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What differentiates Islam from other religions

Reader comment on item: Islam vs. Islamism (article)

Submitted by G Marcus (United States), May 13, 2013 at 10:07

Two key features distinguish Islam from other major religions:

1. JIHAD: Every Muslim's duty of perpetual Holy War against non-Muslim nations ("Infidels"). Declared 14 centuries ago, remains in force today. Historically an ideology serving Arab Imperialism, Jihad results in Genocidalism and Colonialism against non-Islamic peoples; justifies and encourages endless, unlimited killing and martyrdom in its cause.

2. SHARIAH: All laws must be governed by Allah-given Islamic law ("Shariah") based on 7th century Bedouin-Arab mores. Mandates theocratic totalitarian government; leads to oppressive Apartheid regime against women, non-Muslims, other non-conformists; makes basic tenets of Western Civilization such as Human Rights, Democracy, Freedom, Secularism, Positivist Education impossible in Islamic societies.

Christian or Jewish societies may have conducted Holy Wars or been governed by religious laws in history, but have now reformed to eliminate them in favor of Western humanistic principles.

Until a leadership emerges that can reform Islam by purging it from above anachronistic tenets -- reforms by the likes of Ataturk, Bourgiba, Nasser offered a good start, but are recently being reversed -- Islam will remain a totalitarian and retrograde "political ideology" rather than a "religion" in the contemporary sense.

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