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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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kj
2:26PM 2:26PM Apr 15th 2009
nothing like a little distortion with ONE story to make a dig at Christians. Missionaries do GOOD WORK and they are """""""TOLERANT"""""" , you MORON
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Jim
12:44PM 12:44PM Apr 14th 2009
Go back to the middle east and leave us alone. We want our jobs and our safety back.
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Yaweh I am
1:35PM 1:35PM Apr 14th 2009
Probably the single most damaging and erroneous belief by muslims is that they serve the same god as Christians and Jews. Yahweh (LORD in English) is the one, and only God, and that is the name he has given himself in the scriptures. Allah is a god defined by the Koran, and bears zero resemblance to Yahweh. Christians and jews do not recognize the god described in the Quran and muslims insisting it's the same god will not change a thing.
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willco66
5:07PM 5:07PM Apr 23rd 2009
The Kor'an is close to the old testament. Also, Allah means God in Arabic. Allah is not exactly the same god as Jews and Christians
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Anne
2:25PM 2:25PM Apr 14th 2009
I heard of the 72 virgins long before the danish cartoons of 2006. You know, when some members of the Islamic faith murdered a minsiter and a catholic nun. But I see your point about them being a religion of peace. And they protest in London, Paris, Denmark, Belgium, Spain and on and on. And they KILL in those places as well. Why not just stay in Muslim countries and leave the Jewish and Christian world alone.
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jparchery02
3:10PM 3:10PM Apr 14th 2009
what is their to misunderstand ? all terrorists are islamic. islamic terrorists hate Americans.chairman obama has said it is against his law to call islamic terrorists ....terrorists obamas dhs head Janet nazipolitano has refused to call islamic terrorists.... terrorists but has just put out a warning that right wing terrorists might cause violent uprisings against the United Socialist States of America that this govt by the socialist for the socialist and of the socialists has created. nazipolitano is a fvcking pig she calls right wing activists who have done nothing terrorists but refuses to call the terrorists.. terrorists she and obama both need a slap up side there empty socalist heads
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DonG
5:08PM 5:08PM Apr 14th 2009
O, but Islam does deny the God of Christianity. The Christian faith says that Jesus Christ is "the way, the truth, and the life" and that "no one comes to the Father but by him." That Jesus is the only begotten Son of God and, that if you wish to know what God is like, then look at Jesus; this they completely deny.
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Mccormack
5:40PM 5:40PM Apr 14th 2009
A core question for me is this: Does the Koran call on all Islamists to kill all infidels? And is it rue that by definition anyone is an infidel if he does not believe everything the Koran says?
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robert
6:50PM 6:50PM Apr 14th 2009
muslums are all bad, and the so called president is just as bad he shouldnt even be president and it seems everyone forgot about 911 and now we.re supposed to kiss ass and pay taxes. wow i;m glad to be american not
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robert
6:53PM 6:53PM Apr 14th 2009
evryone forgot about 911 and the president shouldnt be president all muslum are bad even the president and we;re suppose to pay taxes and kiss ass
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Joe Six-Pack
10:26PM 10:26PM Apr 15th 2009
"For most of the 1400 years of Islamic history, jihad has been most commonly interpreted as being armed struggle for the advancement or defense of Muslim power". (Bernard Lewis)
I am a historian as well. Today, jihad is commonly thought of as armed struggle. It is not some small minority that believes this way. Jihad is an important issue, but not even close to being all of the issues the violence and organized warfare is about.
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abbsart
8:51PM 8:51PM Apr 14th 2009
My imaginary friend is cooler than your imaginary friend........Religion is and always has been the cause of our problems and not one of them knows what the hell they are talking about! If you feel that you know god and yours is the only god,thank you, for you are a moron and your rattling on about B.S. gives you away. Heres your sign!
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Dave
8:47PM 8:47PM Apr 14th 2009
This so called religion is a radical cult.
Be serious people. Or should i say Infadels?
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Doug
9:01PM 9:01PM Apr 14th 2009
I'll trust followers of Islam when they produce Bin Laden's head on a platter at the White House.
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Infidel Stein
3:17AM 3:17AM Apr 15th 2009
I say "Round them up and Exterminate them". Problem solved. Theres a big empty prison in Poland, Hasn't been used in years. Round them up and gas'em. Already set up for Trash to be Burned. Rid the world of this Problem. These people do not see life as Free Men do. If you don't see it thier way, To them there is no other way.
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Eiserneskreuz
8:16AM 8:16AM Apr 15th 2009
Yeah right, we need to understand more... That's the problem... Tell you what, when your Muslim clerics / terrorist, start acting like human beings, instead of "f"ing animals , then maybe I'll take the time to listen to anything you have to say.. Until then, we need to exterminate you like rats..With all do respect ..
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fatherdjohnson
8:57AM 8:57AM Apr 15th 2009
As a follow-up to my earlier comments, I would remind those who have responded with their cautionary but uninformed remarks that it would do them some good to research the origins of Islam, its consistent spread by means of warfare and conquest, and how it REALLY treats those unfortunate to live as non-Muslims in their societies.
And if you wish to have the most telling comparison of all, just compare the first three centuries of Christian and Islamic history: the former became a world religion by letting themselves be killed while the latter became a world religion by going forth and killing. The difference is a telling one. And as for those occasional ugly episodes in later Christian history (forced conversions, pogroms, etc.), they are, contrary to the secular historians with their minors in Christian-bashing, the exceptions that prove the rule, namely, that when it is systematically compared to Christianity, Islam is an inherently violent, intolerant, and discriminatory religion.
Don't judge Muslims by what they largely by what they say and less by what they do in America where they are constrained by our laws and traditions of toleration, rather judge them by their own record of what they do in the lands of their origin where Islam has held sway and non-Muslims are kept under the boot: savage and continuing warfare, expansionism, institutional discrimation, and hatred for what we in the West value.
The myth of a noble Islamic philosophy of multiculturalism and toleration is just that, a myth, one cobbled together by Muslim apologists and self-hating Western academicians who paint the intolerant as tolerant without realizing that the Western liberal would be the first to die under that same Islamic hegemony they seek to praise.
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victor
9:47AM 9:47AM Apr 15th 2009
George, you are such an ignorant, keep your comments to yourself please
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mat
12:01PM 12:01PM Apr 15th 2009
Garbage, this is propaganda at it's finest. They obviously think that the Muslim nation is so hostile to Americans because of our negative social views on Muslims. Well there's a reason why are views are negative. I mean look at the archives, just yesterday there was a headline saying "Teen couple executed for trying to elope?" God does not promote violence. Muslims promote terrorism....Conflict of interest or what?!
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Reza Santorini
12:52PM 12:52PM Apr 15th 2009
Islam is not a religion of peace nor has it ever been. Although most religions have considered themselves better than some, at a particular time in history, Islam continues to do so right NOW. I can say to most other people Jews and Christians and B'Hais and Buddhists, etc. can live next to each other. I can't say that to a Muslim..they will look away and pretend I didn't speak. They are internally insulted because they know Islam is better than most other religions and unless they live in a country where they are free to act as if it is, they feel insulted.
Additionally, there doesn't seem to be any moderates in Islam...if they exist they keep quiet and in doing so validate the acts of the most extreme.
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