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TOP TEN MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT ISLAM
by : Huma Ahmad

MISCONCEPTION #1:
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, Muslim fundamentalist, 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-defense, in defense of religion, or on the part of those who have been
expelled forcibly from their homes. It 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 they seek peace, then seek you peace. And trust in God for He is the One
that heareth and knoweth all things." (Quran 8:61)
War, 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 which everyone wages against egotistic desires for
the sake of attaining inner peace.

MISCONCEPTION #2:
Islam oppresses women.
The image of the typical Muslim woman wearing the veil and forced to stay home
and forbidden to drive is all too common in most peoples thoughts. Although some
Muslim countries may have laws that oppress women, this should not be seen as
coming from Islam. Many of these countries do not rule by any kind of Shari'ah
(Islamic law) and introduce their own cultural standpoints on the issue of
gender equity.
Islam on the other hand gives men and women different roles and equity between
the two is laid down in the Quran and the example of the Prophet (peace be upon
him). Islam sees a woman, whether single or married, as an individual in her own
right, with the right to own and dispose of her property and earnings. A
marriage gift is given by the groom to the bride for her own personal use, and
she keeps her own family name rather than taking her husband's. Both men and
women are expected to dress in a way that is modest and dignified. The Messenger
of God (peace be upon him) said: "The most perfect in faith amongst believers is
he who is best in manner and kindest to his wife."
Violence of any kind towards women and forcing them against their will for
anything is not allowed. A Muslim marriage is a simple, legal agreement in which
either partner is free to include conditions.
Marriage customs thus vary widely from country to country. Divorce is not
common, although it is acceptable as a last resort. According to Islam, a Muslim
girl cannot be forced to marry against her will: her parents simply suggest
young men they think may be suitable.

MISCONCEPTION #3:
Muslims worship a different God.
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 teaching and commandments, conveyed
through His messengers and prophets who were sent at various times and in many
places throughout history. However, it should be noted that God in Islam is One
and Only. He, the Exalted, does not get tired, does not have a son (i.e. Jesus)
or have associates, nor does He have human-like attributions as found in other
faiths.

MISCONCEPTION #4:
Islam was spread by the sword and intolerant of other faiths.
Many social studies textbooks for students show the image of an Arab horseman
carrying a sword in one hand and the Quran 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 Quran says: "God forbids you not, with regards to those who
fight you not for [your] faith nor drive you out of your homes, from dealing
kindly and justly with them; for God loveth those who are just." (Qur'an 60:8)

Freedom of religion is laid down in the Quran itself: "There is no compulsion
(or coercion) in the religion (Islam). The right direction is distinctly clear
from error." (Qur'an 2:256)
Christian missionary, T.W. Arnold had this opinion on his study of the question
of the spread of Islam: "...of any organized attempt to force the acceptance of
Islam on the 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 Protestanism..."

It is a function of Islamic law to protect the privileged 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 Sophronius 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 Quran 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)

Next 5 misconception follows in a future post..


For more information about Islam

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