Because if it's written in some holy text, it must mean modern practitioners still follow it to the T, right?
"Thou shalt not wear a garment of divers sorts, as of woolen and linen together." - Deuteronomy 22:11
It seems disturbing that those who are anti-Islam use the same fucked up interpretations of Quranic texts that the extremists themselves use. Kind of a sick irony I suppose.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_of_religion_in_Saudi_Ar...
The problem is that many practitioners do follow texts to a T, and I believe that's the point of most religious systems.
It's important to note that christian descendant and "allies" control the majority of media. Eg. in Albania there is an estimation of 80/20% of Muslims (majority non practitioners)/Christians, while the government administration 80/20% Christians/Muslims.
EDIT: I was talking about worldwide majority, not national or regional.
That's something you should think about. At least the Chinese government stated it publicly, while others mask it as democracy freedom.
I talk about governments and politics, but you should count religion in it. Do you think the Catholic Church (eg. the Vatican) doesn't influence decisions of governments? (I know something about this)
100% straw-man, I never quoted the Quran? I was referring to modern day. At least 2006 I recall the U.S. had to get Karzai to intervene in and order the release of a defendent facing execution in Afghanistan.
The claim you need to try and contest is "religion is intrinsically violent"
You should clarify what you meant by the above.
(a) "You... [do] not recognize that religion [in general] is intrinsically violent." (b) "You... [do] not recognize that [that particular] religion[, Islam,] is intrinsically violent."
In order to end violence, people must undergo cognitive dissonance, realize that one belief they hold prescribes death and another belief they hold prescribes that they shouldn't. The resolve this dissonance by permanently discarding the belief that prescribes them to kill, by encountering a situation that shows this belief to be absurd. People will NOT introspect on their deeply held beliefs unless beneficial situations like Everybody Draw Mohammed day occur.
edit: