Irresponsible Journalism

Yesterday, I was sitting in a seminar waiting for the professor to start class when some of the undergrads began discussing an article they were quite shocked by in the university's student newspaper (which, by the way, only comes out once a week--hurrah for daily BDH's!). Now I rarely pick up the newspaper because it has little information of interest to me, such is the grad student disinvolvement with university life. Anyways, I hadn't read the Martlet and it turned out there was an article in it called: "Violence at root of Qur'an" which essentially called the text a genocidal document. The author, Derek Madson, was linking the Qur'an's hatred-inciting violence with the Criminal Code of Canada which in its hate crimes legislation exempts religious texts from its definition for hate speech. the article has kept me hopping mad since I read it and I've already sent of a complaint to the newspaper for printing it.

Now I am not arguing that the Qur'an does not have its violent moments, there's a fair amount of it to be honest. My issue with Mr. Madson was his irresponsible journalism. First of all, I think we all know some other religious texts that are equally violent. In a letter I wrote to the newspaper complaining on such hate-mongering acts, I noted that the Bible calls for the execution of homosexuals in Leviticus. Deutoronomy has its fair share of violence. For crying out loud: working on the Sabbath is a sin and the punishment prescribed is death!

Mr. Madson recorded his "casual perusal" of the Qur'an and cited various examples of hate speech within it. I would like to say to him, religious texts are complex and casual glances tell us little of these complexities. Furthermore, he says that the Qur'an's hate speech should not be tolerated because of 'jihadists' who preach them regularly. Oh well, if the fundamentalists are using this violent speech, then yes we must abandon everything about a religion that over a billion people (clearly they are all racist and violent) adhere to. I'd just like to add that the Criminal Code of Canada was written far before Islam had much of an impact on Canada and probably exempted religion from its hate crimes legislation because of the Bible!

Why does this man need to write such a hateful article? Does he truly think all Muslims are 'jihadists'? I am a Muslim and while I am enraged at his seeming righteousness, I wish him no harm. He can believe what he likes as far as I (and many, many other Muslims are concerned) but this racist diatribe is unwelcome and unwarranted. Before you publish something, check your facts more thoroughly, talk to a few experts perhaps. No "casual perusals" please.