1. The Koran and its Messages
As well as the Koran (or Qur’an), the Holy Books of Islam include the Hadiths (traditional sayings – and some stories – about Mohammed the Prophet and his followers) and Sira (life of Mohammed), both of which help us to understand the Koran. (Islamic law – Sharia – is based on the Holy Books.) Muslims believe that the Koran consists of messages brought to Mohammed from Allah (God), over a span of 23 years, by the angel Gabriel.
It is essential to realize that the Koran’s 114 suras (chapters) are not arranged chronologically. Except for a short opening sura, which stands apart as an invocation to Allah, they are roughly in order of decreasing length. When they are rearranged into chronological order, the Koran’s overall meaning and intent become much clearer, though it remains disjointed and repetitious.
Mohammed wanted to unite the tribes of Arabia under his leadership, and a new religion, to replace Judaism, Christianity and others, was the means that he used to pursue this goal. Initially, in Mecca, Mohammed’s position was weak, and his messages from Allah were relatively mild. But after moving to Medina with a group of followers, he was able to make effective use of deception and violence.
With growing power, he felt less inhibited, and the Koran reflects this by becoming increasingly harsh and intolerant, though the trend is masked by its mixed-up chronology. Islam is actually much more than a religion: it is a social and political system, intended to control every aspect of life by combining divine authority with earthly power. Eventually, Mohammed’s ambition grew so much that (in Sura 9) Allah instructed the faithful to conquer the whole world, killing all who resist Muslim rule. Islam still wants world domination, though Muslims differ on how much and what type of force should be used to achieve it.
The pronouncements that Mohammed received from his sock-puppet god always suited his current circumstances, and so when it became apparent that he had changed his mind on some issues, Allah announced what is now known as the Principle of Abrogation [Koran, 2:106]: earlier edicts could be superseded by newer and better ones! Where there are contradictions, therefore, the chronologically later instructions of Allah are operative – which means that the warlike, jihadist interpretation of Islam is the only one that is truly consistent with what the Koran actually teaches. Less aggressive versions have to ignore many sections of the Koran (something it expressly forbids), and are based on wishful thinking or deliberate deceit.
Inconsistencies and incoherence are common: e.g. 2:256 contains the often-quoted “no compulsion in religion”, but 2:257 condemns all unbelievers to everlasting hellfire. Though frequently described as ‘merciful’, Allah is revealed as a capricious, sadistic tyrant who has horrific punishments waiting for those who are found wanting on Judgement Day. For example [4:56], they will have their skins burned off them, and then replaced so that they can be roasted off again and again. But Muslims admitted to Paradise will enjoy many sensual pleasures in the afterlife: food, wine, and – at least for men – lots of sex.
It is sometimes said that ‘Islam’ means ‘peace’, but it really means ‘submission to Allah’ and Muslims offer themselves as ‘slaves of Allah’. The Koran says that those most favored by Allah are the militant Islamists, especially if they die while fighting unbelievers. Far from being ‘the religion of peace’, Islam is in perpetual conflict with all other faiths, which it loathes and despises. Although we can find some pleasant sentiments in the Koran, in general they are abrogated by later passages, or else they apply only among Muslims, whose worth is sharply distinguished from that of infidels.
The Koran delivers many messages. One of the main and most repeated one is that Allah likes “good Muslims”, but hates all who do not accept Islam – and good Muslims should follow his example.
The Koran is a disgraceful and evil book, which ought to cause embarrassment and shame to Muslims – but they call it ‘noble’ and ‘miraculous’, and must accept it unquestioningly as a revelation from God. If others raise objections to its content, Muslims typically accuse them of quoting a few misleading verses out of context. This defense is totally false: obnoxious verses are in fact numerous and very much in context. Harsh, punitive attitudes pervade the Koran, and Islam’s principles are completely incompatible with a humane, democratic, progressive society – as we see today wherever they are taken seriously. The few Muslims who acknowledge the cruel, primitive aspects of Islam may claim that they belong to the past, but the Koran itself states that its revelations apply everywhere, to everybody, for all time. Because they ‘came from Allah’, its teachings are regarded by Muslims as perfect: they can never be questioned or modified.
In reality, the Koran is pretentious and opportunistic blather – a jumbled record of Mohammed’s long, tireless campaign of self-promotion.
2. From the Koran itself.
The Koran’s (oxy)moronic features – such as its claims of ‘clear proofs’, or its primitive, stupid nonsense mixed with arrogant contempt for non-Muslims – can be fully appreciated only by reading the whole book. This is a dismal task, and so some illustrative quotations are given below. (The Koran is even worse than this small sample suggests. Hundreds of verses refer to Allah’s hatred for infidels, or punishments awaiting them. And several topics are not covered at all here.) Interested readers should consult the web sites mentioned below for discussions and explanations of the ‘Holy Books’, as the Koran is frequently obscure, and it uses terminology that is unfamiliar to a modern audience. For example, ‘people of the Book’ are Jews and Christians; those whom ‘your right hands possess’ are your slaves; women who are ‘lawful to you’ are those with whom you may have sexual intercourse. (Their consent is irrelevant [2:223].) In addition, translations for westerners are often ‘improved’ versions: e.g. using ‘fight’ instead of ‘kill’, and (referring to wives) ‘beat lightly’ instead of ‘beat’.
The entire Koran must be accepted: 2:85, 2:174. From the first of these (and similarly below): Do you believe in some parts of the divine writ and deny the truth of others? What could be the reward of those who do such things but ignominy in this world? And on the Day of Resurrection they will be consigned to grievous suffering.
The Koran cannot be modified: 6:34, 10:64, 18:27. Nobody can alter the decrees of Allah.
Principle of Abrogation: 2:106, 16:101. We do not abrogate a verse or cause it to be forgotten except that we bring forth one better than it or similar to it.
Don’t ask too many questions, or you may lose your faith: 5:101-102
Muslims are superior to other people: 3:110.
You are the best nation produced [as an example] for mankind . . .
Unbelievers are the worst people: 98:6, 8:55, 9:28. They who disbelieved . . . will be in the fire of Hell . . . Those are the worst of creatures.
If Muslims try to opt out of Islam: 4:89. . . . seize them and kill them wherever you find them.
Fighting infidels is good: 2:216. Fighting is ordained for you, even though it is hateful to you. Perhaps you hate a thing though it is good for you; and love a thing though it is bad for you. And Allah knows, but you do not.
Death while fighting infidels is even better: 47:4-6, 3:157, 3:169-172, 4:74. . . . and those who are killed in the cause of Allah, never will he waste their deeds. He will guide them and amend their condition, and admit them to Paradise . . .
Pleasures of Paradise: 2:25, 47:15, 56:1-40, 44:51-56. . . . those who believe and do righteous deeds. . . will have gardens in Paradise . . . a provision of fruit . . . purified spouses . . . (‘Purified’ means ‘always restored to virginity’ – thus increasing the pleasure of sexual conquest). But some may prefer the young boys like scattered pearls – see 76:19.
Allah hides the truth from infidels and punishes them: 2:6-7, 3:56, 3:85, 3:91. Indeed, those who disbelieve – Allah has set a seal upon their hearts and upon their hearing, and over their vision is a veil. And a great punishment awaits them.
Allah schemes and deceives: 3:54, 7:96-100, 8:30, 10:21, 13:42. . . . they schemed and Allah schemed, and Allah is the best deceiver.
Allah provides ways for Muslims to break their promises: 66:2, 5:89. Allah has already ordained for you the dissolution of your oaths. [Details in 5:89.]
Torment of infidels in the afterlife: 2:24, 2:39, 4:56, 5:36, 16:22-29, 22:19-22, 48:13, 69:30-37. . . . fear the Fire, whose fuel is men and stones, prepared for disbelievers.
The Jews will be punished by Allah: 2:87-96, 4:160. . . . Allah has cursed them for their disbelief.
Allah turned some disobedient Jews into apes and pigs: 5:60, 2:63-66.
Don’t become close friends with infidels: 3:28: Let not believers take disbelievers as allies rather than believers. and 5:51: Do not take the Jews and the Christians as allies.
Death to infidels!: 9:5: And when the sacred months are past, kill the idolaters wherever you find them, and capture them and besiege them and sit in wait for them at every place of ambush.
Death or Dhimmitude for Jews or Christians: 9:29: Fight against those who (1) believe not in Allah, (2) nor in the Last Day, (3) nor forbid that which has been forbidden by Allah and His Messenger (4) and those who acknowledge not the religion of truth (i.e. Islam) among the people of the Scripture (Jews and Christians), until they pay the Jizyah with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued.
9:30: The Jews say, ‘Ezra is the son of Allah’, and the Christians say, ‘The Messiah is the son of Allah.’ . . . May Allah destroy them; how deluded they are! His message generally failed to persuade Jews and Christians, and this infuriated Mohammed/Allah. At times, as in 9:30, the Koran forgets to be Allah’s voice, and is clearly Mohammed’s – “Allah destroy them”!
Both Jews and Christians are implicitly condemned in the Koran’s Sura 1 – a much used Muslim prayer. “Those that earned your anger” is understood to mean Jews and “those that have gone astray” are Christians
9:123: . . . fight the disbelievers who are around you, and let them find harshness in you.
When to beat your wives: 4:34. Men are in charge of women . . . those [wives] from whom you fear arrogance – [first] advise them, then [if they persist] forsake them in bed, and [finally] strike them.
Cut off the hands of thieves: 5:38.
Daughters inherit half as much as sons: 4:11.
A female witness is worth half a male one: 2:282.
Muslim men can have up to four wives: 4:3. [Mohammed himself had up to 11 at once.]
Sex slaves are fine – even if they are already married: 4:24, 23:5-6, 70:29-30. And also prohibited to you are all married women, except those your right hands possess.
Allah gave Mohammed special sexual privileges: 33:50. As well as his wives and slaves, he could have his cousins and any other Muslim volunteers!
3. Islam, non-Muslims and women.
In this life, Muslims are encouraged to subjugate infidels if they can, and otherwise deceive them if it is advantageous to do so. (Allah himself practices deception, and is said to be the “best deceiver”. He actively leads some people astray.) Provided they submit to third-class status under Islamic rule, Jews and Christians may be tolerated, but Muslims should not accept them as friends. And Muslim women are quite explicitly second-class: they are inferior to men in rights and status; they should inherit half as much as their brothers; one male witness is worth two females. A man may have up to four wives, may beat them if he thinks they are disobedient, and in addition may use non-Muslim women as sex slaves. Yes, slavery is fine in Islam. So too is paedophilia: the Koran’s rules concerning divorce (easy for a Muslim man) includes rules for wives who have not reached puberty [65:4]. From the Hadiths we learn that when he was about fifty, Mohammed – a paragon of virtue to Muslims – married six-year-old Aisha, though he gallantly waited until she was nine before introducing her to the pleasures of sex.
4. The Expansion and Effects of Islam
The peace promised by ‘the religion of peace’ can come only on Islam’s terms, when it has imposed universal submission to its rule. Having dominated Arabia by force, Islam was violent from the start.
Mohammed’s death, in 632, was followed by a bloody struggle for succession: thus began the Sunni- Shia divide, which is still the source of much misery. Despite this internal conflict, Muslim armies set out to spread the new faith, sweeping across vast areas of the Middle East, North Africa, Armenia, Georgia, Persia and India. (Sura 8 of the Koran is titled “al-Anfal” – Spoils of War. The booty often included sex-slaves as well as treasure.) Muslim invaders held parts of Spain from 711 to 1492 (for a time, virtually all of it), but were driven from France after a defeat near Tours in 732. In the 14th century, the Ottoman Empire began to bring a large part of Europe – the Balkans, Greece, Albania, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary – under Muslim rule. Its armies besieged Vienna in 1529 and 1683. The military power of the West has deterred large-scale Muslim attacks in more recent times, though there is a modern example of a Muslim invasion: that of Bangladesh by Pakistan (then West Pakistan) in 1971.
Many of the victims in this rampage of looting, rape and murder were themselves Muslims. For centuries, the Barbary pirates of Ottoman states in North Africa were widely feared in Europe: their slave raids ranged as far as Ireland, helping to supply the markets of the Middle East. Their piracy was eventually suppressed early in the 19th century, but slave markets persisted into the 20th century, and de facto slavery still continues in some Muslim countries to this day.
One of Islam’s effects is to stupefy its followers into a mind-set of Orwellian double-think, so that obvious contradictions go unchallenged. A book that preaches hatred, violence and misogyny, along with much cruel, primitive, ignorant nonsense, and which has HOAX written all over it, must be seen as dictated by “the god” or “Allah”. Self-delusion and the ability to ignore absurdities are therefore essential to Muslim belief, especially for those who study the religion closely. The Islamic ‘Holy Books’ reveal many details of Mohammed’s rise to power, and the picture they paint is not pretty. Though no devout Muslim would admit it, these books make it clear that – apart from being a shameless liar who deceived his gullible followers with invented revelations – Mohammed became a treacherous, plundering warlord, mass murderer and sexual predator. In one hadith [Bukhari 4:52.220] he says that he has been “made victorious through terror “- and Muslims still serve Allah by terrorizing unbelievers [Koran, 3:151].
Islam also promotes a festering victim mentality: “Allah’s book says that we are the best people, but the evil, scheming infidels (especially the Jews) conspire to keep us in subjection and poverty.” Not only infidels, but even other Muslims who follow a different version of Islam, can easily be seen as filthy vermin. Slaughtering them will bring a heavenly reward: Paradise is like a luxurious holiday resort, lavishly equipped with brothels. It may sound like a perversion of religion to any reasonable person, but Islam puts great emphasis on the afterlife. Suicide bombers are certain of going straight to Paradise, since the Koran makes it clear that death suffered while fighting the despised infidels (or ‘deviant’ Muslims) is the surest path to salvation. This can seem an attractive option to those who are under stress, or have no constructive goals, and are susceptible to indoctrination: many recruited into terrorism are young, naïve and frustrated. Fatalism frequently prevails, because in Islamic doctrine everything that happens, down to the most trivial detail, is ordained by Allah – including the defiance of non-Muslims and the defections of ex-Muslims! Responsibility for one’s own actions (or lack of them) can be minimized as whatever the outcome, – it is Allah’s will.
Where Islam rules, the pressure to conform is strong, and dissenters may suffer dire punishments for ‘blasphemy’. Impartial examination of the religion cannot be permitted, because that would destroy it. Under Muslim regimes, treatment of other faiths ranges from obstruction to murderous persecution and free competition among religions is forbidden. Muslim countries have successfully promoted a UN resolution intended to stifle criticism of Islam. In Islamic law (Sharia), the penalty for apostasy (defection) from Islam is death, or possibly imprisonment and beatings for women, although Islamic regimes usually realize that this looks bad, and few admit to enforcing these punishments. But the threat of violence is widespread, and can silence critics even in the West, where the demands of Muslims (often falsely described as ‘moderate’) are taken seriously when they ought to be laughed at.
5. Reform (in the sense of “modernisation”) is Unrealistic
Reform in the sense of “back to the roots” in Islam is not only possible but has occurred in quite recent years.This is why we have the growth of “Salafism” and Al-Qaeda-type organisations proliferating in Africa.
The claim of some would-be “reformers” – i.e. “modernisers”, that the Koran could support a modern, enlightened Islam, is simply absurd – it would have to be completely rewritten, thus producing a new religion. As it is, even the Golden Rule gets an Islamic makeover [48:29]: ‘Mohammed is the messenger of Allah; and those with him are forceful against the disbelievers, merciful among themselves’.
But any revision of the Koran is unthinkable. If it is not seen to be Allah’s book – perfect, eternal and non-negotiable – then Islam will collapse. Muslims must take the Koran as it stands, on its own terms. Those who focus on innocuous verses or deny obvious meanings, to justify a humane interpretation, are being evasive – consciously or otherwise. Because they cannot question it openly, Muslims who doubt the Koran, but have nobody to confide in, may become troubled and depressed. For people who understand it properly, acceptance of its claims is possible only by those who are hopelessly ignorant or have serious personality issues. Any sane person, with a modicum of education, common sense and decency, will reject it. In short: Islam is a monstrous lie – the most cruel hoax in human history. It is a backward, misogynistic, hate-promoting pseudo-religion, invented by a manipulative psychopath whose ‘divine revelations’ – continually changing to suit his needs – encompassed deception, slavery, paedophilia, rape and murder.
The Koran’s depiction of Allah – Mohammed’s alter ego – gives us some insight into the Prophet’s character, and much more can be inferred from the Hadiths, where many disturbing accounts of his words and actions are recorded. Muslims who are aware of these, but are unable to accept their obvious implications, interpret them in strange and perverse ways.
6. Facing the Facts
What the world needs now is an open discussion – not about terrorism, but about the religion that inspires it. Fearing that Muslims will react badly (or even violently) to the truth, most political leaders are anxious to avoid this. Spineless and corrupt western governments, aided by lazy, dishonest news media, have been trying to promote the ‘religion of peace’ myth, conceal embarrassing facts to the contrary, and suppress public debate. Muslim militants, meanwhile, are always ready to threaten violence – and to carry it out – against anybody who gives an unflattering assessment of Islam.
It is crucial to distinguish Islam (a fascist, quasi-religious ideology) from Muslims (its primary victims). It is also essential to avoid the false distinction between ‘fundamentalist Islam’ and ‘moderate Islam’. Moderate Islam does not exist, because the Koran makes it impossible – though many Muslims are described as ‘moderate’. Some of these are sincere, well-meaning people, who are guided by humane instincts that were lacking in their prophet. They practise their faith selectively, and (often unconsciously) tend to ignore its worst features. This is especially the case in western countries, where they may take advantage of the freedom that a secular society offers, but fail to see that if Islam ruled their lives it would deny them this freedom. In fact, many Muslims have little comprehension of what the Koran contains and promotes. ‘Koran’ means ‘recitation’, and reciting the Koran from memory in Arabic is highly valued – this is the standard religious ‘knowledge’ even of Muslims who do not understand Arabic! But the Koran itself warns against risking disbelief by asking questions.
It must not be assumed that the so-called moderate Muslims are all closet liberals, ready to declare their support for a secular society. Many are brainwashed from birth to believe that a noble, saintly Prophet Mohammed received the Koran from Allah, and will indignantly reject any criticism of Islam. These people are part of the problem, and some are “moderate” only in the sense that they are not overtly violent. In reality, they may secretly support the fanatics, or they may feel unsure about which camp they belong to. Muslims with enough backbone to condemn the militants openly will often assert that their religion does not allow intolerance or violence. In this case we can applaud their attitude, but they are clinging to a false picture of Islam. The Koran clearly indicates that the most militant Muslims are Allah’s favorites. Some moderates regard Islam strictly as a personal faith, ignoring its political aspects: this makes them inferior Muslims who are despised as “hypocrites” by the true believers. And Muslims with modern, liberal tendencies generally find it safer to keep their ideas to themselves than to risk the anger of the conservatives or the religious authorities.
An especially unfortunate aspect of Islam, which westerners find difficult to grasp, is that it does not tell Muslims to be always truthful. Instead it tells them that the promotion of Islam is the greatest good, and deceiving infidels for that purpose is well justified. (Recall that Allah is the best deceiver, according to the Koran. Mohammed broke agreements whenever he wanted to, each time with the approval of Allah.) Though many Muslims are reliable, many of the clerics, and those most influenced by them, simply cannot be trusted. It is a well-known tactic for clerics to present a smiling, reasonable, ‘religion-of-peace’ face to non-Muslims, but preach vitriolic hatred to their flock. Some other Muslims, following this lead (and the Koran), are duplicitous toward those they regard as enemies.
Another problem is that certain words can mean very different things to Muslims and non-Muslims. “Martyrdom” is a striking example: whereas westerners think of martyrs as nonviolent people who are put to death because of their religious beliefs, a Muslim martyr is typically a dead fighterr or a suicide bomber.
“Peace”, in Islamic doctrine, is a state in which there is no dissent or discord because everybody either accepts Islam completely or else is a Dhimmi living under Sharia Law.
To devout Muslims, ‘freedom’ means freedom from any constraint on Islamic practices, with Sharia fully implemented and on both Muslims and non-Muslims alike.
“Equality” also may be espoused by Muslims, but is impossible in a genuinely Islamic society: Muslim men come first, with Muslim women well below them, while further down come non-Muslims. Some Muslim writers disguise this lack of equality behind a mask of “equity”, claiming that the roles of men and women are complimentary and based on equity. In reality the women’s role is entirely subservient and thus falls short even of “equity” never mind “equality”.
Islamic charity, certainly in principle and usually in practice, is for Muslims only, because it would be seen as foolishly wasteful to help unbelievers who are in any case destined for Hell.
For non-Muslims, it is a mistake to expect logic (or even common sense) in Muslim thinking, or to assume that “moderate” Muslims have benign intentions.
7. What Should We Do?
There is a wealth of information on the internet, which has become a potent force against Islam – just by letting people see what the religion really teaches. If free speech were to become established in the Muslim world, Islam would quickly wither. But this lies in the future: most Muslims are still blindly devoted to their faith, and imbued with the attitudes it promotes. In general, they have little or no access to the internet, and many are illiterate. On their own, democratic elections in Muslim countries are no guarantee of progress (indeed recent elections in the “Arab Spring” Countries have seen the election of Islamist parties which intend to implement Shariah Law), because democracy cannot work effectively without secular education, free speech, and adequate levels of scepticism and tolerance. Islamists know that these will undermine their cause, but also that if Sharia can be enforced, democracy is irrelevant: they have won.
So what should infidels do? They need to become well informed about the true nature of Islam, and to think clearly. There are many sects within Islam, and the views of individual Muslims on what their religion means, and how it ought to be practised, are extremely varied. But the Koran, which is the bedrock of Islam, amounts to a declaration of war against the entire non-Muslim world. (Deception and subversion are to be used until Muslims are able to rule by force.) Because the Koran is so vile, its effects are poisonous wherever Muslim communities exist. It underpins all versions of the faith, and so its evil doctrines are a global threat. To varying degrees, Muslims everywhere are susceptible to them and there are always those who can be dragged down, through stress or guilt or misguided zeal, into “fanatical fundamentalism” – or fully orthodox Islamic practice. We must therefore consider how to rescue Muslims from Islam.
We first need to dismiss the mantra of ‘respect for all religious beliefs’ that is often mindlessly invoked. No system of belief should be respected just because it claims to be a religion: its teachings must first deserve respect. Its followers, similarly, must earn respect through their attitudes and actions. Frank, open discussion is vital, along with initiatives to increase public awareness of Islam’s doctrines. Muslims in the West must be required to confront the actual content of the Koran, and then decide whether their allegiance is to a humane, 21st-century society, or to that of 7th-century Arabia. Their requests for special treatment should always be denied, as any concession strengthens their sense of separateness and entitlement, thus making matters worse. Muslim immigrants should receive help to recognize the Islamic hoax, free themselves from it, and become fully integrated into society. Islamic states must be pressured to allow freedom of religion, promote secular education, end discrimination against non-Muslims and women, stop persecuting homosexuals, and conduct an honest discussion about Islam.
An issue that requires particularly clear thought is the atrocity committed by the Norwegian mass murderer, Anders Breivik. Some people follow a pseudo-logical line of reasoning: Breivik hates Islam; he is mad or bad or both; therefore Islam must be good, and we need more Muslim immigration. The premises are correct, but the conclusions are false. The views of psychopaths – whether 7th-century Arabs or 21st-century Europeans – are of no help at all.
It is absolutely crucial for the West to change its tactics. Its misadventures in the Islamic world have only reinforced Muslim belief and anger, especially because western governments have clearly regarded the lives of their own soldiers as much more valuable than those of the many innocent Muslim victims.
But modern communications can do what invasions and drone strikes cannot: spread progressive ideas, and expose the falsity and folly of Islam. Terrorists must of course be stopped, but the War on Terror needs to become the Undermining of Islam. The West should also concentrate on setting examples of social justice, fiscal soundness, educational excellence and transparent governance that Muslims will want to emulate. Westerners must uphold their values and standards firmly, while ensuring that the truth about Islam is readily available and widely discussed. They must especially recognize that free speech is essential, and that appeasing Islam will lead to disaster. Muslims may complain, bluster, threaten and kill, but the truth will free them from their prison and let them join the modern world.
8. A Caution and Disclaimer
Some critics of Islam (below) collate highly relevant information and comment that the mainstream media often ignore, but these critics may also have other political or religious motives. This document is intended to promote sceptical, rational inquiry above all else. Muslims who decide to abandon their faith should consider (even if only in secret) a range of options, especially agnosticism and deism, though perhaps also Baha’iism, Buddhism, and the less dogmatic forms of Christianity.
9. Using the Internet
A helpful starting point is www.jihadwatch.org/islam-101.html .
But there are several good sources of information, e.g. www.wikiislam.net, which gives many fair, careful assessments based on the ‘Holy Books’. Though some Islamic sites confidently display their contempt for infidels, others are either very selective in quoting the Koran, or assert bland generalities that promote the ‘religion of peace’ myth, carefully avoiding the awkward details.
See also: www.faithfreedom.org, www.alisina.org, www.andrewbostom.org, www.islam-watch.org, www.prophetofdoom.net, www.islamreform.net, www.citizenwarrior.com, www.thereligionofpeace.com, www.apostatesofislam.com, www.considerationsofacanadianex-muslim.org, www.handbookforinfidels.com, and links therein.
A list of the Koran’s inconsistencies: www.answering-islam.org/Quran/Contra/index.html
A Muslim web site (crazy, comical, sad, pathetic, deceptive, horrific): www.islamcan.com
Islamic heaven: www.islam-watch.org/SyedKamranMirza/Islamic-Heaven.htm
Islamic hell: www.islam-watch.org/SyedKamranMirza/IslamicHell.htm
Islamic prayers: www.islamreform.net/new-page-161.htm
Islam’s hatred of Jews: www.islamreform.net/new-page-16.htm
Islam’s denigration of women: www.islamreform.net/new-page-65.htm
Islam’s hatred of all non-Muslims: www.islamreform.net/new-page-23.htm
10. More Reading
Some Korans give lists of references to a range of topics; e.g. ISBN 9960-792-63-3. [‘Jihad’
references show that it is mainly a violent struggle, not one within the mind, as some claim.]
An Abridged Koran (CSPI, 2006) is chronological and avoids repetition – this is very helpful.
The UN resolution: www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/fighting_words/2009/03/dont_say_a_word.html .
Tribulations of an ex-Muslim: www.taslimanasrin.com/
The malign influence of Saudi Arabia:
And on child brides:
www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/nov/08/saudi-arabia-child-brides-marriage
Also relevant: www.thereligionofpeace.com/Quran/025-Muhammads-sex-life.htm
Musings of a Muslim: www.quranicverse99.tripod.com/islamicways/id15.html – and more.
Hatred in the Koran: www.thereligionofpeace.com/Pages/Quran-Hate.htm ;
www.skepticsannotatedbible.com/quran/cruelty/long.html . And what Muslims say:
www.faithfreedom.org/articles/islamic-jihad-articles/in-the-words-of-the-imams/
Islam as fascism, and the ‘out of context’ claim – two informative articles by an ex-Muslim:
www.newenglishreview.org/custpage.cfm?frm=3766&sec_id=3766
www.newenglishreview.org/custpage.cfm/frm/10467/sec_id/10467