Beautiful letter by Dave

Submitted by Prashant (United States), Aug 6, 2022 at 13:06

Dear Dr Pipes,
Reader Dave's message entitled "Reaction to this incident misses an opportunity" filled me with sadness.

I can forgive and forget the stories of Islamic brutalities in India. By the time Islam came to India, Hindus were divided people and they had already lived with the doctrine of non-violence for almost 1000 years. I can admit that Hindus were coward and divided when Muslims arrived on horse backs with swords.

But reading in Dave's message that Islamic Jordan banned Jews from praying in Jerusalem and destroyed Jewish cemeteries and synagogues broke my heart. This part of history I was not aware of (I will research it further and post historic evidence). Similarly, the stories about Islamic attacks on Spain are well known. And, no one is alive today to tell the tales of Persia, ancient Turkey, and North Africa. And, we do not know what actually happened in the Islamic parts of South East Asia. To paraphrase an African proverb, Islam enters from the needle hole but spreads like an Oak tree.

Dave correctly said that for Muslims nothing is sacred except Islam. Nothing else is worthy of recognition, respect, and long life.

This ought to change. Islam needs to be challenged not just for its visible actions, it needs to be challenged for the doctrines that cause those actions.

Islam must become respectful for everyone else. It must become pious for itself and for others. If this requires that many words of quran be rewritten or reinterpreted, so be it. There is nothing pious in Q5-33. Muslims must question it. Non-Muslims must question it too.

And, as always, Islamic scholarship must challenge my statements if they are incorrect.

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