I was arguing with a Muslim on how I think of their religion. And that was his responses to the issues we discussed and I honestly couldn't respond because he kinda of convinced me. So I would appreciate a little a little help, brothers and sisters.
Here is what he told me: 1- On Muhammad marrying a minor:
"Islam is the only religion prohibiting the marriage of minors who haven't reached the age of puberty. [QURAN 24.59, QURAN 4.6]
The truth is in different times, in different places, in different contexts, the age of marriage varies, even in the US states. You have states that allow 13,14 and 15. What age do you recommend? It varies.
Mary -the mother of Jesus- [FOR MORE INFIDELITY OF HER, READ THE QURAN: SURAH 18 MARYAM], she got married to Joseph who was 90 years old and she was only 12 years old. [MATHEW: A SHORTER COMMENTARY BY DALE C. ALISON PAGE 12]
And there is nothing wrong with that as in different times, in different context, in different places, people mature and develop differently. You can't simply complain the time of Muhammad (pbuh) with the time and place we are living now.
And another thing to note is that Muhammad (pbuh) has been criticized ever since the time of prophethood for an entire 1400 years as a magician, a poet, a mad man, a sooth sayer.... but it wasn't until 1905, that the issue of his marriage with Aisha (r.a) became an issue. [Search YouTube of JONATHAN BROWN, PROPHET MUHAMMAD MARRIAGE WITH AISHA]
Why was that? Because it was an absolute norm.
They have developed faster and weren't like the women of today.
2- Muhammad having multiple wives:
"Read the bible: Abraham, how many wives did he have? 2- Sara and Hajar. [GENESIS 16.6] Prophet Solomon? 700 wives and 300 concubines [The Holy Bible 1 Kings 11:1-3]
The issue of multiple wives is a famous criticism but if you put the pieces to the puzzle, they don't really match, if Muhammad (pbuh) wanted all these wives to fulfill his desires, it doesn't make sense when the tribe of his time offered him the best of women but he rejected all of them. [AS-SEERAH AN-NABAWEYAH, IBN HISHAM [VOL 1, P.265-266]]
It is also important to note that all of his wives were ex-divorcees or widows except for 1. This is not a man who is chasing after his desires, it is a man who cares about the women who will be left with no one to take care of them, it is a man who cares about the importance of the community, the importance of looking after one another.
And also another very important thing to note is that Islam actually prohibits the marriage to more than one wife. [ IF YOU FEAR THAT YOU WILL NOT BE JUST, THEN MARY ONLY ONE. [QURAN 4:3]]. Now this means if you are incapable of catering physically, financially, and mentally to more than one wife you are prohibited. And even still, if you are capable, you have the financial means and you are physically capable to cater more than one woman, you are prohibited if you don't know how to deal justly with them.
And about the issue of adultery, 30-60% of couples in the US fall into adultery. [BUSS, D.M.& SHACKELFORD, T.K.(1997), SUITABILITY TO INFIDELITY IN THE FIRST YEAR OF MARRIAGE. JOURNAL OF RESEARCH PERSONALITY. 31, 193-221] I think you should have an issue with the actual issue of adultery in itself, I mean Tiger Woods wife ran after him with some golf clubs, what does that say.
And the actual punishment of adultery in Islam, has rarely ever been implemented in Islam due to the sheer amount of evidence needed to prove a case of adultery. [MINIMAL 4 RIGHTEOUS WITNESSES MUST HAVE SEEN AN ACTUAL INTERCOURSE!! [QURAN 24:4]] In so many cases a man would come to Muhammad and say: "I have committed adultery.", prophet Muhammad would say to him: "Get away from me. You are a mad man. There is something wrong with you." The same man came back and said: "I have committed adultery, I want to get punishment to purify myself." [SELF CONFESSION TURNED AWAY [SAHIH AL-BUKHARI HADITH 8.810]] The whole purpose of punishment of adultery isn't to punish people. It is to deter them away from adultery. So if you knew that punishment exists, you would run away from the act. [SETH.JAMES.A STUDY OF ETHICAL PRINCIPLES. EDINBURGH (1911). PP. 322-3]
3- Jihad:
As much as you say that your bible doesn't have verses on Jihad, search [PSALAMS 137] for example. Islam teaches Jihad too. And we are not shy away from it. Contrary to what you said "War waging Muhammad was never persecuted", we were persecuted. The companions of Muhammad were tortured severely.
[SUMAIYA, A FEMALE COMPANION OF MUHAMMAD (PBUH) HAD A SPEAR DRIVEN THROUGH HER PRIVATE PART SIMPLY BECAUSE SHE BELIEVED IN ALLAH, THE ONE GOD. BILAL, THE FIRST BLACK MAN TO EVER ACCEPT ISLAM. HE WAS AN ETHIOPIAN SLAVE, HE ACCEPTED ISLAM AND HE WAS GIVEN RIGHT AT A TIME WHEN THERE WERE NO RIGHT FOR THOSE PEOPLE.] Even in the US, they weren't even given these rights until 100 years ago.
After many years of persecution, after many years of torture, finally Allah has given permission to Muhammad (Pbuh) to fight. [PERMISSION [TO FIGHT] HAS BEEN GIVEN TO THOSE WHO ARE BEING FOUGHT BECAUSE THEY WERE WRONGED [QURAN 22:39]] Sure we can turn the other check, but that would only result in a whole lot of dead Muslims. So Islam gave them the right to stand up for themselves, as it says in the Quran, [FIGHT FOR. ...THE SAKE OF THE OPRESSED AMONG MEN, WOMEN AND CHILDREN.[QURAN 4.75]]
And Islam even made responsibilities on everyone participating in war. You don't hurt the trees. You don't hurt the elderly. You don't hurt the children or the women. [AL-MUWATTA, VOL 21, HADITH 9 AND 10] Where are your ethics of war like we have ethics of war?
Quoting Obama: "I have 2 words for you.... Predator Drones." How about the children of Libya who can't even turn the other cheek, because their cheek is blown up from your Drones? !