Submitted by McCarten(United States), Mar 4, 2008 at 22:44
Mr. Pipes --
no one should really object to banning any organization that teaches that committing first degree murder (the premeditated attack and killing of any person for any reason other than self-defense) is a legitimate practice. And alas Islam does precisely this. Banning f irst degree murder and any religion, organziation,l or ideology that advocates it is NOT bigotry but a necessary step to protect human life.
The Kuran in Surah 9.5. states " after the forbidden months have passed, slay the unbelievers wherever you find them; capture them, torture them, besiege them, prepare every stratagem of warfare against them..."). No real limits or constraints are really set up here, and to be sure this IS the context in which the passage is intended. It's first degree murder and a clear violation of penal codes in almost any civilized nation anywhere including THIS one! Worse still, the use of weapons of mass destruction including nuclear weapons would not be ruled out by the Kuran either.
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Daniel Pipes replies:
The Bible too has some hair-raising imperatives too. The differrence is that no one takes them literally.