to Dima

Submitted by M. al-Content (Portugal), Feb 10, 2006 at 16:48

I am struck by the frequency with which Muslim commentators state that non-Muslims commenting here are ignorant about Islam.

Non-Muslims living in non-Muslim countries are in a far better position to learn about Islam than Muslims living in Muslim countries, due to the freedom of the press and other media.

For example, most Muslims are not Arabs, and learning to recite the Koran without learning to speak Arabic is not a good educational process, whereas non-Muslims living in non-Muslim countries can read accurate translations by Arab scholars.

And do not forget that many non-Muslims have lived and worked in strict Islamic societies and so have first-hand experience of Islamic law and customs, which is why so many of them are strongly opposed to the extension of Islamic law and customs to their home countries. They have seen Islam at work, and sadly many have seen an unpleasant picture.

Furthermore, Muslims living in Muslim countries are in a very poor position as regards to being informed about non-Muslim belief systems, because of restrictions in communicating ideas at all levels..You may say non-Muslims should refer to your prophet as the Prophet Mohmed, but would you refer to Jesus as the Lord Jesus Christ ? Or refer to a Hindu deity by his or her correct title ? How well informed are you ?

But of course, such titles are used by believers to indicate respect for what they believe, and should be sincere, and we should not expect such deference from those who do not believe, that is simply not logical. This is not to say that abuse is acceptable, but we need to be able to discern between what is abuse and what is merely something with which we do not agree.
I hope you will not be offended by anything I have written.
Thank you.

---

Note: Opinions expressed in comments are those of the authors alone and not necessarily those of Daniel Pipes. Original writing only, please. Comments are screened and in some cases edited before posting. Reasoned disagreement is welcome but not comments that are scurrilous, off-topic, commercial, disparaging religions, or otherwise inappropriate. For complete regulations, see the "Guidelines for Reader Comments".