I got value from the film

Submitted by William Kinney (United States), Dec 22, 2002 at 23:48

PBS sidestepped a storm of controversy by omitting balancing of praise and criticism. I refer to a current trend among some Muslims of feeling insulted and being ready to death fatwah someone or rush out and burn books and cars. [Feeling insulted is not a truth criterion.]

It is good to set some terms of agreement which interested parties can largely agree upon. Mohammad's forces sacked a trade caravan from Mecca. The Meccans sent forces to attack Mohammad's near Medina several times. By occupying a major water supply town, and second by digging a trench to impede horses, Mohammad evaded capture, and impressed other tribes, some of whom joined him in later going to Mecca where he stopped to negotiate entry. They got him to leave this year by promising to let him in next year. Next year he went in to the black stone. boosted a follower up on it to give the call to prayer, and had his followers smash the 300 or so religious statues around it. Then he addresses the Meccans there and asks what they would do if they had the power over him. Next he says he forgives them! This is the ultimate in self-righteousness. He violates the agreement whereby he entered Mecca. Obviously the Meccans did not agree that he could come right in a smash down all their statues! No decent guest thinks he has the right to smash down the religious artifacts in a home where he is a guest. This was an act of extreme religious intolerance. He is the traitorous guest. Yet he poses as a courteous and generous guest simply because he omits killing them also. What a nice guy!

I used to sort of like hearing the call to prayer for its solemnity and beauty. Now the film has revealed to me that the call to prayer originates in a call to religious intolerance. Religious intolerance is thus ingrained in the religion. The call to prayer is a call to intolerance.

He took over a religious center of others and converted to his purposes. So the mosque built over an important Hindu temple is no quirk. This practice is endemic to the Muslim religion called "Submission."

Extreme religious intolerance is also endemic to many versions of Judiasm... In fact, the intolerance of "Submission" builds upon the intolerance of non-reformed Judiasm. Christians who endorse the entire Old Testament as "God's Word" swallow the same intolerance, which Mohammad endorses when he praises Moses in the Quran.
Life does go on. People have frequently gotten much good out of these flawed, if not fraudulent, religions.

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