I feel it is important to explain some misunderstandings concerning
the above Quranic verses quoted. My esteemed colleague Ahmed and William
above seem to opine that the issue is not so much with Muslims or
Islamists but rather the actual Quranic verses which allege to incite
hatred etc.
The first obvious counter-suggestion is if there is a God, and so the
God of all of us, do we really think He would suggest such hate filled
actions against those who do not believe in him? If we do then we have a
fundamental misunderstanding of religion.
According to the Quran itself, Allah (God) is All Forgiving and All
Merciful and also another verse that "there is no compulsion in
religion" also that "as far as the Sabians etc are concerned it is God
who will judge them" It is not our job as Muslims or of any other faith
to judge people! (I am already struggling with juggling my family life
with work life that i am not at all suitably placed to judge people!)
Look how many years our esteemed British judiciary system has to train
before they are placed to put our verdicts. It is no small matter judging
people!
It needs to be said that the Quran was revealed piece meal over
several years, often at times of active violence by the Meccans and others
against the peaceful followers of early Islam. Note that in the early
times of Muhammad, the Muslims were small in number and would often feel
fearful of their future and their survival. At these and other times, God
would reveal verses to remind them He was on their side. During times of
active unjust conflict waged by wrong doers, verses would be revealed that
you are given permission to protect yourselves and your families and
livelihoods and to be firm at those times( positive psychology i presume
for the Muslims who were very small in number against a huge and wrong
opponent)
I beseech you to approach these verses with an earnest and open mind:
Please see the verses in the light of the customary and usual practice of
the prophet Muhammad. I will give 2 examples. Once he entered a town
called Taif where he was pelted with rubbish and stones, and an angle
approached him to ask him if he wished the town be punished for their
violent act. He simply forgave them. This is a historical fact. Secondly,
when he returned triumphant to Mecca after emigrating to Medina because of
persecution, he simply forgave all his "enemies". This truthful
benevolent fact/act is often eluded to even by the staunch critics of
Islam.
There are verses in other non-Muslim Holy Scriptures which
superficially allude to "incitement to hate", but again if they are
taken out of context they do not do justice to the true underlying
peaceful teachings of those scriptures. This then represents a bias
towards religion itself.
The fault line , i strongly feel, is not at all the Holy Scriptures
which God has revealed over the centuries and for which i have a deep love
and affection for, but those creatures called Human beings who lay claim
to its interpretation, albeit wrong interpretations.
Rapid Response:
religion: misunderstood and hijacked
I feel it is important to explain some misunderstandings concerning
the above Quranic verses quoted. My esteemed colleague Ahmed and William
above seem to opine that the issue is not so much with Muslims or
Islamists but rather the actual Quranic verses which allege to incite
hatred etc.
The first obvious counter-suggestion is if there is a God, and so the
God of all of us, do we really think He would suggest such hate filled
actions against those who do not believe in him? If we do then we have a
fundamental misunderstanding of religion.
According to the Quran itself, Allah (God) is All Forgiving and All
Merciful and also another verse that "there is no compulsion in
religion" also that "as far as the Sabians etc are concerned it is God
who will judge them" It is not our job as Muslims or of any other faith
to judge people! (I am already struggling with juggling my family life
with work life that i am not at all suitably placed to judge people!)
Look how many years our esteemed British judiciary system has to train
before they are placed to put our verdicts. It is no small matter judging
people!
It needs to be said that the Quran was revealed piece meal over
several years, often at times of active violence by the Meccans and others
against the peaceful followers of early Islam. Note that in the early
times of Muhammad, the Muslims were small in number and would often feel
fearful of their future and their survival. At these and other times, God
would reveal verses to remind them He was on their side. During times of
active unjust conflict waged by wrong doers, verses would be revealed that
you are given permission to protect yourselves and your families and
livelihoods and to be firm at those times( positive psychology i presume
for the Muslims who were very small in number against a huge and wrong
opponent)
I beseech you to approach these verses with an earnest and open mind:
Please see the verses in the light of the customary and usual practice of
the prophet Muhammad. I will give 2 examples. Once he entered a town
called Taif where he was pelted with rubbish and stones, and an angle
approached him to ask him if he wished the town be punished for their
violent act. He simply forgave them. This is a historical fact. Secondly,
when he returned triumphant to Mecca after emigrating to Medina because of
persecution, he simply forgave all his "enemies". This truthful
benevolent fact/act is often eluded to even by the staunch critics of
Islam.
There are verses in other non-Muslim Holy Scriptures which
superficially allude to "incitement to hate", but again if they are
taken out of context they do not do justice to the true underlying
peaceful teachings of those scriptures. This then represents a bias
towards religion itself.
The fault line , i strongly feel, is not at all the Holy Scriptures
which God has revealed over the centuries and for which i have a deep love
and affection for, but those creatures called Human beings who lay claim
to its interpretation, albeit wrong interpretations.
Competing interests:
None declared
Competing interests: No competing interests