Jesus Christus vs Mohammed
It is undeniable that Christianity can be traced back to Jesus Christ and no one doubts that the prophet Mohammed founded Islam. What do these two Founders say to the topic “violence”?
Jesus Christ says: “But I say to you, love your enemies and bless the one who curses you, and do what is beautiful to the one who hates you, and pray over those who take you by force and persecute you.” (Matthew 5,44)
Mohammed writes: “And when the holy months are over, then kill all non-believers, wherever you find them, take hold of them, surround them and lie in wait for them!” (Sura 9,5 translated by R. Paret)
When Jesus Christ was captured in the Garden of Gethsemane, Peter drew his sword and cut off the ear of a soldier. Jesus said to him: “Put your sword back into its sheath.” (John 18,11) and healed the soldier’s ear (Luke 22,50).
Between 622 and 632AD Mohammed was the military leader of 27 military expeditions and ordered his men to carry out 47 raids and campaigns of conquest. (Mark A. Gabriel, Islam and Terrorism, page 78, Resch-Verlag, Gräfelfing, 2005). That averages 8 campaigns a year.
In Mark chapter 12 Jesus says what mindset we humans should adopt: “One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?” “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” Jesus explains who our “neighbour” is in the parable of the Good Samaritan. Everyone who is in need, whatever religion (s)he belongs to, is our neighbour.
In 627AD Mohammed ordered 600 Jewish prisoners to be executed in Medina. In the Koran in Sura 47,4 he wrote: “And when you encounter unbelievers, cut off their heads, until you have caused a bloodbath among them…”
No one who uses violence can base his actions on the teachings of Jesus Christ. The life and teachings of Mohammed give ample examples that using violence against non-believers and killing those of different faiths are legitimate.
