Reason and Religion: An Analysis of Violence in the Qur'an and Its Impact on Islam

One of the most heavily debated verses in the Qur'an is in the surāh dealing with women. One of the verses in the fourth surāh states that: "Men have authority over women because God has made the one superior to the other...Good women are obedient...As for those from whom you fear disobedience, admonish them, forsake them in beds apart, and beat them" (4:34). Some western translations contain interpretations of this …showed first 75 words of 1363 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1363 total…the question becomes whether or not believers in the Qur'an have the same convenience as believers of other religious texts do, of, to put it crudely, picking and choosing. The dilemma posed by the aggression and violence that is woven into the Qur'an picks apart at the very foundation of Islam--that the Qur'an is the infallible Word of God. If one has any doubts about that, then it is not possible to remain a believer.