Lots of fuss in the papers and on the internet this week about Geert Wilders' short documentary "Fitna" in which the Dutch film-maker links verses from the Koran with film footage of terrorist outrages and interviews with Muslim extremists. There has been predictable protest from Muslims who believe that the film-maker is simply trying to whip up hatred against them when they are going peacefully about their business of whipping up hatred against … well, almost everyone, really. How unfair of Wilders.
There has also been the usual flaccid bleating from politicians and media intent on favouring the Muslim minority at all costs. I just wish I understood why.
Wilders' film isn't very good, to be honest. But it's hard to see how flashing verses from the Koran on the screen, then pictures of events that did actually happen, then footage of people spouting bigoted belligerence, constitutes incitement to racial hatred. Or are they claiming that events like 9/11 didn't happen, or that those verses aren't in the Koran, or that the preachers with towels round their heads shouting that "Allah rejoices when a non-believer is killed" are just actors reading from a script?
Anyone who believes that Islam is a religion of peace needs to think about these paragraphs by Abdullah Al Araby …
In an attempt to polish Islam's image, Muslim activists usually quote verses from the Quran that were written in the early days of the Islamic movement while Mohammed lived in Mecca. Those passages make Islam appear loving and harmless because they call for love, peace and patience. Such is a deception. The activists fail to tell gullible people that such verses, though still in the Quran, were nullified, abrogated, rendered void by later passages that incite killing, decapitations, maiming, terrorism and religious intolerance. The latter verses were penned while Mohammed's headquarters was based in Medina.
When speaking with people of Christianized/Western societies, Muslim activists deliberately hide a major Islamic doctrine called "al-Nasikh wal-Mansoukh" (the Abrogator and the Abrogated). This simply means that in situations wherein verses contradict one another, the early verses are overridden by the latter verses. The chronological timing in which a verse was written determines its authority to establish policies within Islam. Non-Muslims cannot afford to be ignorant about the full implications of the Abrogator and the Abrogated Doctrine (al-Nasikh wal-Mansoukh). When Islamic spokesmen say that Islam is a religion of peace and that the Quran does not support such things as human rights infractions, gender bias and terrorism, they are lying. This means that the Western politicians and liberal journalists, who continually spout that Islam is a noble religion of peace, are in reality propagating a deception that they have been deceived into parroting.
There is no question that the Koran contains many incitements to violence and hatred …
• Those who have disbelieved our signs, we shall roast them in fire. Whenever their skins are cooked to a turn, we shall substitute new skins for them - Koran, Surah 4
• … when ye meet the unbelievers, smite at their necks … Koran, Surah 47
• But if they turn renegades, seize them and kill them wherever ye find them - Koran, Surah 4
• Fight them until there is no dissension, and the religion is entirely Allah's - Koran, Surah 8
• fight and slay the Pagans wherever ye find them, and seize them, beleaguer them, and lie in wait for them in every stratagem - Koran, Surah 9
See Total War for many more such quotations from the Koran.
But what of that other great holy book, the Bible? How peaceful and benign is that?
Here's what the Bible says about hate …
• Do not I hate them, O Lord, that hate thee? and am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee? I hate them with perfect hatred: I count them mine enemies - Psalms 139:19-22
And as for people who refuse to believe, or who switch religion …
• If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or a wonder, and the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spake unto thee, saying, Let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known, and let us serve them; And that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams, shall be put to death - Deuteronomy 13
• If thy brother, the son of thy mother, or thy son, or thy daughter, or the wife of thy bosom, or thy friend, which is as thine own soul, entice thee secretly, saying, Let us go and serve other gods, which thou hast not known, thou, nor thy fathers; Thou shalt not consent unto him, nor hearken unto him; neither shall thine eye pity him, neither shalt thou spare, neither shalt thou conceal him: But thou shalt surely kill him; thine hand shall be first upon him to put him to death, and afterwards the hand of all the people. And thou shalt stone him with stones, that he die - Deuteronomy 13
• If thou shalt hear say in one of thy cities, which the LORD thy God hath given thee to dwell there, saying … Let us go and serve other gods, which ye have not known; Then shalt thou enquire, and make search, and ask diligently; and, behold, if it be truth, and the thing certain, that such abomination is wrought among you; thou shalt surely smite the inhabitants of that city with the edge of the sword, destroying it utterly, and all that is therein, and the cattle thereof, with the edge of the sword - Deuteronomy 13
OK, not such a good idea to pick'n'mix, then. What about that other famous target for Muslim hatred, pooves?
• if a man lies with a man as one lies with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They must be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads - Leviticus 20:13
Hmm, death, eh? That's a bit extreme. Well no, not in the Bible it isn't. In the Bible, death is an everyday occurrence …
• And he brought out the people that were in it, and cut them with saws, and with harrows of iron, and with axes - I Chronicles 20:3
• And the Lord said unto Moses, Take all the heads of the people and hang them up before the Lord against the sun, that the fierce anger of the Lord may be turned away from Israel - Numbers 25:3-4
• Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass - I Samuel 15:2-3
• And he brought forth the people that were therein, and put them under saws, and under harrows of iron, and under the axes of iron, and made them pass through the brick-kiln: and thus did he unto all the cities of the children of Ammon - II Samuel 12:31
Women and children are particularly fair game for these Biblical butchers …
• Every one that is found shall be thrust through; and every one that is joined unto them shall fall by the sword. Their children also shall be dashed to pieces before their eyes; their houses shall be spoiled, and their wives ravished - Isaiah 13:15-16
• Slay utterly old and young, both maids, and little children, and woman - Ezekiel 9:5-6
• they shall fall by the sword: their infants shall be dashed in pieces, and their women with child shall be ripped up - Hosea 13:16
• And I will kill her children with death - Revelation 2:22-23
• Happy shall he be, that taketh and dasheth thy little ones against the stones - Psalms 137:9
And when, after killing them, you feel a bit peckish …
• And thou shalt eat the fruit of thine own body, the flesh of thy sons and of thy daughters - Deuteronomy 28:53
… and then there's no point is wasting a juicy maiden, is there? …
• Now therefore kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman that hath known man by lying with him. But all the women children, that have not known a man by lying with him, keep alive for yourselves - Numbers 31:16-18
Crikey, that's cool. You know that thing about if you're a Muslim and you die, they give you 72 virgins (not in Salford, obviously)? Well, if you're a Christian, you could have hundreds, and you needn't wait till you're dead either!
What about some of the other forms of social entertainment?
• And the man that committeth adultery with another man's wife, even he that committeth adultery with his neighbour's wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death. And the man that lieth with his father's wife hath uncovered his father's nakedness: both of them shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them - Leviticus 20:10-11
So adultery's a bit risky, then. Just as well we've got all those virgins stashed away. And if the virgins protest, just explain to them that if you're a Christian you're allowed to have a few slaves …
• As for the male and female slaves whom you may have, it is from the nations around you that you may acquire male and female slaves - Leviticus 25:44
But it's the female slaves you're got to look out for. Women are … well, they're … just plain bad …
• Give me any plague, but the plague of the heart: and any wickedness, but the wickedness of a woman
• Of the woman came the beginning of sin, and through her we all die
• If she go not as thou wouldest have her, cut her off from thy flesh, and give her a bill of divorce, and let her go
• The whoredom of a woman may be known in her haughty looks and eyelids. If thy daughter be shameless, keep her in straitly, lest she abuse herself through overmuch liberty
• A silent and loving woman is a gift of the Lord: and there is nothing so much worth as a mind well instructed. A shamefaced and faithful woman is a double grace, and her continent mind cannot be valued
• A shameless woman shall be counted as a dog; but she that is shamefaced will fear the Lord
• For from garments cometh a moth, and from women wickedness. Better is the churlishness of a man than a courteous woman, a woman, I say, which bringeth shame and reproach - all from Ecclesiastes 25, 26 & 42
So you really have to treat them to a bit of tough love …
• And the daughter of any priest, if she profane herself by playing the whore, she profaneth her father: she shall be burnt with fire - Leviticus 21:9
• Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live - Exodus 22
• (Lot, the bloke that escaped from Sodom and Gomorrah, is beset by a perverted mob. He fears they're going to do something rather personal to him, so he offers them his daughter and his mistress instead. Well, you would, wouldn't you?): Behold, here is my daughter a maiden, and … concubine; them I will bring out now, and humble ye them, and do with them what seemeth good unto you: but unto this man do not so vile a thing. But the men would not hearken to him: so the man took his concubine, and brought her forth unto them; and they knew her, and abused her all the night until the morning: and when the day began to spring, they let her go - Judges 19:24-25
• If a man be found lying with a woman married to an husband … and lie with her; then ye shall bring them both out unto the gate of that city, and ye shall stone them with stones that they die; the damsel, because she cried not, being in the city; and the man, because he hath humbled his neighbour's wife - Deuteronomy 22
So, girls, if you're going to get raped, make sure it's in the countryside!
"But, but, but …" I hear you cry, "… but all these are from the Old Testament. I mean, it's just a historical document, really …"
OK, fair enough. Let's have a look in the New Testament, then. What did Jesus himself say?
• If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple - Luke 14:26
… OK … I'm just getting my head round that, then … Jesus doesn't want anyone in his gang unless they're … like, totally dysfunctional …
But what about all that killing? Surely Jesus had a thing or two to say about that?
• But those mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before me - Luke 19:27
And those poor victimised women?
• For the man is not of the woman; but the woman of the man. Neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man - I Corinthians 11:8-9
• Let the women learn in silence with all subjection. But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence - I Timothy 2:11-14
• Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church - Ephesians 5:22-24
• Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; and if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home - I Corinthians 14:34-35
So, girls, that's a big improvement, isn't it? You don't have to be raped, or enslaved, or stoned to death, or have your baby's head bashed on a rock and eaten just so long as you keep bloody quiet, all right? Oh, these evangelists knew a good thing when they heard it.
Well, all in all that's a bit of a result for the Bible, wouldn't you say? Something in the region of … The Bible 6, The Koran 1 (Rig-Veda vs. Guru Granth Sahib, late kick-off). There's a comprehensive listing of Bible quotations here.
Mind you, the Talmud, the Jewish holy book, isn't much better, apparently. See here and here - I can't vouch for the accuracy of these two websites, however. The bit about Lady Jane Birdwood on the second one is certainly a distortion of the truth: she wasn't a brave writer being punished for expressing her opinions, but a dotty, unpleasant old fascist and holocaust-denier who couldn't keep her mouth shut.
The GOS says: And if you want a real laugh, take a look at Clarifying Christianity, especially the page on "How do we know the Bible is true?"
And if you are ever tempted to doubt that Christianity is, like Islam, a religion for the deeply ignorant and slow of intellect, go to the transparently ridiculous page which attempts to show that there is scientific proof for the Bible and the one about Biblical dinosaurs. Can anyone tell me why I keep spelling "Bible" with a capital "B"?
either on this site or on the World Wide Web.
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