Re: Reply to your comment on: Douglas Murray - (SML) Are Muslims Too Easily Offended?
good Day Jane. Thanks for the reply. I hope you are well.
I thank you for sharing some of your experience. It sounds as though your parents love you. I am sure there are many things involved in making us who we are. Our genes, no doubt, confer onto us certain proclivities, but no one would question the importance of affirming parents.
I have no doubt as well, that your religion has changed some of your thoughts about things, and certain behaviors. The individual religious experience is fascinating and I am familiar with it.
I'm not sure what you mean by "preset ideas about Islam and Muslims". I will admit however that I am a biased person. I try my best however to limit bias as much as possible. As a Christian, I was quite biased to see the world a certain way, consistent with my religion. As a Christian I thought of Islam as a wayward religion that needed to be set right ( lol) . As a Westerner, my view of Islam has been too heavily influenced by extreme versions of it, that seem to show up in the news far too often ( and for good reason!).
My first encounter with a Muslim occurred about 20 years ago. I was working with a national from Saudi Arabia. We had a discussion about religion. We were both scientifically minded so he gave me a book called the Bible, the Koran, and science by a man called Maurice Buccaille. I read it with interest.He was a good man.
Following 911, I read a couple of books about Islam by Karen Armstrong, who portrays Islam in a favorable light.
About two years ago I decided to read the Koran myself. I tried to read it in the nonbiased way. I must say, that it did not impress me very much. It seemed very repetitive and the main theme seems to be that God is one and that those who believe will inherit heaven and those who disbelieve will be tortured forever in hell. Believers are the best of people and nonbelievers are the worst of people.
It talks about the prophet of God as well as other prophets like Moses, Jesus, Abraham, Noah, Isaac, Sampson, and a couple of other ones I did not recognize.
Faithful men will we inherit virgins and men are allowed up to four wives and can have sex with "what his right hand owns". Mohammed himself apparently can have more wives . Women appear to be inferior to men, at least intellectually and as witnesses.
A man may discipline his wife by refusing his bed to her and if that doesn't work ( lol) he may physically punish her. Divorce is quite easy to attain. God apparently forbids the eating of pork. There's a lot of stuff regarding Christians and Jews, some which seem favorable and others describing them as quite pitiful. Sura 9 is quite distressing.
There is some good stuff. There is the protection of nonbelievers ( so that they might convert) and admonitions to be good to orphans. it is a quite noble and good act to free slaves.
There is some scientific stuff in it that some scholars elaborate on. None of it seemed to be necessarily written by the creator of the universe. I'm amazed at how much liberal interpretation of these verses goes on.
like all books, particularly holy books, it appears to be quite subject to human (mis)-interpretation.
then there are the Hadith and sunnah. Some of these are admirable, but others astonishingly disturbing.
As it is now, I have no idea how anyone would believe that all of this is inspired by the creator of the universe, which is why I am interested in the ideas of people like you. I have no doubt that you are an earnest person who feels in touch with something transcendent.
I am very concerned about the impact of religion. I'm not sure that religion is consistent with liberal democracy. I think there is a clash of ideas. Liberal democracy asserts that all humans are equal under the law and should be allowed to live his or her life the way he or she wants to, provided it does not interfere with the next person to do the same. It protects minorities, free speech. He challenges authority and requires empirical validation of any truth claim.
Anyways, I have enjoyed our discussion.
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