naked_turk wrote:Of course -- I don't believe in any religion -- I was just pointing out that Islam makes no promise of 72 virgins.
I was watching a show on contemporary Islam a while back, and one of the intellectuals taking part in the round-table discussion, stated that it is believed that the notion of '72 virgins' came about through an incorrect interpretation of a word in the Quran. In the time of Mohammed, there was a particularly sweet and rare form of Date that was highly valuable and sought after. If you re-read the passage of the Quran which the Extremists claim promises their adherents '72 virgins', you will see the word/phrase/term/etc., which was back in the 7th Century associated with this Date.
They, and I, believe the whole notion of '72 Virgins' came about because someone did not read the Quran, with its historical nature in mind. By this I mean, that the word for this Date, most likely, in latter years, became associated with 'Virgins' and not the original meaning. The original advocate of the '72 Virgin' thesis, did not read the Quran with history in mind, and instead he took it for its modern meaning thereby creating this notion of '72 Virgins' awaiting a suicide-bomber/militant in heaven.