As you, I live in a society predominately populated by Christians. My knowledge of Islam is minimal. Consequently, when I am told that Islamo-Fascists are perverting the Koran and Islam and that Islam is a peaceful and loving religion willing to co exist with all other religions, I am inclined to accept this as fact.
In an effort to learn more about Islam and its peaceful persona, I sought out a group that clearly claims the peaceful and accepting posture of Islam. I found it in the Lahore Ahmadiyya movement. They define themselves as follows (taken directly from their web site):
“The beliefs of the Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement are -The Holy Qur’an is the word of God which is to guide mankind forever, and the Holy Prophet Muhammad was the perfect model of Islamic teachings whose example shall forever be binding on every Muslim to follow. We believe that, as the principles and teachings of religion reached perfection and completion in the Holy Qur’an and the example displayed by the Holy Prophet, it follows that the Qur’an is the final Book of God, and Muhammad (may peace and the blessings of Allah be upon him) is His Last Prophet, after whom no prophet can appear.
The Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement highlights certain features of the Islamic teaching which have been ignored over the course of time, but which are now crucial to the needs of the age. We summarize below the main aspects of Islam which the movement has thus brought to the fore.
We proclaim that Islam is:
1. International - God raised Prophets in all nations, not only among the Israelites (as already accepted by Muslims) but also in India, China, Persia etc. A Muslim must believe in and respect all these prophets and their scriptures. Islam restores the original purity of the eternal truths taught by them, and broadens the scope of their national teachings to provide a faith for all humanity. Goodness, good people and truth may be found in all nations. God is equally just to all human beings, irrespective of their race, nationality or religion.The leader of this movement for many years was Maulana Mohammed Ali. Born in Punjab, he emigrated to England there to become an Attorney. He was drawn to this movement and, with the passing of its founder, became its spiritual leader. Ali took upon himself the task of translating the Koran into English (1917) with an explanatory commentary. Given the stated beliefs of Ahmadiyya lets look at a sampling of Ali’s translation and commentary on the Koran to determine if Islamo-Fascism is a perversion of Islamic belief.
3:10 Those who disbelieve, neither their wealth nor their children will avail naught against Allah. And they will be fuel for fire.Ali on 19 - According to the Holy Qur’an, Islam was the religion of all the prophets. It is particularly mentioned as the religion of Abraham several times, and on one occasion the Israelite prophets who followed Moses are spoken of as the prophets who submitted themselves to Allah. Not only is Islam the religion of every Prophet, but, according to the Holy Qur’an, it is also the natural religion of man as in 30:30 it is described as being “the nature made by Allah in which he has created man.” “Every child is born in Islam, it is his parents who make him a Jew or a Christian” (B. 23:179)
2:75 Do you then hope that they would believe in you, and a party from among them indeed used to hear the word of Allah, then altered it after they had understood it, and they know this.Ali on 75 - That the Israelites did not preserve their sacred books in their purity is a constant charge laid by the Holy Qu’ran against the Jews, In fact the alteration and corruption of the various Books of the Bible is now proved beyond all doubt.
2:79 Woe! Then to those who write the Book with their hands then say: This is from Allah, so that they may take it for a small price. So woe! To them for what their hands write. Woe! To them for what they earn.Ali on 79 - The alteration and corruption of the Bible, in the Old as well as the New Testaments spoken of in verse 75 and repeated here, is now an established fact. That the alteration spoken of in 75 was an alteration of the words of the text is manifest here These alterations they effected for their own selfish ends. I give below a few quotations from Rev. Dummelow, which prove the alteration of the Bible text beyond all doubt.
The Rev. John Roberts Dummelow of Cambridge University wrote a commentary on the Bible in 1908. He was an advocate of lower Bible criticism which attempts to show conflicts in text. Ali resorted to a Christian infidel, a practitioner of a false Faith as stated in the Koran, to repudiate the Torah. This is typical of the anti-Semite - For when it comes to attacking the Jew or Judaism “the enemy of my enemy is my friend.”
9:30 And the Jews say Ezra is the son of Allah; and the Christians say The Messiah is the son of Allah. These are the words of their mouths. They imitate the saying of those who disbelieved before. Allah’s curse be on them! How they are turned away!Ali on 32 - This is a prophecy of the ultimate triumph of Islam in face of severe opposition from Jews and Christians. All opponents to truth whether based on force or propaganda are here compared to putting out the Divine light by blowing with the mouth to show that all such attempts would be futile. The Divine light will be made perfect, by which is meant the triumph of Islam throughout the world, as the next verse states clearly.
9:33 He it is Who has sent His messenger with the guidance and The Religion of Truth that he may make it prevail over all religions, though the polytheists are adverse.As Fox News T.V. says “We report, you decide.”