Excellent article by Robert Kirby in today's Salt Lake Tribune

[dretceterini]

http://www.sltrib.com/kirby/ci_3118506

[MADem]

1. Great article, but ya gotta give folks a taste!!!

The setup: A Mormon talking about reading the Quran.

Here's the deal. So far, I can't find anywhere in this book that says I'm supposed to be killed. There's plenty that says I'm going to hell in a hurry, but that's nothing new. The Bible, the Book of Mormon, and my mom all say that.

What I do find are continual references to tolerance and well treatment of others. Take this passage from Chapter 2, Verse 256:
''Let there be no compulsion in religion: Truth stands out clear from error: whoever rejects evil and believes in Allah hath grasped the most trustworthy handhold, that never breaks.''

Maybe I missed the part that said I'm supposed to be blown to bits in the name of jihad. I called the local mosque and eventually talked to Iqbal Hossain. If you haven't already guessed, he isn't a Mormon.
Hossain led me to a couple of brief passages in the Holy Quran that refer to using violence against unbelievers. Both are situational and refer to The Prophet defending himself while being persecuted in Mecca. It was both an education and a pleasure to talk to Hossain. He handled my insensitive demands with a deft kindness. Not once did he refer to me as an infidel dog, which is considerably better treatment than I get from my editor.

If the rest of the Quran is like what I've read so far, I'm pretty sure I won't find anything that deliberately encourages violence toward me or anyone else. ....

[dretceterini]

3. Sorry...I thought it was standard procedure here...

just to provide a direct link, rather than use up web space...

here is the part I liked best:

On the wall above my desk is a framed quotation. I don't know who said it, only that I saw it once and liked it.

(Speaking about religious documents)
"A book is like a mirror. If an ass looks into it, you can't expect an apostle to look back out."


VERY appropriate concerning our so called leaders...

[MADem]

4. Unless you want your post to sink like a stone

...ya gotta give them a general idea of what they will be clicking on, especially for the dialup folks, who have to wait for a page to load. The limit is four paragraphs to comply with fair use guidelines, so don't cut and paste the whole thing.

It's worth reading, that article--and worth discussing!

[dretceterini]

5. Thanks

in the future I'll do that rather than just provide a direct link....

[silverweb]

2. Excellent, indeed.

I love his use of humor in making his point. This one's getting saved for response to the occasional anti-Islam e-mails that come around.

[Joy Anne]

6. exactly

I wrote the columnist:

Thanks for your column "Why the animosity? Can't find it in the Quran." It's
colloquial, sage, and sane.
Because I answer with vitriol, I don't get many of those "evil Moslems
invading to rape our chickens" forwarded emails any more. But the next one I
do receive will get your winsome, persuasive message as a reply.