’an: Chapter 76, Verse 008
(SHAKIR VERSION): And they give food out of love for Him to the poor and the orphan and the captive:

From the USC triple translation of the Qur’an: Chapter 76, Verse 027
(SHAKIR VERSION): Surely these love the transitory and neglect a grievous day before them.

From the USC triple translation of the Qur’an: Chapter 85, Verse 014
(SHAKIR VERSION): And He is the Forgiving, the loving,

From the USC triple translation of the Qur’an: Chapter 89, Verse 020
(SHAKIR VERSION): And you love wealth with exceeding love.

Of man: From the USC triple translation of the Qur’an: Chapter 100, Verse 008
(SHAKIR VERSION): And most surely he is tenacious in the love of wealth.

Following are the verses in which only one of three translators used the word "love": 2:93, 2:96, 2:105, 3:103, 3:152, 7:189, 12:8, 14:37, 21:90, 22:59, 24:22, 31:15, 38:32, 49:12, 50:23, 57:19, 69:35.

The Quran: How Much Does It Rely on Fear? (Third Draft)

To help nail down the answer to that question, I decided to search the USC-MSA Quran database to see how many verses contain one or more of the following words:

hell, fire, boiling, punish, agony, pain, burn, perdition, doom, torment, suffer, woe, awful, terrible, horrible, scourge, warn, fear, retribution.

I found 1,027 unique verses each containing at least one of the above-italicized words. The Quran totals 6,220 verses (give or take ten or fifteen, depending on which of the five counting methods you use). I estimate that of the 1,027 verses linked below, about 500 to 600 contain threats of hell and divine punishment. Another 150 to 200 do not specifically mention divine punishment, but advise fear of Allah, or warn of Allah. And the remaining 250 or so (about 1 in 4 of the verses listed below) have little or nothing to do with divine punishment. (These numbers are extrapolations based on random sampling.)

If the estimate of 550 verses with distinct threats of hell/divine punishment is correct, that would mean the ratio of such verses to all other verses in the Quran is about one in eleven. When we consider that this ratio would go to one in nine if we add the 150 or so verses that do not mention punishment but warn of Allah or advise fear of Allah, and when we recall that the roughly 550 "hell threat" verses are not islands unto themselves, but involve preceding and following verses, it becomes apparent that a quite substantial portion of the Quran is concerned with threats of punishments in hell.

Here is an example of one of the more explicit (and sadistic) warnings:

From the USC-MSA triple translation of the Quran, Chapter 22, Verses 19, 20, 21, and 22:

(PICKTHAL version):
These twain (the believers and the disbelievers) are two opponents who contend concerning their Lord. But as for those who disbelieve, garments of fire will be cut out for them; boiling fluid will be poured down on their heads,

Whereby that which is in their bellies, and their skins too, will be melted;

And for them are hooked rods of iron.

Whenever, in their anguish, they would go forth from thence they are driven back therein and (it is said unto them): Taste the doom of burning.

The Quran's threats of hell usually do not go into this kind of sadistic detail. Instead we read again and again brief phrases referring to a "grievous and enduring punishment" after death, or to burning in "hell-fire" and so on.

What kind of doctrine is it that once in every eleven verses (on average) speaks of divine punishment or of hell? Are we to be good mainly because we are terrified of what someone will do to us if we are not good? Isn't it oddly crude of "God" to rely so strongly on this 'carrot and stick' (with a lot of stick) approach? Are we nothing more than animals to be controlled with the threat of pain and the promise of pleasure? (The Quran also speaks of beautiful couches, delicious food and drink, and gorgeous virgins for the righteous Muslim male after death.) What about the nobler possibilities within us? Our deepest desire, though we often lose touch with it, is to love and learn. Is it God who would drive us with whips and physical pleasures as if we were slaves or subhuman? Sounds more diabolical than divine. And what about 'love'? (I'll look into the Quran's statements on that subject in a future post.)

Here are links to the 1,027 verses I culled (through a database search for all verses with one or more of the words in the italicized word group at the top of this post) from the Quran's total of about 6,220 verses. Of the 1,027 below, I estimate about 500 to 600 contain distinct threats of hell/divine punishment, another 150 to 200 warn of Allah or advise fear of Allah, and the remaining 250 or so have nothing to do with hell/divine punishment:

002.002    002.006    002.007    002.010    002.017    002.019    002.024    002.038    002.039    002.040    002.041    002.049    002.057    002.062    002.063    002.066    002.074    002.079    002.080    002.081    002.085    002.090    002.096    002.104    002.112    002.114    002.119    002.126    002.150    002.155    002.162    002.165    002.166    002.167    002.174    002.175    002.176    002.177    002.178    002.189    002.194    002.195    002.196    002.197    002.201    002.203    002.206    002.217    002.221    002.223    002.229    002.231    002.233    002.239    002.243    002.257    002.262    002.266    002.274    002.275    002.277    002.278    002.279    002.281    002.282    002.283    002.284    002.286    003.004    003.010    003.012    003.016    003.021    003.024    003.028    003.030    003.050    003.056    003.073    003.077    003.088    003.091    003.102    003.103    003.105    003.116    003.123    003.128    003.130    003.131    003.138    003.151    003.162    003.170    003.173    003.175    003.176    003.177    003.178    003.181    003.183    003.185    003.188    003.191    003.192    003.195    003.197    003.198    003.200    004.003    004.009    004.010    004.014    004.016    004.018    004.025    004.030    004.034    004.035    004.037    004.039    004.055    004.056    004.077    004.083    004.093    004.097    004.101    004.104    004.113    004.115    004.119    004.121    004.131    004.138    004.140    004.145    004.151    004.161    004.169    004.173    005.002    005.003    005.004    005.007    005.008    005.010    005.011    005.018    005.028    005.029    005.031    005.033    005.036    005.037    005.041    005.044    005.046    005.049    005.052    005.054    005.057    005.060    005.064    005.069    005.072    005.073    005.080    005.088    005.094    005.095    005.096    005.100    005.108    005.112    005.115    005.118    006.015    006.016    006.019    006.027    006.030    006.031    006.048    006.049    006.051    006.063    006.069    006.070    006.072    006.080    006.081    006.092    006.093    006.128    006.139    006.148    006.151    006.157    007.002    007.009    007.012    007.018    007.034    007.035    007.036    007.038    007.039    007.041    007.044    007.047    007.049    007.050    007.056    007.059    007.063    007.065    007.069    007.073    007.100    007.127    007.136    007.141    007.154    007.164    007.167    007.170    007.171    007.179    007.185    007.201    008.001    008.002    008.011    008.012    008.014    008.016    008.025    008.026    008.029    008.032    008.033    008.034    008.035    008.036    008.037    008.048    008.050    008.056    008.057    008.058    008.068    008.069    009.003    009.013    009.014    009.017    009.018    009.020    009.024    009.028    009.034    009.035    009.039    009.040    009.049    009.052    009.055    009.061    009.063    009.064    009.066    009.068    009.073    009.074    009.079    009.081    009.085    009.086    009.090    009.095    009.101    009.106    009.109    009.113    009.115    009.119    009.120    009.122    009.123    010.002    010.004    010.006    010.008    010.011    010.015    010.027    010.050    010.052    010.054    010.062    010.070    010.083    010.088    010.097    010.098    011.002    011.003    011.008    011.012    011.015    011.016    011.017    011.020    011.026    011.039    011.048    011.058    011.063    011.064    011.067    011.070    011.072    011.074    011.076    011.078    011.083    011.084    011.089    011.093    011.094    011.095    011.098    011.101    011.103    011.106    011.113    011.115    011.116    011.119    012.013    012.025    012.056    012.075    012.090    012.092    013.005    013.012    013.017    013.018    013.021    013.025    013.032    013.034    013.035    013.041    014.002    014.006    014.007    014.014    014.016    014.017    014.021    014.022    014.028    014.029    014.030    014.043    014.044    014.047    014.050    015.005    015.018    015.027    015.043    015.050    015.053    015.069    015.073    015.079    015.083    016.002    016.026    016.029    016.033    016.045    016.047    016.050    016.051    016.052    016.061    016.062    016.063    016.077    016.085    016.088    016.094    016.104    016.106    016.112    016.113    016.117    016.126    017.005    017.008    017.010    017.015    017.016    017.018    017.031    017.039    017.040    017.054    017.057    017.058    017.059    017.060    017.063    017.082    017.097    017.098    017.099    017.100    017.102    017.105    018.002    018.004    018.006    018.029    018.030    018.042    018.049    018.052    018.053    018.055    018.058    018.086    018.087    018.096    018.100    018.102    018.106    019.005    019.018    019.037    019.039    019.045    019.059    019.068    019.075    019.079    019.086    019.097    020.003    020.010    020.011    020.021    020.044    020.045    020.046    020.047    020.048    020.061    020.067    020.068    020.074    020.077    020.087    020.088    020.097    020.112    020.113    020.119    020.127    021.014    021.018    021.028    021.029    021.039    021.045    021.046    021.049    021.068    021.069    021.087    021.090    021.097    021.098    021.102    022.001    022.002    022.004    022.009    022.018    022.019    022.021    022.022    022.025    022.035    022.044    022.047    022.048    022.051    022.055    022.057    022.060    022.072    023.023    023.032    023.041    023.043    023.052    023.057    023.060    023.103    023.104    024.002    024.004    024.011    024.014    024.016    024.023    024.034    024.035    024.037    024.050    024.052    024.055    024.057    025.011    025.015    025.018    025.019    025.021    025.028    025.034    025.037    025.040    025.042    025.065    025.069    026.011    026.012    026.014    026.091    026.094    026.106    026.108    026.110    026.115    026.124    026.126    026.131    026.132    026.135    026.142    026.144    026.150    026.156    026.158    026.161    026.163    026.177    026.179    026.184    026.189    026.201    026.204    026.214    027.007    027.008    027.010    027.021    027.087    027.089    027.090    028.007    028.018    028.021    028.025    028.029    028.030    028.031    028.032    028.033    028.034    028.038    028.041    028.046    028.061    028.064    028.080    029.010    029.016    029.023    029.024    029.025    029.029    029.033    029.036    029.040    029.053    029.054    029.055    029.068    030.016    030.024    030.028    030.031    030.044    030.047    031.006    031.007    031.021    031.024    031.033    032.003    032.013    032.014    032.016    032.020    032.022    033.001    033.008    033.019    033.024    033.032    033.037    033.039    033.055    033.057    033.061    033.064    033.066    033.068    033.070    033.073    034.005    034.008    034.012    034.014    034.017    034.023    034.033    034.038    034.042    034.045    034.046    035.006    035.007    035.010    035.018    035.026    035.028    035.032    035.036    035.045    036.006    036.010    036.011    036.045    036.052    036.063    036.064    036.070    036.080    037.009    037.010    037.020    037.023    037.031    037.033    037.038    037.039    037.047    037.055    037.056    037.057    037.063    037.064    037.067    037.068    037.097    037.101    037.123    037.124    037.127    037.133    037.139    037.163    037.171    037.176    037.181    038.008    038.014    038.022    038.026    038.027    038.041    038.056    038.057    038.058    038.059    038.061    038.064    038.076    038.085    039.008    039.010    039.013    039.016    039.019    039.020    039.022    039.023    039.024    039.025    039.026    039.032    039.037    039.040    039.047    039.054    039.055    039.056    039.058    039.060    039.071    039.072    040.003    040.005    040.006    040.007    040.010    040.015    040.018    040.022    040.025    040.026    040.030    040.032    040.037    040.041    040.043    040.045    040.046    040.047    040.048    040.049    040.060    040.072    040.076    040.084    040.085    041.006    041.013    041.016    041.017    041.019    041.020    041.023    041.024    041.027    041.028    041.030    041.040    041.043    042.007    042.016    042.018    042.021    042.022    042.026    042.042    042.044    042.045    043.025    043.039    043.041    043.048    043.050    043.055    043.063    043.065    043.068    043.074    044.003    044.011    044.012    044.015    044.016    044.030    044.045    044.046    044.047    044.048    044.056    045.007    045.008    045.009    045.010    045.011    045.014    045.034    046.012    046.013    046.015    046.017    046.020    046.021    046.024    046.029    046.031    046.034    046.035    047.004    047.008    047.012    047.015    047.020    048.006    048.013    048.016    048.017    048.027    049.001    049.010    049.012    050.019    050.024    050.026    050.030    050.042    050.045    051.010    051.013    051.014    051.028    051.037    051.055    051.060    052.007    052.009    052.010    052.011    052.013    052.014    052.016    052.018    052.026    052.027    052.029    054.006    054.016    054.018    054.021    054.030    054.036    054.046    054.048    055.015    055.035    055.043    055.044    055.046    056.005    056.019    056.042    056.046    056.054    056.071    056.072    056.093    056.094    057.013    057.015    057.019    057.028    058.004    058.005    058.008    058.009    058.013    058.015    058.016    058.017    059.007    059.013    059.016    059.017    059.018    059.020    059.021    060.011    061.010    064.005    064.010    064.016    065.001    065.002    065.004    065.009    065.010    066.006    066.009    066.010    067.005    067.006    067.007    067.010    067.011    067.012    067.017    067.018    067.026    067.028    068.027    068.031    068.044    068.048    069.005    069.031    070.001    070.015    070.027    070.028    071.001    071.003    071.013    071.025    071.028    072.009    072.013    072.015    072.017    072.023    073.012    073.013    074.002    074.017    074.019    074.020    074.026    074.027    074.031    074.035    074.042    074.053    074.056    075.029    075.034    075.035    076.004    076.007    076.010    076.031    077.006    077.012    077.015    077.019    077.024    077.028    077.029    077.034    077.037    077.040    077.045    077.047    077.049    078.002    078.021    078.025    078.027    078.030    078.040    079.019    079.025    079.036    079.039    079.040    079.045    080.009    080.017    081.006    081.012    082.014    082.015    083.001    083.005    083.010    083.016    084.002    084.005    084.011    084.012    084.024    085.004    085.005    085.006    085.010    087.010    087.012    088.004    088.005    088.024    089.013    089.023    089.025    090.020    091.015    092.014    096.018    098.006    098.008    100.002    101.001    101.002    101.003    101.011    102.006    104.001    104.006    106.004    107.004    111.001    111.003

Is Islam Inherently Tyrannical? Or Are We Witnessing a Passing Phase?

I won't try to answer that now. Instead, in the interest of getting to know the Qur'an just a little bit better, I thought I’d see what I could turn up from a computer search for all Qur’an verses containing both “obey” and a Muhammed epithet like “Messenger” or “Prophet”. Here's everything that came up (if you want to see three standard English translations of the same verse, click on the links) :

Chapter 3, Verse 032:
(Yusufali version): Say: "Obey Allah and His Messenger": But if they turn back, Allah loveth not those who reject Faith.

Chapter 3, Verse 050:
(Yusufali version): "'(I have come to you), to attest the Law which was before me. And to make lawful to you part of what was (Before) forbidden to you; I have come to you with a Sign from your Lord. So fear Allah, and obey me.

Chapter 3, Verse 132:
(Yusufali version): And obey Allah and the Messenger; that ye may obtain mercy.

Chapter 4, Verse 013:
(Yusufali version): Those are limits set by Allah: those who obey Allah and His Messenger will be admitted to Gardens with rivers flowing beneath, to abide therein (for ever) and that will be the supreme achievement.

Chapter 4, Verse 014:
(Yusufali version): But those who disobey Allah and His Messenger and transgress His limits will be admitted to a Fire, to abide therein: And they shall have a humiliating punishment.

Chapter 4, Verse 059:
(Yusufali version): O ye who believe! Obey Allah, and obey the Messenger, and those charged with authority among you. If ye differ in anything among yourselves, refer it to Allah and His Messenger, if ye do believe in Allah and the Last Day: That is best, and most suitable for final determination.

Chapter 4, Verse 069:
(Yusufali version): All who obey Allah and the messenger are in the company of those on whom is the Grace of Allah,- of the prophets (who teach), the sincere (lovers of Truth), the witnesses (who testify), and the Righteous (who do good): Ah! what a beautiful fellowship!

Chapter 4, Verse 080:
Yusufali: He who obeys the Messenger, obeys Allah: But if any turn away, We have not sent thee to watch over their (evil deeds).

Chapter 5, Verse 092:
(Yusufali version): Obey Allah, and obey the Messenger, and beware (of evil): if ye do turn back, know ye that it is Our Messenger's duty to proclaim (the message) in the clearest manner.

Chapter 8, Verse 001:
(Yusufali version): They ask thee concerning (things taken as) spoils of war. Say: "(such) spoils are at the disposal of Allah and the Messenger: So fear Allah, and keep straight the relations between yourselves: Obey Allah and His Messenger, if ye do believe."

Chapter 8, Verse 020:
(Yusufali version): O ye who believe! Obey Allah and His Messenger, and turn not away from him when ye hear (him speak).

Chapter 8, Verse 046:
(Yusufali version): And obey Allah and His Messenger; and fall into no disputes, lest ye lose heart and your power depart; and be patient and persevering: For Allah is with those who patiently persevere:

Chapter 9, Verse 071:
(Yusufali version): The Believers, men and women, are protectors one of another: they enjoin what is just, and forbid what is evil: they observe regular prayers, practise regular charity, and obey Allah and His Messenger. On them will Allah pour His mercy: for Allah is Exalted in power, Wise.

Chapter 24, Verse 051:
(Yusufali version): The answer of the Believers, when summoned to Allah and His Messenger, in order that He may judge between them, is no other than this: they say, "We hear and we obey": it is such as these that will attain felicity.

Chapter 24, Verse 052:
(Yusufali version): It is such as obey Allah and His Messenger, and fear Allah and do right, that will win (in the end),

Chapter 24, Verse 054:
(Yusufali version): Say: "Obey Allah, and obey the Messenger: but if ye turn away, he is only responsible for the duty placed on him and ye for that placed on you. If ye obey him, ye shall be on right guidance. The Messenger's duty is only to preach the clear (Message).

Chapter 24, Verse 056:
(Yusufali version): So establish regular Prayer and give regular Charity; and obey the Messenger; that ye may receive mercy.

Chapter 33, Verse 033:
(Yusufali version): And stay quietly in your houses, and make not a dazzling display, like that of the former Times of Ignorance; and establish regular Prayer, and give regular Charity; and obey Allah and His Messenger. And Allah only wishes to remove all abomination from you, ye members of the Family, and to make you pure and spotless.

Chapter 33, Verse 036:
(Yusufali version): It is not fitting for a Believer, man or woman, when a matter has been decided by Allah and His Messenger to have any option about their decision: if any one disobeys Allah and His Messenger, he is indeed on a clearly wrong Path.

Chapter 33, Verse 071:
(Yusufali version): That He may make your conduct whole and sound and forgive you your sins: He that obeys Allah and His Messenger, has already attained the highest achievement.

Chapter 47, Verse 033:
(Yusufali version): O ye who believe! Obey Allah, and obey the messenger, and make not vain your deeds!

Chapter 48, Verse 017:
(Yusufali version): No blame is there on the blind, nor is there blame on the lame, nor on one ill (if he joins not the war): But he that obeys Allah and his Messenger,- (Allah) will admit him to Gardens beneath which rivers flow; and he who turns back, (Allah) will punish him with a grievous Penalty.

Chapter 49, Verse 014:
(Yusufali version): The desert Arabs say, "We believe." Say, "Ye have no faith; but ye (only)say, 'We have submitted our wills to Allah,' For not yet has Faith entered your hearts. But if ye obey Allah and His Messenger, He will not belittle aught of your deeds: for Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful."

Chapter 58, Verse 013:
(Yusufali version): Is it that ye are afraid of spending sums in charity before your private consultation (with him)? If, then, ye do not so, and Allah forgives you, then (at least) establish regular prayer; practise regular charity; and obey Allah and His Messenger. And Allah is well-acquainted with all that ye do.

Chapter 64, Verse 012:
(Yusufali version): So obey Allah, and obey His Messenger: but if ye turn back, the duty of Our Messenger is but to proclaim (the Message) clearly and openly.

Muhammed channeling 'Allah' on the subject of Noah:

Chapter 71, Verses 001, 002, 003:
(Yusufali version): We sent Noah to his People (with the Command): "Do thou warn thy People before there comes to them a grievous Penalty."
He said: "O my People! I am to you a Warner, clear and open:
"That ye should worship Allah, fear Him and obey me:

Once more on the subject of Noah:

Chapter 26, Verses 106, 107, 108:
(Yusufali version): Behold, their brother Noah said to them: "Will ye not fear (Allah)?
"I am to you a messenger worthy of all trust:
"So fear Allah, and obey me.

…channeling on the subject of Hud:

Chapter 26, Verses 124, 125, 126:
(Yusufali version): Behold, their brother Hud said to them: "Will ye not fear (Allah)?
"I am to you a messenger worthy of all trust:
"So fear Allah and obey me.

…channeling on Salih:

Chapter 26, Verses 142, 143, 144:
(Yusufali version): Behold, their brother Salih said to them: "Will you not fear (Allah)?
"I am to you a messenger worthy of all trust.
"So fear Allah, and obey me.

…on Lot:

Chapter 26, Verses 161, 162, 163:
(Yusufali version): Behold, their brother Lut said to them: "Will ye not fear (Allah)?
"I am to you a messenger worthy of all trust.
"So fear Allah and obey me.

…on Shu’aib:

Chapter 26, Verses 177, 178, 179:
(Yusufali version): Behold, Shu'aib said to them: "Will ye not fear (Allah)?
"I am to you a messenger worthy of all trust.
"So fear Allah and obey me.

Muhammed’s 'Allah's' Jesus:

Chapter 43, Verse 063:
(Yusufali version): When Jesus came with Clear Signs, he said: "Now have I come to you with Wisdom, and in order to make clear to you some of the (points) on which ye dispute: therefore fear Allah and obey me.

"For a believing Muslim, to create is a rash and dangerous act."

So wrote Daniel Boorstin, author of the powerful three volumes titled The Discoverers, The Seekers and The Creators. The title of this post comes from the end of one of The Creators’ short chapters. In a few pages Boorstin sought the heart of the difference between Islamic and Judeo-Christian culture. At the risk of mutilating the chapter in question, here are some choice excerpts:

…the Muslim God, though a kind of Creator, had a character quite different from the God of the Hebrews and the Christians...[I]n the Koran the role of the Creator is transformed. The familiar words of Genesis record that God spent six days on the Creation.

[Genesis 2:2] 'And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day...'

In the Koran God never rests, for he can never be tired.

'[Koran, Chapter 50, verse] 38: We created the heavens and the earth and all between them in Six Days. Nor did any sense of weariness touch Us.'

It is no wonder that the Koranic God was not wearied. For He created not by making but by ordering, not by work but by command. The creation of anything occurs when He decrees it into being.

'[Koran, Chapter 2, verse] 117: To Him is due the primal origin of the heavens and the earth; when He decreeth a matter, He saith to it: "Be," and it is.'

Again and again the Koran describes God's fiat...

There are some similar expressions in Genesis of God creating by fiat...But there is a vast difference in emphasis between the acts of Creation in the Bible and in the Koran. And between the character of the Hebrew-Christian God the Maker, and the Muslim God of Fiat...

The Muslim Creator-God is notable not only, nor even mainly, for His work in the Beginning, but as an orderer, a commander, of life and death in our present. The Judeo-Christian God is awesome for the uniqueness of His work in the Beginning. Then He may intervene by divine providence...

After...the six days of fiat, the God of the Koran, having no reason to rest, simply mounted the throne of authority. From there he continued to rule by decree over life and death and every earthly act.

The relation of the Muslim God to his creature man, then, is quite unbiblical. The uniqueness of the biblical Creator-God was in his powers of making; the uniqueness of man and woman too would be in their power to imitate their God and after their fashion to exercise the power of creation. After God created the species in the Beginning, he blessed them to be fruitful and multiply...

Why did God create man? The God of the Bible would judge man by his fulfillment of his godlike image. Not so in Islam.

'[Koran, Chapter 51, verse] 56: I have only created jinns and men, that they may serve Me. I created the jinn and humankind only that they might worship me.'

...The People of the Koran prefer to call themselves Muslims, from 'Islam,' the Arabic word for submission or obedience. The Koran repeatedly reminds us that Allah's creatures are also his 'servants' or 'slaves'. What clearer warning against reaching for the new? For a believing Muslim, to create is a rash and dangerous act.

(Boorstin, 1992, pp.63-69.)

Is Calling Islamic Law "Draconian" Unfair to Draco?

Probably not. As legend at least, Draco is remembered for promulgating severe seventh century B.C. laws "naming death as the penalty even for minor offenses that today would be classed as misdemeanors." (Ancient Greece, Pomeroy, et al., Oxford University Press, 1999)

But even though he was no Draco, Muhammed could be pretty harsh, or at least that's what Muslim documents record. For example, take one of the red hot iron excerpts from Sahih Bukhari,* a group of documents revered by Muslims as second only to the Quran:

Volume 8, Book 82, Number 796:

Narrated Anas:
A group of people from 'Ukl (tribe) came to the Prophet and they were living with the people of As-Suffa, but they became ill as the climate of Medina did not suit them, so they said, "O Allah's Apostle! Provide us with milk." The Prophet said, I see no other way for you than to use the camels of Allah's Apostle." So they went and drank the milk and urine of the camels, (as medicine) and became healthy and fat. Then they killed the shepherd and took the camels away. When a help-seeker came to Allah's Apostle, he sent some men in their pursuit, and they were captured and brought before mid day. The Prophet [Muhammed] ordered for some iron pieces to be made red hot, and their eyes were branded with them and their hands and feet were cut off and were not cauterized. Then they were put at a place called Al-Harra, and when they asked for water to drink they were not given till they died. (Abu Qilaba said, "Those people committed theft and murder and fought against Allah and His Apostle.")

(my emphasis)

Gee, I wish Muhammed wouldn’t have held back like that. If I were there I would have urged him to get tough on those murderers.

Ok, it’s true that punishments could be pretty harsh everywhere fourteen hundred years ago. But it is rather striking, is it not, to see that the prime examplar for Muslims, the man they consider the best of men, is someone most Muslims believe was capable of the above and similar acts.

One might drop it there, except that most Muslims take Muhammed’s example as valid for all time, including our own. Why? Because he channeled God’s word verbatim, or so Muslims say. Both Huston Smith, in The World’s Religions and Daniel Boorstin, in The Creators pointed out that for Muslims the Quran is the “Inlibration” of God, the entry of God into a book, somewhat as for Christians Christ is the Incarnation of God, the entry of God into the flesh. The Muslim attitude to the Quran is not analogous to the Christian attitude toward the Bible (which Christians generally consider an “inspired” record, not a verbatim transcript of God’s own words).

When one recalls that small parts of Europe may be ruled by Sharia (Islamic law) within a decade or two, and all of Europe by century's end, the urgency of getting to know Muhammed becomes evident. So in future posts I'll cite other remarkable episodes from his life.

*According to the University of Southern California website, Compendium of Muslim Texts:

"...Bukhari's collection is recognized by the overwhelming majority of the Muslim world to be one of the most authentic collections of the Sunnah [life] of the Prophet... The Sunnah is the second source of Islamic jurisprudence, the first being the Qur'an. Both sources are indispensable; one cannot practice Islam without consulting both of them."

Immigration Advisory

In this post I expand my last one, and take Freedom House rankings of civil liberties/political rights in every country in the world, and correlate those rankings with the percentage of a country's population that is Muslim. (Recall that the best possible Freedom House ranking is "1" for civil liberties and "1" for political rights, for a total score of "2". Costa Rica, Germany, Taiwan, the U.S. and Canada are examples of nations that earned a "2" ranking. The worst possible ranking is 7 for civil liberties and 7 for political rights, for a total of 14. Saudi Arabia and Syria are examples of countries ranked "14".)

For 2005, here is the inverse relation I found between Muslim population percentages and civil liberties/political rights:

23 nations in the world had populations that were 91%-100% Muslim. These nations earned an average Freedom House ranking of 10.4 for civil liberties and political rights.

13 nations had populations that were 71-90% Muslim. These nations earned an average Freedom House ranking of 9.6.

8 nations had populations that were 51-70% Muslim. These nations earned an average ranking of 9.3

14 nations had populations that were 20-50% Muslim. These nations earned an average ranking of 8.4.

The world's remaining 130 or so nations had populations that were 0% to 19% Muslim, and earned an average Freedom House ranking of 5.1.

So the 2005 period covered by the 2006 Freedom House report shows that the lower the percentage of Muslims in a country, the better off that country tended to be in terms of civil liberties/political rights.

As I mentioned in my last post, there are a few exceptions to that overall pattern, like Mali. Mali is 90% Muslim, but was given a "4" ranking, which is sufficiently good to put Mali in Freedom House's "free country" category. Now if only Mali could export whatever it's got that Syria ain't got.

If You Desire Political Rights And Civil Liberties, Is Islam Undesirable?

Freedom House's "2006 Freedom In The World Rankings" gives every country in the world a ranking from 1 to 7 (7 being the worst) in civil liberties and another 1-7 ranking in political rights.

I wanted to see if I could find a relationship between the kind of Freedom House rankings a country earns and the percentage of Muslims in that country. So I gathered percentages, correlated, and here are my results:

In the 2006 report, countries that are 51%-70% Muslim earn an average Freedom House ranking of 9.1 (adding the civil liberties ranking to the political rights ranking).

Countries that are 71%-90% Muslim earn an average ranking of 9.6.

Countries that are 91%-100% Muslim earn an average ranking of 10.4.

To put this in perspective, remember that the best possible ranking a country can receive is 2, in other words 1 for civil liberties and 1 for political rights. Canada, Costa Rica, Taiwan, Germany and the U.S. are examples of countries that earned a ‘2’ ranking. Now if you consider the above-shown rankings for Muslim countries, you see that on average, the higher the percentage of Muslims in a country (though I only calculated for countries with Muslim percentages 51% and over) the worse the civil liberties and political rights rankings earned by that country.

This result, if correct, is not terribly surprising, since Freedom House statistics reveal the more general fact that the group of Muslim-majority countries, although they have made progress toward rights and liberties over the last ten years, nevertheless lag well behind every other major region in the world. Thus it would seem the really significant threshold percentages are not those I examined above. The bigger marker is the transition from minority to majority status, from less than 50% Muslim to more than 50% Muslim. Of course this is only a generalization and it is well to remember an exceptional place like Mali. Mali is 90% Muslim and earned a combined civil liberties and political rights score of 4, which, though not a 2, is still good enough to put it in Freedom House’s “free country” category.

According to Freedom House

Western Europe:
24 free countries, 1 partly free country

Americas:
24 free countries, 9 partly free, 2 not free

Asia Pacific:
16 free, 12 partly free, 11 not free

Sub-Saharan
11 free, 23 partly free, 14 not free

Muslim-majority countries:
3 free, 20 partly free, 23 not free

Muslim-majority countries a decade ago
1 free, 13 partly free, 32 not free

The “2006” Freedom House report shows ratings for the period from Dec.1, 2004 to Nov 30, 2005. During that time, Mali, Senegal, and Indonesia were the only Muslim-majority countries to earn a “free” rating, though none of them received the best possible “free” rating of ‘2’. But what is it they have that tyrannies like Syria, Libya and Saudi Arabia so egregiously lack? And can it be exported?

And why is there such a huge liberty lag in Muslim countries considered as a group?

The world is only now waking to the likelihood that the Muslim liberty-lag is to some significant degree a result of the totalitarian character of central aspects of the Quran and Hadith.

Is It Islamic To Sentence A Man To Death For Leaving Islam?

In Afghanistan, apparently so. Excerpt from Reuters:

March 23, 2006, KABUL - Afghanistan's judiciary will not bow to outside pressure over the fate of a man who faces the death penalty for converting to Christianity, a judge dealing with the case said on Thursday.

U.S. President George W. Bush said he was deeply troubled by the case of Abdur Rahman, who an Afghan judge said this week had been jailed for converting from Islam to Christianity and could face death if he refused to become a Muslim again.

Death is one of the punishments stipulated by sharia, or Islamic law, for apostasy. The Afghan legal system is based on a mix of civil and sharia law.

So does this judge represent “true” Islam? Consider a bit of evidence from Sahih Bukhari, to Muslims a sacred text just one step below the Quran. According to the University of Southern California website, Compendium of Muslim Texts:

...Bukhari's collection is recognized by the overwhelming majority of the Muslim world to be one of the most authentic collections of the Sunnah [life] of the Prophet... The Sunnah is the second source of Islamic jurisprudence, the first being the Qur'an. Both sources are indispensable; one cannot practice Islam without consulting both of them.

Now consider this from Sahih Bukhari:

Volume 9, Book 84, Number 57:
Narrated 'Ikrima:
Some Zanadiqa (atheists) were brought to 'Ali and he burnt them. The news of this event, reached Ibn 'Abbas who said, "If I had been in his place, I would not have burnt them, as Allah's Apostle forbade it, saying, 'Do not punish anybody with Allah's punishment (fire).' I would have killed them according to the statement of Allah's Apostle [Muhammed], 'Whoever changed his Islamic religion, then kill him.'"

(My bolding) Also from Sahih Bukhari, Muhammed speaks of afterlife punishment for those who 'do new things' and alter Islam after Muhammed has died:

Volume 9, Book 88, Number 174:
Narrated Sahl bin Sa'd:
I heard the Prophet saying, "I am your predecessor at the Lake-Fount (Kauthar), and whoever will come to it, will drink from it, and whoever will drink from it, will never become thirsty after that. There will come to me some people whom I know and they know me, and then a barrier will be set up between me and them." Abu Sa'id Al-Khudri added that the Prophet further said: "I will say those people are from me. It will be said, 'You do not know what changes and new things they did after you.' Then I will say, 'Far removed (from mercy), far removed (from mercy), those who changed (the religion) after me! "

(My bolding) Islam, arguably more than other major religions, contains obstacles to innovation and freedom -- and not only in these two passages we have cited. But in seeking an overview, we will continue to keep a mind open to counterevidence.

80,000 U.K. Muslims Support 7/7/05 London Terror

...And 320,000 UK Muslims sympathize and believe suicide attacks against the UK military can be justified. What the Quran and other central Muslim documents tell us about Islam is in a way less important than what Muslims believe Islam is. Yesterday, Daniel Pipes wrote in the New York Sun:

Islamism [radical Islam] is a deeply grounded and widely popular version of Islam, as shown by election results from Afghanistan to Algeria. Reliable opinion polls are lacking from majority-Muslim countries but repeated surveys in Britain give some idea of the harrowingly extremist attitudes of its Muslim population: 5 % of them [80,000 people] support the July 7, 2005, terrorist attacks in London and say more such attacks are justified; 20% [320,000 people] have sympathy with the feelings and motives of the July 7 attackers and believe that suicide attacks against the military in Britain can be justified. These results are probably typical of Muslim populations globally, as recent polls of Indonesians and Palestinian Arabs confirms.

According to the 2001 UK census, 5% of Muslims amounts to 80,000 people, and 20% = 320,000 people.

Muslims, Imams, Michael Novak, Liberty

Back in the early 1980s, Michael Novak, on publication of his The Spirit of Democratic Capitalism, became for a time the West’s preeminent social thinker, who with creative brilliance revealed anew the moral underpinnings of Western social systems and thus helped put fire in the bellies of Eastern Europeans resisting Soviet domination. In 2004, Novak published The Universal Hunger for Liberty, Why The Clash of Civilizations Is Not Inevitable, from which this excerpt sums up our current conundrum well:

In early September 2002, I was asked to give five lectures to the senior field commanders of the Sudanese resistance fighting against the oppressive Islamist government of Sudan. From what I had read in the papers, I expected most of these commanders to be Christian. To my surprise, more than half were serious Muslims. All together, Christians and Muslims and representatives of ancient African religions of nature wanted me to lecture on the religious roots of human dignity, liberty, and human rights. They were willing to hear about secular justifications of these concepts (as in Hobbes and Locke), and they were attentive to a discussion of how Jews and Christians had their own religious imperatives to develop these concepts and to support experiments in institutionalizing them. But what they really wanted to hear was how Muslims could develop concepts of human liberty, dignity, and equality, including a Muslim doctrine of human rights. “We are serious Muslims,” the majority said. “We try to live as devout Muslims. Please, help us to find a Muslim theory that embraces the best of the modern world, such as democracy and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.”

"Why," they asked, “when Bin Laden finally moved to adopt the methods of the 20th century, why did he choose as his models the worst of the century, Hitler and Stalin, rather than the best, the tradition of democracy and human rights?” “It cannot be,” one said in plaintive tones, “that dignity, liberty, and human rights are for Jews and Christians and secular humanists only, but not for Muslims!”

This vivid experiece in Asmara taught me that there is immense turmoil in the bosom of Islam these days. One of the commanders had been a professor at McGill in Canada, another a professor at the Sorbonne; both said they were serious Muslims, but not specialists in religion. The others too, most of them professional people, thought themselves to be both modern men and women and devoutly Muslim. Nonetheless, learned imams had accused them of abandoning Islam by their commitments to human rights and democracy. They could not comprehend how this could be so, but did not know how to argue against the imams. They begged me for help. Not being an expert in Islam, I could not do all they asked. I felt helpless…

Yet it did seem to me, I said to them, that Islamic belief in the Creator and in reward and punishment for our deeds on Earth must give grounds for a rich theory of human dignity and liberty, whether or not any group of Muslim theologians had yet drawn out all the relevant implications of these doctrines…

(p.191-192, my bolding)

The troubling aspect of this excerpt is that the best Novak can do is point to some elements in Islam -- a Creator and rewards and punishments -- and suggest that these might be used by someone to ground an Islamic concept of liberty and human rights. Yes, provided Islam doesn't have too many organically built-in mechanisms for snuffing out liberty. But we'll keep an open mind for now, and continue sifting evidence and counterevidence...