Gina+Dukes

Though religion has many purposes, one of its main goals is to give humans a purpose for life. That purpose, attached with a faith and set of values, is the thing that sets humans on the “right” path. Religions are supposed to enlighten people and teach them how to live a better life, than if they weren’t religious. This brochure will bring insight into how religion can be the force that leads humans into sin, and how religion can do more harm than good.

These small passages from the Qur’an are clear examples of how Islam advocates and preaches teachings of violence to its Muslim followers. This is not a big surprise when everyday on the news there are images of the Taliban, a group of radical Muslims, waging terror in Iran. Although the quotes are expressing violence toward unbelievers, it is easy to see how the Taliban could have used Islam to carry out violent acts in the name of Allah, because of the Qur’an’s permissive attitude toward violence. ‘Report on the Taliban’s War Against Women’, by the Bureau of Democracy, was an article published in 2001 that stated some of the horrible things the Taliban regime had carried out.  //“The Taliban perpetrated egregious acts of violence against women, including rape, abduction, and forced marriage. Some families resorted to sending their daughters to Pakistan or Iran to protect them.”//  Stated the article.



Nageeba, an Afghan Muslim woman, expressed her despair which resulted from the oppressive regime of the Taliban. Countless acts of violence were committed under Taliban rule, even though they justified their acts with religion. When religious extremists oppress a nation of women, it is a strong example of a religion doing more harm than good.



 Despite the violent acts that some Muslims carry out in the name of Islam, many faithful Muslims believe that Islam is the religion that teaches peace. Imam Hasan Al-Banna, wrote an essay titled ‘Peace in Islam’, which argued that Islam is a religion of love and peace, and the true manifestation of human brotherhood. In the article he stated, //“Islam came to announce human brotherhood and give glad tidings of a call to universality, to eradicate all forms of discrimination, and to establish this noble system using all the practical and theoretical means at its disposal.”//  The idea that Islam is a religion of peace, seems inconsistent with other parts of the Qur'an when you consider all the conflicts between Muslims, and the wars that have been going on for years in major Islamic countries.



Those small passages from the Holy Bible are clear teachings to show Christians that they are to live amongst men as peacefully as possible. The Lord even states that vengeance is his, therefore he denies Christians the ability to take liberty into their own hands and commit heinous crimes of vengeance. Though the Lord wants Christians to live peacefully, in the bible there are clear instructions to commit acts of violence against others.

This quote shows a command from God to stone those who prayed to other Gods. The verses containing instructions to kill apostates, has the same violent attitude that spawned the multitude of murders during the Crusades. The Crusades were a series of wars lead by Christians who wanted to reclaim the Holy Land (Jerusalem). The pope who waged the war, believed that killing countless numbers of civilians was alright and justified by God. This is also very similar to the same type of attitude that the Taliban demonstrated when they justified their reasons for oppressing Muslim women.


 * Final Thoughts:** Even though there are contradictory teachings in Christianity and Islam about peace and violence, like the people who practice them, no religion is perfect. It is when a religious person develops the attitude that they can do whatever they want, that religion becomes dangerous. The question is, what stops people from crossing the line, and going too far with their religion? I believe that it is the interpretation of sacred texts that keep Christians and Muslims from crossing that line. Though some passages in the Qur'an and Holy Bible have specific instructions from their God to act out violence, not every Muslim or Christian interprets those readings in the same way. What determines how a person interprets a sacred text? It is solely based on the individual's personality and circumstances. Desperate individuals living in poverty and dire circumstances are those who are most likely to misuse their religion to do harm. When an individual feels vulnerable, and hopeless, it is easy to understand why they'd want to use a thing like religion, to empower them and give them control. That kind of control, when in the wrong hands, could end up hurting others, as the Taliban have done. So in conclusion, it it is not the religion that causes humans to do harm to one another, but the humans who misuse and construct their religion to fit their own beliefs.


 * Works Cited**

The Holy Bible The Qu'ran

TheReligionofPeace,. "Does the Bible really inspire violence like the Qur'an?." //TheReligionofPeace//. 2007. TheReligionofPeace, Web. 27 Oct 2009. .

Al-Banna, Hasan. "Peace in Islam." //Peace in Islam-Hasan Al-Banna//. 1997. Prelude, Web. 27 Oct 2009. .

Human rights and labor, Bureau of Democracy. "The Taliban's War Against Women." //The Taliban's War Against Women//. November 17, 2001. U.S. Department of State, Web. 27 Oct 2009. .

"Religion." //Comparative Religion Research Guide:Journals//. Web. 27 Oct 2009. .

"Islam." //Mr.Dowling's Islam Page//. Web. 27 Oct 2009. .

"Christianity." //2008 March I hate Poetry//. Web. 27 Oct 2009. <http://nystromkw.wordpress.com/2008/03/>.

"Romance among Islamists." //Sharpe Stick//. Web. 28 Oct 2009. <http://sharpe-stick.blogspot.com/2009_07_01_archive.html>.