Is it right to disrespect peoples' faiths?

Printer-friendly versionSend to friendPDF versionIs it right to be disrespectful towards any religion that we don’t believe in and spit on the image of their founders? We do not disrespect Islam, we state the facts. If we call Muhammad a thief, a pedophile, a rapist or a mass murderer, it is because he did all these things. If you are offended by the truth it is your problem. Beliefs are not people. There is a difference between being disrespectful and slandering a person and being truthful and stating the facts that may offend someone who hold lies dear. Cursing, insulting and being rude reveals our own lack of education and character.  Muhammad used to invoke the curse of Allah on his enemies, sometimes for 30 consecutive days. He cursed his own uncle Abu Lahab. We must not follow his example. He also called those who did not believe in his lies deaf, dumb and blind and said they are fuel for hell. These are all insults. People have to be respected, beliefs don’t have to. Beliefs have o be scrutinized and if found wanting they should be abandoned. Some beliefs are evil. It is absurd to respect them just because someone might get offended. If people are offended by the truth, let them be offended. Truth must be said whether others may like it or not.  Do I have to respect a belief that say I should be put to death because I have rejected it?  Why should anyone respect a faith that preaches stoning women, looting and raping the unbelievers and murdering its detractors? The statement that beliefs should be respected is a fallacy. Anything you say may offend someone.  For example, the evolutionists will offend the creationists by stating their views and vice versa. There are still people who believe the Earth is flat. Should we stop saying the Earth is round because the followers of the Flat Earth doctrine may be offended? Those who demand respect for their beliefs often do not respect other peoples’ beliefs.  Just think how Muslims insult the faiths of the Hindus, the Buddhist and the Bahais.  They demand you to respect their faiths because they cannot defend it logically.  They resort to argumentum ad baculum (ordering you to respect their faith or else) or argumentum ad misericordiam (pleading you to be considerate of their feelings.)  Both these arguments are logical fallacies. Only beliefs that can stand the test of scrutiny deserve to be respected. If you believe people’s belief should be respected, please tell us how do you justify Muhammad’s bursting into Ka’ba and destroying the idols of the people who believed in them? Muhammad not only insulted the un-believers and their sacred beliefs, he assaulted them, killed them and forced his version of truth on them. I would respect the rights of a Nazi but I would speak openly against his doctrine of hate. I respect the rights Muslims to believe in their hateful doctrine that calls for my death, but I cannot respect their religion that respects nothing, not even human life. I like variety and believe in diversity. But I will fight against Nazism, KKK, Islam and other doctrines of hate that want to abolish that diversity and establish their own supremacy. If we don’t destroy them, they will destroy everything. How can anyone justify these hate-laden verses of the Quran? 9:123 Oh ye who believe! Murder those of the disbelievers and let them find harshness in you. 9: 5 Slay the idolaters wherever you find them 9: 29 Fight those who do not believe in God and the last day… and fight People of the Book, who do not accept the religion of truth (Islam) until they pay tribute by hand, being inferior 3: 85 Whoso desires another religion than Islam, it shall not be accepted of him; in the next world he shall be among the losers. 5: 11 And as for those who disbelieve and reject Our Signs, they are the people of Hell” 9: 28 O you who believe! Verily, the Mushrikûn (unbeleivers) are Najasun (impure). So let them not come near Al-Masjid-al-Harâm (at Makkah) after this year, … 2: 193 Fight them on until there is no more tumult and religion becomes that of Allah” 22: 19“As for the unbelievers for them garments of fire shall be cut and there shall be poured over their heads boiling water whereby whatever is in their bowls and skin shall be dissolved and they will be punished with hooked iron rods. “ 9: 23 O ye who believe! take not for protectors your fathers and your brothers if they love Infidelity above Faith: if any of you do so, they do wrong. 25: 52 So obey not the disbelievers, but strive against them herewith with a great endeavor. 66: 9O Prophet! Strive against the disbelievers and the hypocrites, and be stern with them. Hell will be their home, a hapless journey’s end. 47: 4 When you meet the unbelievers, strike off their heads; then when you have made wide slaughter among them, carefully tie up the remaining captives. 3: 28 Let not the believers take for friends or helpers unbelievers rather than believers: if any do that, in nothing will there be help from Allah. except by way of precaution, that ye may guard yourselves from them. But Allah cautions you (to fear) Himself; for the final goal is to Allah. Muhammad was so indolent towards the belief of the Quraish that some of their leaders met with Abu Talib, Muhammad’s uncle and begged him to intercede and refrain him from insulting their gods. They said: This Nephew of thine hath spoken opprobriously of our gods and our religion: and hath abused us as fools, and given out that our forefathers were all astray. Now, avenge us thyself of our adversary; or, (seeing that thou art in the same case with ourselves,) leave him to it that we may take our satisfaction. Abu Talib answered them softly and they parted. But as Muhammad’s verbal abuse of their sacred belief did not diminish they went again to Abu Talib in great exasperation; and added: – “and now verily we cannot have patience any longer with his abuse of us, our ancestors, and our gods, wherefore either do thou hold him back from us, or thyself take part with him that the matter may be decided between us.” Katib al Waqidi, reports that Abu Talib addressed Muhammad and told him “Verily thy people ask of thee a reasonable thing, that thou leave off to abuse their gods, and they will leave off to abuse thee and thy God.” To whom he responded “- if they brought the Sun to my right hand, and the Moon to my left, to force me from my undertaking, verily, I would not desist therefrom- until the Lord made manifest my cause, or I perished in the attempt.