What Do You Think of This?

The Arabic word "shadh" means 'strongest', it doesn't means 'violence'. As romo said in some other comment, This verse denote the situation at prophets times mainly. It means Jews & Pagas were more hostile at Islam at that time, and Christians were more like attached to Muslims because they were more attached to their scriptures and there existed priests having knowledge about it than Jews and Pagans. English Transliteration or Arabic text (5:82) :- Latajidanna ashadda an'nnasi `a'daawtan lillatzheena aamanoo alyahooda wallatzheena ashrakoo walatajidanna aqrabahum mawaddatan lillatzheena aamanoo allatzheena qaaloo innaa naswaara tzhalika bi-anna minhum qisseeseena waruhbaanan waannahum laa yastakbiroon(a) Quran translation never replaces the Original Quran, translations are sometime prone to minor erroneous thinkings because they fail to use correct words sometime and it shrink to the limit of the language it translated. See different translations of the above verse:- - Strongest among men in enmity to the believers wilt thou find the Jews and Pagans; and nearest among them in love to the believers wilt thou find those who say, "We are Christians": because amongst these are men devoted to learning and men who have renounced the world, and they are not arrogant. [Yusuf Ali] - Of all men you will find the Jews and those who associate others with Allah in His divinity to be the most hostile to those who believe; and you will surely find that of ail people they who say: 'We are Christians', are closest to feeling affection for those who believe. This is because there are worshipful priests and monks among them, and because they are not arrogant. [Maududi] - Verily, you will find the strongest among men in enmity to the believers (Muslims) the Jews and those who are Al-Mushrikun (the disbelievers in the Oneness of Allah, idolaters, polytheists, pagans, etc.), and you will find the nearest in love to the believers (Muslims) those who say: "We are Christians." That is because amongst them are priests and monks, and they are not proud. [Hilali & Mohsin khan] - Thou wilt find the most vehement of mankind in hostility to those who believe (to be) the Jews and the idolaters. And thou wilt find the nearest of them in affection to those who believe (to be) those who say: Lo! We are Christians. That is because there are among them priests and monks, and because they are not proud. [Picktal] - Certainly you will find the most violent of people in enmity for those who believe (to be) the Jews and those who are polytheists, and you will certainly find the nearest in friendship to those who believe (to be) those who say: We are Christians; this is because there are priests and monks among them and because they do not behave proudly. [Shakir] Peace.

Ooops! I was supposed to post this as a main reply, not a comment :) Anyway something more about it.. The following verses to 5:82 says the remaining story: when they hear the revelations from messenger, they get tears in their eyes in witnessing the truth...

No, I definitely find the most violent people to be those living in The Middle East. We all know how long wars and mass killings have happened there and that alone, speaks for itself. It saddens me to think that any "faith" thinks that their belief is the only way to go.. It takes a mixture of every belief, nature and an "ear" to listen to every even taste the simple purity of true FAITH.

out of religions celticrougue, what are Israeli people expecting from people who they occupied their land and killed and still killing many kids, women and old people?! are they expecting them to say hiiiiiii we missed you coming here?!!! that is unfair celticrogue.

Never said it was fair, romo. Just saying that in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam (I think) God says to love thy neighbor as thy self. And mankind never does. In Ireland, Prostestants and Catholics fought and killed each other for decades. Europeans fought and killed Native Americans for decades. All in the name of religion, despite what the Bible says, "Thou shalt not kill". And the worst of the bunch seems to be the self-righteous who are so fired up that only their version of God and faith are the one true religion.

yes celticrogue, all religions are for peace to prevail, and bad behavior from some people doesn't mean that the religion they are belonging to is untrue, because if we think like that so all religions will be untrue because there are certainly bad people belonging to every religion, but that is not true. and yes there are many texts in The Holy Qura'n that encourage for peace.