Islam - index

I have sometimes investigated aspects of Islam and documented my conclusions. Here they are.
(I have had no reason to investigate terrorism or jihad, so this page doesn't cover those topics).

I have read the Koran and key parts of the Haddith in English translation.
When I read the Koran, I knew a billion people believed that it was a copy of a book in heaven. I wondered what such a book must be like?
The Koran is a shambles! It is incomplete, contradictory, ambiguous, and dependent on esoteric interpretation.

Eye opening

Reform movements

Women

Science

Other analysis

Europe

Other sources

Sections of this page below

Other pages on this web site

The following articles were originally published in the Child Support Analysis web site. They were the result of investigating child support and related topics, such as paternity testing and human rights, in Islamic cultures. That web site is frozen, but these pages are evolving. They contain many further external links.

Summary

My view is that Islam "in its natural state" is currently at best medieval, (for example, its typical attitude towards science), and at worst intolerant and barbaric, (for example, various aspects of Sharia Law including attitude towards women, intolerance towards other religions, and immature and exaggerated reactions to criticism).

This isn't a "Clash of Civilisations" - Islam "in its natural state" isn't yet civilised. This is a "Clash of Eras" - the 1st millennium CE (Islam) versus the 3rd millennium CE ("the West").

Individual Muslims may be far more enlightened than Islam itself, of course! This is especially true where they are integrated minorities in non-Islamic states.

Is Islam a "Religion of Peace"?

What do you want it to be? That can be arranged!

Islam is a combination of a religion and a political manifesto

Temporarily ignore in Islam typical religious topics of a god and mystical aspects (Allah, jinns, angels, satan, houri, miracles, heaven, and hell) and there is a lot remaining.

Using UK terminology, this remainder includes: Criminal Justice (rules of evidence, penalties); Financial Services (interest); Education (emphasis on the Koran); Human Rights (rights or otherwise of women, rights or otherwise of free speech, apostasy & rights or otherwise of religion); Foreign Relations (objectives for a global Islamic state, treaties); etc. These are topics of a political manifesto.

Islam is complicated, incomplete, contradictory, and ambiguous

Just read the Koran - it speaks for itself! It wasn't collected together until decades after Muhammed died, and it appears that even if he finished reciting it, much got lost in the collection. The haddith were not collected until centuries later.Much of the Koran was written in a form of incomplete arabic script and so needs interpretation of context.

Islam has no "central authority"

There is no authority such as the equivalent of a papacy that can conclusively decide whether Islam is a religion of peace or provides a justification of war. Part of the problem is the Shia / Sunni split, but there are regional and other factors too.

Islam requires interpretation, and interpreters have their own agendas

The reasons are given above. It is easy to find contradictory interpretations, and there is disagreement about how to use abrogation to deal with contradictions. Some say abrogation is a lie, while others justify it.

Islam is dependent on culture and environment

There are obvious constraints on the degree to which Muslims can exploit the political manifesto; within non-Islamic states this is typically not possible. But much also depends on whether the population is predominantly Shia or Sunni, and which scholars have had most influence. (See also Divisions of Islam and Ahmadi).

Islam has reform movements, typically subject to death-threats

It is par for the course for Muslims who propose Islamic reform to receive death threats! Nevertheless, it is important for many Muslims to be able to practise Islam without the medieval and barbaric aspects, so many Muslims want to make Islam fit for the 21st Century. Some links are provided on the right.

Cherry-picking Islam

Given the contradictions, it is impossible to conform to 100% of the Koran and the haddith. It is typically possible to identify material to support any viewpoint from "Islam is a religion of peace and tolerance" to "Islam is a movement for jihad that can only be satisfied with a global Islamic state".

But some things are hard to deny: "in relevant circumstances, beat your wife" (Sura 4 verse 34); "if they don't convert, slay the pagans" (Sura 9 verse 5).

Cartoons - Mohammed

Cartoons - from Muslims

Other sources

Shazia Mirza

Islamic humour!

Islamic what? (It is there, but never mainstream. Anti-Islam humour is common, of course).

What are the rules?

Koran (Sura 6 verse 68):

“ If you see those who mock our revelations, you shall avoid them until they delve into another subject. If the devil causes you to forget, then, as soon as you remember, do not sit with such evil people. ”

From: Islam and the sense of humor (PDF):

The rules are contradictory:

Joking is permitted in Islam in the condition that it is moderate.

It is related that the Prophet, sallallahu alayhe wa sallam, said, "Everything has a beginning and hostility begins with joking."

Ja'far bin Muhammad said, "Beware of joking for it causes embarassment."

Ibrahim al-Nakh'i said, "Joking shows foolishness and arrogance."

Imamibn Abdul Bar said, "Some of the scholars denounced joking for what it causes of offences, spite and malice between people."

Shazia Mirza

(Soon after 9/11): My name is Shazia Mirza - at least, that is what it says on my pilot's licence.

I got on the plane to Denmark dressed like this, and this woman refused to sit next to me. So I said to her, "I'm going to sit on this plane and blow it up. And you think you're going to be safer three rows back?"

On my pilgrimage to Mecca I felt a hand on my bottom. I thought it was the hand of God. Then it happened again. Clearly, my prayers had been answered.

I was walking past this building site in Mecca when a group of Muslim builders shouted, "Show us your ... face".

About arranged marriages: "My friend Julie says, 'How can you sleep with someone you don't know?' - but she does it all the time".

I'm really looking forward to my wedding day. I can't wait to meet my husband.

(On the search in Iraq for Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction): "Look up his wife's purdah [dress], because nobody looks up there".