Great post!

It's really nice to have many of the most fundamental teachings of Islam in one post!

This is a translation of the Islamic song (nasheed) in the background (taken from youtube):

My soul is brightened by a light in my heart
When I praised God of mankind
And my soul is cheered up and the tears were flowing
Oh God! guide my heart to reason
In the tranquility of the night I pray during worshiping
While the black darkness is all around me
Oh Most Kind! Oh Most Merciful! Oh Most Forbearing!
Oh Most Kind! Your gifts are endless
Oh All-Hearing! Oh Answerer! Oh Most Magnificent!
Oh Creator of the strong predatory animals! Guide me
Guide me to truth, God
I depend on your guidance today
Oh God of the universe! You are my aid
You are the refuge of man in the afterworld
Here I am God, asking your forgiveness
Forgive me and grant me my wish

perhaps we should find a religion that teaches intolerance and violence. Perhaps then we'd see some compassion and understanding of others, if given that it still follows the universal rule, which is that all religions making people do the opposite of what they try to teach.

Perhaps something to do with reverse psychology.

Ahh, and to think, if only Jesus, mohammed and all other 'sacred krews' had taught people to Stab, steal and satanize instead of preaching about all that lovie dovie stuff, we wouldn't be in this terrible mess.

Damn you prophets!!!

The religion / Qu'ran is not the reason for terrorism and islamism, it's just the interpretation. You won't find a word about slaying nonchristians in the bible, nevertheless the crusades and the inquisition happened.

Sincere Muslim people who want peace are too few, and despite the rosy passages, the Quran is full of vitriol and hatred.

I refuse to honor the religion of SUBMISSION, especially as its fanatical elements threaten the entire world.

There's no way to sidestep the obvious, it's all in the book:

http://p4h.humanists.net/Islam%20peace/QuranPeace.html

Now there are three types of people to comment on this video.

There is the monster like quantumushroom, which is naturally inclined to hatred, hates, and rationalises its hatred because it thinks it is a man.
There's the animal, or everyday human being such as you might meet on the street. In accordance with the proven evolutionary model of tit-for-tat it is inclined to tolerance. Since it recognises that Islam as a whole is not hostile to it, it does not object to Islam. It is in the majority and therefore has no need to rationalise its attitude, so it merely congratulates itself on its enlightened position.
Then there is the true human being, who is also naturally inclined to tolerance. Recognising that religion is poison the true human masters his instinct and makes the intellectual decision to hate Islam. The true human's hate springs from reason, not emotion; reason is humanity's salvation, not God.

The animals sing the praises of this unremarkable video, eager to demonstrate their allegiance. The monsters spew their bile, to no effect, are opposed, or not, to no effect. The human's contribution is dismissed, pearls before swine.

I am Cassandra.

"The religion / Qu'ran is not the reason for terrorism and islamism, it's just the interpretation. You won't find a word about slaying nonchristians in the bible, nevertheless the crusades and the inquisition happened." - well said pragmatick!

I urge everyone to ignore the link posted by QM and the messages of hate by QM and Gorillaman. As usual both would rather spread hate and ignorance than understanding.

It is important for everyone to note that the translation of verses of the Qur'an in QM's link are deeply flawed, very simplistic, and taken completely out of their historical, theological, and textual context. It would be just as easy to take verses from the bible out of context and go around using them to justify hate. As an example, in QM's link it translates verse 2:6 of the Qur'an as "Don't bother to warn the disbelievers. Allah has blinded them. Theirs will be an awful doom." In fact the correct translation is "As to those who reject Faith, it is the same to them whether thou warn them or do not warn them; they will not believe." - the meaning is very different. I could do the same for every verse in QM's link. One more example, QM's link translates verse 2:191 of the Qur'an as "Kill disbelievers wherever you find them. If they attack you, then kill them. Such is the reward of disbelievers." In its proper context (2:190-193) the Qur'an says:

"Fight in the cause of Allah those who fight you, but do not transgress limits; for Allah loveth not transgressors. And slay them wherever ye catch them, and turn them out from where they have Turned you out; for tumult and oppression are worse than slaughter; but fight them not at the Sacred Mosque, unless they (first) fight you there; but if they fight you, slay them. Such is the reward of those who suppress faith. But if they cease, Allah is Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful. And fight them on until there is no more Tumult or oppression, and there prevail justice and faith in Allah; but if they cease, Let there be no hostility except to those who practise oppression."

This verse was revealed at a time when the Muslim community were being oppressed and killed by people of other faiths - this historical context is important. The verses are urging Muslims to stand up for themselves if they are attacked - not to instigate attacks. Furthermore, the verses state clearly that "Let there be no hostility except to those who practise oppression" - in other words, acts of violence are only acceptable against those who choose to oppress others.

For a better translation look at the Yusuf Ali translation of the Qur'an:

http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/quran/ .

Right now, Islam has been hi-jacked by militants and murderers. They follow their religion's edicts no more truly than Christians followed the teachings of the Bible during the Crusades, but they're it.

I could be wrong, but lone moderate voices like yours, gwaan, would be snuffed out in Islamic countries.

I urge anyone who wants to study the Qu'ran to study it. Then open your eyes and see what Islam hath wrought on the world, both good and bad. Are people in Islamic countries freer, happier, wealthier than their Western counterparts?

gwaan, you may get pissed off at me from time to time but you know I'm every bit as sincere as you. You are in the unenviable position of defending the indefensible. It would be great to see an uprising of modernist Muslims who want peace, but it's not happening.

I think it's nice that swampgirl chose to look for positives. But it's a question of timing. Japan had a noble culture but there was no use in admiring it during WW2.

I see little merit in looking for the positives of a hi-jacked religion in violent competition with other religions. Hindus and Buddhists aren't strapping on bombs.

If I be a "monster" then it's in order to fight monsters.

9-11 is the face of Islam in America. Good luck with the PR, my friend.

PS "gorillman?" More like little, poop-flinging monkey, not worth cranking the handle on the organ to watch it dance.

"Hindus and Buddhists aren't strapping on bombs."

If you knew anything about the race riots in India you would now about the appalling crimes committed by Hindu extremists against Muslims - I suggest you read Arundhati Roy's 'The Algebra of Infinite Justice' where you can read about Hindu gangs blowing up mosques and Muslim homes, burning Muslims alive and pregnant Muslim women having their stomachs slashed open and their unborn babies ripped out and thrown into fires.

"You are in the unenviable position of defending the indefensible."

Right back at you - I preach tolerance and understanding, you preach intolerance and hate. I have studied Islam and lived in the Islamic world - you've probably never been to university and don't even have a passport. You are not a monster - you're just plain ignorant.

"9-11 is the face of Islam in America. Good luck with the PR, my friend."

Thankfully the rest of the world has a broader perspective than the insular, ignorant, bigots who govern America. AIPAC and its supporters dictate foreign policy and public perceptions of the Islamic world in the States - that's why people like you are so damn ignorant.