Mehdi Hasan gives his argument for Islam being a peaceful religion.
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Muslim journalist Mehdi Hasan, political editor of the Huffington Post, warns Anne-Marie Waters that her “astonishing claims” might endanger her future as a Labour Party candidate, but assured her “don’t worry, the BNP will take you”.
Hasan asks why, if Islam is “responsible for killing,” such a tiny percentage of believers actually participate in violence. He asks the audience if they really believe that 1.6 billion people are all “followers, promoters and believers in a religion of violence”.
Hasan urges them not to “fuel the arguments of the phobes and bigots and legitimise hate”, but to “trust the Muslims that you know and that you hear.”
MOTION: THIS HOUSE BELIEVES ISLAM IS A RELIGION OF PEACE.
Yes’s: 286
No’s: 168
Filmed on 28/02/2013
ABOUT MEDHI HASAN:
MEHDI HASAN is Britain’s most prominent Muslim journalist. He recently moved from the New Statesman to become political editor of the Huffington Post. He has appeared on Question Time five times, and is hosting Al Jazeera’s ‘Head to Head’ series at the Oxford Union this term.
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Here is a critical commentary on Mehdi Hasan’s contribution at the Oxford Union:
http://ecawblog.wordpress.com/2014/03/13/deceptiveness-mehdi-hasan/
It is important to ask about the founders of the world’s great religions and how exactly these founders went about establishing their religion and how exactly violence was used by the founders. If it is established that the founder of a religion used violence and that many opponents were killed under the guidance and leadership of the founder then what is the foundation built on ?
There are undoubtedly both moderate regimes (Indonesia, some Gulf States and secular Egypt) and extreme or even radical Islamic regimes (Iran and Saudi Arabia) . Saudi routinely beheads criminals (humans?) with the sword like chickens, literally by the roadside, in the market place. The restrictions on women are pathetic.
The potential threat from Islam comes from the historical fact that its founder was both spiritual and temporal leader. Muhammad’s rule became the justification for the Middle Eastern Caliphates – initially intended to be elected but later turned hereditary.
This lack of separation is what creates the threat from people like Abu Bakr Al Baghdadi who can command thousands to wreak havoc in the name of God by quoting historical precedent and declaring themselves Caliph.
On the other hand the separation of Church and State is clearly and unequivocally prescribed by the founder of Christianity. There is no religious justification for a Christian madman to quote the Bible in defence of any war – holy or otherwise.