Adding one more point to Sara's

Submitted by Prashant (United States), Oct 6, 2012 at 19:44

Dear Dr Pipes,

Your reader Sara makes two excellent points refuting the apologists' argument that Islam only advocates 'defensive violence'. First, Sara points out that there are many examples when Islamic wars were not exactly defensive. Second, Sara states that it is difficult to exactly define defence.

I will add one more point to Sara's. In my opinion, a religious doctrine should allow violence only as the last resort and that too after a lot of consent among people. Giving the permission to every human being to resort to violence on his/her own calling should not qualify as a good religious doctrine.

Every religion that I know encourages the followers to practice forgiveness. Does Islam? For example, is it worthwhile for almost a billion muslims who control millions of square miles of land on this earth to let go their claim on few thousand sq miles of the holy land of Israel for the sake of peace? Or is it an act of defence to perpetuate a never ending war against Israel?

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