So I’ve been grinding through the Qur’an. It’s kind of a slog — it’s not organized in any “normal” narrative order. Instead, it’s arranged (except for the first) with the longest chapters (or suras) first. I’ve gotten through the first ten (out of 114) so I’m about halfway through.
It hasn’t been much fun to read. Even putting aside the horrible King James style that Muslim translators use, the content isn’t very happy. If you had told me that the Qur’an was written by Gary Gygax as an in-character supplement describing the religion and philosophy of an adversary race, I’d have believed you. It’s that bad.
In fact, I can say without reservation that the author(s) of the Qur’an would consider me their enemy, and want me dead. You, too.
Assisting in my study: Robert Spencer’s Qur’an Commentary. And yes, I know, Spencer is of the opinion that “there are moderate Muslims, but there is no moderate Islam.” One of the things he does is this commentary is stick to quoting Muslim sources, so (at the very least) it matches how al Qaida and the Muslim Brotherhood see their religion.