Perceptions of Islam

[mehrosh]

Dear Members,The title says it, I welcome you to criticize anything you think is wrong with Islam. But I have a request, if we discuss one point at a time, we can do justice with the topic...Thankyou, and regards, Mehrosh

 

[Judgement Day]

I bet its gonna be one of these top ten misconceptions:

1. Muslims are violent, terrorists and/or extremists.
2. Islam oppresses women.
3. Muslims worship a different God.
4. Islam was spread by the sword and intolerant of other faiths.
5. All Muslims are Arabs
6. The Nation of Islam is a Muslim group.
7. All Muslim men marry four wives.
8. Muslims are a barbaric, backward people.
9. Muhammad was the founder of Islam and Muslims worship him.
10. Muslims don't believe in Jesus or any other prophets.

 

[mehrosh]

Yes there might...But brother I want to discuss one at a time...so that we can get to details...

 

[Judgement Day]

Yes, I'm sorry...

 

[Karl R]

The biggest problem I see is that Islamic fundamentalism seems to represent the majority of of Islamic belief. From what I can tell, the fundamentalists outnumber the rationalists. I realize that only a few of the fundamentalists are actively promoting violence, but I consider fundamentalists of any religion to be a problem. Numerically, fundamentalists of other religions are a small problem in comparison.

 

[ChrisP]

The biggest problem I see is that Islamic fundamentalism seems to represent the majority of of Islamic belief. From what I can tell, the fundamentalists outnumber the rationalists. I realize that only a few of the fundamentalists are actively promoting violence, but I consider fundamentalists of any religion to be a problem. Numerically, fundamentalists of other religions are a small problem in comparison.

The same is true of many religions. Fundamentalists are never truly religious in any case. Unless foaming at the mouth is a religion.

 

[mehrosh]

The biggest problem I see is that Islamic fundamentalism seems to represent the majority of of Islamic belief. From what I can tell, the fundamentalists outnumber the rationalists. I realize that only a few of the fundamentalists are actively promoting violence, but I consider fundamentalists of any religion to be a problem. Numerically, fundamentalists of other religions are a small problem in comparison.

Dear Brother Karl R, Its my pleasure that you have posed your opinion regarding Islam, and you have put up a very nice topic Fundamentalism in Islam and we can discuss about it. This question is often hurled at Muslims, either directly or indirectly, during any discussion on religion or world affairs. Muslim stereotypes are perpetuated in every form of the media accompanied by gross misinformation about Islam and Muslims. In fact, such misinformation and false propaganda often leads to discrimination and acts of violence against Muslims. A case in point is the anti-Muslim campaign in the media. First we need to understand fundamentalism inorder to understand this topic better, According to Webster’s dictionary ‘fundamentalism’ was a movement in American Protestanism that arose in the earlier part of the 20th century. It was a reaction to modernism, and stressed the infallibility of the Bible, not only in matters of faith and morals but also as a literal historical record. It stressed on belief in the Bible as the literal word of God. Thus fundamentalism was a word initially used for a group of Christians who believed that the Bible was the verbatim word of God without any errors and mistakes. According to the Oxford dictionary ‘fundamentalism’ means ‘strict maintenance of ancient or fundamental doctrines of any religion, especially Islam’. Today the moment a person uses the word fundamentalist he thinks of a Muslim who is a terrorist. A fundamentalist is a person who follows and adheres to the fundamentals of the doctrine or theory he is following. For a person to be a good doctor, he should know, follow, and practise the fundamentals of medicine. In other words, he should be a fundamentalist in the field of medicine. For a person to be a good mathematician, he should know, follow and practise the fundamentals of mathematics. He should be a fundamentalist in the field of mathematics. For a person to be a good scientist, he should know, follow and practise the fundamentals of science. He should be a fundamentalist in the field of science. Not all ‘fundamentalists’ are the same --One cannot paint all fundamentalists with the same brush. One cannot categorize all fundamentalists as either good or bad. Such a categorization of any fund amentalist will depend upon the field or activity in which he is a fundamentalist. A fundamentalist robber or thief causes harm to society and is therefore undesirable. A fundamentalist doctor, on the other hand, benefits society and earns much respect. I am proud to be a Muslim fundamentalist I am a fundamentalist Muslim who, by the grace of Allah, knows, follows and strives to practise the fundamentals of Islam. A true Muslim does not shy away from being a fundamentalist. I am proud to be a fundamentalist Muslim because, I know that the fundamentals of Islam are beneficial to humanity and the whole world. There is not a single fundamental of Islam that causes harm or is against the interests of the human race as a whole. Many people harbour misconceptions about Islam and consider several teachings of Islam to be unfair or improper. This is due to insufficient and incorrect knowledge of Islam. If one critically analyzes the teachings of Islam with an open mind, one cannot escape the fact that Islam is full of benefits both at the individual and collective levels. Islam means peace Islam is derived from the word ‘salaam’ which means peace. It is a religion of peace whose fundamentals teach its followers to maintain and promote peace throughout the world. Thus every Muslim should be a fundamentalist i.e. he should follow the fundamentals of the Religion of Peace: Islam. He should be a terrorist only towards the antisocial elements in order to promote peace and justice in the society.

 

[frg001]

Little knowledge of science makes an atheist,
indepth study of science makes a believer in God

Without wanting to sound too rude, where did you dig this nugget of nonsense from?

 

[mehrosh]

Fundamentalists are never truly religious in any case. .

No one can be sincere with his religion unless he is a fundamentalists, it is true that this might sometimes harm others, but every Muslim has to be a fundamentalists, and there is not a single fundamental of Islam which harms the society or any group of people, such ideas only come out of less knowledge of Islam. Refer to my Reply to Karl R in this thread

 

[mehrosh]

Without wanting to sound too rude, where did you dig this nugget of nonsense from?

Brother why are you running behind my signature, we can discuss it in a thread related to this topic, not here, here you are welcome to criticize Islam....If you are interest than let me inform you that this is the statment of Francis Bacon, the famous philosopher, I have modified it because it was not fitting the numbers of words allowed int he signature...the correct one is a little knowledge of science makes man an atheist, but an in-depth study of science makes him a believer in GodThankyou

 

[Ori]

I think the major issue that Islam will have to confront soon is that it has become too rigid in its own dogma.

I know that Islam is seen as the final message for all time, yet Muslims forget that time changes and as such they have to adapt whilst retaining their identity.

 

[mehrosh]

I think the major issue that Islam will have to confront soon is that it has become too rigid in its own dogma.

I know that Islam is seen as the final message for all time, yet Muslims forget that time changes and as such they have to adapt whilst retaining their identity.

Brother if you think that Muslims need to be flexible and change their religion with time, you need to specify what aspects of Islam do you think need the change? The beauty of the Miracle given to Muhammed saas was that this Miracle (Quran) will never be out dated, infact 80% of the Quran belongs to the present Slot. Feel free to post more about it...Thanks and Regards.

 

[Judgement Day]

I think the major issue that Islam will have to confront soon is that it has become too rigid in its own dogma.

I know that Islam is seen as the final message for all time, yet Muslims forget that time changes and as such they have to adapt whilst retaining their identity.

Islam is perfectly suitable for the 21st or any other centuries. Among the reasons for the rapid and peaceful spread of Islam was the simplicity of its doctrine-Islam calls for faith in only one God worthy of worship. It also repeatedly instructs man to use his powers of intelligence and observation. Within a few years, great civilizations and universities were flourishing, for according to the Prophet (pbuh), 'seeking knowledge is an obligation for every Muslim man and woman'. And also the first word to be revealed in Quran is "Iqra" which means "read", which instructs us to gain knowledge as much as you can.

The synthesis of Eastern and Western ideas and of new thought with old, brought about great advances in medicine, mathematics, physics, astronomy, geography, architecture, art, literature, and history. Many crucial systems such as algebra, the Arabic numerals, and also the concept of the zero (vital to the advancement of mathematics),were transmitted to medieval Europe from Islam. Sophisticated
instruments which were to make possible the European voyages of discovery were developed, including the astrolabe, the quadrant and good navigational maps.

 

[frg001]

Brother why are you running behind my signature, we can discuss it in a thread related to this topic, not here, here you are welcome to criticize Islam....If you are interest than let me inform you that this is the statment of Francis Bacon, the famous philosopher, I have modified it because it was not fitting the numbers of words allowed int he signature...the correct one is a little knowledge of science makes man an atheist, but an in-depth study of science makes him a believer in GodThankyou

Fair enough, I must admit there are many more ridiculous quotes around.

I have no interest in putting down, criticising or ridiculing Islam. Unfortunately it seems to be doing a better job at that, than anyone else who wanted to, could.

 

[mehrosh]

Mahatma Gandhi, speaking on the character of Muhammad, (pbuh) says in (Young India):-----"I wanted to know the best of one who holds today's undisputed sway over the hearts of millions of mankind....I became more than convinced that it was not the sword that won a place for Islam in those days in the scheme of life. It was the rigid simplicity, the utter self-effacement of the Prophet, the scrupulous regard for his pledges, his intense devotion to this friends and followers, his intrepidity, his fearlessness, his absolute trust in God and in his own mission. These and not the sword carried everything before them and surmounted every obstacle. When I closed the 2nd volume (of the Prophet's biography), I was sorry there was not more for me to read of the great life."

 

[mehrosh]

Unfortunately it seems to be doing a better job at that, than anyone else who wanted to, could.

And that is exactly what I want to discuss here, you cannot get away by simply passing this statment, you have to verify, when you give a comment you need to have got reasons behind it. And yes, don't judge Islam by it's followers, you cannot judge the performance of a car just by looking at the driver

 

[frg001]

And that is exactly what I want to discuss here, you cannot get away by simply passing this statment, you have to verify, when you give a comment you need to have got reasons behind it. And yes, don't judge Islam by it's followers, you cannot judge the performance of a car just by looking at the driver

But you know exactly what I mean. I think it is everyones absolute right to practice whatever religion they wish to, but when it comes to violence for the sake of it( And this is certainly not limited to Islam), then they have crossed a boundary. I have friends who are muslim, they are decent people, and had their head in their hands in disbelief at the actions of a few lunatics, in the name of their faith. I can't really debate on this thread, because I haven't got any real issues with Islam any more than I have with any religion, apart the fact that I disagree with most of what they all say about the origins of life.

 

[Ori]

Mahatma Gandhi, speaking on the character of Muhammad, (pbuh) says in (Young India):-----"I wanted to know the best of one who holds today's undisputed sway over the hearts of millions of mankind....I became more than convinced that it was not the sword that won a place for Islam in those days in the scheme of life. It was the rigid simplicity, the utter self-effacement of the Prophet, the scrupulous regard for his pledges, his intense devotion to this friends and followers, his intrepidity, his fearlessness, his absolute trust in God and in his own mission. These and not the sword carried everything before them and surmounted every obstacle. When I closed the 2nd volume (of the Prophet's biography), I was sorry there was not more for me to read of the great life."

Yes, I agree.

Now, just for clarifacation, i'm not against Islam, in fact one of my best friends at this site is a Muslim.

I'm only putting in my opinion as to what I said earlier, this is not the fault of the source material or Muslims in general, just the few who spoil it for others.

As Gandi also said " You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty"

 

[mehrosh]

But you know exactly what I mean. I think it is everyones absolute right to practice whatever religion they wish to, but when it comes to violence for the sake of it( And this is certainly not limited to Islam), then they have crossed a boundary. I have friends who are muslim, they are decent people, and had their head in their hands in disbelief at the actions of a few lunatics, in the name of their faith. I can't really debate on this thread, because I haven't got any real issues with Islam any more than I have with any religion, apart the fact that I disagree with most of what they all say about the origins of life.

Yes Brother, I agree with you, it is the right of everyone to practice his/her religion. The Quran says THERE IS NO COMPULSION IN RELIGION And I also agree that there are some people who practice violence in the name of Religions and as the Media tries to prove they are Muslims, Islam is derived from the word "SALAM" which means PEACE, and the unique thing about Islam is that, it not only preaches Peace, but also displays how to implement Peace, unlike any other religion. It's your choice that either you want to debate or not, everyone has the right to know the Truth and Islam was send for the whole of Human Kind. Apart from the origin of life, keep that topic apart for sometime, you should know about the Quran, it is not a book, but lives in the breasts of 10 million people, of which only 18% are Arabs, it is unchanged, the most read book and unique. Regards and Thanks for reading.

 

[No*s]

I must say I commend such a bold approach. Frubals for that.

Now, with one issue at a time, I could discuss logical objections, but before every logical objection to Islam I have there is one that isn't really logical (not to say that it's illogical, against logic): I can't see beauty and life in it.

Every time I've tried to read the Koran, I've stopped, because I don't feel life in it. It is a group of sayings and laws, but people move in stories, with animals and plants. Sayings do not have deeds and actions. They are simply statements. Likewise, when I look at Muslim art, it lacks the beauty of the creation without the animals or people to populate and tell a story. Art must be more than abstraction; it must also have life.

Rather than digress, I see rigidity and death in it. I have never seen life, beauty, and vibrancy no matter how many times I've looked for it. Without these, the whole ediface seems muted and silent. This may sound odd, and it is a sort of prerational bias, but it's a rather big one (I've turned away from a great many things for lacking these flourishes).