Is Islam a hateful religion?

[they don't love you like i love you]

I am by no means an expert of Islam, but I think you can judge a religion on how the majority of it's followers act.

Well, it's a way too see things. Personally when I'm asked "Is Islam a hateful religion? I think about what I know on the spirituality of Islam and I answer... No.

Can we do a hateful, insane, use of Islam? I answer... Yes. But so we can do of Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism (yes, yes, we can), Hinduism or any spirituality you can think about.

I would personally say that Islam is more and more used in hateful and insane aims but is not something insane and hateful.

My argument for that statement is simply what a religion does for the people that follow it.  If the majority of the followers, regardless of the doctrine, are insane crazy nut cases..then in my opinion that certain religion isn't doing any favors for the people.  If the people following the faith are good people, then the religion is making a good impact on the lives of everyone.

Yep, pretty much the point I've been making. If the moderates are doing nothing to change the situation on the ground they are irrelevant and aren't even worth discussing.

The problem is that there is no centralized authority of any sort. The extremism, thus, isn't because of Islam. Whenever condidtions are bad, people turn to radicalism. In the Middle East, the easiest form is Islam. In Northern Ireland circa 1970, it was Christianity. It has to do with religion in general, not the religion itself.

The fighting in Northern Ireland was hardly about Christian radicalism. Do you really think those gun-toting ski mask wearing IRA guys regularly attended mass? Give me a break.

[Хahar 🤔]

I am by no means an expert of Islam, but I think you can judge a religion on how the majority of it's followers act.

Well, it's a way too see things. Personally when I'm asked "Is Islam a hateful religion? I think about what I know on the spirituality of Islam and I answer... No.

Can we do a hateful, insane, use of Islam? I answer... Yes. But so we can do of Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism (yes, yes, we can), Hinduism or any spirituality you can think about.

I would personally say that Islam is more and more used in hateful and insane aims but is not something insane and hateful.

My argument for that statement is simply what a religion does for the people that follow it.  If the majority of the followers, regardless of the doctrine, are insane crazy nut cases..then in my opinion that certain religion isn't doing any favors for the people.  If the people following the faith are good people, then the religion is making a good impact on the lives of everyone.

Yep, pretty much the point I've been making. If the moderates are doing nothing to change the situation on the ground they are irrelevant and aren't even worth discussing.

The problem is that there is no centralized authority of any sort. The extremism, thus, isn't because of Islam. Whenever condidtions are bad, people turn to radicalism. In the Middle East, the easiest form is Islam. In Northern Ireland circa 1970, it was Christianity. It has to do with religion in general, not the religion itself.

The fighting in Northern Ireland was hardly about Christian radicalism. Do you really think those gun-toting ski mask wearing IRA guys regularly attended mass? Give me a break.

They may never have attended mass, but they were aggressively Catholic.

[JohnFKennedy]

Further to Xahar's example, what about the inter-religious conflict in Indonesia that has dominated the post-Suharto era? Christians have been just as culpable as Muslims in initiating violence.

[Хahar 🤔]

I just thought this board was a bit lacking in flamewars.

What are your comments about the matter  Xahar (the good, the bad, and the ugly), being fair and balanced and trying to took in from out, as it were? 

Never did manage to get to this question:

Islam today as it is popularly seen is not inherently Islamic, but rather a reaction to social conditions prevalent in Muslim areas. As Islam is a common value that the "opressed" (poor nations) hold, and that the "opressors" (the West) do not, it is a useful tool, and a tool that is almost too easy to use because of the total lack of centralized authority.

Islam is an Abrahamic religion, for better or for worse. True, there are some parts of the Qur'an which may seem out of place inn a modern society, but the Qur'an itself states that it is not all to be taken at face value. 3:7 is a Ninth Amendment of sorts for Islam.

[Franzl]

I don't think any religion is hateful per se.....it's the people who misuse religion that make its followers potentially dangerous in many cases.

[dead0man]

Right, maybe it's not the religion that is hateful, it's the followers.  People that go to MIT aren't smart because they went to MIT, they went to MIT because they were smart.  Maybe Islam attracts assholes?

[Јas]

I am by no means an expert of Islam, but I think you can judge a religion on how the majority of it's followers act.

Well, it's a way too see things. Personally when I'm asked "Is Islam a hateful religion? I think about what I know on the spirituality of Islam and I answer... No.

Can we do a hateful, insane, use of Islam? I answer... Yes. But so we can do of Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism (yes, yes, we can), Hinduism or any spirituality you can think about.

I would personally say that Islam is more and more used in hateful and insane aims but is not something insane and hateful.

My argument for that statement is simply what a religion does for the people that follow it.  If the majority of the followers, regardless of the doctrine, are insane crazy nut cases..then in my opinion that certain religion isn't doing any favors for the people.  If the people following the faith are good people, then the religion is making a good impact on the lives of everyone.

Yep, pretty much the point I've been making. If the moderates are doing nothing to change the situation on the ground they are irrelevant and aren't even worth discussing.

The problem is that there is no centralized authority of any sort. The extremism, thus, isn't because of Islam. Whenever condidtions are bad, people turn to radicalism. In the Middle East, the easiest form is Islam. In Northern Ireland circa 1970, it was Christianity. It has to do with religion in general, not the religion itself.

The fighting in Northern Ireland was hardly about Christian radicalism. Do you really think those gun-toting ski mask wearing IRA guys regularly attended mass? Give me a break.

Actually, yes, many of them did.

(But the conflict in NI really wasn't about religion or faith, except insofar as they inform 'identity'.)

[Torie]

Well the disappointing thing (at least to me) is that there seems to be a tacit tolerance by a disturbingly high percentage of Muslims of the perps. That shows up in poll after poll of Muslims. There is also a reluctance to denounce such folks as criminal frauds.

[afleitch]

It's important not to equate 'hateful' with violent and 'non-hateful' with peaceable. A peacful follower of faith can still be hateful.

I still tend to believe it's the people who are hateful. Unfortunately being on the same 'team' can make it difficult to perhaps face up to that. You are more likely to pick up on say unnacceptable or unreasonable behaviour from an 'outsider' than from one who is in your social group. Five minutes on the political boards in here can demostrate that

[Хahar 🤔]

Well the disappointing thing (at least to me) is that there seems to be a tacit tolerance by a disturbingly high percentage of Muslims of the perps. That shows up in poll after poll of Muslims. There is also a reluctance to denounce such folks as criminal frauds.

That has to do with their perception as freedom fighters. Again, it has to do most of all with socioeconomic conditions, and any waay of sticking it to The Man will be approved of. This happens in all disadvantaged societies.

And what afleitch says is quite true as well. They're religious hacks, if you may.

[RIP Robert H Bork]

Yes, absolutely.

[Хahar 🤔]

Yes, absolutely.

Would you care to justify this statement?

[Yamor]

I'd say there are interpretations of Islam which you could call 'hateful', but then again, acting on a strict interpretation of the OT could also be termed 'hateful'.
Another point I'd make is that in history, up until the last century, it was Christians who did 'hateful' things in the name of religion, whereas Islamic countries were far more liberal. For example, Islamic countries generally treated the Jews far better then Christian countries in the middle ages.
So, the most I think it's possible to say is that Islam today has many followers with an extreme, 'hateful' interpretation of the religion.

[12th Doctor]

Islam is certainly no more hateful than any other religious persuasion one might be inclined to.  The reason for the recent explosion of violent tendencies in Islam is largely due to historical and socio-economic accident.

Hinduism is, by design, the most tolerant of all religious traditions, but that certainly hasn't always been true over the years.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Hinduism is, by design, the most tolerant of all religious traditions, but that certainly hasn't always been true over the years.

Tell that to the Dalits.

[12th Doctor]

Hinduism is, by design, the most tolerant of all religious traditions, but that certainly hasn't always been true over the years.

Tell that to the Dalits.

I meant of "other" religions, since they technically don't believe in "other religions".

[they don't love you like i love you]

Yes, the BJP is a shining example of religious tolerance.

[12th Doctor]

Yes, the BJP is a shining example of religious tolerance.

Again, you are confusing movements connected a a religion with the religion itself... but then again, since I actually said that there are examples, that would be one of them.

[Alcon]

Yes, absolutely.

Would you care to justify this statement?

That's a ridiculous request.  His talking points don't specify "why" for anything.

I've always thought it's weird that people add "absolutely" or "obviously" or "of course" to the end of statements they won't defend...like, you know, we'd be really sure they must have something going on, and wouldn't ask.

[Sbane]

Hinduism is, by design, the most tolerant of all religious traditions, but that certainly hasn't always been true over the years.

Tell that to the Dalits.

Actually hinduism itself never said that Dalits should be treated like they were. Our fukced up human nature did. Hey somebody needs to be the servants right? And remember that you brits loved our class/caste system as well. Made life easy for you guys.

[Sbane]

Yes, the BJP is a shining example of religious tolerance.

I hope the BJP gets absolutely destroyed in the upcoming elections. Indian muslims have always been one of the most tolerant islamic populations in the world and I  mostly blame the BJP for the worsening religious tensions in the country. But in the end we must realize it is just an electoral strategy, nothing personal yadadamean. Just like the republicans southern strategy.

[Matt Damon™]

Hinduism is, by design, the most tolerant of all religious traditions, but that certainly hasn't always been true over the years.

Tell that to the Dalits.

[RosettaStoned]

Obviously it is.