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MISCONCEPTIONS
ABOUT ISLAM |
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Allah
is simply the
Arabic word for God. Allah
for Muslims is the greatest and most inclusive of the Names of God, it
is an Arabic word of rich meaning denoting the One and only God and ascribing
no partners to Him. It is exactly the same word, which the Jews, in Hebrew,
use for God (Eloh),
the word which Jesus
Christ used in Aramaic when he prayed to God. God has an identical name
in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam;
Allah
is the same
God worshiped by Muslims, Christians and Jews. Muslims believe that Allah's
sovereignty is to be acknowledged in worship and in the pledge to obey
His teachings and commandments, conveyed through His messengers and prophets
who were sent at various times and
many places
throughout history.
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MISCONCEPTIONS
ABOUT ISLAM |
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| Many
social studies textbooks for student show the image of an Arab horseman
carrying a sword in one hand and the Qur-an
in the other conquering and forcibly converting. This, though, is not
a correct portrayal of history. Islam
has always
given respect and
freedom of religion to
all faiths. The Noble Qur-an
says: "God forbids you not, with regards to those who fight you not for (your) faith nor drive on out of you homes, from dealing kindly and justly with them; for God loved those who are just." (Qur-an, 60:8) Freedom of religion is laid down in the Noble Qur-an itself: "There is no compulsion (or coercion) in the religion (Islam). The right direction is distinctly clear from error." (Qur-an, 2:256) |
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| Christian
missionary, T.W. Arnold had this opinion on his study of the questions
of the spread of Islam”... of any organized attempt to force the
acceptance of Islam on non-Muslim population, or of any systematic
persecution intended to stamp out the Christian religion, we hear nothing.
Had the caliphs chosen to adopt either course of action, they might
have swept away Christianity as easily as Ferdinand and Isabella drove
Islam out of Spain, or Louis XIV made Protestantism….”
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| It
is a function of Islamic law to protect the privileged any
status of minorities, and this is why non-Muslim places of worship
have flourished all over the Islamic world. History provides many examples
of Muslim tolerance towards other faiths: when the caliph Omar entered
Jerusalem in the year 634, Islam granted freedom of worship to
all religious communities in the city.
Proclaiming to the inhabitants that their lives, and property were
safe, and that their places of worship would never
be taken from them, he asked the Christian patriarch Sopranonius to
accompany him on a visit to all the holy places. Islamic law also permits
non-Muslim minorities to set up their own courts, which implement family
laws drawn up by the minorities themselves.
The life and property of all citizens in an Islamic state are considered
sacred whether the person is Muslim or not.
Racism is not a part
of Islam, the Noble Qur-an
speaks only of human equality and how all peoples are equal in the sight
of God: "O mankind! We created you from a single soul, male and female, and made you into nations and tribes, so that you may come to know one another. Truly, the most honored of you in God's sight is the greatest of you in piety. God is All- Knowing, All-Aware." (Qur-an, 49:13) |
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MISCONCEPTIONS
ABOUT ISLAM |
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| The
Muslim population of the world is around 1.4 billion. 1 out of 4 people
in the world is Muslim. Islam is the fastest growing religion in
the world. Muslims are a vast range of races, nationalities, and cultures
from all around the globe “from the Philippines to Nigeria” they are united
by their common Islamic faith. Only about 18% live in the Arab world and
the largest Muslim community is in Indonesia. Most Muslims live east of
Pakistan. 30% of Muslims live in the Indian subcontinent, 20% in Sub-Saharan
Africa, 17% in Southeast Asia, 18% in the Arab world, and 10% in the Soviet
Union and China. Turkey, Iran and Afghanistan make up 10% of the non-Arab
Middle East. Although there are Muslim minorities in almost every area,
including Latin America and Australia, they are most numerous in Russia
and its newly independent states, India and central Africa. There are
about 8 million Muslims in the United States. |
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