Common misconceptions about Islam - help needed
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Progress on my end about this has been slow. Mainly because I thought it would simply be a case of reviewing articles already written and refining them to compile a simple list. Little did I realise there is hardly any good quality information like this out there (no wonder people are being misled!) so a significant part has to be done from scratch, and I dont have that kind of time at the moment.
Anyone have even a small contribution to make in answering the specific issues brought up? A link to an article, a book? Anything?
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will there be grave punishment for a muslim who does not pray due to laziness like burning in hellfire and so on >(
Dear Sulh,
What is not in Quran is not what God says. What God does not say is not Islam. 5 times prayer is Buhari's and mullahs' inventions and to Hell with them. Do not pray the ritualistic body straightening and bending and falling for it is not said in quran. If you do not do this you are already in the path of Allah. Heaven is yours.
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Anyone have even a small contribution to make in answering the specific issues brought up? A link to an article, a book? Anything?
You might be able to find some on the http//www.answering-christianity.com/ website, most likely as many of those misconceptions were created by such people.
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peace all,
Almost a year after this thread was started, not one response was given to any of the misconceptions listed.
But it is always better to light a candle than to curse the darkness is it not? ;D
An initial draft for the following misconceptions have now been done
Misconception Death for apostasy
Misconception Stoning to death allowed
Misconception Must be "Muslim" or you will go to Hell
Misconception No freedom of religion
Misconception Women confined to houses
Misconception Statues/images forbidden
Misconception A man and woman cannot be alone together
Misconception Religion and science/reason/knowledge are not compatible
Misconception Alcohol is forbidden
Misconception Islam and The Quran promotes a clash of civilisations
Misconception Islam promotes honour killings of women
Misconception Allah is the God for Muslims
Misconception Forced marriage is allowed in Islam
Misconception Muslims reject Jesus
Misconception Muhammad was the founder of Islam
Misconception All Muslims are Arabs
Misconception Islam was spread by the sword
Misconception Islam and The Quran promotes fighting, war and terrorism
Misconception Two female witnesses are equivalent to one male witness
Misconception Women receive less than men in issues of inheritance
Misconception Males/Females are required to be circumcised
Misconception Martyrs will receive 72 virgins in paradise
Misconception Woman/Eve created from the rib of Man/Adam
Misconception Islam and The Quran promotes suicide bombing
Misconception Muslim men have to grow a beard
Misconception Gold and silver are banned for Muslims
Misconception Islam and The Quran promotes 'jihad' or 'holy war'
Misconception Islam and The Quran promotes slavery
Misconception In Islam homosexuals must be put to death
Misconception Polygamy - Muslim men can have as many wives as they wishThe following remain unfinished, thus if anyone wishes to write something, feel free
women are required to cover up
wife beating is allowed
women have no rights in Islam
the punishment for theft is cutting off the thief's handsThe site will be catered to misconceptions about islam from non-Muslims, not misconceptions about Islam from traditional Muslims, although some content will overlap. If anyone can think of other misconceptions, feel free to mention them.
Site launch will be with or without the unifinished ones above, in mid April, GW.
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Salaam
Misconception More women will go to Hell
The widely publicized belief, among Muslims, of more women than men being destined for Hell originates in Judaism and Christianity, rather than in Islam, with the idea of Eve being responsible for the 'orginal sin', and there is no support in the Qura'n for this view .
peace -
666
First of all you must understand one thing quite clearly, The Holy Quran is a re-confirmation of the previous scriptures ie, the Torah and the Ingell, we as muslims have to beleive in these books also, and we also have to believe in Moses. pbuh , Jesus. pbuh, they too were our prophets. The books which were handed down to man decided to change the books to make illegal things legal and legal things illegal to basically suit their wn selfish agendas. That is why Our Lord Allah, sent the Quran and told all of us that He will guard it from corruption, and uptil today not one single word has been changed. Therefore children, it is very essential that all of you just hold onto the Holy Quran and read it and understand it with meaning, the Quran has miracles within all the chapters, therefore the more you read it the more inspired will you all become.
The reason we are at our lowest ebb is simply because your elders had never guided you properly as to how to conduct yourselves in a proper manner, Muslim merely means to submit to God, therefore you cannot look at another person of another faith and tell him that he is a kafir, each and every human being has been born a muslim and in time they will all reinvert back to their true religion, it is a cycle which will be accomplished, in the meantime the ones who were born muslims should study in all aspects of education and read the Quran as much as possible, only then will you all be able to explain in a wise manner to everyone the religion which has been chosen by our LORD for us creatures to follow.
Islam is a religion of tolerance, therefore we as humans will make mistakes, strive to learn how we are to live in the life of the world, but if you do make mistakes do not worry ALLAH is the gentle and the Kind and He loves His creatures who merely Love Him. -
The following have been added
Misconception Adoption is not allowed in Islam
Misconception Dogs are not allowed to be kept by Muslims
Misconception Muslim women must fully cover up in Islam
Misconception A Muslim husband can divorce his wife immediately
Misconception Islam is a racist religion
Misconception Islam and The Quran orders thieves' hands to be cut off for this crimeThus, the one remaining is wife beating.
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Salaam,
Thus, the one remaining is wife beating.
Afghan law legalizes rape of wife, critics say
http//www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-afghan-law3-2009apr03,0,647468.storyPresident Hamid Karzai draws fire for signing the legislation related to Shiite Muslim life. It also prevents women from leaving the house without a man's permission.
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I read that today also. In any case, this thread is about providing a website resource/tool to educate and thus hopefully prevent/reduce such things.
In such websites, content is king, hence this thread.
Misconception Women confined to houses
Background Some think that in Islam a woman's place is in the home and they are not allowed outside or without the permission of their husbands or male family members. Some also think that women should not be allowed out by themselves unless chaperoned.
The Quran has several examples in which women are able to go freely and be amongst the community. The most clear example are in the references to Mary, some of which are shown below
And relate in the Scripture Mary, when she withdrew herself from her family to a place which was to the east.
So she was pregnant with him, and she retired to a far place.
"So eat and drink and be happy. If you see any person, then Say "I have made a vow of abstention for the Almighty, and I will not talk today to any person."
Then she came to her people carrying him. They said "O Mary, you have come with something totally unexpected!"The above verses prove beyond doubt that she was alone in a location where it was possible other people may have met her, and then she returned to her people.
The example of Mary is very important because The Quran gives her a special status
And when the angels said O Mary! surely God has chosen you and purified you and selected you above the women of all the beings.
The Quran also gives an example in which believing women were allowed to be amongst the community even in times of hostility
And those who harm the believing men and the believing women, with no just reason, shall bear the guilt of slander and an evident crime.
O prophet, tell your wives, your daughters, and the wives of the believers that they should lengthen upon themselves their outer garments. That is better so that they would be recognized and not harmed. God is Forgiver, Merciful.
If the hypocrites, and those with disease in their hearts and those who spread lies in the city do not refrain, then We will let you overpower them, then they will not be able to remain as your neighbours except for a short while.Women were also free to petition the prophet directly (who would have been the leader of the community at the time)
God has heard the woman who pleads with you regarding her husband, and she complained to God. And God hears the argument between you. God is Hearer, Seer.
There is also an example in which an engaged couple may meet in secret if they have something righteous to discuss
And there is no sin upon you if you openly propose marriage to these women, or you keep it between yourselves. God knows that you will be thinking of them, but do not meet them secretly, unless you have something righteous to discuss...
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peace all,
The site is now live for proofreading/testing
http//www.misconceptions-about-islam.com
Nothing on the website is final, i.e. feedback on any part of it is welcome, including content. Either personal message me or post comments here.
The site search function does not work yet because it is a new site so google has not indexed the site yet. The "more" and "acknowledgements" page content is not done yet.
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Peace Wakas,
I just checked out the website, and it's very good and informative. Keep up the good work...
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peace all,
The site is now live for proofreading/testing
http//www.misconceptions-about-islam.com
Nothing on the website is final, i.e. feedback on any part of it is welcome, including content. Either personal message me or post comments here.
The site search function does not work yet because it is a new site so google has not indexed the site yet. The "more" and "acknowledgements" page content is not done yet.
Another site with the same content will be created using content management system software, so it will look a bit different. The address for that website will be islam-and-muslims.com
Peace,
Quick comments
Marriage to 9 year olds is missing...
http//www.muhammadanism.org/Hadith/Topics/Marriage.htmInheritance verses revolve around and are depended on #of females thus exists a situation where an only daughter gets twice as much as her brothers.
411 ...and if she was one, so for her the half
Perhaps links to articles which further clarify or give alternate points of view.
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Peace brother Wakas,
The site is now live for proofreading/testing
http//www.misconceptions-about-islam.com
Nothing on the website is final, i.e. feedback on any part of it is welcome, including content. Either personal message me or post comments here.
The site search function does not work yet because it is a new site so google has not indexed the site yet. The "more" and "acknowledgements" page content is not done yet.
Another site with the same content will be created using content management system software, so it will look a bit different. The address for that website will be islam-and-muslims.comGood work.
You might want to add that the most common and fatal misconception that resulted in all other misconceptions is in the title of the website. Fortunately, there are no common misconceptions about peacemaking so all the misconceptions would instantly vanish.
Peace,
Ayman
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Wakas - thanks for all the hard work that you do. My first comment on your website
Many articles and books have been written about a religion followed by over one billion people worldwide
I believe the concept of your statement to be contrary to the teachings of the Quran. What exactly is "a muslim"? I suspect that this number you are referencing is a count of the number of people that refer to themselves as "a muslim". I believe that this excludes from your count the number of people that follow God's guidance but do not call themselves "muslims". It also includes (in my experience) a tremendous number of people who call themselves "muslims" but do a poor job of following God's guidance.
What exactly do you mean by ""? Are you suggesting that they are "following the 'religion' in conformance with God's guidance"? Or do you simply mean that these people have labeled themselves "muslims" and so they get to be counted as one who "" the "religion" regardless of whether they are actually following it or not?
I believe that the PRIMARY misconception of non-"muslims" and "muslims" alike is the misconception that the Quran suggests that only those people who recognize the Quran as God's guidance should be counted as "muslims".
I suggest that from the start, you are fueling the most damaging misconception with your statement above. You are claiming that the "religion" that is "followed" is ONLY followed by "one billion people" - and that this "religion" is "Islam" and is "followed " by "muslims".
I believe the Quran teaches us that AlKtab was given to all prophets and that the Quran is an explanation of AlKtab. I don't find that other sects have corrupted AlKtab any more than people who call themselves "muslims" have done. Yet those who call themselves "muslims", who HAVE the Quran (i.e. the only accurate recording of God's guidance), behave no differently than the other sects by taking the same position as the other sects, a position that I find the Quran teaches us NOT to take
"We are the ones who follow God's true guidance and this is what we are called. We are different from you other sects and we will try and teach you how to follow God's true guidance".
In peace-
SamsonPS - I don't want my post to 'derail' this thread, so I have created a new thread for those who may have something to say on this topic
http//free-minds.org/forum/index.php?topic=9598127.0
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Salaam Samson/all
I do not think you are derailing the thread; but yes, it's a good idea to have a seperate thread on the greatest misconception the concept of "islam" and "muslim". I think Ayman also points to this, and adds that all these misconceptions are the result of the main one.
On the other hand, I believe that when these "secondary" misconceptions are pointed out, people, especially "Muslims", would be more interested in the whole topic instead of turning them off by the "big" misconception. Let them find it themselves. -
Thanks Samia. I am pleasantly surprised that the first response to my post was a supportive one. In my experience, that is highly unusual for the position I stated!
As I am unaware of Ayman's posts, I am afraid that the new thread I created may be redundant...
I would be grateful if someone can point me towards Ayman's writeups on this matter and I agree in principle to the primary/secondary misconceptions as you've described.
In peace-
Samson -
As I am unaware of Ayman's posts, I am afraid that the new thread I created may be redundant...
I would be grateful if someone can point me towards Ayman's writeups on this matter and I agree in principle to the primary/secondary misconceptions as you've described.
You're welcome.
Ayman's posts are on this thread and here are their links
http//free-minds.org/forum/index.php?topic=16793.msg177074#msg177074
http//free-minds.org/forum/index.php?topic=16793.msg177240#msg177240
http//free-minds.org/forum/index.php?topic=16793.msg197498#msg197498
and I do not think your new thread is redundant. It's an elaboration on the concept of what really "islam" is. There's another thread which changed into discussing the meaning of "muslim"
http//free-minds.org/forum/index.php?topic=9598099.0
