There are two religions on the earth, which have distinct enmity against all other religions. These two are Christianity and Islam. They are not satisfied with just observing their own religions, but are determined to destroy all other religions. That’s why the only way to make peace with them is to embrace their religion.

Rabindranath Tagore

(Complete Works of Rabindranath)

Introduction

Another act of terrorism in the name of Allah is broadcast across the media. So many questions to ask, too many apologies to offer.

How much longer is mankind to suffer because of the intolerant ideology of Islam?

But Islam is a religion of peace; all religions are loving and tolerant to others; Islam has been hijacked by a tiny minority of fundamentalists who practice a perverted interpretation of the religion; 1.2 billion people can’t all be wrong.

Have you read the Islamic scriptures?

Well no. But from what I’ve heard it stresses that there is no compulsion in religion and one should not kill, because the killing of one person is like the killing of all mankind. These are very noble principles I believe.

Are you aware of the context and circumstances under which such verses were revealed? Do you know that Muhammad later unveiled verses quite the opposite when he was in a position of strength? Does the concept of Naskh (abrogation) mean anything to you?

Well no. I’m not worried with all the detail and I really don’t have the time to sit down and read such scriptures.

But I have here, extracts from Islamic texts that could have far reaching effects on humanity if adhered to within their original context. We need to wake up and see that Islam does have a pathological hatred for non-believers.

I'm sure, only if you take them out of context.

It does say that non-believers as the vilest of creatures and you should not befriend them. It does state that religion should only be for Allah, and those not following should be converted, made to pay a tax or be killed.

The Muslims that I know are friendly, caring and loving human beings. There is good and bad in everyone, and religion can be interpreted to anyone’s whims and fancy.

Muslims may be friendly because of their innate human intuition and lack of knowledge of the scriptures. But history has shown that whenever and wherever Islam is in the ascendancy there is always striving to dominate and institutionalise their ideology.

Well I'll have to read it to believe it!

Read with an open mind. You will soon realise that the source of so much Islamic extremism is Islam.

The Islamic scriptures comprise three main texts, the Qur’an (revelations from Allah), the Hadiths (the sayings and deeds of Muhammad) and the Sirat Rasul Allah (biography of the prophet).

Muslims claim that the Qur’an was created by God (Allah) and exists since time immemorial on a tablet in Heaven. It therefore cannot change. Renaissance of its archaic and barbaric laws is out of the question; for man cannot change what God has ordained. The Qur’an was supposedly transmitted to Muhammad from God via an intermediary, the Angel Gabriel.

Narrations portray Muhammad as being illiterate, unable to read or write. Hence for believers, the Qur’an is considered to be a miracle. The Qur’an itself in five places claims that no human or jinn (devil), even all put together, could produce a chapter like it. Of course this is an absurd challenge; one that can be achieved with ease. However for trying, we are threatened, in the very Qur’an, with hell-fire should the attempt be unsuccessful (Qur’an 2:24). The fact that most Muslims do not understand the original language, Arabic, of the Qur’an, speaks volumes about its blind acceptance. They however monotonously recite it in its original form without the impetus to analyse or query either its contents or its impact on humankind.

Should any sane person, not previously indoctrinated to glorify it, simply pick up a suitably translated version and read with an open mind, it would not be long before they come the realisation of how badly written it is; how repetitive it can be; how disparaging it is to those who do not accept it; the extent to which it plagiarises previous religions; how many ridiculous rewards await the gullible; how many insane punishments await the non-believer; how jumbled its message is; how poorly developed the characters are; how meaningless much of it is; and what a boring a read it can be.

So why don't Muslims see through these short-comings?

Firstly, the majority of Muslims, more than a billion do not understand what they are reciting. Arabic of 1400 years ago is foreign to the conquered peoples of Persia, Asia, Africa, India and Eastern Europe. They are told from the time of birth that the Qur’an was written in a unique beautiful language, it is full of scientific miracles and it is without any mistakes. But ask them how is the style beautiful or what miracles it contains or what convinced them that the Qur’an has no mistakes and a billion Muslims will not be able to tell you.

Secondly, Muslims are led to believe that Muhammad was the best example of a human being, one who should be emulated by all Muslims. They are taught a distorted romantic history of an Islamic golden age when it spread across the globe supposedly making a myriad of contributions to the world.

Thirdly, the Qur’an can only survive in a theocratic Islamic state, where the freedom to question or criticise it is non-existent. Islamic states stifle any freedom of thought, utilising the harsh punishments as recommended by Sharia law to enforce strict adherence to the ideology. As Islam grows in the West, this policy of stifling of free speech is also slowly being implemented via coercion on governments by the supposedly victimised Muslims.

It was a message that was rendered precious by the uncultured barbaric men of Bedouin desert Arabia; one that sanctioned their misogynistic traits and brutal conquering nature; one that could only be spread by fear; intimidation and the sword; one that is today proven untenable by science, maths, geography, history, women’s rights and human rights.

This book extracts from the Qur’an, Hadiths and Sira those verses/texts that would disturb any sane person, verses that are factually incorrect and verses that border on the ridiculous.

You will come to realise that the inherent source of hatred, intolerance and violence that mankind has come to know over the last fourteen hundred years is derived from the religion of ‘submission’. You will see that the so-called extremists are the true Muslims who follow the words of the Qur’an and the sunnah (deeds of the prophet).

It will be clear that so-called moderates are unaware of the realities and impact that this religion has on the wider society. However their existence as moderates, in vast numbers, gives strength and hope to the extremists. Moderate Muslims do not know or subconsciously subvert problems with the Islamic scriptures and neither are they aware of the truth of Muhammad’s life. They are not prepared to look back into their past to understand the circumstances under which their ancestors were forced into Islam. They are cocooned in a world of deceptions by their Imams and conditioned to think only within the Islamic box.

Humans and other animals have evolved to not only fend for themselves, but also to protect their families and wider species. Our selfish gene, for specie progression, acts as a benefactor to those within the community to ensure survival of the fittest. Hence good nature, benevolence and protectiveness are traits inherent amongst most species. Humans regardless of religious affiliation naturally possess these traits of ensuring survival of the species.

However when engulfed within ideologies that emphasise the clan above the species, while providing rewards for securing supremacy of the clan, the mind can be easily warped, overriding our basic human nature. Muslims, once indoctrinated with true Islam, are suddenly hardwired to place their community above all else. This overrides man’s inherent good nature towards the rest of mankind, thereby falling prey to a creed that urges destruction of everything outside its ideological sphere and protection of everything within.

In essence, Islam is an ideology devised by a domineering person, Muhammad, as a tool to acheiving his apirations of conquering the earth. It is a politically motivated ideology that has served him and his legacy well over the last 1400 years. This dogma that separates humans into two groups, Dar-ul-Islam (the land submitted to Allah) and Dar-ul-Harb (the land of war) encourages all believers to fight in the way of Allah until there is only one land – Dar-ul-Islam. Only when all mankind is submitted to Allah will there supposedly be peace. However the reality of violence among Muslims themselves since the inception of Islam, itself guarantees that there could never be real peace even if Islam alone exist.

Islamic scriptures concentrate on permeating fear for those who do not accept the messenger’s message while conversely describing a whore house of a heaven where those who believe will bask in perpetual bliss. With those who die as martyrs in the way of Allah promised even greater rewards.

Those in heaven will partake in flowing rivers of ever fresh milk, rivers of delectable wine and rivers of clearest honey; fruits and meats of every variety and young maidens who apparently are eternal virgins. For the unlucky unbelievers, the majority of mankind, there will be eternal torment in various layers of hell where their bodies will be fuel for the fire and their skin replaced each time it is burnt off to enable the suffering to recommence.

From the suffering of women under sharia law to the injustices experienced by non-believers in Muslim lands, to the horrors of terrorism, we find clear and specific commands and justifications in the scriptures of Islam. However reading Islamic texts is a very laborious task. Much of it is meaningless and repetitive with very little spiritual value or rational/logical discussions. This book therefore seeks to make accessible to the layman, key portions of the scripture that unequivocally support the injustice, intolerance and violence among mankind that we have become so familiar with since the time of Muhammad.

The initial chapters of the book examine key subject matters of major significance in today’s society, using scriptural references to elucidate the core fundamentals that sustain their alleged radical interpretations. Following these, are three chapters that provide reference texts from each of the major Islamic scriptures which clearly show the extent to which the hatred, intolerance and absurdities extend. The brittle pillars of Islam, kept erect over the last fourteen centuries through intimidation and violence, are then exposed, and finally quotations from prominent individuals concludes our foray through a group of scriptures that has brought about the death of countless millions and subjugation of myriads more.

Respect of others’ core belief systems is a fundamental right owed to fellow humans. It is not the intention of this book to disrespect any person. However to reveal the underlying nature of a doctrine that preaches hate, violence and intolerance, depicting the majority of earth’s population as evil, wicked, cursed, vilest of creation, dogs, cattle, in darkness, deaf, blind, dumb and simply fuel for hell-fire, deserving to be killed in God’s name, is essential in this day and age.

Such an ideology, in religious disguise, does not augur well for humanity nor should it demand respect. Rather it is imperative that a true understanding of such scriptures be attained and condemnation be voiced from all quarters to ensure eradication of unjust teachings that to this day still leads to inhumane treatment of so many fellow human beings.

The texts included here are reproduced from authorised English translations with the context maintained, ensuring adherence to their original intent. Where maintaining the context might not be possible, because of lengthy meandering passages or dependence on other sources for historic perspective, explanations in curly brackets {} are provided. This will ensure that the context of the subject matter is evident without need for referral to additional texts from outside sources.

Extracts from the Qur’an are taken in the main from the translation by Marmaduke Mohammad Pickthall. However where verses are clearer in other versions, texts from Yusuf Ali and M. K. Shakir are used.

The majority of ahadith (sayings of the prophet) are taken from Sahih Muslim (SM). But where certain topics may need reinforcing or not discussed in this work, verses from Sahih Bukhari (SB) and Sunan Abu Da’ud (SAD) are used.

Extracts from the Sira (biography of the prophet) are taken from Ibn Hisham’s work based on the first and most authorised biography of the prophet, Sirat Rasul Allah written by Ibn Ishaq (704-773).

Readers are advised to verify that the texts used here are authentic and kept within its intended context by referring to the relevant scriptures. Where actual books are not available, all these texts can be found online, on the internet.