Calm down, Mohammed

Submitted by Sidda (United States), Feb 18, 2006 at 12:17

Mohammed, please calm down. I understand that seeing many messages which are critical of Islam and Muslims must be upsetting. You need to understand, though, that most people do not hate Muslims. I know a few Muslims and they are very kind and decent people; I'm sure most Muslims are at heart decent people. I will try to explain what is going on.

The problem is not with individual Muslims, but with (and you are not going to like this) Islam itself. The Quran is full of verses (over 100) which extoll Muslims to kill or subjugate Infidels. In Islam, the world is divided between believer (Dar al Islam) and unbeliever (Dar al Harb) and Muslims are to wage jihad until Islam covers the world and all unbelievers are either converted or subjugated. That is what non Muslims have a problem with.

Most Muslims I have communicated with are not even familiar with this aspect of the Quran. They quote the peaceful Meccan verses when they talk with you. They don't realize that the earlier peaceful Meccan verses applied when the prophet was still weak, before he built up his army and became strong. After that, the verses become very violent; those are known as the Medina verses. The more violent Medina verses ABROGATED the peaceful, Meccan ones. A lot of Muslims I have communicated with don't know that.

The trouble is that the fundamentalist, radical Islamists DO know it. That is what is taught in the Wahhabi-run madrassas. So, you have millions of Muslims around the world who are now being indoctrinated with Wahhabi (or Salafist if you prefer) ideology, which is rooted in the Quran. That is what people hate.

As to the crusades, well my friend they were over a LONG TIME AGO. About 600 years now I believe. They were in response to Muslim expansion into Europe and also Muslims seizing the Holy Lands and preventing Christians access to the holy sites. Do you know that the Muslims had conquered Spain and went as far as the gates of Vienna? They were stopped in France and pushed back out of Europe. At any rate, there is nothing in the New Testament which says to kill or subjugate all those who do not believe as you do.

There are no Christian crusades or inquisitions any more because Christianity underwent a reformation. We no longer think the way we did 1,000 year ago. Islam needs also to undergo a reformation. But, is that even possible when no criticism of Islam is allowed? Some Muslim reformists talk about the ancient Muslim concept of ijtihad. But, in any case, the reformation must be brought about by Muslims.

It is because of the Muslim extremists committing acts of violence all over the world IN THE NAME OF ISLAM who cause people to think of Islam as a religion of violence. Look at the response to the Danish cartoons: violence, riots, burning down buildings, murder and mayhem. Over Cartoons. To be sure, people have the right to be offended and to peacfully protest. Even boycotts could be considered appropriate if the offense is serious enough. But, all of this violence was disproportionate to the offense. Moderate Muslims must not allow these radical clerics and the people who follow them to be the face of their religion. Please take back your faith from those who tarnish it.

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