"Fight in the cause of Allah who fight you" itself is a wrong advice.

Submitted by Sunil (United States), Apr 10, 2009 at 01:58

The above quoranic phrase is often used to assert that Islam advocates violence only when attacked and is a peaceful doctrine otherwise. On the surface this advice indeed sounds reasonable. But going a little deeper, this advice has many dangerous unintended consequences. Consider the advice "kill the rapist". On the surface this advice also appears to be ok but most modern societies have determined that it is not good. It leaves the power to decide who the rapist is in the hands of individual members of the society. And it also makes these members responsible for executing the justice.

This is exactly what is happening in the Islamic societies. Every mullah of every village mosque is assuming that he is the custodian of Allah's will and, hence, is authorized to command his congregation to advance Allah's will. And, individual members of Islamic socirties -- the plane bombers, the suicide bombers, the jehadists, the honor killers -- are on the lose in excuting Allah's will.

Most modern societies have determined that the task of determining if a crime has occurred cannot be assigned to the person who claims to be the victim. Let alone the task of executing the justice. And that is why most non-Islamic religions have taken away the power of excuting God's will from the indiidual and have granted him only the power to love and to forgive. Islam needs to do that too.

As a non-muslim I am not obligated to believe that every word of Quoran is true. And, I contend that the above statement is one of the places where the problem lies.

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