A Question from a Non-Muslim

Question:

I have read the Qur'an and I found God doesn't like the non-believers and God is against the beliefs of Christians and Jews..but Muslims say Islam is Peace...well if the word Islam means Peace, why does have bad con-nations Islam in the world? where some people take the Qur'an and justified the Holy War.. like the surah 9 .. why is there a Holy war against the western besides the wars in middle east? I found all the conflicts even they are politics.. Islam is always part of it, like the conflicts among Christians and Muslims in Palestine, Lebanon and other Islamic countries.


Answer:


1. What is Islam?
Islam is a way of life which means to surrender, submit and obey God in sincerity and in peace.Thus, an individual who accepts Islam as his way of life must submit himself to the commands of God Almighty. A broader meaning of Islam is “attainment of peace by submitting one’s will to the will of God.”

2. Non-believers (Christians and Jews)
With regards to the verses concerning them, this were the non-believers who were either plotting to kill Muhammad peace be upon or wanting war. That is why those verses were revealed. It is not talking about non-believes in general.
Unlike the Bible which is straight forward, in order to read the Quran you must have knowledge of Islamic history, hadith and being able to speak with knowledgable muslims regarding any questions to understand it.

3. Holy War
There are Muslim who preach violence and unjust aggression. This has nothing to do with Islam, and therefore, a separation should be made between what Muslims do and what Islam as a religion dictates. The same separation should have been done between blaming Christianity instead of Christians who used to carry crosses and rape the women in Bosnia. Be careful from un-objective media that portrays Muslims as violent fanatics.

4. Islam always part of conflicts
It is true that the number of reports against Muslims and Muslim countries are numerous. However, the media is doing no justification in reporting as it only brings those cases that appear to be problematic. When a few of these cases are publicised, some people think that these acts are normal and everyday acts within Muslim countries.

It is true that there are “black sheep” in every community but the way Islam is depicted in the media makes it seem that every Muslim is a “black sheep.” When a Muslim commits a wrong, his religion is quickly accused and Islam creates headlines but when others commit similar acts, there is often no reports or the religion does not get mentioned. Milosevic and Hitler were guilty of mass murder and ethnic cleansing but their religions were never blamed.

According to Islam, every human being is innocent until proven guilty. Thus, blame cannot be placed on entire nations and communities because of one or a few individuals’ conducts. Similarly, just like Christianity cannot be judged by the actions of Adolf Hitler or Slobodan Milosevic, Islam cannot be judged by the actions of any Muslim or group of Muslims who have committed a crime or many criminal acts. If anyone wishes to judge Islam or to understand it better, they have to study its authentic sources– i.e. the Qur’aan and the practical exemplary way of the life of the
Prophet.

Media companies are not driven by a mission to educate but to gain profits. Hence profits decide the headlines at the end of the day. Islam urges everyone who wants to know more about Islam to study its sources rather than concentrate on media reports.

Thank you for your questions.



Source(s):
www.discoverislamaustralia.com
www.islamicity.com

Question asked in Yahoo Answers and answered by IQRA Newsletter

COMMON MISCONCEPTION: Muslims are violent, terrorists and/or extremists

This is the biggest misconception in Islam, no doubt resulting from the constant stereotyping and bashing the media gives Islam. When a gunman attacks a mosque in the name of Judaism, a Catholic IRA guerrilla sets off a bomb in an urban area, or Serbian Orthodox militiamen rape and kill innocent Muslim civilians, these acts are not used to stereotype an entire faith. Never are these acts attributed to the religion of the perpetrators. Yet how many times have we heard the words 'Islamic extremists, Muslim fundamentalists, Islamic militants, Muslim radicals,
etc.' linked with violence.

Politics in so-called "Muslim countries" may or may not have any Islamic basis. Often dictators and politicians will use the name of Islam for their own purposes. One should remember to go to the source of Islam and separate what the true religion of Islam says from what is portrayed in the media. Islam literally means 'submission to God' and is derived from a root word meaning 'peace'. Islam may seem exotic or even extreme in the modern world. Perhaps this is because religion doesn't dominate everyday life in the West, whereas Islam is considered a 'way of life' for Muslims and they make no division between secular and sacred in their lives. Like Christianity, Islam permits fighting in self-defence, in defence of religion, or on the part of those who have been expelled forcibly from their homes. Islam lays down strict rules of combat, which include prohibitions against harming civilians and against destroying crops, trees and livestock.

Nowhere does Islam enjoin the killing of innocents.

The Quran says:

"Fight in the cause of God against those who fight you, but do not transgress limits. God does not love transgressors." [Quran 2:190]

"If the enemy is inclined towards peace, do make peace with them, and put your trust in
God. He is the One Who hears all, knows all." [Quran 8:61]

Jihad, therefore, is the last resort, and is subject to the rigorous conditions laid down by the sacred law. The term 'jihad' literally means 'struggle'. Muslims believe that there are
two kinds of jihad. The other 'jihad' is the inner struggle of the soul against egotistic desires, for the sake of attaining the pleasure of God.


SOURCE:
www.discoverislamaustralia.com
"Common Misconceptions"