The Wow I Can't Believe That News Story Thread

[Cuthbert]

BBC News - Kenya bus attack: Al-Shabab 'wants religious war'

The slaughter of 28 people on a bus in Kenya is a bid to start a religious war.

At dawn on Saturday, al-Shabab gunmen attacked the bus in northern Kenya, shooting dead non-Muslim passengers.
The Somalia-based Islamist group has carried out numerous attacks across Kenya since 2011.

Gunmen separated out non-Muslims by asking passengers to read from the Koran, officials and witnesses said. Those who failed were then shot in the head.

I'm assuming something was taken out of context. It is the religion of peace after all.

[Frownland]

Originally Posted by Christian Benteke

BBC News - Kenya bus attack: Al-Shabab 'wants religious war'



I'm assuming something was taken out of context. It is the religion of peace after all.

Not for the extremists (i.e. the minority of Muslims) at least. The whole religion of peace thing is an American concept that started with Bush I think.

[The Batlord]

The idea of a "religion of peace" is absurd. Almost all religions espouse peace to some degree or other. I'm sure even Norse mythology did in some strange way. Almost all practitioners of every religion also ignore this and do what they want, often times even backed up by passages in their books that are taken out of context (or that apologists just like to pretend are taken out of context).

And to think that any Abrahamic religion is "peaceful" is likewise ridiculous. Violence and religious intolerance have been encouraged since Judaism's inception.

I am also dubious of the people who claim that extremist Islamists are necessarily misinterpreting the Quran. The religious texts of Abrahamic religions are often so vague and open to interpretation that God himself should be tried for negligent homicide. Any deity worthy of the name could have predicted the atrocities that have happened because of supposed misinterpretations, and disagreements over some passage or another's meaning---and yet he/she/they still put pen to paper anyway.

Besides, how are you gonna tell me that some crackpot cleric who's been reading and dissecting the Quran his entire life doesn't have the right to claim some level of expertise? He lives and breathes Islam in a way that most of the people claiming that he misinterprets the text never could. Maybe God really does want believers to kill the infidels.

[Frownland]

Originally Posted by The Batlord

The idea of a "religion of peace" is absurd. Almost all religions espouse peace to some degree or other. I'm sure even Norse mythology did in some strange way. Almost all practitioners of every religion also ignore this and do what they want, often times even backed up by passages in their books that are taken out of context (or that apologists just like to pretend are taken out of context).

And to think that any Abrahamic religion is "peaceful" is likewise ridiculous. Violence and religious intolerance have been encouraged since Judaism's inception.

I am also dubious of the people who claim that extremist Islamists are necessarily misinterpreting the Quran. The religious texts of Abrahamic religions are often so vague and open to interpretation that God himself should be tried for negligent homicide. Any deity worthy of the name could have predicted the atrocities that have happened because of supposed misinterpretations, and disagreements over some passage or another's meaning---and yet he/she/they still put pen to paper anyway.

Besides, how are you gonna tell me that some crackpot cleric who's been reading and dissecting the Quran his entire life doesn't have the right to claim some level of expertise? He lives and breathes Islam in a way that most of the people claiming that he misinterprets the text never could. Maybe God really does want believers to kill the infidels.

In a lot of cases, it's choosing to hold one side of conflicting points in the Quran like burning the infidel even though the text also says that they should welcome them in their home and abhors harm towards innocents. As for the crackpot cleric statement, a lot of these misinterpretations or exaggerations are for hidden motives such as prejudices and power. The Quran isn't a perfect text but generally it goes against what a lot of extremists claim that it does, to quote DOOM they "tear a page out of the good book and hear it out they want it".

And I also think that the number of moderate Muslims who don't want apostasy and things like that is highly ignored.

Religion of peace comes from nothing that the Quran or Muhammad said, it's a political idiom that came about after 9/11.

[Cuthbert]

Originally Posted by The Batlord

I am also dubious of the people who claim that extremist Islamists are necessarily misinterpreting the Quran. The religious texts of Abrahamic religions are often so vague and open to interpretation that God himself should be tried for negligent homicide.

If there was a law that could be interpreted to say that it's OK to beat your wife, should we leave it and say domestic abusers are taking it out of context or should we change it so that it's clear it's not acceptable?

Besides, how are you gonna tell me that some crackpot cleric who's been reading and dissecting the Quran his entire life doesn't have the right to claim some level of expertise? He lives and breathes Islam in a way that most of the people claiming that he misinterprets the text never could. Maybe God really does want believers to kill the infidels.

This annoys me. Liberals constantly shout down critics of Islam saying that those who are extreme or violent are not real Muslims, who are they to say that? It's exactly the same as saying extremists are the real Muslims.

Islam is the one religion which is consistently producing evil around the world wherever it goes. Western Muslims will say Islam is being interpreted wrongly but it's bollocks, in all the hundreds of years, and the dozens of countries who have implemented shit like the Sharia not one has managed to get it right? And this from a book which claims to be perfect, clear and from God.

- Hateful scripture
- Scripture being interpreted as hateful and taught as such
- Bad acts carried out

Islam ticks all the boxes mate.

[Black Francis]

Maybe god is above all this egotistical human bullsh*t

It never made sense to me how most religions humanize gods by either given them petty flaws like jealousy or making them gods of a specific thing, like the god of music or love or wthvr

I mean, why would a god(s) have the same problem and limitation as us? you would think them being gods they would have a higher mindset and be above our human downfalls but no apparently they aren't.

[Frownland]

Originally Posted by Christian Benteke

If there was a law that could be interpreted to say that it's OK to beat your wife, should we leave it and say domestic abusers are taking it out of context or should we change it so that it's clear it's not acceptable?



This annoys me. Liberals constantly shout down critics of Islam saying that those who are extreme or violent are not real Muslims, who are they to say that? It's exactly the same as saying extremists are the real Muslims.

Islam is the one religion which is consistently producing evil around the world wherever it goes. Western Muslims will say Islam is being interpreted wrongly but it's bollocks, in all the hundreds of years, and the dozens of countries who have implemented shit like the Sharia not one has managed to get it right? And this from a book which claims to be perfect, clear and from God.

- Hateful scripture
- Scripture being interpreted as hateful and taught as such
- Bad acts carried out

Islam ticks all the boxes mate.

What would be examples of the hateful scriptures? And don't say the kill the infidel verse, I mentioned that above. The other two boxes you mentioned are all related to interpretation so I guess that doesn't really help your point.

[OccultHawk]

In real life, I know two Muslims and they're both good people.

But when I watch the news it's hard not conclude that Islam has a little extra nasty running through it.

[Cuthbert]

Originally Posted by Frownland

What would be examples of the hateful scriptures? And don't say the kill the infidel verse, I mentioned that above. The other two boxes you mentioned are all related to interpretation so I guess that doesn't really help your point.

Center for Muslim-Jewish Engagement

Men are the protectors and maintainers of women, because Allah has given the one more (strength) than the other, and because they support them from their means. Therefore the righteous women are devoutly obedient, and guard in (the husband's) absence what Allah would have them guard. As to those women on whose part ye fear disloyalty and ill-conduct, admonish them (first), (Next), refuse to share their beds, (And last) beat them (lightly); but if they return to obedience, seek not against them Means (of annoyance): For Allah is Most High, great (above you all).

I've got more ammo. Don't worry.

[Frownland]

I think that's just a product of the times and culture similar to the slavery verses in the Bible. Doesn't excuse it obviously. Not enough to call the Quran a hateful scripture IMO. Next.