Bombs go off in Manchester.

[Belsnickel]

(05-23-2017, 01:23 AM)Dill Wrote: I don't "know" the Qu'ran. It is a very complex book read through differing schools of interpretation. But Muslims everywhere have been working to counter what they consider misuse of the Qu'ran and Hadith. They do this in film, books, radio and other media, as well as in online forums. I should add that I know many Muslims and lived and traveled through a number of Muslim countries. Most live ordinary lives like Americans and don't want to hurt anyone--even when they have legitimate grievances.

The problem is, over the last four decades one country has been supporting supporting an extreme version of Islam with LOTS of money. That has changed the tenor of Islam in some countries. That, coupled with dictatorships and the onslaught of American culture, which many regard as immoral and corrupting youth, has pushed more people towards extremist versions. 

The violent extremists are still a minority, but they don't have to be many.  Cosmopolitan Muslims, like cosmopolitan Christians, Jews and Hindus, will denounce this attack and sympathize with the victims and their families.

This is 100% correct. Honestly, interpreting any religious text is a complex thing. People like to look for verses that give them that confirmation in their beliefs, but that isn't a good way to interpret scripture of any sort. This is why I don't like to get into "scripture battles" because one can do that all day and come up with a number of interpretations that fit their argument. But that is just bad hermeneutics.