Koran Study

You might have heard- in the wake of 7/7- the following quotation used by various Muslim leaders as they strove to prove that Islam is indeed a Religion of Peace-

5:32 For that cause We decreed for the Children of Israel that whosoever killeth a human being for other than manslaughter or corruption in the earth, it shall be as if he had killed all mankind, and whoso saveth the life of one, it shall be as if he had saved the life of all mankind. Our messengers came unto them of old with clear proofs (of Allah's Sovereignty), but afterwards lo! many of them became prodigals in the earth.

Now, I've heard this uttered several times by Muslim leaders here in the UK on the nightly news and seen it in the papers, but not quoted directly like this. They tend to paraphrase it into something like this- whoever kills someone, it's as if they've killed all mankind.

But it doesn't actually say that. It's "whosoever killeth a human being for other than manslaughter or corruption in the earth, it shall be as if he had killed all mankind". Which is ever so slightly different. How exactly can we define "corruption"- would that include the filthy infidels from the Great Satan and associated states spreading their notions of tolerance and democracy and freedom of religion?

Also, as we are always chided for taking excerpts from the Koran out of context, let's also have a look at the next passage-

5:33 The only reward of those who make war upon Allah and His messenger and strive after corruption in the land will be that they will be killed or crucified, or have their hands and feet on alternate sides cut off, or will be expelled out of the land. Such will be their degradation in the world, and in the Hereafter theirs will be an awful doom.

So, on the one hand we have the message that killing is wrong, equal to killing all of humanity in its wrongness, but on the other, that's only if you're not spreading "corruption"- in which case, presumably, it's fine- and we're then told that if you dare to make war on Allah and his messenger (or "strive after corruption in the land"), you can be killed, crucified, and have your hands and feet cut off. On alternate sides, which I find to be gruesomely particular.

So, Islam doesn't actually teach that killing is wrong, only killing under certain circumstances and conditions. Some will argue that the Koran "was of its time". That's a good argument in an attempt to try to modernise the religion but it's also fair to point out that the earlier Bible was also created in a time of violence and brutality. It's message is much more simply put- Thou shalt not kill.

Some food for thought.