Salman Rushdie Quotes

Christianity has been responsible for plenty of horror and death in the world, all supposedly in God's name.

If Jews in the name of their religion were killing Americans, then I think that would be an appropriate comparison. But as far as I know, there's only one religion that's doing that, and it is a segment of the religion of Islam that's doing that.

It is said that peace is the basic tenet of all religion. Yet it is in the name of religion that there has been so much disturbance, bloodshed and persecution. It is indeed a pity that even at the close of the twentieth century we've had to witness such atrocities because of religion. Flying the flag of religion has always proved the easiest way to crush to nothingness human beings as well as the spirit of humanity.

More people have been killed in the name of God than for any other reason.

If Pakistan becomes an imminent reality, we shall be heading straight for bloodshed on a wide scale. Non-Muslims ... are not bluffing, they will not submit peacefully to a Government that is labeled 'Muhammadan Raj'.

Jewish extremism and Islamic fanaticism fed each other.

So many of the people killed in the world have been killed in religious conflicts. There is no more dangerous person in the world than someone who is doing what God has commanded.

In Islamic society all men, soldiers and civilians are considered fighters for Allah and everyone is supposed to fight against the infidel enemy. This explains why during Islamic invasions in India, the entire population, even non-combatant civilians were subjected to slaughter by the Mohammedans.

The Bible is one of the most genocidal books in history.

Christianity indeed has equaled Judaism in the atrocities, and exceeded it in the extent of its desolation. Eleven millions of men, women, and children have been killed in battle, butchered in their sleep, burned to death at public festivals of sacrifice, poisoned, tortured, assassinated, and pillaged in the spirit of the Religion of Peace, and for the glory of the most merciful God.

Religion has really spawned some monsters. It always has, historically. Go all the way back to the Inquisition, you know, the Crusades, the Jehad and so on.

In the past, most wars were motivated by the idea of nationhood. Today, however, wars are incited above all using religion as an excuse.

Religion a stalking horse to shoot other foul.

Well, it has done terrifying things. Religious ideas are inflammatory in a way that I find difficult to understand. There are very few wars over the theory of relativity. Very few heated arguments, for that matter. Whereas, in Northern Ireland, they are killing one another over religion.

If you're following the news, you know that the major religions differ in their interpretation of the holy books. For example, one way to interpret God's will is that you should love your neighbor. An alternate reading of the holy books might lead you to rig a donkey cart with small mortar rockets and aim it at a hotel full of infidels. In summary, po-tay-to, poh-tah-to. Religions are very flexible.

Brother will kill brother, spill blood across the land. Killing for religion, something I don't understand. Fools like me who cross the sea and come to foreign lands, ask the sheep for their beliefs; 'Do you kill on God's command?'

And on Thursday, President Obama seized the opportunity of the National Prayer Breakfast to forthrightly criticize the 'terrible deeds' . . . committed 'in the name of Christ.'.

No one must use the name of God to commit violence. To kill in the name of God is a grave sacrilege. To discriminate in the name of God is inhuman.

I don't like to speak of Islamic violence, because every day, when I browse the newspapers, I see violence, here in Italy... this one who has murdered his girlfriend, another who has murdered the mother-in-law... and these are baptized Catholics! There are violent Catholics!

Religion is the root of quite a lot of evil.

Organized religion is good for wars, battles, pissin' and moanin' and not much else.

Religion has failed us. Christ was not a Christian. Buddha was not a Buddhist. Mohammed was not a Mohammedan. And yet ever since the dawn of history, we have engaged in conflict and war and terrorism and murder and racism and ethnocentrism and bigotry and prejudice in the name of God.

In the name of religion many great and fine deeds have been performed. In the name of religion also, thousands and millions have been killed, and every possible crime has been committed.

Christians have burnt each other, quite persuaded. That all the Apostles would have done as they did.