In wake of the revelation that the Boston Marathon bombers Dzhokar Tsarnaev and Tamerlan Tsarnaev were Muslims, CAIR aka the Council on American-Islamic Relationship sprang into action. The group says their “mission is to enhance understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding. ” That’s good because I don;t understand something. CAIR issued this press release and the first paragraph of the statement by CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad said:
Americans are united today in condemning terrorism and in the conviction that those responsible for the terrorist attacks in Boston must face justice. This cowardly attack resulted in the murders of an eight-year-old-boy and two women, and the wounding of many others. As God tells us in the Quran, if you murder one person, it is as if you murdered all of humanity.
Is that what the Qur’an says? I don’t claim to be a Qur’an scholar but I do know how to read. A quick look at the actual verse shows that it says something quite different than the equivalent of Thou Shalt Not Kill. It spells out a clear exception to the idea that you shouldn’t kill anyone. . Here are the verses from this Qur’an Reference. I’ve added emphasis.
| Yusuf Ali | |
| 005:032 * * URL | On that account: We ordained for the Children of Israel that if any one slew a person - unless it be for murder or for spreading mischief in the land - it would be as if he slew the whole people: and if any one saved a life, it would be as if he saved the life of the whole people. Then although there came to them Our apostles with clear signs, yet, even after that, many of them continued to commit excesses in the land. |
| 005:033 * * URL | The punishment of those who wage war against God and His Apostle, and strive with might and main for mischief through the land is: execution, or crucifixion, or the cutting off of hands and feet from opposite sides, or exile from the land: that is their disgrace in this world, and a heavy punishment is theirs in the Hereafter; |
That’s a heavy duty punishment for mischief. It’s pretty clear to me that these verses make it clear that it’s okay to murder someone if they are spreading mischief or are ‘at war against God and His Apostle” or as punishment for murder. So, trying to make it sound as though the Qur’an has a blanket rejection of murder or (as CAIR said) “if you murder one person, it is as if you murdered all of humanity.”
Who else has used this misleading interpetastion? President Barack Obama, speaking in Cairo in 2009. He said:
The Holy Koran teaches that whoever kills an innocent, it is as if he has killed all mankind; and whoever saves a person, it is as if he has saved all mankind.
I’m far from the first person to point out this dishonest way of presenting the teaching of the Qur’an and articles like this one exhaustively show just how misleading it actually is. Given the threat, it’s also potentially dangerous. Do your own research. What’s your conclusion?
It appears to me that they are talking about Jews, not themselves in the first paragraph. If a Jew slew a “person” (a Muslim), it’s as if they slew “the whole people,” or all Muslims, and “the land” is their country. They are talking about Jewish “excesses in the land” and those who wage war against the “Apostle,” or “Prophet” in other versions. The awkward use of the word “unless it” is an issue for me. If you just ignore, it, it makes more sense. It also sounds like “spreading mischief” is terrorism.
So that on Monday was just a bit of “mischief.” What a lark! If you look at the close-up of #2 running, he has a definite smile on his face. He’s not smiling now!
I hope they leave some instruments and a sponge inside of him.
Perhaps you are the one misrepresenting the Quran.
Verse 32—those who do mischeif—would be the terrorist who kill innocent people, those who murder/kill others…etc for such people, the death penalty can be applied
Verse 33—refers to treason (in wartime)—the penalty for treason (in wartime) in the U.S. is also death.
Verse 34—“except for those who repent before they fall into your power: In that case know that God is often forgiving most merciful.”
People should do their own research—but those who promote hate are not the best places to find information—such people are already biased…….