[QUOTE]
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. 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". (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. (49:13)
[/QUOTE]
Peace to all,
Pl dont brand me anti islamic, but I strongly feel that Islam is anything but tolrant to other religions.
Today we have only one country in the world which can be called Islamic. That is Saudi Arabia. Only they have some respects for quranic laws. We can easily explore how much they are tolrant towards other religions.
Prior to Islam sweeping whole Saudi Arabia, it was home to idolators, christians, and jews. All of them used to practise their religion there. Now it is impossible to find out any trace of any other religion except Islam in that country which gave birth to Islam. It itself speaks volumes about how tolrant first generation of Muslims had been towards another religions.
In India itself, more than 3000 temples had been demolished by muslims. And I dont blame them either. As pious muslims they were obiliged to demolish any place of worship which is not Islamic.
However forcible conversion is a topic which can only be debated and not proved, so I will prefer to leave it.
Peace.