Ahmad, we are happy to remain non-thinking mammals, instead of becoming thinking Muslims.

Submitted by Plato (India), Feb 1, 2008 at 00:11

Ahmad, you wrote to Ali:

>>1. Non muslims are the worst beasts and lowest creatures (8.55,58.20): Nob believers in god are non thinkers(otherwise they would have beleived that someone created all this) and so are compared to non-thinking mammals(animals). Jews and Christians are people of book and thus believe in god.

Ali, the key is education.Don't make assumptions about sentences in the Quran. try to see in what context the surah is. There are multiple other surah about forgiveness.I can talk about multiple parts of the bible and Torah that have similar meanings. example: Jesus PBU saying I came to the world not for peace but with the sword!!<<

Ahmad, these ‘worst of beasts and lowest of creatures' seem to do much better in the world than the Muslims, the true human beings. Look around and study some history. Apart from rampaging across the world, absorbing knowledge from other religions and adding bits and pieces to it what have Muslims and Islam contributed to civilisation. It is the beasts of the world who lead peaceful, productive lives when compared to Muslims. For sure, Muslim who are true humans, will enjoy the pleasures of paradise.

Yes, Ahmed the key is education. Are you sure you are not making assumptions about sentences in the Koran? You correctly say that Koranic surahs have to be read in context and claim there are multiple other surahs about forgiveness. Have you thought deeply about the implications for your belief about that statement of yours? For starters does that not mean that the forgiveness surahs also have to be read in context?? You want to conveniently turn a blind eye to the killing and torture verses that the Koran calls for (whether on earth or in hell) by telling us they are to be read in context but wanting to eat your cake at the same time forget the same can done for the so-called forgiveness ones (please give a few samples of these, especially those without any context).

Secondly, does context, and there are very few surahs without context, not mean that the Koran is either largely outdated today or we have to search for contexts that were similar to the ones that provoked those surahs?

And isn't the Koran an incomparable book by its own claim? Why do you bring in the Bible and Torah to compare with it. Your prophet also claimed that these books have been corrupted and verses changed. Conveniently he does not tell us what parts have been corrupted. Have you considered that it could be those sentences like the one about Jesus you have quoted that are the interpolated/corrupted ones.

You say: >> I thank god for giving me that knowledge and pray to learn more. Since responding to your email will take at least an hour and I am studying for an exam, I will respond for now to a couple of points and make it brief.<<

I suggest you wait for your exam to get over and give readers here your considered reply. To keep the discussion moving let me ask you a few questions. Allah calling his own creation, the unbelievers, the ‘worst of beasts and lowest creatures' means he despises them after having created them knowing well in advance that they would be unbelievers. Do you think even a human with his lowly intelligence would do such a stupid thing i.e. create something that would rebel against him? Isn't this something you would expect of as you say of a ‘non-thinking mammal'?

Next you say that Jews and Christians are people of the book and thus believe in god. You have left out Buddhists, Hindus, atheists etc. Are you and your all-knowing god saying that these people are to be compared to animals?

>> Slay the infidels wherever you find them unless they convert (9.5). Response: There is no compulsion in religion. Certain surahs were talking about certain events(in response to) that happened and it is not general in nature.<<

This sentence of yours shows you have also been infected with the kind of thinking Allah indulges in. Read what you have written carefully again and try to analyse it like me, someone your Allah compares to an animal. Let us know what events in your prophet's colourful life justified slaying infidels unless they converted. People with an animal's intelligence like me are wondering why you say there is no compulsion in religion when in the immediate sentence before it the almighty Allah states exactly the opposite.

Wishing you all success in your exams.

Regards

Plato

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