You play the Devil’s advocate very well. But I personally am not an outsider. I’ve lived in muslim communities, I’ve read their quran in the original arabic. I’ve seen what it says, and I’ve seen how they interpret it, because it’s not always the same.

There are nuances and I’ve noticed them. Many of the “kill the infidel” verses are meant to be in self defense, if one is to interpret those verses honestly. Such honest interpretations are extremely rare, but I digress.

However, there are other verses that call openly for killing the infidels. The quran would be casually listing requirements to be a good muslim, and then out of nowhere, kill the infidels. And it also says to not worry about the sin of committing murder when killing the infidels, for “if you throw an arrow at an infidel, it’s as if god himself threw it”.

Many sheikhs I’ve spoken with about this particular point double down unapologetically on their beliefs “yes ideally we should kill all the infidels”. Other sheikhs say that it is a “last resort” sort of strategy, and that muslims should prioritize less brutal ways to spread islam, but these sheikhs still cannot bring themselves to and denounce and disobey this commandment to kill infidels.

One sheikh in confidence admitted to me that he believes the quran is not infallible, and that human error has been introduced to it. In confidence obviously because he would’ve been branded as an “infidel” himself, and that might’ve put him in danger. He was an exception, whose like I’ve yet to encounter again.