This story makes extensive use of the "culture" canard -- that is, don't blame Islam, blame "cultural" influences. Here's the problem: Cultural influences do count, and in a big way. Why?
Islam, despite its claims of being eternal, unchanged, and handed down in perfect form from on high, did not come up in a vacuum. It is utterly suffused with the baggage of Muhammad's culture, place, and time -- seventh-century Arabia -- not to mention his personal biases and hangups. All of this baggage is made sacrosanct via Qur'an 33:21, which calls Muhammad a "beautiful pattern of conduct" for believers. [Jihad Watch] Read more
