Islam IS unique. Muhammad is NOT the Buddha, nor Jesus.

Submitted by G.A. (Israel), Dec 10, 2006 at 12:35

You are not the only one who confuses the teachings of the FOUNDER of a religion with conduct of some of its followers.

You are implying an ethical equating of religions. Are the teachings and life of the Buddha who wished ALL LIVING BEINGS well, to be even indirectly lumped with the teachings and life of Muhammad who, however sincere his spiritual experiences initially (in Mecca), soon (in Medina) turned into an (excuse me) a Raider of caravans and a war monger, full of (excuse me) lust for power and sex ?

(You write: "Arab conquest, which caused the writing of the Qu'ran and the authoring of the Hadith, long after the death of the putative Mohammed."

Are you claiming that a concerted conspiracy COMPOSED [the essence of - in contrast to minor alterations of] the Koran - and the numerous Hadiths ?!)

What has the Buddha, what has Zarathaustra, what has Jesus, what have the Old Testament Prophets, what have the Jains (who literally sweep the bench before sitting on it for fear of killing an ant), what has Guru Nanak of the Sikhs, what have the Bahaists - what have they all done do deserve the slanderous insinuation of the type which asserts that Islam merely shares with other religions the fact that it has bad traits?

Let us all have a minimum of decency and respect for those truly noble-minded Bearers of the Torch in humanity's arduous spiritual ascent on this Earth ! Let us NOT thrust into their company him who personally ordered assassinations and endorsed beheadings !

(http://www.answering-islam.org/Silas/asma.htm

http://www.answering-islam.org/Silas/abu-afak.htm

and

http://www.faithfreedom.org/debates/PaymanSaqib.htm

respectively)

And whose immediately followers (not merely those in the distant future) instigated the almost unbroken reign of killings and plunder and oppression. And whose MINDSET is STILL rooted in the SJS up to this very day.

(Show me a 3 consecutive pages of any authoritative history of EARLY Islam [BEFORE the "Hanabi tradition" onto which you seem to scapegoat Islam) without the words "Kill" [and its synonyms: behead, slain, etc] pouring out the text and I will send you a free 2-way ticked to Hawaii)

No, sir. Contrary to what you say, Islam IS unique - in that it's FOUNDER and the GIST (I repeat: gist; not just an unfortunate verse her and there) of his "holy" texts is so glaringly unethical. The evils of established religions that you focus on is a relatively (!) SECONDARY issue and are susceptible to treatment and reform - IF the CORE of the religion is not evil.

But if the CORE is ?

G. A.

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