Does Islam / the Quran teach Violence?

Actually, I have an old classmate in college (and I mean old) who is writing a paper about Muslim stereotyping (he is Muslim but not sure what country he is from). It seems not, but just like other religions (catholics had the inquisition and the church was cause of bloody internal wars in M?xico for example)it has its... I guess fanatics is the word.

BANG!!!! Right on target.

i have a translation of Kramers laying around somewhere,
readed it several times,
and i don't recall any passage that literally "demands" you to kill for your religious beliefs. Contrarely, it actually "demands" to respect your neighbour no matter what. Help the hopeless no matter what.
As many of you know, there are two "groups" in Islam. You have Sunni's and Shiite's. Seperated hundreds of years ago by a incident, the murder on Hz. Ali, son-in-law of prophet Muhammed. Some people pointed the finger, so the seperated, and two groups were "created".
The one is broadminded and less theocrat, Shiite's. The other is strict and more theocrat, Sunni. For years, these groups point the finger on eachother, due to the incident AND claiming the other has a wrong interpretation and translation of the Kur'an.
Not many people know that there are several other subreligious groups inside the main groups.
I for example. I am Alevi. I read the Kur'an, but don't live by it. I am allowed to interpretate it as i need. I am also given the freedom to relativate passages to time. Not every passage can be "used" in the current era, since some passages are meantfor a era long passed. "We" have evolved. We are not barbaric anymore, killing for religion is long passed away. If we as humans don't evolve our mental state, we also can't relativate words to time. Hence you have different translations of the Kur'an. It depends on the person(s) who translated it.
For me, religion is :
watch your hands
watch your back
watch your tongue
learn
work
produce
Do i believe in "God" or "Allah"?
Ring a bell? there isn't supposed to be "or". God=Allah=God
i witnessed Imams and Priests getting together and discuss religion in peace, and claim that there is no wrong or right religion. You are eithe religious or not. If you are religious, it pretty much doesn't matter wetter you are Christian or Muslim or whatever.
It basically all comes down to the same thing.

These last couple of pages are of some damn fine posts!!!! 8)

Surah 9:5
Then, when the sacred months have passed, fight and kill the idolaters wherever you find them, take them captive, harass them, lie in wait and ambush them using every stratagem of war. But if they repent and establish worship and pay the poor-due, then leave their way free. Lo! Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.

You might also consider the preceding surah:

9:4
Excepting those of the idolaters with whom ye (Muslims) have a treaty, and who have since abated nothing of your right nor have supported anyone against you. (As for these), fulfil their treaty to them till their term. Lo! Allah loveth those who keep their duty (unto Him).

Surah 9:111
Lo! Allah hath bought from the believers their lives and their wealth because the Garden will be theirs: they shall fight in the way of Allah and shall slay and be slain. It is a promise which is binding on Him in the Torah and the Gospel and the Qur'an. Who fulfilleth His covenant better than Allah ? Rejoice then in your bargain that ye have made, for that is the supreme triumph.


As for 8:39, it depends on the translation. This is the one used by Skeptic's Annotated:

Surah 8:39
And fight them until persecution is no more, and religion is all for Allah. But if they cease, then lo! Allah is Seer of what they do.

And again with 8:65, it depends on the translation. Islam Watch have used a rather inflammatory interpretation. Here is an alternative, again from Skeptic's Annotated:

Surah 8:65
O Prophet! Exhort the believers to fight. If there be of you twenty steadfast they shall overcome two hundred, and if there be of you a hundred (steadfast) they shall overcome a thousand of those who disbelieve, because they (the disbelievers) are a folk without intelligence.

Surah 9:38
O ye who believe! What aileth you that when it is said unto you: Go forth in the way of Allah, ye are bowed down to the ground with heaviness. Take ye pleasure in the life of the world rather than in the Hereafter ? The comfort of the life of the world is but little in the Hereafter.

9:38 could be interpreted to encourage suicide bombing - if you happen to ignore the fact that Islam strictly forbids suicide, and in the hadiths Muhammad comdemns the killing of non-combatants, especially women and children:

Hadith - Bhukhari 2:445
A man was inflicted with wounds and he committed suicide, and so Allah said: My slave has caused death on himself hurriedly, so I forbid Paradise for him.

Hadith - Al-Muwatta 21:9
the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, saw the corpse of a woman who had been slain in one of the raids, and he disapproved of it and forbade the killing of women and children.

Martyrdom is about putting oneself at risk in the defence of Islam and being slain, not killing onself. This is quite clear from reading the Qur'an.

Hadith - Bukhari 1:35
The person who participates in (Holy battles) in Allah's cause and nothing compels him to do so except belief in Allah and His Apostles, will be recompensed by Allah either with a reward, or booty (if he survives) or will be admitted to Paradise (if he is killed in the battle as a martyr).

And again, Islam Watch's interpretation of 47:4 is biased. This is from Muslim Access, alongside the original arabic:

Surah 47:4
Therefore, when ye meet the Unbelievers (in fight), smite at their necks; At length, when ye have thoroughly subdued them, bind a bond firmly (on them): thereafter (is the time for) either generosity or ransom: Until the war lays down its burdens. Thus (are ye commanded): but if it had been Allah's Will, He could certainly have exacted retribution from them (Himself); but (He lets you fight) in order to test you, some with others. But those who are slain in the Way of Allah,- He will never let their deeds be lost.

https://www.muslimaccess.com/quraan/arabic/047.asp

https://skepticsannotatedbible.com/quran/9/index.htm

https://skepticsannotatedbible.com/quran/8/index.htm

https://muttaqun.com/suicide.html

Islam Watch is a f***ing joke.

This will just not do! The wacko religious right and conservatives need to have a boogieman everywhere to keep the sheeple in their flock.

What do you think??