George Orwell once proclaimed that a prime responsibility lay in being able to tell people that which they do not want to hear. The recent witch-hunts for ‘Islamaphobists’ in the media and social media have been attempting to silence any criticisms of Islam as a religion in the defence of nominal Muslims. One only has to refer to Ben Affleck beating his chest like a baboon and hysterically accusing Sam Harris of bigotry and racism on HBO’s Real Time with Bill Maher to understand the levels of hysteria. The left is so fundamentally anti-racist at this current point in time that one cannot even criticise, raise concern, or intellectually discuss the Quran without being drowned in racism accusations from the ignorant. It almost seems as if there are those who want other people to be racist just so they can call them out on it and be anti-racists, thereby fulfilling their own ego growth and personal agenda.

We should, in fact, have great concern with Islam. Humanity’s problem lies not with the nominal Muslims amongst us, but rather with the book that tries to call them to holy war in over a hundred different verses. The Quran and the religion are in dire need of reform. The trouble with seeking any type of reform for Islam though is that hitherto it is a pioneering frontier.

It is dispiriting though when the bigoted amongst westerners blame the Islamic community for its fanatics. All matters considered, the 1.5 billion nominal Muslims on our planet would harbour as much, if not more, hatred for the Daesh as the secular amongst us. Nominal Muslims deserve exculpation, and Islamic children in the districts of France have as much of a right to not feel afraid for their way of life as you or I. The majority of Islam’s followers are not Jihadists in the same way that all feminists aren’t scrotum-hunters. The majority of its follower are kind, peace-loving people.

Thus, Islam does not need to be eradicated and its followers should not be prejudiced or punished; but the stability of the modern world and the future of humanity requires that the religion progresses past its current archaic form. Religion in general divides us further than our nation’s borders and for the most part humanity ignores this issue; but we seriously need to acknowledge just how much of a problem faith can be when supposed eternal life, 72 virgins to rape, and glory ‘awaits’ the evil men and women amongst us in reward for their crimes. This is the dangerous message of the Quran in its current form.

Most people would never harm innocents. The problem with the Quran though is that it labels apostates, polytheists, and ‘magicians’ (to name a few groups) as guilty of crimes against ‘Allah’ and deserved of punishment. We absolutely must consider that beliefs guide behaviour. The Islamic community and their leaders must accept the Quran’s violent and archaic passages for what they are, and they must challenge, overthrow, and reform them. To put the issue simply; they must consider that when violent messages are believed to be ‘the word of god’ then they become very dangerous.

A good person will see the good messages in the book and overlook the violent ones – and this is what the majority of Muslims do. They use their moral compasses and intuition to navigate the dualistic messages. Unfortunately, the weak amongst them will focus on the fanatical messages and evils present. The root evil of the Quran being that it condemns all those who do not believe and practice its teachings:

Quran (8:12) – “I will cast terror into the hearts of those who disbelieve. Therefore strike off their heads and strike off every fingertip of them”

This passage is as disconcerting as it is masochistic. It’s violent message even establishes its hatred in finer details – down to the ‘fingertip’.

Another demonstrable problem with the book is the way in which it dehumanises those who do not follow its teachings:

Quran (9:73) – “O Prophet! strive hard against the unbelievers and the hypocrites and be unyielding to them; and their abode is hell, and evil is the destination.”

This is the type of concrete biblical message that psychologically enables Jihadists to slay their brothers and sisters of humanity in cold blood. It enables them to commit atrocities against their fellow human beings by dehumanising those deemed targets of their ‘holy war’, enabling them to kill and persecute without guilt. Thus, not only does the Quran encourage violence but it also takes away the guilt normally associated with it at a psychological level.

Yes, the Quran is in dire need of reform – but not just for its violent messages. We must also consider its gross injustices against women:

Quran (2:223) – “Your women are your fields, so go into your field whichever way you like…”

It must be stressed though: do not be a bigot. Do not blame the Muslims amongst us for ISIS or for the injustices of the Quran; they are good people with kind values and love for their fellow human beings. Instead, focus your criticisms on the religion itself, and on the Quran, which radiates masochism, bigotry, and sexism, and calls the evil amongst its followers to holy war.