The tactic employed by Muslim apologists is
(1) to read a simple passage from the Qur’an or Hadith,
(2) to twist and stretch the interpretation as far their imaginations will take them,
(3) to insert a bunch of scientific terminology into the interpretation, and
(4) to proclaim that there is absolutely no way an illiterate, seventh-century leader could have revealed all these scientific insights without the help of God. After hearing such arguments, Muslims typically stand in awe. Others stand there wondering, “Where did the passage say that?”
Consider what happens when a non-Muslim attempts to examine Muhammad’s claims. He opens the Qur’an and reads Surah 86, which declares that semen proceeds from an area between the ribs and the spine. Surely this would falsify the Muslim argument, wouldn’t it? Not at all! Our Muslim friends reply that, since the cells that ultimately form the genitals are a bit higher up during embryological development, there is nothing wrong with Muhammad’s claim (despite the fact that Muhammad clearly wasn’t talking about embryological development). Hence, a passage which is so clear that it should automatically falsify the Muslim claim turns out to be no problem whatsoever.
What does the Qur’an say about embryological development? According to 22:5, 23:12-14, 40:67, and 75:37-39, humans go through a blood clot stage in the womb. Since the developing embryo is never a blood clot, don’t we have a rather obvious scientific error here? “No!” replies the Muslim. “Since the fetus kind of looks like a clot of blood, the Qur’anic description is accurate.” Once again, a clear error presents no problem at all for the Muslim.
I wish it was satire then we could hope that we could work with these people but - Nope - unfortunately it’s not satire. We’re dealing with the insane.
Even though I was being facetious, I appreciate your response (great info) and will use it in the future. I have been known to debate with our muslim brethren about the wisdom of their religion and need all the ammo I can get. ;-)
The "clot" business is pretty consistent with the state of scientific knowledge in the 7th century.
BTW, all the "virgins" turn into "seedless dessert grapes".
A similar phenomenon found in the West is discussed at
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2265970/posts