Netherlands: Call to ban the Koran

An article in a Dutch party newspaper calls to ban the Koran, and cites verses showing how intolerant it is. The Koran might be violent, there might be more such citations, but it is not the book which is the cause of violence, it is the believers. Such citations can be taken from the Bible as well. No religious believer in the bible today would understand an "eye for an eye" in its literal form. The Koran has quotes supporting tolerance as well. It is up to the believer to decide which quotes he'd rather cite and how he prefers to live his life.

---

A writer writing under the pseudonym H.S.M. Frankenvrij wrote in the VVD party newspaper Liberaal Reveil that spreading the Koran in its current form should be a crime. Frankenvrij claims that spreading the Koran or making it public involves discrimination and incitement. As a solution the author suggests making a legal version by "Islamic editors". All calls to hate and violence must be eliminated. The bible, according to the author, is a much more tolerant.

The author calls the Koran "primitive, unbalanced, intolerant, aggressive and resentful, especially towards those who think differently" and cites a verse from Sura 4:56 "Surely, those who disbelieve in our revelations, we will condemn them to the hellfire. Whenever their skins are burnt, we will give them new skins. Thus, they will suffer continuously."

Dupuis, chairman of the editor committee, defends publishing the article under a pseudonym. "The reason for it is right in front of us. It was our advice, not a condition of the author. Better safe than sorry."

He added that experts in Islamic theology looked at the article and found it ok. "Also by Muslims it is a much heard opinion."

"The acts that stem from religion also fall under public moral and the law. In the end it depends on what people do with it." Adding that the VVD is not calling to ban the Koran.

Source: Parool (Dutch)

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

it may be up to the believer, but it is false to suggest that the Christian traditions of violence (directed against the Hittites, etc.) is equivalent to the Islamic tradition (the focus of Koran and commentary), which tells most believers that the war is against all infidels, for as long as infidels will not accept Islamic supremacy.

Esther said...

Hi anonymous,

It is not hard to find verses showing cruelty and violence in the Bible. Violence was not directed only against the Hittites and not everything that's written in the Bible is considered just and moral today.

The example I gave: an eye for an eye. Other examples: the laws regarding rape, adultery and bodily harm. Punishments such as stoning.

In my opinion, the Bible was just and moral for its time. Since then, our sense of justice has improved, and with it, our traditions and laws. If you speak to a religious Jew they would deny that "an eye for an eye" should be understood literally. That is what I mean when I say it's the believer and not the book.

Anonymous said...

The readers of the Quran claim their religion was inspired by God,
thru Gabriel and thus better than the Hebrew tora and the Holy Bible.
This is False, because God, the father apointed Jesus over all the angels, and Jesus said before that
God does not devide between his house nor does the devil devide against his house. The Quran is not guided by Gabriel. The only deceiver is the same deceiver from old in Persa and Babaloyn, who lied
against the Jews and the Christians
The Fact remains The God of Hebrew
The Father of Jesus did not divide
his house. Like Lucifer, Muhammahd
reworte scripture to be one with
God, because they will not humble
themselves before the only one who
will forgive them, then out of their own mouths they have cast their lot with the fallen Lucifer.
Allah is the same God, there is only one, and again HE! would never
devide himself. Repent you brood of vipers, Gabriel an Arc Angel who
proclaimed to Mary a virgin that she will give birth to God's son
would never then go against Gods will and create something that is not of God, the God Of The Hebrew's
which Jesus is Hebrew. A house de-
vided cannot stand. All of Islam needs to make atoinment the the Hebrews and as gentiles who were alien to the house David will need to be baptised as a christian to re
ceive the holy spirit. You don't
get to say Gabriel is like Gods spirit and then write a quran and say see we are the chosen ones and no one is like us..(that is what Lucifer said to God!) Simply Repent.