A good person never expects anything in return, when he does a good deed to another. He would never expect the other person to thank him for the rest of his life, or bow five times a day before him, nor would he curse him or hate him for not thanking him. 

Now examine the concept of Allah in Islam. Muhammad said that Allah did us a favour by creating us (though we never asked him to). Then he DEMANDS that we bow before him five times a day to thank him, and please his vanity by chanting he is great (Allah-oh-Akhbar) and that there is no one else besides him. He doesn't just demand, but threatens to throw us into hell if we do not do this. Also, for those who do not follow him (the non-believers), he secures a burning hell.  

Only an evil person would behave thus-use threats and punishments to coerce helpless people to chant his praise five times a day and assure him that there is no one else besides him. If Allah is good, he would be just concerned about our happiness, not to assert his power over us and his vanity. Also, Allah lacks self-esteem, as no person with self respect would force others to respect him and force them not to worship anyone else. A truly great person doesn't need others to tell him he is great and doesn't bully others in praising him only and no one else. 

Also, a good person doesn't praise himself. He in fact remains humble even when his accomplishments are praised by others. Only a parasite and a very empty vessel brags about himself and praises himself with his own mouth. Now, let us suppose that the Koran has indeed come from Allah. Witness that the Koran is heavily laced with verses praising Allah. If Allah is the source of the Koran, then he has spared no effort in praising himself. He has called himself the Exalted, the Supreme, the Most Compassionate and Merciful, the Sovereign, the One, The Source of Peace, to just name a few. Not only has he praised himself, but he demands his followers to regularly chant the Koran and praise him with the most fanciful salutations. Based on this, can anyone say that he is good? He is more a petulant, narcissist worthless creature.  

Allah resembles more to Saddam Hussein, a dictator than to a real god. All that a dictator is concerned is in ruling the people, that the people Submit their wills to his will, and no one else's, praise him and thank and him for everything. Those who do not follow him (the non-believers), he would usually torture and lock them away in some dungeon (the hell in Islam). 

It matters little whether the person who does not bow before him five times and worships no one (an atheist) or someone else (as Hindus and people from other religion) are good people, moral and caring. All he is concerned, as any bloody dictator, is that they submit to his will, which is the essence of the word Islam (submission). Similarly, it matters little to him if the people who do bow five times before him are immoral and ruthless and evil doers --- he will allow them to come to heaven eventually. 

Also note that he enjoins his people to spread his glory and name by spreading Islam to get more people to bow before him. He doesn't tell them just to love each other and help one another, irrespective of being believers or idol-worshippers. He exhorts them to convert the non-believers and if necessary use violence. In certain passages in the Koran, as widely documented, the followers are asked to use force on the non-believers. It matters little whether his followers have evil doers and live like animals, as the present state of the world testifies. All that is important to him is that they worship him and with that he is content. 

This is the core of Islam, which is really indefensible. Hence, the need for censorship at gunpoint, the need to murder people (as the Holland filmmaker Van Gogh), or pass death sentences on people who expose Islam (such as Taslima Nasreen). Hence the blasphemy laws in Pakistan and other Islamic countries. The fact is that if one has the Truth with him, then he need not be afraid of what others say-another person's disagreeing cannot change the Truth or Reality. It is only when one knows that one is wrong, so wrong that the first person to disagree or criticize you can crumble your entire system, that you need to murder him when he speaks. 

This article appeared in www.faithfreedom.org on 06 January, 2006