The Religion of Peace

Hello again, fellow thinkers.

Let's make this post direct and to the point: Islam is not a religion of peace like many people claim it is. To the contrary, Islam promotes a certain type of racism and elitism, albeit in a somewhat subtle way.

Whoever claims that Islam is a "religion of peace", is usually trying to appeal to whatever non-Islamic environment surrounds him or her, such as a Muslim living in the United States, or a lecturer in an academic environment. Whoever and whatever they are, they are either ignorant, or lying.

Islam makes it very clear that non-Muslims are simply not as good of people as Muslims are. The Koran seems to clump humanity into 4 general categories:

• Muslims: Allah's favorite people.
  
• Christians: Believers in Isa (Jesus) and in God, which is the same as Allah.
  
• Jews: Believers in God as well (with guidance from the Old Testament and especially the Torat).
  
• Unbelievers / Polytheists: Generic non-believers in Allah.

Though there is mention in the Koran of other lesser-known denominations, such as the Sabaeans, not nearly as much attention was given to those groups of people.

Let's take a look at each of the following categories: Christians, Jews, and Unbelievers.


Christians

Christians seem to occupy a gray area on the hatred scale. The most negative Aya in the Koran against the Christians is this one:

[5.51] O you who believe! do not take the Jews and the Christians for friends; they are friends of each other; and whoever amongst you takes them for a friend, then surely he is one of them; surely Allah does not guide the unjust people.


Jews

Jews, on the other hand, are clearly hated:

[5.82] Certainly you will find the most violent of people in enmity for those who believe (to be) the Jews and those who are polytheists, and you will certainly find the nearest in friendship to those who believe (to be) those who say: We are Christians; this is because there are priests and monks among them and because they do not behave proudly.

[62.6] Say: O you who are Jews, if you think that you are the favorites of Allah to the exclusion of other people, then invoke death If you are truthful.


Unbelievers

What about these guys? Well ... it very clearly sucks for them:

[9.73] O Prophet! strive hard against the unbelievers and the hypocrites and be unyielding to them; and their abode is hell, and evil is the destination.

[9.123] O you who believe! fight those of the unbelievers who are near to you and let them find in you hardness; and know that Allah is with those who guard (against evil).

[3.28] Let not the believers take the unbelievers for friends rather than believers; and whoever does this, he shall have nothing of (the guardianship of) Allah, but you should guard yourselves against them, guarding carefully; and Allah makes you cautious of (retribution from) Himself; and to Allah is the eventual coming.

[2.24] But if you do (it) not and never shall you do (it), then be on your guard against the fire of which men and stones are the fuel; it is prepared for the unbelievers.

[4.144] O you who believe! do not take the unbelievers for friends rather than the believers; do you desire that you should give to Allah a manifest proof against yourselves?

[2.191] And kill them wherever you find them, and drive them out from whence they drove you out, and persecution is severer than slaughter, and do not fight with them at the Sacred Mosque until they fight with you in it, but if they do fight you, then slay them; such is the recompense of the unbelievers.


These Aya's are straight out of the Koran. I wanted to elaborate more on each one, but I decided it is more effective to have you think about them yourself ... there isn't any ambiguity in any of them, and they are quite clear.

Until next time ... keep that critical-thinking hat on.
--Shafik