Re: EVER WONDER WHY,…?
Let me make it very simple for you,…so that you can understand,…ok,..
Islam is the fastest growing religion in the world,…by conversion,…got it,..?
Right now it has 1.2 Billion followers,…it may come shock to you,..but its true,…
Re: EVER WONDER WHY,...?
Tariq - It may have 1.2 billion followers but in no way are those followers united. I have never seen the kind of insults or hate within religious sects as among this one. Sunni and Shia and Achmadi (didn't spell that right, sorry) at each others throat and killing each other because they don't see each other as "real" Muslims.
Even the example of the IRA is not a religious war. It was called that because part of the English mandate was to wipe out Catholicism in the areas of Ireland they control, but the root was English invading Irish lands and continues to be that.
Re: EVER WONDER WHY,…?
MP,
I totally agree 100%,..that those followers are not united,…I see so many kiillings and differences among them,…But its everywhere,..in every religion,..
about IRA,…
I was saying in the context of hate towards muslims,…but when protestant and catholics are fighting and killing then no mention of religion,…
MISCONCEPTION : 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.
Re: EVER WONDER WHY,...?
Tariq - Could it be that when IRA kill they say do it for Ireland and don't mention their religion (because it is not a relgious war, that is the media at work there), but even in the case of Osama, religion is quoted and put to the forefront by the attackers? That is not something that other followers of other religions tend to do. Islam doesn't go to trial but when someone claims to do something in the name of Islam, it is an angle.
By claiming a Holy War against America or by claiming Jihad with Isreal, etc. it drags religion into it because that is the impression that is given.
Re: EVER WONDER WHY,...?
BTW - I know that some of the basic beliefs for Muslims are respect and peace, so I know this is not the norm, but we are talking about perception here.
Edit: I thought Jihad meant war for the longest time until my husband explain what the Muslim concept of true Jihad was supposed to mean. It has to be one of the most misused words by religious fanatics out there, but it is the one that is tossed around cheaply.
Re: EVER WONDER WHY,…?
Those pathetic low-life people,..who uses Islam for their own secrets agenda’s arethe worst enemy of Islam,…they must be wiped out at any cost,…May be their political Islam is different than others,…
I know and understand your point here,…
Re: EVER WONDER WHY,…?
MP,
I know,..what you are trying to Say here,… sometime Islam is victimized by its own extremist followers,…? we have 100’s of examples,…here,..
Re: EVER WONDER WHY,...?
Fast growing religion....no doubt.
Relative question to anyone.....
Why mass conversions have vanished today....as it was possible in dark mid ages?
What is the source of fast growth if mass conversions are gone with the wind?
Re: EVER WONDER WHY,…?
I don’t think those conversion are gone with the wind,…Coz,…here in US where even media bashes Islam all the time,..more minorities are converting with an alarming rate,…because when they listen to media and study the religion then they know the truth,…here media is indirectly helping those minorities to convert,…We have seen reports on TV here,where they say that muslims preachers must be stopped to preach because right wing christians conservatives doesn’t want this to happen,..If you live here in USA,…then you will find out what I am saying,…right now there are 6 Million plus muslims living in US,…half of those are converts…while others came from outside,…
http://www.religioustolerance.org/isl_numb.htm
Number of Muslims in the world:
Estimates of the total number of Muslims in the world vary greatly:
0.700 billion or more, Barnes & Noble Encyclopedia 1993
0.817 billion, The Universal Almanac (1996)
0.951 billion, The Cambridge Factfinder (1993)
1.100 billion, The World Almanac (1997)
1.200 billion, CAIR (Council on American-Islamic relations)
At a level of 1.2 billion, they represent about 22% of the world’s population. They are the second largest religion in the world. Only Christianity is larger, with 33% of the world’s inhabitants.
Islam is growing about 2.9% per year. This is faster than the total world population which increases about 2.3% annually. It is thus attracting a progressively larger percentage of the world’s population.
Re: EVER WONDER WHY,...?
it is really laughable......is there anyone witness to mass conversion in present days.
when I see millions of Muslims living in slum areas, totally iliterate....let anyone convince me that all these Muslims read Quran! that they are not Muslims by birth growth.
Re: EVER WONDER WHY,...?
Tariq - do you believe that the nation of Islam are Muslim in the same sense that people from other countries are? Curious is all, since they believe that Elijah Mohammad was the Prophet in America.
Re: EVER WONDER WHY,…?
I hope U R not talking about Indian Muslims here,…
Re: EVER WONDER WHY,…?
MISCONCEPTION: The Nation of Islam is a Muslim group.
Islam and the so called “Nation of Islam’” are two different religions. NOI is more of a political organization since its members are not limited to a single faith. Muslims consider this group to be just one of many cults using the name of Islam for their own gain. The only thing common between them is the jargon, the language used by both. “The Nation of Islam” is a misnomer; this religion should be called Farrakhanism, after the name of its propogator, Louis Farrakhan.
Islam and Farakhanism differ in many fundamental ways. For example, Farakhan followers believe in racism and that the ‘black man’ was the original man and therefore superior, while in Islam there is no racism and everyone is considered equal in the sight of God, the only difference being in one’s piety. There are many other theological examples that show the 'Nation’s teachings have little to do with true Islam. There are many groups in America who claim to represent Islam and call their adherents Muslims.
Any serious student of Islam has a duty to investigate and find the true Islam. The only two authentic sources which bind every Muslim are 1. the Quran and 2. authentic or sound Hadith. Any teachings under the label of “Islam” which contradict or at variance with the direct understanding of fundamental beliefs and practices of Islam form the Quran and authentic Hadith should be rejected and such a religion should be considered a Pseudo-Islamic Cult. In America there are many pseudo-Islamic cults, Farrakhanism being one of them. An honest attitude on the part of such cults should be not to call themselves Muslims and their religion Islam. such an example of honesty is Bahaism which is an off-shoot of Islam but Bahais do not call themselves Muslims nor their religion, Islam. In fact Bahaism is not Islam just as Farrakhanism is not Islam.
Re: EVER WONDER WHY,...?
I was asking because most of the Muslims you claim in America are Nation of Islam
Re: EVER WONDER WHY,…?
I was refering to those who are not NOI muslims,…If we add those numbers,..U R talking about around 10 Million or so,…
BTW,…goto this site and read for yourself,…here is the link,…
Number of Muslims in the U.S.
http://www.religioustolerance.org/isl_numb.htm
Ethnic origins of Muslims in the U.S.:
According to the “*Faith Communities Today” *report, the ethnic origins of regular participants in U.S. mosques are as follows:
South Asian (Pakistani, Indian, Bangladeshi, Afghani) = 33 %
African-America = 30 %
Arab = 25 %
Sub-Saharan African = 3.4 %
European (Bosnian, Tartar, Kosovar, etc.) = 2.1 %
White American = 1.6 %
Southeast Asian ( Malaysian, Indonesian, Filipino) = 1.3 %
Caribbean = 1.2 %
Turkish = 1.1 %
Iranian = 0.7 %
Hispanic/Latino = 0.6 %
Re: EVER WONDER WHY,...?
^^ lol, I loved that link especially the last item about the Pakistani newspaper :)
Interesting read
Re: EVER WONDER WHY,…?
I know,…add those numbers and take the average,…LOL
Now-a-days,…whom to trust,…its very hard,..have to verify these numbers with other sources too,…that’s why,..I never believe,…anything until I verify it,…
Re: EVER WONDER WHY,…?
tell me any situation when Ahmadi’s were in fight with either sunnis or shias? but the fact is sunni’s burns ahmadi’s houses or sometimes they dont give ahmadis good job eventhough if that ahmadi deserves it…and Ahmadis take no action. They go to foreign countries for better future..but they dont fight back.
Re: EVER WONDER WHY,…?
Off course I am talking about millions of Indian Muslims who have rejected all ideas of progress as anti-Islamic…on the other hand these millions of illiterate Muslims have never read Quran.
As well I am talking of Muslims of Bangladesh, south Asia and Africa…countries which are basic producers of Muslims …by which growth, you have to decide.