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Misunderstandings About Islam
For nearly a decade, Islam has been involved in heated debates throughout the United State. Many of the defining issues of our time have involved religious differences, and yet the Muslim world continues to be largely misrepresented by the media. Some of the most basic rules and beliefs within the faith remain unexplored or unknown.
Here is a look at some common questions and misunderstandings.
• Hijab, Muslim women's headscarf, is the most visible indicator of Islam today. Hijab literally translates to modesty and morality. Whether to veil or not depends on the interpretation of modesty among Muslim women. Some argue that Hijab oppresses women and limits their ability to interact in the social realm. Headscarf debates have developed of late in Europe, where many Muslim women claim that Hijab should be an independent and optional choice.
• Hate crimes and backlash against Middle Easterners and Muslims after the tragic 9/11 attack and occupation of Afghanistan and Iraq have increased both in the US and in Europe. Still, for many the term Muslim means terrorist. The majority of these hate crimes are regularly committed against average Muslim citizens. It is often overlooked that terrorist groups such as Al-Qaeda who are interpreting Islam to the most extreme ends are a small minority among Muslim sects and make up a minute population of Muslims around the world.
• So, how many wives is it? It is crucial to state that monogamy among Muslims is the norm. But it is true that Islam does not provide restrictions against polygamy. When looking at the Quran -- the holy book of Muslims -- polygamy is encouraged at times of war, when many women are widowed and the support of orphans could strengthen the sense of society and community. At the same time, Islam only allows polygamy if the man is capable of providing equal opportunity and support for his wives. It is important to note that many Muslim scholars today are arguing for a more modern reinterpretation of Islamic laws.
• Are all Muslim Arabs? No. The largest Muslim nation in the world is Indonesia while Saudi Arabia is the largest Muslim Nation among Arab countries. Also, Christians, Jews, and other religious groups live in the Middle East along with Muslims.
• Allah, an Arabic word which means "one God" refers to the god of the monotheistic religions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. It is often misunderstood that Allah of Islam is different from the God of Christianity. In the simplest words, Islam is an Ibrahamic religion which does not deny or disapprove of the other two Ibrahamic religions.
• Who is Prophet Mohammad ? Muslims believe that Prophet Mohammad is the messenger of God. He is the last Prophet after Moses and Jesus. It is often thought that Muslims worship Prophet Mohammad as the God. Some controversies after the depictions of the Prophet in the Danish newspaper supported this belief that since Muslims worship the Prophet, they were enraged. Simply, Islam does not allow any depiction of the Prophet or other religious figures.
• 72 virgins promised? The idea that Islam promises 72 virgins to Muslim suicide bombers was spread for the first time by the publication of cartoons in a Danish newspaper in 2006. Many offended Muslims from around the world criticized the images. The debate over what rewards and punishments Islam promises to Muslims demands deep and detailed interpretations. However, Islam strictly condemns any type of suicide and there is no verse in the Quran that urges Muslims to sacrifice themselves for the sake of 72 virgin wives.
• Jihad is one of the most debatable topics of Islam today. It carries various connotations. While it literally means to struggle, the interpretation of "holy war" has seemed to stick. What fascinates me the most about this topic is that only a small group of fundamental and militant Muslims interpret Jihad as what Daniel Pipes and others call "legal, compulsory, communal effort to expand the territories ruled by Muslims at the expense of territories ruled by non-Muslims."
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Brian L. Hope
12:47AM 12:47AM Apr 14th 2009
Islam made some positive contributions to civilization in its early centuries, two most notable examples being the Moslem philosophers known to medieval Europe as Averroes and Avicenna. Their writings had a significant influence on western philosophy. However, during the 13th century, Islam turned its back on these contributors and made a commitment to the preservation of barbarism and intolerance which continues to dominate this faith - similar to Christianity several centuries ago until the rise of secular enlightenment in the 17th & 18th centuries.
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Bob
12:56AM 12:56AM Apr 14th 2009
The author sounds almost reasonable. However, a judge in Saudi Arabia today denied the APPEAL (2nd attempt)of a woman trying to have her 8-year old daughter's MARRIAGE to a 47-year old man annulled. I hardly think that a sitting Saudi judge represents the Muslim fringe. The daughter was given over as payment for a debt. What is there to understand here? i don't care if the man "promised" to not have sex with her until puberty. Today that could be as early as 11 or 12 or 13 years of age. Am I missing something? Is something obvious not sinking in with me? Or am I just misunderstanding and assuming the worst?
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ROLLINGROCKBOB
3:04PM 3:04PM Apr 15th 2009
ITS A CULT AND THE MEMBERS ARE BRAIN WASHED,ER SHOULD I SAY BRAIN DEAD.
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Cameron
1:05AM 1:05AM Sep 6th 2009
That case only shows the corruption of a government. These governments just use Islam as a scapegoat, yes a scapegoat, to assert their authority over the people which is absolutly ridiculous.
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xenia
6:58AM 6:58AM Feb 3rd 2010
i would like to clarify this here..there are such practices in many muslim countries but that is a cultural phenomenn rather than religious..mostly in patriarchal societies n where education is much needed. i dont know abt da verdict quoted here but i can tell that once a woman came to Prophet Mohammad (peace b upon Him) and told that she was married without her consent at which tje Prophet declared tha marriage annuled unless consented by the woman n in islam even nikah(marriage covenant) is not binding if tha girl doesnt give her consent..basically islam is misrepresentd largaly by muslim uneducated n illiterate masses.
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robrt lipton
2:08AM 2:08AM Apr 14th 2009
how any women can commend islam, which places onerous rules and restrictions on women, is beyond reason. it is consensual surrender to p patriarchic culture which has kept women in their place for centuries
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george
2:51AM 2:51AM Apr 14th 2009
THERE ARE NO MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT MUSLIMS - IF YOU DON'T BELIEVE IN THE KORAN YOU'RE AN INFIDEL AND THEY KILL INFIDELS.
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KJ
5:22AM 5:22AM Apr 14th 2009
1. Christians are not so flamboyant to bring attention to themselves by wearing head scarfs.that is arrogance.Muslims that try to wear burkas for drivers license dont help their cause 2.The """PEACEFUL"""muslims (where are they???) need to speak out and act like theyre the majority, its not the media's fault that they cannot find these multitudes you talk about. again...where are they?????
3.Why do YOU have to offer apologies for ""misinterpretation""" let someone from C.A.I.R. come forward...where are they?????? 4.These animals would be stopped if they were Christians...how is it that Christians are KILLED for their missionary efforts and if a muslim is roused a little by someone not even a Christian, you call it a HATE CRIME????????
You are delusional, at best. Maybe a little too much wine???? IF ISLAM WANTS TO STOP THESE MORONS, THEY WOULD.
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tiklwhskr
11:26AM 11:26AM Apr 14th 2009
KJ - if you actually read the Bible, you will see that grown Christian women are not supposed to leave the house with their heads uncovered. It is only appropriate for a woman's husband to see her hair. So this isn't a flamboyant "Islam thing", but rather an archaic belief about women's modesty.
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Bruce
10:07PM 10:07PM Apr 14th 2009
That's not in the Bible dude. You really should read it before you play theologian. In 1Cor. Paul is talking about a woman praying with her head uncovered (a symbol of authority in Corinth in the first century). Nowhere does it say that a woman leaving the house without a head covering is in sin.
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kj
2:26PM 2:26PM Apr 15th 2009
HOGWASH! ! ! CHRISTIANS SPREAD THE GOOD NEWS Y DOING MISSION WORK..WATER WELLS IN AFRICA, BUILDING HOMES IN USA, LTIN AMERICA, EUROPE, CARING FOR THE SICK.IF YOU WANT TO LIE ABOUT CHRISTIANITY AND SAY THEYRE VIOLENT, THEN YOU HAVE TO BE A LIAR THROUGH AND THROUGH! ! THE CRUSADES WERE 500 YEARS OR MORE AGO! ! ! AND THAT WAS MORE OF A A WAR AGAINST MOOOSLIMS THAT TOOK JERUSALEM BY FORCE ! ! ! ! ! !
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KJ
5:22AM 5:22AM Apr 14th 2009
WHAT PATHETIC LOSER WOULD WRITE SUCH AN ARTICLE?? HATE CRIME??????????? YOU NEED TO LEARN REALITY AND STOP WITH THE SYMPATHY FOR TERRORISTS AND THOSE THAT COME TO THE USA TO HARM OR COLONIZE
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Alyssa
2:08PM 2:08PM Apr 15th 2009
The author isn't sympathizing with terrorists in the least. The author is pointing out the truth that "Muslim" and "terrorist" are not the same thing. You take the actions for a vast minority an attribute it to a billion people. Timothy McVeigh was a Christian. Do you label all Christians everywhere of being terrorists?
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George Williams
6:05PM 6:05PM Apr 22nd 2009
KJ
5:22AM 5:22AM Apr 14th 2009
WHAT PATHETIC LOSER WOULD WRITE SUCH AN ARTICLE?? HATE CRIME??????????? YOU NEED TO LEARN REALITY AND STOP WITH THE SYMPATHY FOR TERRORISTS AND THOSE THAT COME TO THE USA TO HARM OR COLONIZE
Wow, I'm glad I fucking wasted 4 years of my life defending piece of shit trailer trash like you, I hope your inbred family gets thier trailer park snatched up into the heavens, and God throws your remains out into the sea. That's what I feel inside, but I guess the morre apt(mature thing to say is, well, America is a land of colonists. Every single last one of us. America has it's own terrorists too, and to blanket blame all Arabic people is tantamount to stupidity.
Irish,Chinese,Japanese, Germans, Indians,Middle eastern, African Americans, and hell even in some cases Anglo Saxon people have been treated like crap in the past for things they supposedlly might do, you and your attitude need to go back into the 18-1th century where you belong. See a lot more mature, but the first one felt a whole lot better.
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fatherdjohnson
7:14AM 7:14AM Apr 14th 2009
Nice try, but, given the apologies made here, how do Muslims explain the history of their religion? The fact that it was spread by military conquest and bloodshed (otherwise it would have remained an obscure Arabian sect) and it required the subjugation of non-Muslims and their relegation to second- or even third-class status wherever Islam prevails. In many places in the Muslim world it is either ILLEGAL or plain dangerous to be anything but a Muslim...in short, don't let the apologists fool you and don't let these people come to our country presuming to lecture us about the meaning of religious freedom and the virtue of toleration!
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James
9:26AM 9:26AM Apr 14th 2009
Sir I mean you no disrespect with my comments but hasn't all been religion spread by bloodshed and conquest. I seem to recall the native people of this continent being 'forced to convert' or die. I surely would have hated to live in Salem Mass. 'back in the day' and have the church deal with me as it dealt with the 'witches', or I'd have hated being African brought here by slaveships and 'coaxed' into becoming Christian. Anyway my point is, none of us should be casting stones at others cause 'our' house doesn't have the greatest history either. Teach Peace.
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Jacki
11:13AM 11:13AM Apr 14th 2009
That is how almost all religion was spread, especially Christianity.
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mike
11:22PM 11:22PM Apr 14th 2009
Explain to me how christians explain their history. They went around killing people just the same as those in the muslim religion. As I always say there is a lil bad in everything and that includes religion when you use religion to murder.
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Mike Evernham
10:01AM 10:01AM Apr 14th 2009
1. The majority of terrorists in the world are Islamic.
2. The Taliban is Islamic.
3. Osama Bin Laden is Islamic
4. ALL the most notorious acts of terrorism committed during both the 20th and 21st centuries have been committed by Islamic terrorists.
Your religion isn't the problem. Your fanaticism is.
These are the facts - they are NOT in dispute - Islamic fanaticism CANNOT be defended - Islamic religion can.
If the leaders of Islam want the bloodshed to end, it will. Simply stated, they would rather hate Christians, Jews and all other non-Islam populations.
Islam is NOT a religion of hate. Islamic followers and their leaders ARE making it a religion of hate.
Clean up your own house and quit trying to make excuses and apologies. Only then will the world return to peaceful toleration of the Islamic faith. Until then, ALL Islamic followers who do anything else will be doing nothing but helping the rest of the world come to not only misunderstand the teachings of Islam, but to automatically discount the teachings of Islam as extremist and hateful and not worth spending any meaningful time on.
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George Williams
7:21PM 7:21PM May 1st 2009
So....when the Oklahoma city bombings took place, yeah, the white guy who was to blame was muslim? awesome.Timothy James McVeigh never was a muslim, and it was pretty much an act of terrorism, and there are more too, so since you think that's correct, I can make a false assumption stating that every caucasian neocon poster of these forums is a part time member of the KKK and is also a member of Stormfront right? since this is make up story time? lol
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