Why did Islam become the way I did?

Submitted by Prashant (United States), May 13, 2022 at 03:00

Dear Dr Pipes, In his message entitled "Enhanced Argument for Why Islam Uses Violence to Demonstrate Its Intolerance of Judeo-Christian Values" M Tovey correctly points out that Christianity brought in the message of love (in addition to other virtues) to the religious discourse. Prior to that, Judaism -if my understanding is right- codified religious laws and introduced monotheism.

I have always wondered what went wrong with Islam? How and why Islam subtracted 'love' from the religious discourse. Quran barely talks about love between man and woman. It talks even less about love between fellow human beings. What went wrong?

Additionally, from the very beginning of Islam, Muslims have used violence as the language of choice. Cruel punishments for one man from another and for one segment of the society from another are routinely discussed in the Quran and were even more routinely practiced by the followers of Islam. What went wrong for this to happen?

I do not ask these questions lightly or rhetorically. I think historians, researchers, social scientists and psychologists must analyze the social patterns present in the societies where Islam took birth and attempt to answer what reasons caused Islam to become what it became.

Before we can attempt to answer these questions, the investigators need to admit that Islam is different (and, probably, wrong). But, I see more intellectuals apologizing for Islam than questioning Islam. That is the crux of the matter.

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