Answering Islam 9: Is the Qur'an Good for the 21st Century?

Here's Episode 9 of our "Answering Islam" series, where I answer the question: "Is the Qur'an good for the 21st Century?" For the rest of the series, click on the playlist.

Here's the full text of the video:

Is the Quran Good for the 21st Century?

One of the biggest problems in Islam is that, according to the Qur’an (Chapter 33, verse 21), Muhammad is the pattern of conduct for Muslims. Muhammad had sex with a nine-year-old girl. He bought, sold, and traded slaves. He married the divorced wife of his own adopted son. He ordered his followers to assassinate people for making fun of him. He beat his wives. He had sex with his slave-girls. And he said that he had been commanded to fight non-Muslims, simply for being non-Muslims. This is not someone that people should be imitating, but the Qur’an tells Muslims to imitate Muhammad. So the Qur’an is bad for the 21st century just for making Muhammad a role model.

But it gets worse when we look at specific teachings in the Qur’an.

According to the Qur’an, Muslims are the best people in the world. In Surah 3, Verse 110, Allah says to Muslims:

You are the best of peoples ever raised up for mankind . . .

Well, what about Jews, Christians, and other non-Muslims? Surah 98, Verse 6:

Verily, those who disbelieve (in the religion of Islam, the Qur'an and Prophet Muhammad) from among the people of the Scripture (Jews and Christians) and Al-Mushrikun (those are idolaters) will abide in the Fire of Hell. They are the worst of creatures.

Non-Muslims are the worst of creatures. Muslims are the best of peoples. The last thing we need in the 21st century is this kind of division. Here are the best people (the one’s who imitate Muhammad) and here are all the other people, and they’re the worst creatures in the world. They’re lower than cattle.

Not surprisingly, given the inferiority of Jews and Christians in the Qur’an, Muslims aren’t supposed to be friends with us. As we read in Surah 5, Verse 51:

O you who believe! do not take the Jews and the Christians for friends; they are friends of each other.

This doesn’t mean that Muslims are simply to avoid us. Muslims are commanded to actively persecute unbelievers. Surah 48, Verse 29 declares:

Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, and those who are with him are severe against disbelievers, and merciful among themselves.

Those who are with Muhammad (i.e., Muslims) are severe against whom? Unbelievers. They’re merciful to whom? Only to their fellow Muslims.

Similarly, in Surah 9, Verse 123 Allah commands Muslims:

O you who believe! fight those of the unbelievers who are near to you and let them find in you hardness.

Muslims are specifically commanded to fight Jews and Christians (the “People of the Book”) in Surah 9, Verse 29. Allah commands his followers:

Fight those who believe not in Allah nor the Last Day, nor hold that forbidden which hath been forbidden by Allah and His Messenger, nor acknowledge the Religion of Truth, from among the People of the Book, until they pay the Jizyah with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued.

Notice that every criterion for fighting us in this verse has to do with our religious beliefs or practices. Muslims are commanded to fight us until we pay them not to fight us.

So the Qur’an is very bad for non-Muslims. We are to be violently subjugated in the name of Allah.

But the Qur’an is also bad for Muslims themselves, and I don’t just mean that it’s bad for them because it keeps them from knowing and understanding the truth about Jesus. It’s bad for them because Muslims often get killed by their fellow Muslims, and this is because the Qur’an commands Muslims not only to fight against unbelievers, but also to fight against hypocrites.

Surah 9, verse 73, says:

O Prophet! strive hard against the unbelievers and the hypocrites and be unyielding to them.

The word for “strive hard” here is a form of the word “jihad.” Muslims are commanded to wage jihad against hypocrites—Muslims who claim to follow Muhammad but aren’t really following him.

It seems like every few days we hear about Sunnis blowing up Shias, or Shias blowing up Sunnis. And every time, world leaders say, “You see, the terrorists aren’t real Muslims, because they’re killing their fellow Muslims. And Muslims aren’t allowed to kill their fellow Muslims.” Now it’s true that Muslims aren’t supposed to wage jihad against true Muslims, but we’ve already seen that the Qur’an commands them to wage jihad against hypocrites. And that’s what’s going on when Muslim groups launch terrorist attacks against each other. Jihadis don’t kill Muslims they regard as devout followers of Muhammad. They kill Muslims they regard as hypocrites. But no matter what Muslim group you’re in, there are always going to be other Muslim groups calling you a hypocrite, so Islam isn’t even safe for Muslims.

It’s not good for Muslims. It’s not good for non-Muslims. Muhammad isn’t a good role model. The Qur’an definitely isn’t a good book for the 21st century.