Whippings of the girl in Swat

It is the norm in the scientific world to quote references and utilize the results of earlier investigations, to draw more conclusions. There are many potentials for error in such a system where a wrong conclusion puts people on the wrong directions. If the discrepancy in a system results in error n, every further utilization of the discrepant result with lead to a bigger error, n+1, n+2 and so on.
This is exactly what has happened in Islam. With these whippings in Swat, we have suddenly been woken up to the fact that we have strayed far from the spirit of Islam. We are at an n+infinity discrepancy. This is not Islam, this is something else altogether.
Because people always feel uncomfortable with discrepancies, the Islam of n+1 would not tolerate n+2. Hence the wars even in early parts of Islam. When the Prophet PBUH, said that his era would be the best and things would deteriorate after that, he knew about this fundamental law.
The wars and factions made for Caliphate, right after the Prophet's PBUH death were well on the road to an errant system.
We as a group feel indignant at the flogging, but it is to be realized that the version of Islam that we have is very different from the version of Islam that the onlooking people who witnessed the flogging had.
People who say that Islam is the last religion and there is not going to be another "true" religion after that are REALLY neglecting the versions of Islam that arise. Prophet PBUH was a visionary, a man, founder of a religion which was the right (read humanistic) thing for that particular place and time in Bedouin Arabia.
To bring forward punishments from that era and apply them today is nothing short of illiteracy and blind fanaticism. To make Quranic verses as the fundamental law to use in arguments amounts to the same thing also. Quran and Islam were there to give rights and improve the condition of people at that time. Islam was SLM for the humans, a way of life for the humans. It is not right to take it the opposite way and say that humans are for Islam.
The basic philosophy of Islam is what should lead us and if you look closely the same basic philosophy is there in multiple religions.