A recent Dutch experiment involved members of the public being read out violent or misogynistic passages from a scriptural text. At first they were told these verses were from the Qur’an, and those listening expressed their horror.‘How could anyone believe in this!?’ one woman exclaimed. Several individuals then affirmed that the Bible was comparatively ‘a lot less harsh,’ contained ‘more positive things,’ and less misogyny.It was then revealed to the listeners that the verses read out were in fact Biblical, and not Qur’anic, prompting laughter and astonishment, but interestingly not the same horror or negativity as was expressed moments earlier.As astutely articulated by one listener, this experiment highlighted the unconscious prejudice prevalent within many of us. Without even reading the Qur’an, we assume that it is filled with barbarism and brutality. We assume that peaceful Muslims behave beneficently in spite of their faith, rather than because of it, and that it is the extremists that understand the Qur’an best, following it in its purest form.
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