"What exactly do you mean by a 'death cult'? Do you mean believing in an afterlife? Honouring people who die for their faith or community? Being willing to sacrifice one's life for a cause judged to be just? Because if that's your definition, then you've just indicted much of human civilisation. Do Christians who venerate martyrs belong to a death cult? Are Jews who honour those who died sanctifying God's name members of a death cult? Are nations that build monuments to fallen soldiers, observe remembrance days, and teach children that dying for one's country can be noble also death cults? Or is Islam uniquely a 'death cult' simply because it's Islam? If your definition is broad enough to encompass virtually every major religion and every patriotic tradition, then the phrase has lost any analytical meaning and become little more than a slur. If, on the other hand, you have a narrower definition in mind, then state it clearly and explain why it applies to the world's 2 billion Muslims, most of whom spend their lives doing exactly what everyone else does: raising families, earning a living, seeking an education, caring for their parents, and hoping to live long, meaningful, and prosperous lives. So the question isn't really whether Islam is a death cult. The question is whether you're using a consistent standard, or simply applying a label to Muslims that you would never dream of applying to people who share your own religion, nation, or cultural background."
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