Expert: Mohammed - 3/11/2006

Question
I am an american. Iam also a christian. Now that I have told you this you can possibly understand why I ask. I do not concider myself a racist, bigot orignorant. I am however interested in things I don't understand, don't believe or were meaningless to my education. I know there are many religions but a sticking point with the islamic faith has to be the permission to eradicate other religions. Please enlighten me on this. As a westerner I am told ( from what I have read, or should I say what was written for me to read )that there are 2 distict interpretations of Islam. On 1 hand there are those who are pacifists, those who reject violence and seek inner peace and harmony with all living things. On the other I hear of a division that allows for all non believers to be killed. Now If I'm wrong tell me why there are so many fanatical loyalists who not only try to indoctrinate non believers by force but, also go to radical extremes to convince the other half that this is the way? I don't mean to sound arrogant but I just would like someone to explain this. I believe that if we, in this world are taught a little about other faiths and why they exist, where they took root, while we are children in school then maybe as we grow we would be a little more tolerant of how other peopl feel, act, and think. Maybe just maybe there would be a little less violence, maybe cartoons would'nt be an issue, maybe governments would exist without stepping on others toes. I don't know but it seems that yhe more we know about others the less chance there is of hatred,racism and ignorance.

Answer
Hi John,
I don't know what or were have you read about Islam, but it seems that you have wrong idea about it.

I suggest that you go through the following site which will give you good details about Islam:
http://www.islamonline.net/english/introducingislam/index.shtml


Muslims believe that Islam is the last and the most completed religion that God sent to humanity.

Muslims admit that Christianity is another religion from God, and the story of Prophet Jesus is mentioned also in their holy book the Quran.

Muslims are not allowed -as per Quran which is the speech of God- to force other people to enter Islam, they should try to advice others and explain Islam to them in peaceful way.

Muslims also are not allowed to kill non-Muslims for no reason. In Islamic countries you can find many Christians living together with Muslims since thousands of years and no one has killed them!

What is happening these days in Iraq or Palestine for example is not a Muslims killing none Muslims, but it is a people trying to get their freedom.

In Palestine, Arabic children and women are killed every day by the Israeli forces which use American weapons. Israel destroys Palestinian farms and houses every day..
In Iraq, Thousand of civilians were killed by the war, and you know what had happened in Abo- Guraib Prison, all these things encourage people to kill American and Israeli, and this is not related directly to Islam....

I hope that you will understand that...Muslims don't hurt anyone who doesn't hurt them...

Regards