A writer in today's Guardian complains about the portrayal of Muslims in film as either “terrorists or oppressed women”. Yes, film-makers too often resort to hackneyed stereotypes. And yes, millions of Muslims lead peaceful lives, preoccupied with the same things that preoccupy everyone else: family, friends, work, leisure, etc. Yet there are aspects of Islam which make the religion uniquely problematic. The insistence that every single word of the Koran is irrefutably true is not extreme; it's a moderate, entirely mainstream belief. So what are we to make of verses such as these? “When the sacred months are over slay the idolaters wherever you find them” (9:5). “When ye encounter the infidels, strike off their heads till ye have made a great slaughter among them” (47.4). “God’s curse be upon the infidels” (2.89).
These, and hundreds of similar verses, aren’t parables or metaphors; they’re explicit invitations to violence against those of other faiths or no faith at all (and let’s not forget that “infidels” aren't wicked people... they're just non-Muslims). Criticism of the Koran is forbidden - within the faith and without - and those brave souls who call for an Islamic ‘reformation’ are putting their lives at risk. While most Muslims will refuse these invitations to violence, some, inevitably, won't. Koran-inspired violence will continue to erupt periodically, as long as Muslims believe the book to be “perfect”.
Licensed today: boats on Windermere...
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