You’re reaching for an excuse that isn’t there but, I appreciate your attempt to stay within reason.
I don’t own a Bible but, that doesn’t mean I don’t know anything about it. It just means if you ask something about it, I have to go find a Bible to look things up. I grew up as a Christian and spent years studying the Bible. I found that church and eventually all Christian churches unacceptable and, at that point realized as long as I had the courage to make my own decisions, I didn’t need any church or religion at all, my own morality is enough.
Yes, there are many narratives in the Quran but, nearly all of them end with commands from Allah via Gabriel via Muhammad to do something specific, sometimes things you seem to like (the zakat) but, also things you choose to ignore (Jihad).
Most narratives in the Old Testament are stories of God dealing with people who have displeased him, not God ordering his chosen people to commit violence against others. How often does the Old Testament tell the Jews what’s befallen others and sometimes what’s befallen them is because they’ve displeased Yahweh? Constantly. It’s everywhere, so-and-so displeased Yahweh and Yahweh punished so-and-so. How often does it tell the Jews to massacre nonJews? Apparently once, one tribe which soon disappeared from history so, we can surmise the Jews did as Yahweh commanded. My Jewish friends admit it with embarrassment because, it ruins their claim they were always history’s victims.
In the New Testament, almost all stories end with commands to not judge, prosecute or persecute and definitely never do violence against others.
The Quran, on the other hand, draws a strict line between Allah’s people and all others and directs Muslims to judge, prosecute and persecute and commit violence against nonMuslims. The real history of Muhammad is full of Islamic acts of violence, mostly against people who’s only offense was not being Muslim and, the Hadith uses Muhammad’s words and behavior to amplify the Quran. The Hadith leaves no room for doubt, the call to Jihad is a call to literal, not figurative violence, the call to do exactly what ISIS is doing.
You have elected to reject one of the most, if not the most important parts of Islam, the mandate to convert or subjugate or kill everyone who isn’t an observing Muslim (It’s obviously the MOST important bit of Islam to the rest of us who, otherwise don’t care what you do to each other but, since your book of rules says you must also do it to us, we take notice.). ISIS has read it and so have I. It’s there in great abundance. A great deal of the Quran involves itself in telling us when and how we must conquer the infidel world and what to do with the infidels once we’ve conquered them. Not only does it not restrict violence to self defense, it explicitly demands CONQUEST in so many words.
So you, having rejected a large part of Islam, are now swimming in uncharted waters. Islam is no longer immutable, you’ve just mutated it. You’re like Zuhdi Jasser; “The Quran is the holy word of Allah, except the parts I don’t like.”
Maybe it’s time to admit it, you’re building your own religion, your own code which, is fine. It means you’re being honest; your actions are your own. You’re not being driven by someone else’s values.
So once again, since you’ve done what Islam says you absolutely may not, change the word of Allah, why call yourself a Muslim, fear of being an apostate or fear of the great unknown?
