Re: The raging controversy in Islam
Malhot, in order to understand this you must first look at it from a Muslim’s perspective…
As you well know, the Quran is a book of directives…And the foremost directive is prayers…Now, keep this in mind…
Many people who claim to be Muslims, disregard this most important and unalterable directive i.e. they don’t pray…They hardly spend 2 minutes in a day on reading up on their religion and its many beautiful facets, yet when any religious discussion comes up, they are the most vocal…
Think of it in these terms: Let’s say you are at a seminar about genetic engineering where the most foremost geneticists of our time are about to give a lecture…Instead, on the stage comes the janitor and starts to address the audience…Will you as an audience member listen to him? Do you believe that the janitor would know anything about genetic engineering? Obviously being an intelligent person you would boo that person away, walk out or if you are soft hearted, will just smile and let the janitor have his say until he is done with his ignorance…
Some ignorant people who are in the audience with you who have hardly ever heard about genetic engineering will start to actually believe the janitor because the janitor is not talking from facts but from his heart…
The Muslim camp is divided into these two parts:
Those about whom Allah :swt: says in the Quran that will blindly follow what their hearts tell them and stumble forever blind and deaf…
And those who have spent their lives learning about Islam and those that follow them to learn from their knowledge…
As for respecting other people’s beliefs is concerned, no one is more respectful of other people’s religions than an orthodox Muslim because the orthodox Muslim believes and follows the Quran and the Sunnah…And nowhere is respecting other religions more specified than in the Quran and Sunnah because the Quran specifically instructs Muslims never to belittle the beliefs of others…
When was the last time you heard a Muslim insult or ridicule another religion? And if someone does, then that Muslim is the same as the one who does not follow the Quran and their ignorance blights Islam same as someone not praying…
As for co-existence, since most of us tend to have very short memories, as a Hindu, did you not consider the Muslim rule of India as a golden time? Don;t you think that Muslims, who were so powerful could have decimated the Hindus and wiped their religion and culture off the map? Anywhere thet Muslims went, the cultures flourished…
What happened where the Christians went? Do you forget the British rule of our subcontinent and the massive subjugation? Do you forget how Incas were annihilated? Do you forget how the Pueblo Indians were massacred? Do you forget the Crusades? The Inquisition? World war 1? World war 2 and so on and so on?
So think aside from the media bias and think for yourself…Study history for yourself…If you are in the US, enroll in Islamic history and civilization and learn for yourself…
You’d be surprised…Even as a Muslim I too was surprised…The beautiful era of Islam and coexistence was under those Muslims that followed the Quran and Sunnah…Not those who simply carry Muslim names…