I was going through websites and blogs about religions so I learn more about every single religion existed. I couldn't help but read this article written by James Arlandson who happens to have a PhD and teaches world religions and introductory philosophy at a college in southern California.
I was shocked when I read this specific post on his blog. I understand that I am not all religious although I come from both Christian and Muslim backgrounds, but I know enough to disagree with all what he said. I will quote his sentences and put them in italics so you can differentiate between my words and his. The link to his article is posted at the end of this post.
"Ever since 9/11, Muslim leaders who have access to the national media have told us that Islam is the religion of peace and that violence does not represent the essence of Muhammad's religion.
Even President Bush and Britain's Prime Minister Blair have repeated this assertion, saying that Islam has been 'hijacked' by a few violent fanatics. Is this true?
Sadly it is not, for empirical, observable facts demonstrate beyond doubt that Islam at its founding is filled with violence—in the life of Muhammad himself and in the Quran itself.
Hence, these Muslim apologists must stop misleading unsuspecting Westerners, and they must be honest about the heart of their religion, for once and for all."
He's saying that all Islam are just liars who deny the original roots of Islam, that is violence. And he also insists that Muhammad and the Quran represent violence. In his case, it's obvious he doesn't know anything from what he's talking about. All I can do is oppose every word he said by proof and by being a person who knows better than him about Islam.
I will start pointing out the ten top reasons he mentioned and talk about them in details.
10 Muhammad nicknames his weapons
I mean, come on, this is the silliest excuse and the silliest thing ever mentioned in his blog. Everyone nicknames his weapons. All countries and people have nicknames for literally everything. I bet you have a nickname for your wee yourself. So I believe this point is a total non sense that I will have to stop writing about. Although I still have to mention that his point relies heavily on some "early Muslim historian" who only The State University of New York Press trust. I haven't heard of him by the way.
9 Muhammad commands in his Quran that adulterers and adulteresses should receive a hundred lashes
This is true and mentioned in the Quran. In all religions, premarital sex is prohibited, that's why there is something called Marriage Sanctity. So if a girl or a guy experiences sexual acts without marriage, in all religions it's considered an outlaw. Remember when Virgin Mary was pregnant how she was an outcast and everyone started talking about her and treating her badly because she wasn't married, well the punishment in Islam is for the adulterer and the adulteress to receive a hundred lashes to be cleaned from the sins committed.
If there wasn't any "religious" punishment for sins, especially about adultery, there wouldn't be something called marriage in any of the religions or the holy religions we're talking about.
"Perhaps the most gruesome hadith is the following. A woman came to the Prophet and asked for purification. He told her to go away and seek God's forgiveness. She persisted four times and admitted that she was pregnant as a result of fornication. He told her to wait until she had given birth. Then he said that the Muslim community should wait until she had weaned her child. When the day arrived for the child to take solid food, Muhammad handed the child over to the community and ordered the woman's death by stoning.
And when he had given command over her and she was put in a hole up to her breast, he ordered the people to stone her. Khalid b. al—Walid came forward with a stone which he threw at her head, and when the blood spurted on his face he cursed her . . . (Muslim)
The Prophet prayed over her dead body and then buried her. Truthfully, how effective was the prayer when Muhammad and his community murdered her in cold blood? They should have forgiven her and let her go to raise her child."
"He cursed her . . . (Muslim)"???? Man are you serious? There is nothing called leaving a bastard child in this world and killing a woman for having premarital pregnancy. And by the way, the only punishment where it's killing is when a Muslim kills another HUMAN BEING for no reason, because in Islam, we are all humans and when someone thinks he has the privilege of killing another human being for no reason, he will be punished by life being taken away from him. He should check his sources before writing such things or I think he should go back to his old school and study the Islam religion a bit more.
8 Muhammad in his Quran permits husbands to beat their wives
"Husbands should take full care of their wives, with [the bounties] God has given to some more than others and with what they spend out of their own money. Righteous wives are devout and guard what God would have them guard in the husbands' absence. If you fear high—handedness from your wives, remind them [of the teaching of God], then ignore them when you go to bed, then hit them. If they obey you, you have no right to act against them. God is most high and great." He quotes from the Quran.
I believe the whole verse is misunderstood. And also there is an entire Hadith explaining the true meaning behind the "hit them" sentence. At that time, in ALL religions, wives were being beaten. But in Islam the beating means a tap on the shoulder and not domestic violence as he called it.
"Thus, domestic violence sits at the heart of early Islam—in the life of Muhammad and his Quran. Islam is therefore not the religion of peace."
Did you know that Muhammad never laid a hand on any of his wives and daughters? Just for the record.
7 Muhammad in his Quran commands that the hands of male or female thieves should be cut off
Let me start by saying: STOP saying Muhammad in HIS Quran! The Quran is a holy book sent from above, according to Islam. This proves that he doesn't know anything about Islam except that he reads online unreliable sources and starts quoting and acting all smart. The Quran doesn't belong to Muhammad and he never created it, it's God's written words. It's a miracle that Muhammad didn't do.
Well, let me explain this punishment. Back in the days, there were no prisons and no ways of punishing thieves, so the only way a person can regret stealing is by having his/her hand cut off and NOT BOTH HANDS. First the left hand because the right is an important hand and direction in religion. Then if he does it again then the right one will be cut off.
I think in all Islamic countries now they don't use this punishment because they have prisons and other alternative ways of punishments.
6 Muhammad assassinates poets and poetesses
He mentions in his article that Muhammad killed a poet after he begged for mercy saying that he has children and a poetess after she mocked Muhammad was killed in cold blood while her child was sleeping on her breast. I never knew Islam kills in such cold blood. This is new information to me especially when I know that all people at that time used to speak in a poetic way. Most Muslims back then used to be poets and poetesses. Have a look at the Quran in it's original language 'Arabic' and you will notice that it's written in a very poetic way where most verses rhyme.
"However, even if Muslims reject the early non—Quranic sources where these assassinations are found, they still must answer these questions: Why would such a tradition grow up around Muhammad in friendly Islamic sources? What was it about Muhammad that produced such reports? Why are these sources eager to present their prophet in a 'positive' way?"
5 Muhammad commands death or the cutting off of hands and feet for fighting and corrupting the land
Let's see... What if a person tries to assassinate the American president? One should not be punished in anyway, he should be talked to and left alone? An American shall not be punished for fighting against America in a war or for being a spy? Is this what the "Dr." meant? Hypocrite!
Let me put it in other words. The Christ was tortured and crucified in the worst ways ever and he didn't do anything about it. Regardless of the reasons. If I was Muhammad, I wouldn't want this happening to me. There were no prisons, what's the punishment then?
4 Muhammad aggressively attacks Meccan caravans
This is true, but without the "aggressively" because at that time Meccan caravans attacked many Islamic troops that were traveling for trade and stole their merchandise. It was a revenge to take back what originally belongs to them.
Let's consider it unfair wars to expand the Islam religion. Did he forget about the Crusades in Europe where they started slaughtering people in the name of Christianity?
3 Muhammad in his Quran promises sensuous Gardens for martyrs dying in a military holy war
"Throughout the Quran, Muhammad promises the men in his fledgling Muslim community that if they die fighting for Allah and for him, Allah will reward them with a 'virgin—rich' Garden.
Muhammad lost 70 of his fighters. Thus, he must make the loss of life appear worth the sacrifice, so he frames their deaths in an economic bargain. If his jihadists trade in or sell their lives down here, they will be granted Islamic heaven—it is a done deal."
Terrorists and suicide bombers are people who, regarding to Islam, are not considered martyrs because they didn't die in war, instead they die voluntarily making them as guilty as those who commit suicide. So, yes they are martyrs when they die during a battle but not when they voluntarily kill themselves.
2 Muhammad unjustly executes around 600 male Jews and enslaves the women and children
"The sentence: Death by decapitation for around 600 men (some Islamic sources say 900), and enslavement for the women and children (he took a beautiful Jewess as his own prize). Muhammad was wise enough to have six clans execute two Jews each in order to stop any blood—feuds. The rest of the executions were probably carried out by his fellow Emigrants from Mecca and lasted the whole night."
I am just speechless! Yet again, let's assume this is true. Crusaders killed Jews and Muslims UNJUSTLY. Jews tortured the Christ UNJUSTLY. Jews are killing Muslims everyday in Palestine UNJUSTLY. So I guess one mistake from Islam, if considered mistake, is to be forgiven compared to all the rest giving the fact that it took place 1,500 years ago.
1 Muhammad launches his own Crusades
Every religion has a crusade. And by the "Dr." writing this article. It's a crusade against Islam and specifically Muhammad.
This article did not insult me. In fact it insults the entire Islamic religion especially that he ends every point description with the sentence "Islam is therefore not the religion peace." I will not be talking religion now, I will be speaking as a human.
In order for any religion to be spread, it has to have a certain power and control. Jews did extremely inhumane things, Christians launched massive destructive crusades, Islam started many wars. I personally don't think terrorists are in anyway linked to Islam. They all use the name of Islam to have the power to perform such terrorist acts. What about the Jews fighting for the "right" of the land in the name of their religion. What about Christians hating all other religions and having terrorist cells as well.
A person, especially one who teaches "religion 'S' " should understand that all religions have their bad and good side. Many things are unexplained, that's why it's called religion and belief.
I think Jim Arlandson is a Christian extremist who is, to me, exactly equal to the Muslim extremists. Both try their best to find faults and errors in eachother's religions. I can't accept any word from any of such people because I believe that religion has a higher meaning than just standing there and criticizing other religions.
A message for JAMES ARLANDSON
You are speaking as if you know about Islam. You want to prove your points no matter what, because you know you won't be trusted or believed entirely, by putting a million links on your post. You are attacking Muhammad and not Islam, so Muhammad might had been a bad figure but I don't think a religion is created for destruction. You keep mentioning that Muhammad said in HIS Quran and this is utterly wrong because in Islam Muhammad is the prophit who will deliver the messages from God (Quran) to the people.
You need to learn a lot about Islam because you don't know anything about it. I know about Christianity and Islam because I have my parents having both religions. They are both holy religions that are aimed for peace and love.
Last but not least, you are ignorant regarding this matter.
Here's the link to the original article that I responded to:
