# Does The Holy Qur'an (Koran) need to a 'New Testament'? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [December 9, 2015, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-holy-quran-koran-need-to-a-new-testament/739875 "2015-12-09T00:01:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![iLemming](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/90db22/32.png) [@iLemming](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iLemming)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2015, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-holy-quran-koran-need-to-a-new-testament/739875/1 "2015-12-09T00:01:23Z")
The ousted conservative Australian prime minister and staunch U.S. military ally, Tony Abbott, recently wrote that Islam required a “reformation”: > [@](#): > > _Tony Abbott has urged Australians to express greater confidence in Western civilisation, declaring “all cultures are not equal” and calling for a religious “reformation” of Islam._ [The Australian](http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/tony-abbott-calls-for-religious-reformation-of-islam/news-story/de19d671a2dca24610db7fb32a0fef49) Anyone who has ever taken even a cursory glance at the Qur’an, will attest to some the bellicose and barbarous passages it contains – “_ **As to those who reject faith, I will punish them with terrible agony in this world and in the Hereafter, nor will they have anyone to help.** _” (Sûrah 3:56) Now, suffice it to say, much of these ‘less-than-savoury’ edicts are _meant to be_ taken in the broader context of the dogma being preached. However, it is also abundantly clear that those who are already susceptible to anti-social behaviour or are, frankly, _non compus mentis_, will certainly cherry-pick such text in order to buttress whatever their particular bent may be. Which, of course, is to say nothing of the so-called ‘scholars’ who usurp the Islamic scripture and use their eisegesic bastardisation of it as a tool for recruitment of the gullible and vulnerable. Paradoxically, Islam’s enduring strength does indeed lie in its undiluted and intractable nature. But this resilience through obstinance also serves as its Achilles’s heal – its ingravescent incompatibility with modernity. Something that has been borne out, often egregiously; from he fall of the Ottoman Empire, to this day. As such, my contention is that Moslems should embark on a said “reformation” of the religion – specifically: re-writing the Qur’an such that it more reflects modern, “moderate” thinking and can be reconciled with a global world. So that its words are less open to fundamentalist interpretation / molestation and that a clear distinction can be made between real Islam and the diabolical diction the likes of “Daesh” promulgate. “_Not all Moslems are terrorists_” and “_That’s not Islam_” are examples of insultingly obvious - to both Moslems and non Moslems alike - dismissals of the core issue of a religious dogma whose ‘raw’ interpretation is given to extremist abuse. Until this ‘pig in the mosque’ is addressed (and redressed), no compromise between religion and secular, civil society can ever truly be arrived at. Attacking the “terrorists” is merely triaging the wound – the symptom. **Religion** is the cause and must be confronted accordingly. ---
**Author:** ![octopus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/octopus/32/3716_2.png) [@octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/octopus)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2015, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-holy-quran-koran-need-to-a-new-testament/739875/2 "2015-12-09T00:18:45Z")
I’d say superstition needs to be recognized as such. But failing that modifying the text might be a good idea in theory but the memes that make up Islam appear robust. ---
**Author:** ![Stringbean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Stringbean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stringbean)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2015, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-holy-quran-koran-need-to-a-new-testament/739875/3 "2015-12-09T00:26:08Z")
This should be fun. (And, yes, you’re correct that the Islamic world needs to accept secular tolerance. 'Round these parts, that makes you a bigot. Hope you’re ready for it.) ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2015, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-holy-quran-koran-need-to-a-new-testament/739875/4 "2015-12-09T00:26:59Z")
Having a New Testament didn’t help Christianity much. ---
**Author:** ![Lobohan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobohan/32/79_2.png) [@Lobohan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobohan)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2015, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-holy-quran-koran-need-to-a-new-testament/739875/5 "2015-12-09T00:27:47Z")
> [@Stringbean](#): > > 'Round these parts, that makes you a bigot. Cite? ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2015, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-holy-quran-koran-need-to-a-new-testament/739875/6 "2015-12-09T01:42:22Z")
> [@iLemming](#): > > […] a religious dogma whose ‘raw’ interpretation is given to extremist abuse. _Any_ religious dogma has some “raw” interpretation that lends itself to extremist abuse. Look at all the violence Christians have managed to justify using language in the New Testament about Jesus “scourging” the moneychangers from the Temple and “bringing not peace but a sword”, etc., not to mention all the saber-rattling in the Book of Revelation. Despite what **Stringbean** claims, everybody around these parts in fact agrees that the Islamic world needs to accept secular tolerance. Advocating secular tolerance is not the same thing as being a bigot against Islam, although the two positions do sometimes go together. ---
**Author:** ![UDS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecae2f/32.png) [@UDS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UDS)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2015, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-holy-quran-koran-need-to-a-new-testament/739875/7 "2015-12-09T01:48:44Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > Having a New Testament didn’t help Christianity much. This. For most of history, people claiming to be inspired by Christianity were conspicuously more aggressive and violent towards those practising Islam than vice versa. Right now it may be other way around, but I don’t think that tells us anything very profound about the nature of Islam. Sure, there are violent passsages in the Qu’ran but, then, there are violent passages in the Judeo-Christian scriptures. And, yes, there are also more benign passages in the Judeo-Christian scriptures (and not just in the New Testament) but, equally, there are benign passages in the Qu’ran. If Abbot thinks that people fight because of words in a book, then he’s even stupider than I have thought up to now. People fight for land, for oil, for other resources, for wealth, for power - to assert power over others, or to escape power asserted over themselves. They fight for largely material considerations. They may explain their actions in terms of (religious or non-religious) philosophies, but their cause is basically a material one. Adding to their scriptures or other revered writings is not going to change anything fundamental about the dynamics that lead to violence. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2015, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-holy-quran-koran-need-to-a-new-testament/739875/8 "2015-12-09T02:28:28Z")
> [@iLemming](#): > > Anyone who has ever taken even a cursory glance at the Qur’an, will attest to some the bellicose and barbarous passages it contains – > > **“As to those who reject faith, I will punish them with terrible agony in this world and in the Hereafter, nor will they have anyone to help.”** (Sûrah 3:56) :dubious: If you think that the Christian New Testament is somehow exempt from “bellicose and barbarous” threats about what the Deity plans to do to unbelievers, I’ve got some bad news for you. To take just a few examples: > [@](#): > > Matthew 10:14-15: **“And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet. > Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city.”** > > Mark 16:15-16: **“And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. > He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.”** > > John 3:18: **“He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”** > > John 3:36: **“He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.”** > > Acts 3:23: **“And it shall come to pass, that every soul, which will not hear that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people.”** ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2015, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-holy-quran-koran-need-to-a-new-testament/739875/9 "2015-12-09T03:10:42Z")
> [@iLemming](#): > > The ousted conservative Australian prime minister and staunch U.S. military ally, Tony Abbott, recently wrote that Islam required a “reformation”: It looks to me like you’re mixing your metaphors, or something. If Islam requires a reformation, wouldn’t that mean they need a “95 theses” rather than a “New Testament”? ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2015, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-holy-quran-koran-need-to-a-new-testament/739875/10 "2015-12-09T03:26:49Z")
Also, the idea that the Protestant Reformation somehow “tamed” Christianity is itself pretty suspect. Almost exactly a century after Luther nailed his theses to the door of the church, Europe was gripped by one of the longest (to this day) and bloodiest (until WWI) military conflicts in its history: The Thirty Years War. It could be argued that _that_ conflict is what finally bled Europe of its taste for religious schism, but if the answer to Islamic extremism is decades of merciless slaughter between two largely identical religious factions… well, they seem to be handling that one pretty well on their own already. ---
**Author:** ![Hank\_Beecher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hank_beecher/32/7275_2.png) [@Hank\_Beecher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hank_Beecher)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2015, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-holy-quran-koran-need-to-a-new-testament/739875/11 "2015-12-09T03:54:01Z")
How about a Bill of Rights instead? Muslim Reform Movement declaration press conference:[YouTube.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlAnr8bIIr8) [Muslim Reform Movement decries radical Islam, calls for equality](http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/dec/6/muslim-reform-movement-decries-radical-islam-calls/?page=all): > [@](#): > > It takes courage to stand up publicly to radical Islam, even if you’re Muslim. Maybe especially if you’re Muslim. > > Ask Asra Nomani. On Friday she and a dozen of her fellow Muslims went to the Islamic Center of Washington, D.C., and posted a declaration on the door denouncing violent jihad, rejecting Islamic statism and opposing the “ideology of violent Islamic extremism.” > > The declaration announced the formation of the Muslim Reform Movement, an international organization aimed at countering the beliefs of Middle East terrorist groups like Islamic State in what the document describes as a “battle for the soul of Islam.” > > Was Ms. Nomani nervous? No doubt. But the recent bloodshed in Paris and San Bernardino, California, spurred by radical Islam has convinced her the Muslim community needs to confront frankly the connection between terrorism and religion, not deny that it exists. > > “Ultimately, the reason why we, as Muslims, stood on Friday and went to the mosque and took the risks on our own lives, is because we’ve had enough,” Ms. Nomani said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “I think the world has had enough.”…[continued](http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/dec/6/muslim-reform-movement-decries-radical-islam-calls/?page=all) [The declaration](https://www.change.org/p/muslims-and-neighbors-we-support-the-muslim-reform-movement): > [@](#): > > We are Muslims and their neighbors who support the Muslim Reform Movement. We sign this petition to reject interpretations of Islam that advocate for violence, social injustice and political Islam and we sign this petition to support a reform of Islam that advocates for peace, human rights and secular governance. > > #MuslimReform > Twitter: @TheMuslimReform > Instagram: @TheMuslimReform > Facebook: Muslim Reform Movement > Email: [MuslimReformMovement@gmail.com](mailto:MuslimReformMovement@gmail.com) > Declaration of the Muslim Reform Movement > > PREAMBLE > > We are Muslims who live in the 21st century. We stand for a respectful, merciful and inclusive interpretation of Islam. We are in a battle for the soul of Islam, and an Islamic renewal must defeat the ideology of Islamism, or politicized Islam, which seeks to create Islamic states, as well as an Islamic caliphate. > > We seek to reclaim the progressive spirit with which Islam was born in the 7th century to fast forward it into the 21st century. We support the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which was adopted by United Nations member states in 1948. > > We reject interpretations of Islam that call for any violence, social injustice and politicized Islam. Facing the threat of terrorism, intolerance, and social injustice in the name of Islam, we have reflected on how we can transform our communities based on three principles: peace, human rights and secular governance. We announce the formation of an international initiative: the Muslim Reform Movement. > > We have courageous reformers from around the world who have written our Declaration for Muslim Reform, a living document that we will continue to enhance as our journey continues. We invite our fellow Muslims and neighbors to join us. > > DECLARATION > > A. Peace: National Security, Counterterrorism and Foreign Policy > > 1. We stand for universal peace, love and compassion. We reject violent jihad. We believe we must target the ideology of violent Islamist extremism in order to liberate individuals from the scourge of oppression and terrorism both in Muslim-majority societies and the West. > > 2. We stand for the protection of all people of all faiths and non-faith who seek freedom from dictatorships, theocracies and Islamist extremists. > > 3. We reject bigotry, oppression and violence against all people based on any prejudice, including ethnicity, gender, language, belief, religion, sexual orientation and gender expression. > > B. Human Rights: Women’s Rights and Minority Rights > > 1. We stand for human rights and justice. We support equal rights and dignity for all people, including minorities. We support the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights. > > 2. We reject tribalism, castes, monarchies and patriarchies and consider all people equal with no birth rights other than human rights. All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. Muslims don’t have an exclusive right to “heaven.” > > 3. We support equal rights for women, including equal rights to inheritance, witness, work, mobility, personal law, education, and employment. Men and women have equal rights in mosques, boards, leadership and all spheres of society. We reject sexism and misogyny. > > C. Secular Governance: Freedom of Speech and Religion > > 1. We are for secular governance, democracy and liberty. We are against political movements in the name of religion. We separate mosque and state. We are loyal to the nations in which we live. We reject the idea of the Islamic state. There is no need for an Islamic caliphate. We oppose institutionalized sharia. Sharia is manmade. > > 2. We believe in life, joy, free speech and the beauty all around us. Every individual has the right to publicly express criticism of Islam. Ideas do not have rights. Human beings have rights. We reject blasphemy laws, which are a cover for the restriction of freedom of speech and religion. We affirm every individual’s right to ijtihad, or critical thinking, and seek a revival of ijtihad. > > 3. We believe in freedom of religion and the right of all people to express and practice their faith, or non-faith, without threat of intimidation, persecution, discrimination or violence. Apostasy is not a crime. Our ummah–our community–is not just Muslims, but all of humanity. > > We stand for peace, human rights and secular governance. > > Please stand with us! > > Affirmed this Third Day of December, Two-Thousand and Fifteen > > Original Signatories: > > Tahir Gora, Author, Journalist, Activist, Toronto, Canada > > Tawfik Hamid, Islamic Thinker and Reformer, Oakton, VA, USA > > Usama Hasan, Imam, Quilliam Foundation, London, UK > > Arif Humayun, Senior Fellow, American Islamic Forum for Democracy, Portland, OR, USA > > Farahnaz Ispahani, Author, Former Member of Parliament, Pakistan, Washington, D.C., USA, > > M. Zuhdi Jasser, President, American Islamic Forum for Democracy, Phoenix, AZ USA > > Mohamad Jebara, Imam, Cordova Center, Ottawa, Canada > > Naser Khader, Member, Danish Parliament, Muslim democracy activist, Copenhagen, Denmark > > Courtney Lonergan, Community Outreach Director, Professional Facilitator, American Islamic Forum for Democracy, Phoenix, AZ USA > > Hasan Mahmud, General Secretary, Muslims Facing Tomorrow, Sharia Expert, Toronto, Canada > > Asra Nomani, Journalist, Author, Morgantown, WV, USA > > Raheel Raza, Founder, Muslims Facing Tomorrow, Toronto, Canada > > Sohail Raza, VP, Coalition of Progressive Canadian Muslim Organizations, Toronto, Canada > > Salma Siddiqui, President, Coalition of Progressive Canadian Muslim Organizations, Toronto, Canada > > Stand with us, please! ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2015, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-holy-quran-koran-need-to-a-new-testament/739875/12 "2015-12-09T03:57:14Z")
Isn’t the Koran already a new Testament? ---
**Author:** ![Chief\_Pedant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a6a055/32.png) [@Chief\_Pedant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chief_Pedant)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2015, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-holy-quran-koran-need-to-a-new-testament/739875/13 "2015-12-09T04:25:57Z")
> [@Kimstu](#): > > :dubious: If you think that the Christian New Testament is somehow exempt from “bellicose and barbarous” threats about what the Deity plans to do to unbelievers, I’ve got some bad news for you. > > To take just a few examples: These are more or less afterlife penalties. Head to John’s Revelation if you want more of that. But the Qur’an has a number of references which suggest a more immediate, earthly visitation of wrath upon those opposed to Islam–and not from the almighty according to his methods, but from Islamic believers as they are able to kill: Sura 2: 191: وَاقْتُلُوهُمْ حَيْثُ ثَقِفْتُمُوهُمْ وَأَخْرِجُوهُم مِّنْ حَيْثُ أَخْرَجُوكُمْ وَالْفِتْنَةُ أَشَدُّ مِنَ الْقَتْلِ وَلاَ تُقَاتِلُوهُمْ عِندَ الْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرَامِ حَتَّى يُقَاتِلُوكُمْ فِيهِ فَإِن قَاتَلُوكُمْ فَاقْتُلُوهُمْ كَذَلِكَ جَزَاء الْكَافِرِي (Ali): _“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.”_ The other issue is that Qur’an is treated as a plenary verbal dictation from Allah. New Testament believers would have a little more leeway in the interpretation of passages written by observers (although some conservative Christian sects also accept a plenary verbal dictation of the New Testament). This makes it a little more tough to create a New Testament of the Qur’an because it would be at direct odds with Allah’s voice versus direct odds with secondary recorders as with the Old Testament (and check out the book of Joshua if you are looking for OT atrocities committed against pagans in the name of the Lord). Almost any religious scholar within any religion finds wiggle room for nuttier statements interpreted in the light of modern values. In the above passage from the Qur’an, for example, I believe one softer interpretation creates a context of specific defense versus simply sallying forth to kill Kafirs. Still, Islam in general has more weasling to do with passages from the Qur’an than those clinging to the New Testament. Neither scripture seems to have been particularly effective in preventing the masses from doing what they damn well please in the name of their scriptures. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2015, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-holy-quran-koran-need-to-a-new-testament/739875/14 "2015-12-09T04:41:57Z")
Protip: Anytime you read a passage that starts with “And”, before you get all bent out of shape and think that X religion is evil, you need to ask yourself: What came before the “and”? ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2015, 8:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-holy-quran-koran-need-to-a-new-testament/739875/15 "2015-12-09T08:28:36Z")
> [@Grrr](#): > > Protip: Anytime you read a passage that starts with “And”, before you get all bent out of shape and think that X religion is evil, you need to ask yourself: What came before the “and”? Sura 2:190: Fight in the way of Allah those who fight you but do not transgress. Indeed. Allah does not like transgressors. Yeah, that’s really cheerful. I get the idea of not crossing certain lines even if your opponents do, but I’m curious if me just being a Jewish atheist is transgressive in and of itself. Anyway, not to single out Islam - all religions should be reformed into insignificance, preferably nonexistence. ---
**Author:** ![nicky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f0a364/32.png) [@nicky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nicky)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2015, 8:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-holy-quran-koran-need-to-a-new-testament/739875/16 "2015-12-09T08:43:27Z")
Surely the problem is wahabbism/salifism - not only is the Koran the word of God, but all interpretation has to be done in the mindset of a 7th century Meccan. ---
**Author:** ![nicky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f0a364/32.png) [@nicky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nicky)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2015, 8:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-holy-quran-koran-need-to-a-new-testament/739875/17 "2015-12-09T08:47:00Z")
Oh and tony abbott - WTF australia? Does Oz have a nasty reactionary caste that doesnt travel? ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2015, 8:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-holy-quran-koran-need-to-a-new-testament/739875/18 "2015-12-09T08:52:19Z")
> [@nicky](#): > > Oh and tony abbott - WTF australia? Does Oz have a nasty reactionary caste that doesnt travel? That is an unfounded and wholly unjustified accusation! :mad: Some of them travel quite a bit. ---
**Author:** ![T.M](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ad7895/32.png) [@T.M](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/T.M)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2015, 10:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-holy-quran-koran-need-to-a-new-testament/739875/19 "2015-12-09T10:31:31Z")
> [@iLemming](#): > > The ousted conservative Australian prime minister and staunch U.S. military ally, Tony Abbott, recently wrote that Islam required a “reformation”: > [The Australian](http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/tony-abbott-calls-for-religious-reformation-of-islam/news-story/de19d671a2dca24610db7fb32a0fef49) > > Anyone who has ever taken even a cursory glance at the Qur’an, will attest to some the bellicose and barbarous passages it contains – > > “_ **As to those who reject faith, I will punish them with terrible agony in this world and in the Hereafter, nor will they have anyone to help.** _” (Sûrah 3:56) > > Now, suffice it to say, much of these ‘less-than-savoury’ edicts are _meant to be_ taken in the broader context of the dogma being preached. However, it is also abundantly clear that those who are already susceptible to anti-social behaviour or are, frankly, _non compus mentis_, will certainly cherry-pick such text in order to buttress whatever their particular bent may be. Which, of course, is to say nothing of the so-called ‘scholars’ who usurp the Islamic scripture and use their eisegesic bastardisation of it as a tool for recruitment of the gullible and vulnerable. > > Paradoxically, Islam’s enduring strength does indeed lie in its undiluted and intractable nature. But this resilience through obstinance also serves as its Achilles’s heal – its ingravescent incompatibility with modernity. Something that has been borne out, often egregiously; from he fall of the Ottoman Empire, to this day. > > As such, my contention is that Moslems should embark on a said “reformation” of the religion – specifically: re-writing the Qur’an such that it more reflects modern, “moderate” thinking and can be reconciled with a global world. So that its words are less open to fundamentalist interpretation / molestation and that a clear distinction can be made between real Islam and the diabolical diction the likes of “Daesh” promulgate. > > “_Not all Moslems are terrorists_” and “_That’s not Islam_” are examples of insultingly obvious - to both Moslems and non Moslems alike - dismissals of the core issue of a religious dogma whose ‘raw’ interpretation is given to extremist abuse. Until this ‘pig in the mosque’ is addressed (and redressed), no compromise between religion and secular, civil society can ever truly be arrived at. > > Attacking the “terrorists” is merely triaging the wound – the symptom. **Religion** is the cause and must be confronted accordingly. One of the problems on here people tend to comment from the papers not from knowledge so it is good to see that you have read the Quran. The problem with the Quran is that it has become lost and rewritten from memory at least three times so we do not have any original material to check it against, so yes Islam does need a messenger from God to reform what is being taught (as Jesus reformed the teachings of the Old Testament. It is also important to read about Sharia Law ---
**Author:** ![T.M](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ad7895/32.png) [@T.M](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/T.M)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2015, 10:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-holy-quran-koran-need-to-a-new-testament/739875/20 "2015-12-09T10:44:44Z")
> [@Hank\_Beecher](#): > > How about a Bill of Rights instead? > Muslim Reform Movement declaration press conference:[YouTube.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlAnr8bIIr8) > > [Muslim Reform Movement decries radical Islam, calls for equality](http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/dec/6/muslim-reform-movement-decries-radical-islam-calls/?page=all): > > [The declaration](https://www.change.org/p/muslims-and-neighbors-we-support-the-muslim-reform-movement): Amen I admire your courage and understand the massive step that you have taken in making this stand I pray that the God of Abraham sends angels to protect you Tobias Malachi [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-holy-quran-koran-need-to-a-new-testament/739875.md?page=2)