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BNP Leader Griffin: 'Islam is a Cancer Requiring Global Chemotherapy'

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Charles7/11/2009 12:08:34 pm PDT

Not to be pedantic, but in the interest of precision — there’s something that always bothers me when people say “Islam is fundamentally violent,” or “the Koran is fundamentally violent.”

The point is this: Islam is a religion. The Koran is a book. Last time I checked, neither religions nor books were capable of actually committing physical violence. Religions are collections of spiritual ideas. Books are inanimate objects. They can’t reach out and club you with a monkey wrench.

When you say “Islam is fundamentally violent,” aren’t you really saying “Muslims are fundamentally violent?” Because Muslims — people — are the actual agents of violence, not their religion and not their book.

People can be inspired by books and religions to commit violence, and Islam has no monopoly on this sad phenomenon. But people can also follow religions — and most religions have violent histories — and choose not to be inspired to commit violence.