Prophet or Warmonger?

A report from our Flemish correspondent VH, based on an article from GeenStijl, concerning recent editing performed on the Dutch-language Wikipedia article about Mohammed.


Employee Ministry of Justice: Mohammed was a warmonger

Today the Dutch blog GeenStijl published an article on an interesting but brief intervention in the Dutch Wikipedia by an employee of the Ministry of Justice. In 2007 the Ministry immediately blocked access to Wikipedia because of nasty additions to the Theo van Gogh page and the page of a State Secretary. The entry from October last year shows that the blocking has been lifted in the meantime, as has the attitude.

Wikipedia: Mohammed

L: is the last version in the left column; R: is the freshly-edited version by the employee in the right column. Only the changes are translated below. The full (Dutch) page is here.

		Line 1 (correction, addition):
L:		In this religion he is considered the last prophet and messenger…
R:		In this cult he is considered the last prophet and messenger…
L:		By muslims he is therefore defined as “the Seal of Prophets”.
R:		By muslims he is therefore defined as “the Seal of Prophets”. In reality Mohammed was a warmonger and didn’t shrink from (allowing) the murder of innocent people to steal their property.
		Line 33 (addition):

- - - - - - - - -

L:		In the thirteen years Mohammed preached in Mecca, about 70 families gathered around him. [Karen Armstrong: “Islam, geschiedenis van een wereldgodsdienst”, 3e druk, 2005, pp. 65-66.]
R:		n the thirteen years Mohammed preached in Mecca, about 70 families gathered around him. [Karen Armstrong: “Islam, geschiedenis van een wereldgodsdienst”, 3e druk, 2005, pp. 65-66.] Islam was mostly attractive for people who wanted to steal others’ property and needed an excuse for it. Mohammed therefore promised that every Muslim was allowed to steal and keep everything from non-Muslims, as long as that Muslim would give 10% of the booty to Mohammed.
		Line 99.101 (addition):
L:		Muslims on the contrary consider the Koran to be revealed to Mohammed by order of God through the angel Gabriel (Jibriel).
R:		Muslims on the contrary consider the Koran to be revealed to Mohammed by order of God through the angel Gabriel (Jibriel). In reality, Mohammed was a stargazer.
		Line 116/118 (correction):
L:		Apostates were left alone, as long as they didn’t attack Muslims. If they did so, then it was permitted to “stop” them; some think this means the death penalty.
R:		Apostates had to be murdered without any mercy.
		Line 155/157 (addition):
L:		Location and time are not only important for those who want to criticize Mohammed, but also for those who adhere to Islam, as tafsir explains.
R:		Location and time are not only important for those who want to criticize Mohammed, but also for those who adhere to Islam, as tafsir explains. By most historians Mohammed is considered to be the biggest warmonger of all times. Islam is the most murderous ideology ever.
		Line 168/170 (addition):
L:		“If the mountain won’t come to Muhammad, Muhammad will go to the mountain”.
R:		“If the mountain won’t come to Muhammad, Muhammad will go to the mountain”. Mohammed meant to say with this that if wealth would not come his way, he would go out to others to take away their wealth and make it his own.

Unfortunately, within a minute the Dutch Wikipedia contributor Lexw, who has as area of attention “hearing” and as a specialty “hardness of hearing”, set it back to the previous version.