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This is another strawman argument. If we were to do a content analysis of the Gita, Bible, Torah and the Quran here is what we will find. The Old Testament is part of the Torah and the Bible, it has the maximum violent verses followed by the Quran. https://twitter.com/zainabsikander/status/1323150885506019328
But here is the catch. You do not see Jews or Christians go around killing people willy nilly in the name of their religion because of one key difference. Jews & Christians have a slightly different theology than Muslims. Quran is the actual, literal word of God as per Muslims.
Unlike the Quran, the Bible or the Torah does not have to be taken literally. It is the inspired word of God, not the actual word of God as per serious Jewish and Christian theologians. That is where the difference lies. Islam does not allow this nuance. It is literal.
This is why the problem exists uniquely in Islam. These are facts that no one can deny. Yes, we do have theologians in Islam trying their best to reinterpret the Quran. I encourage that, but, the fact remains Islamic scholars preach literalism.
So now that we have established this unique feature of Islam let us extrapolate it to the societal problem. The reason Muslims are singled out is a. Because of how their religion is interpreted today b. How they tend to behave disproportionately more violently than anyone else.
Is it fair to every Muslim? No, it is not & I certainly have a problem with typecasting all Muslims in one way. I will never support that. But at the same time, I will not shy away from stating these facts. Islam has a unique problem. Muslims need to speak up & sort this out.
We need to be very careful in our analysis. We need to separate ideas from individuals. But the fact is Islamism is a real problem. Denialism will not change people's perceptions. When you see beheadings happening around you & all you do is deny them you harm your own cause.
Religions evolve with time because they have an escape route built inside them. Islam has tried its best to shut down that escape route theologically. Until Muslim scholars do sufficient mental gymnastics & then get accepted in the mainstream we will face these issues.
