Are Judaism and Christianity as Violent as Islam?

Ibrahim, Raymond, Middle East Quarterly

"There is far more violence in the Bible than in the Qur'an; the idea that Islam imposed itself by the sword is a Western fiction, fabricated during the time of the Crusades when, in fact, it was Western Christians who were fighting brutal holy wars against Islam."1 So announces former nun and self-professed "freelance monotheist," Karen Armstrong. This quote sums up the single most influential argument currently serving to deflect the accusation that Islam is inherently violent and intolerant: All monotheistic religions, proponents of such an argument say, and not just Islam, have their fair share of violent and intolerant scriptures, as well as bloody histories. Thus, whenever Islam's …

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Publication information: Article title: Are Judaism and Christianity as Violent as Islam?. Contributors: Ibrahim, Raymond - Author. Journal title: Middle East Quarterly. Volume: 16. Issue: 3 Publication date: Summer 2009. Page number: A1+. © 2008 Middle East Forum. Provided by ProQuest LLC. All Rights Reserved.

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