Sophie Freeman, Daily Mail (London), August 24, 2009
Best-selling novelist Sebastian Faulks has risked incurring the wrath of Muslims by dismissing the Koran as just ‘the depressive rantings of a schizophrenic’ with ‘no ethical dimension’.
The author of Birdsong and Engleby also claimed that, compared to the Bible, the Islamic holy scripture is ‘barren’.
Faulks, who turned to the Koran while researching his latest novel, said: ‘It’s a depressing book. It really is. It’s just the rantings of a schizophrenic. It’s very one-dimensional, and people talk about the beauty of the Arabic and so on, but the English translation I read was, from a literary point of view, very disappointing.
‘There is also the barrenness of the message,’ he told The Sunday Times. ‘I mean, there are some bits about diet, you know, the equivalent of the Old Testament, which is also crazy.
‘But the great thing about the Old Testament is that it does have these incredible stories. Of the 100 greatest stories ever told, 99 are probably in the Old Testament and the other is in Homer.
‘With the Koran there are no stories. And it has no ethical dimension like the New Testament, no new plan for life. It says ‘the Jews and the Christians were along the right tracks, but actually, they were wrong and I’m right, and if you don’t believe me, tough—you’ll burn for ever’. That’s basically the message of the book.’
Faulks read the Koran to help him write A Week in December, which will be published next month.
The novel, which is set in present-day London, has a cast of characters including the wife of Britain’s youngest MP, a female Tube train driver, a hedge fund manager and a Glasgow-born Islamic terrorist recruit.
Ajmal Masroor, an imam and spokesman for the Islamic Society of Britain said Faulk’s statements ran the risk of stirring religious hatred against Muslims.
‘Attacks on Islam are nothing new, but the danger is this will have a ‘drip, drip’ effect.
‘People don’t seem to understand the consequences of saying things like this could be quite severe. History tells us it can encourage hatred.’
In 1989, a fatwa was issued for the author Salman Rushdie, after the publication of his book The Satanic Verses the previous year. Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the spiritual leader of Iran at the time, said the book was ‘blasphemous against Islam, and called for Rushdie to be executed.
Original article
(Posted on August 25, 2009)
Comments
Anyone who’s taken the trouble to read the Koran knows that what Faulks says is true. Other than a few stories taken over, laughably garbled, from Jewish and Christian narratives (such as the birth of Jesus), the book is simply a bunch of incoherent, repetitive ravings without any structure or over-arching purpose, other than to harangue submission to a Moloch-like “god” who seems to delight in threatening, over and over and over again, eternal torment and punishment to those who won’t submit. “Abrogated” verses are also an absurdity of the Koran, where the “god” whose word it is supposed to be purports to “cancel” and retract in certain verses its previous utterances, all of which verses supposedly in existence since the beginning of Time.
Nor is it better in the original Arabic. Ibn Warraq’s book “What the Koran Really Says” is a collection of scholarly papers and studies about that book’s many obscure, contradictory and unintelligible passages, references and diction. In Arabic or English, the “Holy Koran” is a semi-literate farrago, and nothing more.
Good for Faulks. He’s bought himself a mess of trouble though. The “imman” of the Islam Society has threatened him, and nuts will arise to say even worse curses. These are humorless, non-relfective people. They are totalitarian, and should be stopped.
Instead they are coddled by the major parties in Britain in what is a national suicide pact. The few public figures like Faulks who speak the truth about Muslim fanatics risk their lives. I look forward to reading his new book.
Amusing, isn’t it, that the Islamic “spokesman” says Faulks’ comments could lead to attacks on Muslims? He knows good and well that if anyone gets attacked, it will be Sebastian Faulks. Attacked by Muslims, that is. I’d say his comments were “spot on.” Don’t be surprised if some “imam” issues a “fatwa” against Faulks, and orders his murder for “blasphemy against Islam” or some other such twaddle.
unfortunately, after a visit from the PC inquisition no doubt, this heretic has chosen to repent for his blasphemey: http://tinyurl.com/ngugk2
a damn shame, really.
Mr. Faulks is a top notch writer and fully qualified to detect dribble when he sees he. His ‘Birdsong’ about a love affair in WWI is haunting. He was also authorized to continue the James Bond series of books, with at least one out. So he is not a lightweight and his opinion cannot be shrugged off.
Stand by the fatwa. At least Rushdie will get a roommate for the cave he’s hiding in.
“Amusing, isn’t it, that the Islamic “spokesman” says Faulks’ comments could lead to attacks on Muslims? “
This sets him up for prosecution under hate speech law.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hate_speech#United_Kingdom
After 13 years of Catholic school, 12 hours of Bible as Literature and Philosophies of Eastern and Western religions, I understand every sacred text to be authored by schizophrenic and edited by revisionist historians. What sets Muslims apart is their reaction to criticism — constructive or otherwise. Islam by any other name fits the legal definition of gang … no different that the Bloods, Hell’s Angels or the Latin Kings.
I read the koran years ago. It only makes sense when you have a few glasses of wine in you.
I agree with Wayne Engle. Masroor’s quote is absurd - the only hatred anyone need plan for is that borne by the murderous mobs of Islamic thugs sure to fill the streets in response to Mr. Faulks’ comments.
“‘People don’t seem to understand the consequences of saying things like this could be quite severe. History tells us it can encourage hatred.’”
As #3 already said, Muslims need only the tiniest reason to be angry. They always seem to be in a perpetual state of grievance, taking offense to the slightest perceived “insult” (truth telling) about their religion. Kinda like a certain racial group here. (Mix the two and boy do you have some POed people!)
What a shame it is that Faulks’ book might stir religious hatred against Muslims. My entire world is turned upside down by the thought. Let’s just say that Muslims never hesitate to attack Judaism and Christianity. They can’t take a healthy dose of their own medicine without resorting to violence and a somewhat bewildering tendency to burn cars. The Muslims hate us, so why shouldn’t we hate them? The influx of the followers of the “religion of peace” into the West is going to have undesirable outcomes for Westerners, although they are likely inevitable outcomes as the Apocalypse unfolds.
“And they shall beat their ploughshares into swords and their pruning hooks into spears.”
The koran includes some interesting verses, none of which are ever contested or criticized by muslims who are so indoctrinated from birth that they are incapable of independent constructive thought, a little like the violent uncivilised ‘don’t snitch’ gang culture.
1. O ye who believe! Murder those of the disbelievers …. and let them find harshness in you. [Koran, Repentance: 123]
The final quote is particularly applicable to the ongoing election fiasco in afghanistan, where less than 1,000 in 20,000 registered voters bothered to cast their ballot. Lack of interest or responding to muslim taliban threats to hack off the fingers of those who did vote? Why our troops are still dying and being injured in this miserable muslim hell-hole is known only to our respective governments who must be working on some agenda unknown to the rest of us.
Its a brave man who dares to publically challenge the moral
Say equivalent things about the Bible, and there will be no riots in the streets, no threats, no heads rolling down the street.
My my, If I were this author I would get a concealed weapons license and the other tools needed for protection against those “people” who will be trying to get to me. Oh wait, this is in Great Britain…oh well..too bad. I bet those “people” don’t worrying about any restrictions,after all, they have Sharia Law to cover for them.
‘Attacks on Islam are nothing new, but the danger is this will have a ‘drip, drip’ effect.
also been feeling quite the ‘drip, drip’ effect: the slow, maddening “water torture” of being forced to watch their countries commit suicide through the combined ‘drip, drip’ effect of Muslim mass immigration which is slowly but surely washing away Europe’s whiteness.
Apparently approx. every 50 verses in the Koran it states ‘kill the infidel”-rather murderous in its spirit.Also if one reads the old accounts of the first British explorers who encountered the Muslims the their name for them is the most accurate-“Mohammedans”-as their “prophet” Mohammed is the centerpiece of their religion not God(&BTWAllah is NOT the same God of the OT/NT bible.Weapons license in UK-don’t make me laugh-certain knives with locking mechanisms are forbidden due to “youth knife crimes”-you can forget pistols for the law-abidding.Your’e a brave man Mr.Faulks-good-luck in the future-hope you’ll be OK.
15 — Anonymous wrote at 9:23 AM on August 26:
“Say equivalent things about the Bible, and there will be no riots in the streets, no threats, no heads rolling down the street.”
> Do you think that there ought to be? Or perhaps you might agree that a civilized society ought to promote critical thinking and the more refining aspects of the philosophic exploration?
In other Islamic news:
Saudi Child Bride Turned Back Over to 80-Year-Old Husband
The young girl’s husband, who denies he is 80 despite family claims, accused the aunt of violating the terms of his marriage, allowed by Sharia Law.
“My marriage is not against Sharia. It included the elements of acceptance and response by the father of the bride,” he told a local newspaper.
A member of the National Society for Human Rights said there are no regulations in place to stop the marriage of young girls, which is seen as harmful to their wellbeing.
“Such marriages are considered a gross violation of charters on the rights of children, which the Kingdom has signed and which set the age of adulthood at 18,” Maatouq Al-Abdullah told Arab News.
Well, AMEN to Faulks!!! It’s about time somebody took a long hard look at this “holy” book and tells it for what it is. The Muslims actually expect the rest of the world to agree to live by 6th century standards like they do — with all the barbarity implicit therein. How stupid can you get?? Not only that, but be aware that the HK (“Holy Koran”) tells ALL Muslims, not just the Jihadic “few” (what a crock THAT is) - that they have only THREE options when dealing with the “infidels” - that is, all of us who reject Islam: (1) Convert them to Islam (yeah, right); (2) Force them to live as second class citizens under the reign of the Muslims (yeah, right, again) OR (3) Kill them (i.e., us). If ANYONE has any doubt about what the AGENDA of every Muslim is - and make no mistake, it’s every single one of them - remember the 3 options if you don’t remember anything else. I say it’s high time we sent them back where they came from, yes, every single one of them, again.
The Quran is the most imbecilic book I have ever read in my life. How any intelligent person could believe it is beyond me. It is the disturbing rants of some bizarre uneducated Arab who hung around in a cave. It is full of errors and logical mistakes. Consider the following:
Quran-4:11 & 12 & 4:176. This deals with laws for muslims governing inheritances:
When a man dies with 3 daughters, 2 parents and 1 wife they shall receive 2/3 for the 3 daughters, 1/3 for the 2 parents and 1/8 for the wife.
HUH? Do the math. This is 16/24 for the daughters, 8/24 for the parents and 3/24 for the wife. In other words 27/24th of something. How can you get 27/24ths’ of something? This is impossible. Allah doesn’t know his math very well.
Or - 4:11: A man leaves his mother, wife and two sisters. The mother gets 1/3, the wife gets 1/4 and the two sisters get 2/3.
Again do the math. This is another logical impossibility. In other words the mother gets 4/12, the wife gets 3/12 and the sisters get 8/12. This is 15/12. How can you have 15/12ths of something? Allah doesn’t seem to know fractions very well.
Well, the Bible does say that in the latter days we will have false prophets. I guess mohammed is just another one of those. Only this “religion” demands that the people who choose to use their free will not to believe in it, should be killed.
I have a copy of The Satanic Verses, that I bought shortly after it came out, and I only had a few curious stares when I had it out in public. Can you imagine what people would say now, if they saw it? Would they remember it? And where is Salman Rushdie now anyway?
www.faithfreedom.org
It exposes Islam for what it really is.
The author of this website is an ex-Muslim
Anonymous at 7:14 PM on August 26: I don’t think it works quite like that. For example, the verse may say to take the whole of the inheritance and give 1/4th to his wife/wives. Now start again and divide into 1/3rds of which his mother gets one lot and the other two lots are divided between the sisters, no matter how many there are. Often, it doesn’t matter how many individuals there are, if half is for his sons and there are three, then they share that evenly but if there is only one, he gets the entire half. Ditto sharing out between wife/wives. It’s the way the sequence is worded that doesn’t make sense to us but very often the goods have already been shared out in a ‘living will’ declaration before death, especially if the man is very old and his sons are running the business or livestock already. Anyway, the whole idea is a bit like we in the West dying intestate, the inheritance is divided according to our laws which state the widow gets everything. If there is no widow or children, then all blood relatives get a share. Muslim widows are looked after by the family as are daughters and are not independent while sons are free to go their merry way. Hope this helps but trying to understand (literally) much of what is in the koran will drive anyone nuts and this is why muslims go to the sharia court who will rule on such matters according to their law. Shalom!
“…and people talk about the beauty of the Arabic and so on, but the English translation I read was, from a literary point of view, very disappointing.”
Reply to Yorkshireman:
My quotes are accurate sir. That is how the Quran translates it into English. Please bear in mind almost all muslims firmly believe the Quran is the actual and direct word of God. You would think that “God” could be a little more precise now wouldn’t you? In any case the Quran is the most inane and puerile book I have ever read. And why was “God” so concerned with an uneducated, middle-aged, seventh-century Arab who liked to spend most of his free time hanging around a cave by himself for anyways? Islam is a farce and morally bankrupt. There is no room for critical thinking in Islam. The root cause of the backwardness of the mideast is Islam itself.
The key to understanding Islam is to realize that it is not really a religion but a cult. Islam has no spiritual value, no moral code. It only puts emphasis on belonging to the ‘Umma’. Note the very sharp distinctions Islam places on “believers” (muslims) and “non-believers” (non-muslims). No other religous faith does this. Again Islam has all the sociological characteristics of a cult. Indeed I would argue that Islam is the biggest cult in the world.
Notice also that Islam is iconoclastic in the truest sense of the word. Its violence toward the monuments of civilization is indicative of a pre-historic urge to worship and follow the precepts of a death-god. When agriculture became the mode of life for the species and cities arose, buildings became important and permanentized.
“Islam has all the sociological characteristics of a cult. Indeed I would argue that Islam is the biggest cult in the world.”
Or a gang. Either one is accurate.
