Continuing with my mission to annoy and anger all the right people into thinking critically, I must continue to criticize the introduction to the Quran, now mostly focusing on the political aspects of the arguments brought up in the introduction and more of the straight up lies that the writer tells in his effort to make Islam look like a peaceful religion that’s palatable for us Westerners who want to be politically correct. If you haven’t already read by first Flippin’ Fatwa Friday post, I suggest you go read it before you read this. Now let’s try to untangle this thing.
#1: Islam and Science
One of the most popular claims made by Muslim scholars and our pro-Muslim media is: “Look at how wonderful Islam is! Look at how many scientific advancements they brought while you dumb, backwards Christians were sitting around picking your noses and dying of the plague!” Our good buddy Nooruddin is no different, as he writes:
“Has Islam not had a shining record of science and civilization? Does the West not owe to Islam much of its scientific discoveries? In the fifth and the sixth Century A.D. the great civilization which had taken four thousand years to construct was on the verge of disintegration. The sanctions created by Christianity were working division and destruction instead of unity and order, at this critical time the Holy Quran was an indispensable means to unite the whole known world of the East and the South. ‘From a new angle,’ writes H.G. Wells, “and with a fresh vigor it (the Arab mind) took up that systematic development of positive knowledge which the Greeks had begun and relinquished. If the Greek was the father, then the Arab was the foster-father of the scientific method of dealing with reality. Through the Arabs it was and not by the Latin route that the modern world received that gift of Light and Power.’ (The Outline of History, London, p. 192)
“One must study the influence and blessing of the Holy Quran and appreciate the great forward leap that humanity took with its help and under its guidance and the deep abyss from the bottom of which it lifted humanity to the lofty heights of social, moral and spiritual reinforcements in every age. Through the impetus given by the Quran, one of the most dynamic scientific movements in the history of exact thought began soon after the advent of Islam. This movement rapidly gained momentum and the world saw the birth of some of the greatest scientists and philosophers of all times.” (page 20-A)
“Never even for a single moment did the Quran stand in the way of knowledge, science, civilization and progress. Wherever it has found its way among cultured and progressive nations, it has shown itself in complete accord with progressive tendencies and has assisted knowledge, culture, and civilizations.” (page 20-A)
For as much as this introduction bashes on non-Muslims for ignorance of the Quran, it seems that the author should’ve spent some time fixing his ignorance of basic history.
Islam does not have a “shining record of science and civilization” as Nooruddin claims, but rather its record continues to tell us a much different story. Starting with scientific advancements, one of the most popular claims Muslims like to make is that without them, we wouldn’t have Arabic numerals. However, this is false, as Arabic numerals actually originated in 500 A.D. in India after the fall of the Roman Empire. As they gained popularity and were perfected, they were brought to Europe in the 10th century by Arabic speakers from Spain and North Africa.
Another one that Muslims like to claim came from them was that they were able to accurately calculate the Earth’s circumference and were great astronomers. However, the problem with this claim is that the Greeks had been doing this (or attempting to) long before Islam existed, as had others. In fact, Erastothenes, a Greek astronomer was actually the first to do that.
Meanwhile, let’s look at all the Christians who have made massive contributions to modern science. Names such as Galileo (the father of modern astronomy), Copernicus, Issac Newton (the father of classical physics), Alexander Fleming (who discovered penicillin), Robert Boyle (the father of modern chemistry), Antonie van Leeuwenhoek, Blaise Pascal, Gregor Mendel (the father of modern genetics), Georges Lemaitre (the creator of the Big Bang theory), Sir William Osler (the father of modern medicine), and others come easily to mind. Most of the scientific and philosophical observations from the ancient Greeks and Romans were also preserved after the fall of the Roman empire by Christian monks, who would then go on to create universities such as Oxford, Cambridge, and others where these observations were then taught.
[Author’s Note: I also saw one website claiming that Muslims invented bathing. That’s how desperate they are to claim that Islam was doing something to advance science and civilization. Sorry, but bathing existed long before Muhammad came along.]
As for that “shining record” of civilization, Islam did not help build up civilizations but rather made them worse. Islamic warlords would conquer peoples throughout the Middle East, often slaughtering people indiscriminately, taxed (or killed) those who refused to practice Islam, slavery was rampant, etc. We see this even today, where according to World Population Review there are 50 Muslim-majority countries and of that 50, only two (Albania and Kosovo) are located in “less-developed” (the politically correct version of “3rd world”) regions according to Pew Research Center.
While it is true that there are countries of other faiths that are underdeveloped, why is it that it’s mostly countries that follow or were founded upon Judeo-Christian beliefs that do so well? Could it be because our beliefs actually encourage us to study and understand the world that God has create and to be good stewards of it? Could it be because our beliefs encourage fair treatment of everyone, recognizing that we’re all human beings that deserve to be treated with respect and dignity? After all, how is it that Israel, a Jewish state, was able to make that land an oasis in the desert while everywhere else is still pretty much a desert wasteland unless they happen to have something valuable to trade, such as oil, in which case they are still almost completely reliant upon Western, Judeo-Christian countries to get it.
That’s not even commenting on the massive differences in how people in Muslim-majority countries (especially women) are treated versus how people in Judeo-Christian countries are treated.
#2: Social Gospel
One of the most concerning parts of this introduction is how much the Nooruddin brags that Islam is a social gospel and claims that the world would just be a better place if we just accepted Islam universally, quoting people who agree with him.
“[The Quran is] A storehouse of every basic principle necessary for the moral and spiritual welfare of human beings. It shows the way to all that is most upright and conformable to rectitude and benefits our individual and social life (16:89). Dr. W. Cantwell Smith writes, ‘It in recent years has not moved towards a social gospel but has been a Social Gospel from the start. It has formulated a basic spiritual and social code of lasting guidance for humankind whether previously revealed or not.’ […] The Book is living, there is internal and external evidence to show that it is not fossilized, rather, quite capable of facing the challenges of the modern world.” (page 18-A)
“Islam allows freedom of opinion and private right of judgement. It has preached democracy in religion as well as in politics. Its laws are, no doubt, unchangeable and everlasting, but so are all such laws that rule the world and keep it healthy, morally and ethically. These laws are broad enough to cover all contingencies, however, one has to draw a line between freedom and license.” (page 19-A)
“Never even for a single moment did the Quran stand in the way of knowledge, science, civilization and progress. Wherever it has found its way among cultured and progressive nations it has shown itself in complete accord with progressive tendencies and has assisted knowledge, culture, and civilizations.” (page 20-A)
“Dilemmas such as those of finance and wrong distribution of wealth are complex, knotty questions demanding abolition of interest, free enterprise, distribution of wealth after a generation and a sanction through which, at least, within 40 years, all the wealth of the over-privileged people must go to the underprivileged. These circumstances demand expert, solid thinking and cool planning according to the Quran which is a tremendously constructive force in such perplexing conditions. We need smart people using their intelligence in an atmosphere made creative, sympathetic, good and Godly by the Quran. Name any problem of the modern age for which there is no remedy in the Holy Quran. Yes, the whole world is in a process of evolution. But all is not well with the world, it is a pattern of light and shadows, parts of which are pleasant, some definitely otherwise. However, it is not a case of ‘take it or leave it’ we simply have to take it because we are here, and we are quite capable of improving the art of living.” (page 21-A)
“When has the need ever been so vital to learn how to live unitedly, to know how to forge strong and loving family ties, to hear a powerful word of peace in a world of military attacks and nuclear nightmares, to have wholesome food, drinks and proper dress and to know where one can obtain deliverance from sin and hear the sweet voice of God? The Quran tells us how such vital needs can be satisfied.” (page 23-A)
“Professor Hooking of Harvard University writes in his book The Spirit of World Policies ‘Can Islam produce fresh thinking, independent laws and relevant statutes to fit the new needs raised by modern society? Yes, and more. Islam offers humanity greater possibilities for advance than others can. In reality Islamic Shariah contains all the ingredients needed.’” (page 23-A)
“In 1951 the Paris College of Law devoted a week to the study of the Islamic Canon Law. They called in experts from countries around the world. The head of the Parisian Languages Society chaired the conference and summed up at the end thus, ‘Whatever our earlier ideas, about Islamic law and its rigidity or incompetence in documenting transactions, we have been compelled to revise them. Let me sum up the new insight, new I think to most of us, the conference has given us in this week devoted particularly to the Islamic Canon Law. We saw in it a depth of rock-bottom principle and of particularized care which embraces humankind in its universality and is, thus, able to give an answer to all the emergencies and events of this age. In our final communique we say, “Islam’s legislation to meet present day conditions, since it possesses a legal treasure of stable universal values and pronouncements to cope with the exigencies imposed by the new forums of living arising in the modern environment.’” (page 24-A)
“About the vitality of Islam Bernard Shaw (1856-1950 A.D.) observes as follows: ‘I have always held the religion of Muhammad in the highest estimation because of its wonderful vitality. It is the only religion which appears to me to possess that assimilation capability to the changing phase of existence which can make itself appeal to every age. I have studied him – the wonderful man – in my opinion far from being Anti-Christ, he must be called a savior of humanity. I believe that if a man like him were to assume dictatorship of the modern world, he would succeed in solving the problems in a way that would bring it the much-needed peace and happiness. I have prophesied about the faith of Muhammad that it would be acceptable to the Europe of tomorrow as it is beginning to be accepted by Europe of today.‘” (page 24-A)
“Equality, fraternity, and liberty are fundamental to the teaching of the Quran. It is only through God, Creator, Sustainer, Nourisher to perfection of all and His Word, and Quran, that we shall find the road to the unification of humanity, to the brotherhood of man which knows no boundaries of color, caste, country, language, and rank. Far from being threatened by any intellectual challenge from modern civilization, the Holy Quran itself might be said to constitute a serious challenge to the declining standards and values and the increasing confusion of the world.” (pages 28-A – 29-A)
There’s so much wrong with this, as it just reeks of commies and tyrants, but is worded in flowery language meant to appeal to us dumb Westerners who no longer know how to think critically. Many of us read this, hear words like “democracy,” “liberty,” “equality,” “freedom of opinion,” and “progress” and think that perhaps Islam isn’t as bad as we once thought it was. The problem here is that we’ve seen exactly what goes on in countries that follow Shari’ah law. Iran fell to the Islamic Revolution in the 1970s and since then has been a terrorist hotbed. Freedom of opinion there is a joke equal to the famous Michael Scott quote of:
We’ve also seen the results of Shari’ah Law in Afghanistan when the Taliban took over. Furthermore, we’ve seen the effects of Islam combining itself with socialism in both countries (if you read Hamas’ charter, they also happen to be socialist). Yes, Islam is prepared to deal with today’s issues…by killing everyone who disagrees with Islam, killing the apostates, and reducing your standard of living to that of someone living in the 7th century. Sounds wonderful, doesn’t it?
We also must address the disturbing claim that the Quran promotes “Equality, fraternity, and liberty.” If you’re at all familiar with what was going on in the 1700s in France, this should sound eerily familiar. That’s because this was the slogan of the Jacobin Party, and it led to the Reign of Terror which ended with 17,000 people dying, many of whom were the very peasants the Jacobins claimed to be helping. Unlike the United States’ ideal of “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness,” “Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity” is not the basis of a healthy, functioning society, but rather one where tyranny rules. The reason why is because if you don’t act in a way that the government says promotes “equality” or “fraternity” (whatever they define those as), then they can now do what they wish to you for not toeing the party line, which is exactly what we’ve seen in Islamic countries. It’s then because of this devotion to the tyrannical chant of “Liberty, fraternity, and equality,” that we can see how Islam allies itself so well to the progressive policies and politicians whose sole purpose is to usher in tyranny and vice versa. And it’s because of our sheer ignorance that we allow this to happen.
As an American who cherishes her rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, when I read this, I don’t feel more friendly towards Islam, but more disgusted. Islam is not a religion of peace, tolerance, and democracy, but is one that will usher in tyranny if we remain blind to its teachings. When we read this, it’s no wonder why so many on the Left not only fiercely protect Islam with the threat of calling you Islamophobic if you criticize this awful religion but even promote it. They’re both working for the destruction of the West through lies, brainwashing, and violence. To both the Left and the Islamic radicals, the other is simply a useful group of idiots that they can use to usher in their reign of terror. It’s just a question of who will win: the Islamic radicals or the secular Leftists. Hopefully, we will never have to find out.
Until next time,
M.J.
The Tanuki Corner 