The Qur'an and Women in Captivity

The Qur’an offers no rights to women taken in captivity. In fact, the Qur’an condones raping and enslaving married women taken in captivity. Thus, an early Medina verse proclaims:

IV: 24 “Also (prohibited are)
Women already married,
Except those
Whom your right hands possess..”

Apologists such as Abdulah Yusuf Ali argue that formal hostility dissolves civil ties, such as marriage contracts. Married women held in captivity following ' holy Jihad' are, thus, used for the sexual gratification of the Mujahiddins. The captured women could consequently be sold for ransom.

The Jews of Medina condemned the exercise of Azl (Coitus Interruptus) , condoned by the prophet, as the lesser child-murder: a condemnation that was dismissed by Muhammad as a Jewish lie.*

In light of Islam’s condemnation of adultery, how can one accept that such a practice against captured women is none other than adultery?

sources:

* Rodinson, Maxime. Muhammad.

The Qur'an and Man's destiny

One of the early verses of the Qur’an (Al-Balad or The City) paints a very poor picture of man’s sorry destiny of “ toil and struggle,” with no certainty of success.
.
XC: 4 “ Verily We have created
Man into toil and struggle.”

XC: 5 “ Thinketh he, that none
Hath power over him? ”

Even when success is forthcoming, man should refrain from boasting of worldly prosperity and must guard against squandering it in vanity:

XC: 6 “ He may say (boastfully);
Wealth have I squandered
In abundance! ”

The Qur’an reminds man that wealth and abundance come with responsibility:

XC: 7 " Thinketh he that none
Beholdeth him? "

What God bestows on man, He can freely take away. The only certainty in life is surely its uncertainty.

The Qur'an and Legislation

One verse of Al-Maida (Table spread) is at the centre of the debate on the imposition of Shari’a Laws ( Islamic legislation) raging the Islamic world.

The kernel of Al-Maida was revealed while Muhammad’s estrangement with other monotheists was in progress. * An accusation is made against the Jews that they failed to follow the legislation in their scriptures and twisted the meaning of their books to agree with their own purposes.**

V:47 “ It was We who revealed
The law (to Moses): therein
Was guidance and light.
By its standard have been judged
The Jews, by the Prophets
Who bowed (as in Islam)
To God’s Will, by the Rabbis
And the Doctors of Law:
For to them was entrusted
The protection of God’s Book,
And they were witnesses thereto:
Therefore fear not men,
But fear Me, and sell not
My Signs for a miserable price,
If any do fail to judge
By (the light of) what God
Hath revealed, they are
(no better than) Unbelievers. ”

The above verse, which was revealed when the Jews turned to the Prophet to judge a case of adultery, is used by those advocating the sovereignty of God as the sole legislator in any given Islamic state. ***

An argument is, however, made against the viability of applying Islamic legislation to procedural matters. With the exception of inheritance laws and debt registration procedures, the Qur’an does not address procedural matters in criminal and civil matters, according to Egyptian national Chief Justice Said Al-Ashmawy. ****

Those advocating an Islamic state, based on the Prophet’s city-state prototype in Medina, are oblivious to the fact that such a state is one that would fail to address any of the complexities of 21st century modern life.

* Richard Bell, The Qur’an translated.
** The Holy Qur’an translated by Abdulla Yusuf Ali.
*** M. Said Al-Ashmawy. Al-Khilafa Al-Islamiyya (The Islamic Caliphate)
**** M. Said Al-Ashmawy. Al-Shari’a Al-Islamiyya wal Qanun Al-Masri.

The Qur'an and Usury

The Qur’an is uncompromising in its prohibition of usury which was practiced by the Jews in Medina. * Those involved in usury transactions are demonised as touched by evil and driven to madness:

ll.275. “ Those who devour usury
Will not stand except
As stands one whom
The Evil One by his touch
Hath driven to madness.
That is because they say:
‘Trade is like usury,’
But God hath permitted trade
And forbidden usury...”

Variations exist in the interpretation of usury and whether it relates to monetary transactions. There is, however, a strong argument for the prohibition of deferred payment even in selling **

Usury, which applied to deferred payment for food by the needy, would often lead to slavery in the early days of Islam. The underlying cause for the prohibition of usury is , thus, to forbid the enslavement of the needy.

However, as with many teachings of the Qur’an, the spirit of the law was abandoned to allow for the ills of slavery which remains legitimate in Islamic jurisprudence, to date.

Sources:

* Montgomery Watt and Richard Bell. Introductions to the Qur’an.
** see M. Said Al-Ashmawy. Al-Ribaa wal Faida fil Islam

The Qur'an and the Wrath of God

A YouTube video clip of Rahma, a two year old Muslim girl,* gives an insight into the extent of the spread of Wahabism within the abode of Islam. **. Asked about a reference in the Qur’an to those who deserve God’s wrath, Rahma was quick to reply: the Jews. As for another reference in the Qur’an to those who go astray, Rahma replied: the Christians.

The traditional interpretation of those who deserve God’s wrath, in the opening chapter of the Qur’an (Al-fatiha), relates to those who err by breaking God’s law; As for those who go astray, the traditional association is made with those who act with negligence or carelessness***

1: 5 Thee do we worship
And Thine aid we seek

1: 6 Show us the straight way,

1:7 The way of those on whom
Thou hast bestowed Thy Grace,
Those whose (portion)
Is not wrath,
And who go not astray Al-Fatiha or the opening chapter 1: 5-7

With hatred of Jews and Christians filling Rahma’s two year old heart, the future of co-existence between Muslims and non-Muslims looks bleak indeed.

sources:
* http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GyYHtkiXkcI
** for an insight into the extent of the spread of Wahabism within the abode of Islam please watch http://atheistmedia.blogspot.com/2008/07/channel-4-quran.html
*** Interpretation of the Qur’an provided by Abdullah Yusuf Ali

The Qur'an and the Oppression of Women

The oppression of women in the Qur’an goes hand in hand with Muhammad’s enhanced status, as a prophet of the Arabs, and his newly-found financial independence.

For some fifteen years, the injunctions of the Qur’an remained silent on the issue of women. Muhammad was at the time in a monogamous marriage to Khadija, a wealthy woman some fifteen years his senior, who supported him financially for over two decades. The Qur’an alludes to Muhammad’s poverty in one of its earlier verses:

“And he found thee
In need, and made
Thee independent” 92:8

Muhammad, who married Khadija when he was twenty-five years old, was a bachelor for longer than was the tradition at the time probably because of his poverty. He is said to have been rejected as a suitor when he asked for the hand of his cousin Umm Hani.

As Muhammad became independent financially and was able to provide for himself and his wives in Medina, the Qur’an downgrades women to a lower status because “men support them from their means” and allows husbands to beat their wives.

4: 34“ Men are the protectors and maintainers of women,
Because Allah has given the one more(strength)
Than the other, and because they support them
From their means.

Therefore the righteous women are devoutly obedient,
And guard in (the husband’s ) absence
What Allah would have them guard.

As to those women on whose part ye fear
Disloyalty and ill-conduct, admonish them (first)
(Next), refuse to share their beds,
(And last) beat them (lightly);

But if they return to obedience,
Seek not against them means of (annoyance):
For Allah is Most High, Great (above you all) ”
Al-Nisaa or Women 4:34

It is no wonder that a tradition of Muhammad relays that he saw women being strung up by hooks thrust through their tongues by a demon. Their crimes were to mock their husbands and to leave their homes without their husbands’ permissions. [1]

Under such abominable conditions, can anyone in truth judge Muslim women for leaving their homes without their oppressors’ permissions?

sources;
[1] ) see 15th century Persian illustration of Muhammad and women in hell http://www.zombietime.com/mohammed_image_archive/islamic_mo_full/

The Qur'an and Tribalism

The attempt of the Qur’an to introduce change in 7th century Arabia presupposes the tribal culture of the early Muslims. The language and conceptual framework of the Qur’an are, thus, laden with tribal imagery and ethos.

In one of its early suras, the Qur’an deals with the contrasted fates of the soul with obscurity being linked to evil deeds, on the one hand, and purity to charity, on the other. In this context, the story of Thamud, who were destroyed for their wickedness, is relayed:

“Then they rejected him
(As a false prophet),
And they hamstrung her.
So their Lord, on account
Of their crime, obliterated
Their traces and made them
Equal (in destruction,
High and low)” ! [1]

The verse that follows is one that portrays God as fearless of retribution: a reality of life in tribal Arabia.

“And for Him
Is no fear
Of its consequences. ”

Another reality of tribal Arabia is the system of tribal protection which was the only tribesmen's safeguard against murder. The only guarantee of safety, in the harsh reality of life in the desert, was the fear of retribution under the tribal protection laws.

Thus, in proclaiming monotheism, the Qur’an presents God as affording protection to all without needing protection Himself.

“Say: Who is it in whose
Hands is the governance
Of all things, who protects
(All), but is not protected
(Of any)? (Say) if ye know. ” [2]

The presentation of the Creator within such a tribal cultural context has serious implications. Life becomes the prerogative of only those who belonged, and got the protection of, the tribe of Allah. Those who fall out of the tribe can only expect to pay the dearest price of all: the loss of Allah’s protection.

[1] ) Al-Shams or the Sun XCl:14
[2] ) Al-Mu’minun or The Believers XXlll: 88

The Qur'an and Free-Will

Ambiguity and contradictions abound in the text of the Qur’an in relation to many of its themes. One such theme relates to God’s Plan and man's free-will vis-a-vis the Creator.

In the early formative years of Islam, when Islam was weak, the Qur’an stresses free-will and defines Muhammad role to be that of an apostle with no power to watch over the believers.[1]

“He who obeys
The Apostle, obeys Allah:
But if any turn away,
We have not sent thee
To watch over
Their (evil deeds) ” Al-Nisaa:80

The message of freewill is repeatedly hammered into the Qur’an in verses such as:

”This is an admonition:
Whosoever will, let him
Take a (straight) Path
To His Lord” 76:29

“If it has been thy Lord’s Will,
They would all have believed,
All who are on earth!
Wilt thou then compel mankind,
Against their will to believe!” 10:99 [2]

Richard Bell, however, notes the apparent contradiction between 76:29 and 76:30-31 [3] The idea of predestination is introduced to limit man’s will by that of Allah. Man is now admitted to Allah’s Mercy only if Allah wills it:

“But ye will not,
Except as Allah wills,
For Allah is full of
Knowledge and Wisdom.” 76:30

“He will admit
To His Mercy Whom He will;
But the wrong-doers,
For them has He prepared
A grievous Penalty.” 76.31

With man’s free will being limited by that of Allah, the verse commanding the faithful to slay the unbelievers (lX:5), that Allah did not admit into his mercy, casts a long shadow over Allah’s justice and mercy.

References:
[1] ) Richard Bell. The Qur’an translated (The verse al-Nisaa: 80 is believed to have been revealed in Medina, following the Uhud battle)
[2] ) Ali places this Sura in the late Meccan period before the hijra (immigration) to Medina whereas Richard Bell places it in the year 2 or 3 (Islamic calendar) following the rift with the Jews in Medina.
[3] ) The Sura belongs to the early Meccan period with the possible exception of some verses, according to Ali. Richard Bell agrees and notes the contradiction between 29 and 30-31

A New Reading of the Qur'an

An attempt to reform Islam makes a new reading of the Qur’an an imperative task. It is, however, by no means, an easy one.

One of the main difficulties surrounding an understanding of the Qur’an relates to its compilation which does not agree with the chronology of the revelation of its verses. Short passages of the Qur’an, which were revealed to Muhammad over some 23 years, were subsequently joined together into chapters of various lengths that did not necessarily belong to the same period.

Traditional accounts of the occasions on which some passages were revealed are preserved. Some of these are, however, improbable and do not agree with historical events, according to early biographies of the life of the Prophet. For the most part, ambiguity surrounds the historical context of many of the Qur’an’s verses.

Scholarly work revealed that the text of the Qur’an shows signs of revisions. Recent media reports * revealed that parchments of an early copy of the Qur’an, found in Sanaa, show evidence of revisions with some verses being washed off and overlaid by others.

The Sanaa fragments, which date to some 70 years following the death of the Prophet, show sheer differences in the written language of the Qur’an which can potentially revolutionise our understanding of its text. The lack of vowel markings in the Sanaa parchments makes it possible to derive as many as some thirty different meanings to some words of the Qur’an, according to a German scholar.

This finding makes it all the more difficult to accept the traditional interpretation of the standard Cairo text of the Qur’an. It is evident that the standardised written language of the Qur’an, as we know it today, is a product of a much later stage than the Sanaa texts.

One must, therfore, wonder if the original text bears any resemblance at all to the standard copy of the Qur'an today.

* see link to Atheist Media Blog provided in my blog list

The Miracle of the Qur'an

In the early years of Islam, many converts were won over by the sheer penetrating language of the Qur’an. Muhammad’s miracle, in a highly literary culture, was the mere recitation of the Qur’an in a language and structure that had hitherto been unknown to them.

Scholarly work by Ernest Renan sums up the miracle of the Qur’an as being a text that was revolutionary on both the literary and religious levels. In fact, the language of the Qur’an, in the early years of Islam, was a certain sign of God’s pre-eminence and his most precious gift to the Arab race.

One of the early verses of the Qur’an affirms the miracle of the revelations by challenging those who doubted Muhammad to produce a passage (sura) such as those recited by the Prophet:

“And if ye are in doubt as to what we have revealed from time to time to Our servant (Muhammad), then produce a Sura like thereunto.. ”

History, however, tells us that Muhammad had a fair share of rivals who rose to the Qur’an’s challenge. Both Musaylima and Sajah of central Arabia are cases in point of other prophets, treated by Muhammad as impostors, who recited revelations in rhymed prose in the same style as that of the earliest revelations of the Qur’an.

The language of the Qur’an, which was recited in the Arabic dialect of the tribe of Quraysh, was also to be superseded by the richer Arabic language of the middle ages which was inspired by Hellenistic philosophy. *

It is no surprise that one of the leading reformers of Islam Sheikh Rifaa al-Tahtawi conceded in the 19th century that the contention of the superiority of the Arabic language, believed to be the language of Allah, is all but a fallacy.

* Please refer to my previous post ' Qur’ an and reason ' for more details

Understanding the Qur'an

Few books, if any, caused as much turmoil and bloodshed than the Qur’an, especially in relation to the quest to understand its text.

Some billion Muslims across the Globe regard the Qur’an to be the uncreated Word of God that existed since eternity. Any scholarly attempts to understand the Qur’an, within its cultural and historical settings, have traditionally attracted accusations of blasphemy within the abode of Islam.

The case of Egyptian national Nasr Hamid Abu Zeid, who lives in exile in Holland, is a case in point. His attempt to present a new contextual understanding of the Qur’an, as a text, saw him being branded an apostate, an accusation that traditionally entails a penalty of death.

Yet, a true understanding of the Qur’an presupposes an understanding of the 7th century Arab nomads’ culture and world-view. Imagery in the Qur’an, for instance, belongs to the simplistic world-view of the Arabs and can only be understood in an allegorical manner and not literally, as has been the case.

On another level, the Qur’an also mirrors the failure of the Arabs of the 7th century to develop a sophisticated interpretation of the cosmos. The universe, according to the Arab recipients of the Qur’an, was dominated by Jinns or spirits: a belief which persists in the Qur’an.

The Qur’an, which was revealed over the period of some 23 years, is a reflection of the changing circumstances and needs of the Muslim community at the time. The changes in the style, content and moral teachings of the Qur’an, over the period of the revelation, can only be understood to mean that changing conditions entail a change in legal injunctions.

Last, but not least, the unsystematic arrangement of the verses of the Qur’an and the unintelligible Arabic language of some of its verses represent another challenge that any scholar has to contend with.

It is, thus, no surprise that the meaning of many passages of the Qur’an is, the Arabs hold, only known to God.

The Qur'an and the Jews

Allah states in the Qur’an ( ll:106 ) that He reserves the right to abrogate verses and substitute them by better ones. However, the stark contrast between the early verses of the Qur’an, relating to the Jews, and those that followed, is such that it casts serious doubt about the very authenticity of the Qur’an.

In the early verses, when the Jews were equal members of the Medina community, the Qur’an appeals to the Jews to fulfil their part of the Covenant: “Children of Israel, call to mind the (special) favour which I bestowed upon you, and fulfil your Covenant with Me as I fulfil my Covenant with you, and fear none but Me.” ( ll:40 )

In another part of the Surah, the Qur’an reminds the Jews of the special favour that He bestowed on them by preferring them to all others for His Message: “Children of Israel! Call to mind the (special) favour which I bestowed upon you, and that I preferred you to all others ( for My Message ) ” ( ll:47)

At this stage, Islam presented itself as a mere extension of the initial Message revealed to Moses. Muslims prayed towards Jerusalem and fasted on the Day of Atonement Yom kippur along with the Jews (a tradition still observed to date). Muhammad was merely a reminder of the earlier scriptures and acted as an intermediary in settling disputes in Medina.

Muhammad, however, was rejected by the Jews. He was also accused of corrupting monotheism with false ideas. It is, at this juncture, that the Jews attract the wrath of Allah and accusation are made against them in the Qur’an of perverting the Word of God (ll:61, 75)

The Jews are now despised and rejected. The Qur’an also relays the story of a community of Jews who transgressed the Sabbath and were turned into apes for it. “And well ye knew those amongst you who transgressed in the matter of the Sabbath; We said to them: ‘Be ye apes, despised and rejected’ ”(ll:65)

Thus, the Covenant with the Jews was now broken. Allah now favoured the Muslims and drew a pact with them to fight in His Name against all those who do not submit to Islam. The Covenant still holds today.

( translations of the Qur’an in this post are based on Abdullah Yusuf Ali’s translation of the Qur’an. )

The Qur'an and Women

The barbaric honour killing of five Pakistani women, who wished to exercise their right to choose their husbands freely, is no surprise. They were buried alive for committing the cardinal sin of challenging one of the Qur’an’s fundamental commandments making women a mere tilth to their husbands, to be approached when and how their husbands will..


“ Your wives are as a tilth unto you;
So approach your tilth when or how ye will;
But do some good act for your souls beforehand;
And fear God, and know that ye are to meet Him (in the Hereafter),
And give (these) good tidings to those who believe”
Al- Bakara ll:223

Over and over again, the idea of the inferior status of women and her subjugation to men is hammered into the Islamic culture by the Qur’an. Rulings by the Qur’an allowing a husband to strike a disobedient wife is but another example of the inferior status of women in Islam.

It is no wonder that Averroes (1126-98), one of the most notable Muslim philosophers, fiercely criticised the deplorable condition of women in the then Islamic world. His comment: ‘ The ability of women is not known because they are only taken for procreation,’ continues to ring true today.

He also noted that women in Islamic states are not being fitted for any of the human virtues and, as such, they resemble plants! It is, thus, fitting that five Pakistani women would carelessly be buried alive in a hole in the ground.

The Qur'an and reason

The first verses of the Qur’an ( Alaq 96: 1-5 ) are an exhortation to use reason and to seek knowledge:

1 “ Proclaim (or read) in the name of thy Lord and Cherisher who created-
2 Created man out of a ( mere) clot of congealed blood:
3 Proclaim! And thy Lord is Most Bountiful, -
4 He Who taught (the use of ) the Pen
5 Taught man that which he knew not ”

Yet, for the most part of the past fifteen centuries, Muslims have used the very same text of the Qur’an to drift away from the realm of reason. The Arab Bedouin historical and cultural setting of the Qur’an gives an insight as to why Muslims lagged behind in sciences requiring the use of reason.

On one level, the Qur’an was revealed in a language that corresponded with the cognitive level of the Arabs at the time. The world-view of the Arab Bedouins of the 7th century AD was restricted to tribal life. They were not interested in the origin of the cosmos and believed that the world was dominated by invisible spirits. They also believed in the futility of guarding against blind fate.

On another level, the Qur’an used imagery that was familiar to the first community of believers. Pre-Islamic poems by the hanifs, which lacked in any abstraction, made reference to the throne, the fire, hell and paradise: all terms that were later used in the Qur’an.

In the early days of Islam, an effort was made to reconcile reason and revelation by emphasising the metaphorical meaning of the revelations. The inner meaning of the verses of the Qur’an, they asserted, could only be attained by reason. In an effort to rationalise the cosmos, the Muslim philosophers attempted to go beyond the “sacred ” language of the Qur’an.

The Arabic language of the middle ages, which was inspired by Hellenistic philosophy, was richer in content, thus, more conducive to abstraction. The philosophers’ efforts to reconcile revelation and reason were defeated by the conservative camp which espouses the view that the Qur’an is revealed in a ‘sacred’ unparalleled language which should be interpreted literally.

Heresy accusations were levied against the philosophers for attempting to go beyond the language of the Qur’an. To date, Muslims adhere to a literal interpretation of the Qur’an and remain limited by the world-view of 7th century Arab Bedouins. It is no wonder that the first commandment of the Qur’an, encouraging the use of reason, is all but forgotten.

The Qur'an and Muhammad

Millions of Muslims prostrate themselves everyday towards Mecca reciting verses of the Qur’an venerating Muhammad, as the messenger of God. In so doing, they affirm a belief in Muhammad as the seal of the prophets belonging to Abraham’s monotheistic traditions.

Yet, the Qur’ an depicts a somewhat troubling picture of Muhammad especially following the immigration to Medina where the moral code guiding his actions receded. The Qur’an passages dictated by Muhammad in Medina seldom teach supreme truths relating to divinity and the spiritual reform of the individual.

In point of fact, the whole character of the revelations changed and now Allah condoned violence and intolerance, on the one hand, and Muhammad’s less elevated desires, on the other; especially in relation to his lust for women.

The revelations of the Qur’an in Medina followed Muhammad and his companions needs and ideas. Umar Ibn Al-Khatab, for instance, boasted of having given advice which was supported by subsequent Qur’an’s revelations. One of Muhammad’s wives Aisha also remarked on the Qur’an’s readiness to answer the Prophet’s wishes.

The Qur’an, for instance, supported Muhammad’s desire, which was in conflict with social taboos, to marry his daughter-in-law Zaynab bint Jahsh, the wife of his adoptive son Zayd Ibn Haritha. According to existing Arab traditions, marrying Zaynab would be a dreadful act of incest as adoption, to all purposes, was regarded as natural fatherhood.

The Prophet’s inflammable passions and the Qur’an’s passages (Al-Ahzab XXXIII:37) supporting them gave rise to speculation and scepticism among the community of believers at the time. Rumours spread about the authenticity of some verses of the Qur’an and whether Muhammad concealed God’s revelations to the believers.

It certainly seems that the moral guidance of the Qur’an gave way to Muhammad’s unquenched lust for women.

Satanic verses

Satanic Verses

Few, if any, religious texts have caused as much turmoil in human history as did the Qur’an. In fact, a trail of blood follows the Qur’an to as early as the seventh century, following the Prophet’s death in 632 AD, when the very prophethood of Muhammad was put in question.

The uproar and violence that followed the publication of Salman’s Rushdie’s novel “Satanic Verses” in 1988 is but a case in point. Rushdie famously invoked the so-called “ Satanic ” verses that Muhammad incorporated into the Qur’an and then later repudiated as verses revealed by Satan.

The verses allowed for a reconcilaition with the pagan Meccans by recognising three of their goddesses: Allat, Al-Uzza and Manat. Muhammad was scolded by Gabriel for the insertion, according to early Muslim traditions.

The verses were then expunged from the text of the Qur’an and Muhammad excused his own conduct by claiming that Satan casts words into the mouths of all the prophets. God then abrogated what Satan whispered to Muhammad and rebuked him especially for degrading divinity by associating it with female deities. (Sura Al-Najm 53:19-22)

It is at this juncture that one can discern disturbances in the revelations and, subsequently, the text of the Qur’an. Scholarly work by Richard Bell reveals major revisions in the formulation of Sura Al-Najm, for instance.

Verses 1-18 describe two visions of Allah by Muhammad which were met by fierce objections. Verses were then introduced into Al-Najm to modify the impression of visual manifestations of God. Muhammad also famously inserted the utterance of his secretary Abdullah Ibn Sa’ad into the Qur’an, which casts serious doubts on his inspirations.

Studies of the Qur’an found it cluttered with repetitions and stylistic errors. Montgomery Watt ‘s textual analysis of the Qur’an, for instance, found evidence of rhyming phrases that do not fit into the passage, abrupt changes of rhyme and a juxtaposition of apparently contradictory assertions.

It is, thus, no wonder that Muhammad’s attempt to dominate by virtue of the doctrine he put forward was met with fierce opposition by key members of his community. In fact, the persecution of the members of Muhammad’s sect only started following the revelation, and the retraction, of the “satanic verses.”

From that time onward, Muhammad’s only option in the highly literary Arab community was to dominate by the power of the sword.

Beyond the Qur'an

Another holy war, for no less than the very soul of Islam, is looming out of the maze of cyberspace. The dispute centers over the authenticity of the Qur’an, as the uncreated Word of God, saw both bloggers and Facebook members engaged in furious debates often descending into obscene abuse and rage.

One such blog “ The Season of Migration from Islam”(Moussim Al Hijra min Al-Islam), by Zohair Salem, openly accuses Prophet Muhammad of falsehood, violence and of authoring the Qur’an.

One of the points that Salem brings to the fore is the apparent discrepancy between the early peaceful commandments of the Qur’an in Mecca, when Islam was weak, and those revealed in Medina calling for aggression, as Islam came to dominate the entire Arab peninsula.

The gravity of such allegations could only be fathomed, in light of the centrality of the Qur'an, considered as the definitive word of God, to the Islamic faith. The Qur’an is traditionally seen as an uncreated text revealed to Muhammad through the archangel Gabriel over a period of some twenty three years. *

The impasse posed by the apparent contradictions in the Qur’anic injunctions was resolved by adopting a system of abrogation with the latter aggressive commandments abrogating the earlier verses calling for peace and freedom of belief.

The contradictions in the Qur’an are especially acute in dealing with non-Muslims and women. Whereas the verses revealed in Mecca, over the first thirteen years of revelations, call for peace, freedom of belief and equality between men and women; those revealed in Medina, in the latter period, are violent in nature and reduce women to half beings created for the pleasure of men.

With heresy accusations being historically attached to any attempt to go beyond the Qur’an, there is very little hope that the likes of Salem could prevail any time soon. In the meantime, those that are looking to live by laws allowing for co-existence, tolerance and equality can only find solace in following Salem’s call for a “ Season of Migration from Islam” in the virtual world of Facebook.

* for information on the Qur’an see http://www.wsu.edu/~dee/ISLAM/QURAN.HTM