The lyin' of Islam

Islam is a religion of lies. According to Mohammed himself, Allah is the " Best of Deceivers ," which doesn't improve much if you translate it as "schemers" instead. There is doctrine for when lies are permissible and for when they are required. Lying to non-Muslims is not important, and lying to facilitate the eventual triumph of Islam (called taqiyya) is obligatory. For those who are devout Muslims, I see a conflict. The Koran, and the hadith, if one believes them, leave the reader with the impression that lying is a practice endorsed and encouraged by Islam. How can one not wonder if the imams and ayatollahs are ever lying? After all, there is no better way to spread Islam than by lying about its tenets. The truth won't serve, as proven by the blanket permission to kill or at least abuse all unbelievers. People who otherwise might not convert will do so to save their lives.

What holds Islam and the ummah together, then, is less a shared belief system than a shared fear of being considered an unbeliever. When Mohammed first began proselytizing, his creed grew slowly. There were many other religions and no compulsion. But when Mohammed began killing people who failed to convert, Islam grew. It not only attracted those who loved to kill others, but provided lots of reasons to do so through accusations of being unbelieving. Mohammed thus provided an attractive home for violent men, where they could acquire power through acts of violence. Those with power could acquire multiple wives and concubines, not to mention slaves and various forms of property. Those without power could be accused of being infidels and murdered, and their assets redistributed. The incentive to lie about others is obvious, as is the need for groups to define the specifics of the faith in order to avoid being killed, defining mutually agreed upon lies that support keeping the powerful in power. O Muslim! Has the Greatest of Deceivers lied to you? To the prophet Mohammed? Do your holy men continue to lie? Will there be a paradise when you die, or retribution?