One is left to wonder: why so many intellectuals, despite knowing the barbarism inherent in the Islamic creed, glorify Islam and Muhammad?
British author Karen Armstrong (67) is a former Roman Catholic nun and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature (FRSL). She is a reputed author of numerous works on comparative religion. She rose to prominence in 1993 with her highly successful work A History of God. She believes that "All the great traditions are saying the same thing in much the same way, despite their superficial differences." She has been awarded the $100,000 TED (Technology Entertainment Design) Prize in February 2008. In 1996, she published Jerusalem: One City, Three Faiths. The central thrust of her work is: Islam has come to spread compassion among the nations of the world.
 Karen Armstrong |
Sponsored by the School of Foreign Services in Qatar, Professor Armstrong delivered a lecture, entitled The Core of Our Religious Traditions, at the Centre for International and Regional Studies (CIRS) of the Georgetown University on 13th March 2011 as part of its cultural events.
To begin the lecture, she said, “Religion has a main role in that it can provide a major contribution to build a global community where people can live in peace and harmony.” She spurned those, who believe that religion has been the cause of violence and wars throughout history, by saying that war and violence are motivated by greed and power. “Each religion has its own particular and exclusive insights, but all religions have a thing in common, and that is the belief in the Supreme Being who is God. Words stop and fail when we begin to define God”, she added. After summing up her message, she cried out: “Allahu Akbar”.
To narrate her presentation, Jihad Watch writes,
“She pointed out that religion teaches us mainly to worship Allah and to do good, and the Qur’an calls for good actions. She quoted the Arabic word: (al-salihat) which includes doing whatever good to help people, be it kindness to orphans, and giving alms to the poor. In other words, The Qur’an calls for compassion, and compassion is the core of the Golden Rule which says: “Do unto others as you would have others do unto you.” This is the bond of suffering.”
Then Professor Armstrong quoted the hadith (prophetic saying) of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH), where he said: “None of you will be a true believer until he desires for others what he desires for himself.”
Expressing her sympathy for Muslims, she said, “After the September 11th event, the Muslim communities in the West have been exposed to a lot of suffering inflicted upon them. Such a treatment is too far from the Golden Rule of compassion.” But she forgot to express her sympathy for nearly 3000 victims, who perished in the 9/11 terrorist work. It is well known that after the 9/11 attack, Muslims across the world rejoiced and celebrated as an Islamic victory.
But Dr Armstrong said, “As a reaction to this injustice toward Muslims, cities in different parts of the world have developed campaigns to promote community compassion among its residents, where Muslim youths are significantly participating in these campaigns, especially in Amsterdam, Holland. The city of Seattle in north-western United States, leads the list of compassionate cities.” On the other hand, Professor Armstrong cited Afghanistan and Iraq as examples of places where compassion is non-existent.
“Just like a mother has compassion for her child, Allah has compassion for man. There was a time when Allah’s revelation to the Prophet (PBUH) stopped and the Prophet (PBUH) felt desolate, abandoned, and depressed”, she added. Later, revelation returned and the Prophet (PBUH), feeling that the grace of the Lord was proclaimed, he went public in his message. The first Sura (chapter) that was revealed to him from Allah was “Al Duha”, whose opening Ayas (verses), Professor Armstrong quoted from memory: “By the morning hours, and the night when it falls. Your Lord has neither forgotten nor forsaken you. And the hereafter is better for you than present life. And verily, your Lord will give you so that you will be pleased.”
There is no doubt that Karen Armstrong belongs to that stock of Western intellectuals, who call themselves pious followers of multiculturalism and are trying their best to help the spread Islam in the West. Dr Ali Sina, the Iranian scholar and the founder of Faith Freedom International has divided these kinds of people into two categories: 1) the useful idiots, and 2) the well-paid traitors. The readers may decide to which category Dr Armstrong belongs.
The lies of Karen Armstrong
As mentioned above, Dr Armstrong claims that the Quran calls for compassion, while both the Quran and Prophet Muhammad preach the principle of Golden Rule: “Do unto others as you would have others do unto you.” She also said: Allah is compassionate toward mankind.
In reality, Allah is kind and compassionate to Muslims only; toward non-Muslim kafirs, Allah is a ferocious demon, inciter of cruelty, violence and genocide. In the Koran, Allah incites Muslims to persecute the kafirs -- to kill them, to set their houses on fire, to plunder their wealth and riches, to rape their women, to kill their children, or in short, to mount any kind brutal oppression on them. As an author of comparative religions, Dr Armstrong must be aware of these aspects of Islam. But she has told all these blatant lies to please Muslims (including her Qatari sponsors) and misguide the disbelievers.
While Dr Armstrong is definitely aware of what the Quran truly says, let me reiterate it for her edification, if she is willing. Allah says:
- “We have created, for hell, many genii (races) of men, ….and they are like brute beasts” (7.179);
- “Verily, those who disbelieve our signs, we will surely cast them to be broiled in the hell-fire, so often as their skins shall be well burnt, We will give them new skins in exchange, so that they may taste the sharper torment” (4.56);
- “Whosoever followeth any religion other than Islam, it shall not be accepted of him in this life, and in the next life he shall be of those who perish” (3.85);
- “I will cast a dread into the hearts of the unbelievers” (8.12);
- “Therefore cut off their heads, and strike off all the ends of the fingers. This shall they suffer because they have opposed Allah and His Prophet, and whosoever shall oppose Allah and His Prophet, verily Allah will be severe in punishing them” (8.13);
- “moreover, as for the non-believers, I will punish them with grievous punishments in this world, and in the world is to come” (3.56);
- “Allah loves not the unbelievers” (3.57);
- “they shall suffer a grievous punishment” (3.77),
And opposed to Dr Armstrong's projection of Islam as a humanitarian creed, Islamic humanitarianism is confined to Muslims alone; disbelievers are out of its bounds, which she must be well aware. While commenting on Islamic humanitarianism, Swami Vivekananda said: “Mohammedans talks of universal brotherhood, but what comes out of that in reality? Why anybody who is not a Mohammedan will not be admitted into this brotherhood; he will more likely to have his throat cut.”
Dr. Armstrong's glorification of Muhammad
Dr. Armstrong tried to portray Muhammad as egalitarian, kind and compassionate to entire humanity. One must be left to wonder how a highly educated woman like her can indulge in such shameless lies. Anybody, acquainted with about ABCs of Islam and its founder, knows well how cruel and merciless a monster Muhammad was in dealing with the non-Muslims of Arabia. In fact, he committed barbaric cruelty upon the innocent and peaceful Jewish people of Medina, Mustaliq and Khaybar. Of the 3 major Jewish clans at Medina, he attacked and exiled the tribe of Beni Kanuika and Beni Nadir, and capture their houses and lands, while slaughtered all the adult men Beni Koreiza, captured all of their wealth and enslaved their women and children, some of whom were sold. (The Life of Mahomet, Voice of India, New Delhi, 1992).
He treated the Beni Nadir Jews, who had resettled Khaybar after their earlier eviction from Medina, as well as the Jews of Banu Mustaliq in the same manner he had dealt with Beni Koreiza. Moreover, the diabolical Prophet was in the habit of acquiring the young and prettiest of the captured women as his sex-slave: Reihana of Beni Koreiza, Safiyah of Koreiza, and Juwairiya of Beni Mustaliq.
One is left to wonder: why so many intellectuals, despite knowing the barbarism inherent in the Islamic creed, glorify Islam and Muhammad? Why some western scientists also discover modern scientific discoveries, like the speed of light and human embryology, in the most unscientific book, the Koran?
According to a report by Daniel Golden, the Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL, Saudi Arabia has allocated US$ 25 million a year to employ mercenary scientists to concoct and fabricate evidences of modern scientific discoveries in the Quran. There is a good probability that a part of this fund goes to Western intellectuals, who glorify Islam and Prophet Muhammad.
