just want you to know :)

Submitted by the truth :) (Saudi Arabia), Jun 4, 2006 at 17:13

Muslims worship One God, Creator and Sustainer of the Universe. Allah is the Arabic word for the one true God. Arab Christians and Jews call the Deity Allah as well.

Muslims, like Christians and Jews, consider themselves spiritual descendants of Abraham.

Muslims pledge themselves to prayer, peace with justice, harmony, cooperation, compassion, charity, family responsibility, tolerance toward people of other faith traditions and respect for the environment.

As a Muslim, I want you to know that:

•Islam means submissions and peace. Submitting to the will of God and doing good deeds. The Qur'an is the last Divine revelation, providing a complete guide for human behavior. Its text was revealed to Prophet Muhammad between 610 and 633 A.D. Though revered by Muslims as the last of God's prophets, Muslims do not worship Muhammad.

•Muslims honor Biblical prophets, accord special esteem to Jesus and his mother Virgin Mary, and recognize as a sacred the scriptures revealed to Moses and Jesus, namely the Torah and the Gospel. Muslims, like Christians, believe that Jesus will return in the last days.

•Islam and democracy are compatible and complementary. Both rest on accountability, consultation, open discussion, delegation and consensus.

•Muslim women, like men, have the right to gain education, own property and engage in business, professions and public life. Both women and men dress modestly out of respect for public morality. If any individual or a society oppresses women or discriminate against them, it is against Islam, not because of it.

•The Muslim husband has the primary responsibility for family support, his wife for the household and children. Divorce is discouraged. Procedures vary by country, but either husband or wife may petition to dissolve a marriage.

•Muslims must assume personal responsibility for relatives, neighbors and others in need. In Islam, elderly persons are not to be abandoned nor left to live alone.

• Jihad has three meanings: one, non-violent struggling within oneself for a life of virtue; the second, saying the truth even if it's against one's interests; the third, fighting to establish justice, a supreme goal in Islamic teachings. Islam eulogizes moderation and abhors extremism, terrorism, oppression and subjugation.

• Muslims are contributing citizens and good neighbors. They are committed to faith, tolerance, charity, work, cooperation and interfaith activities for community betterment.

"O mankind! We have created you from a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes that you may know each other. Verily, the most honored of you in the sight of God is the most righteous of you and God has full knowledge and is well acquainted."

- The Holy Qur'an (49:13)

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