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I have rarely been so upset at the comments I have read and as a muslim I have to vent my frustration about the ignorance of this person and also the media for only showing stories like this.
An excerpt from http://www.cbc.ca/cp/world/050712/w0712126.html where a man in the Netherlands convicted of killing an outspoken critic of Islam gave his closing statements at his trial.
He said: "What moved me to do what I did was purely my faith . . . I was motivated by the law that commands me to cut off the head of anyone who insults Allah and his prophet."
"I have to admit I don't have any sympathy for you," he said. "I can't feel for you because I think you're a non-believer."
The purpose of this explanation is to remove the misportrayal of Islam as a harsh and brutal religion which condones violence and is intolerant to non-muslims. I'll also touch briefly on some of the media buzzwords that have been misused to strike fear into the hearts of non-muslims.
I have been a muslim for over a year and a half and in that time and before I've done a lot of researching including reading the Holy Qur'an over 4 times which is the basis of Islam and the book that all muslims are bound to live their life by.
This convicted killer has said he did it for "his faith" (Islam) and that there is a law that says he must kill people who are against Islam.
Everything this man did is wrong and CONTRARY to the very basis of Islam. There is absolutely no "law" or "rule" or any mention in the Holy Qur'an to kill someone for religious faith and killing by beheading has no place in Islam and never has. Unfortunately people in every religion use it as a crutch to stand on or for their own political gain.
In fact Islam itself is a religion of tolerance and peace and only allows violence as a self-defence and last resort to save your life and the life of your family and community. Aggression is not allowed, only self-defence.
The quotes below from the Holy Qur'an should be enough evidence:
22:39. To those against whom war is made, permission is given (to fight), because they are wronged;- and verily, Allah is most powerful for their aid;-
22:40. (They are) those who have been expelled from their homes in defiance of right,- (for no cause) except that they say, "our Lord is Allah.. Did not Allah check one set of people by means of another, there would surely have been pulled down monasteries, churches, synagogues, and mosques, in which the name of Allah is commemorated in abundant measure. Allah will certainly aid those who aid his (cause);- for verily Allah is full of Strength, Exalted in Might, (able to enforce His Will).
The other frustrating thing is that all we will ever see in the media are stories about the few muslims who commit violent or extreme acts, less than 1% of the 1.2 billion muslims of all backgrounds throughout the world.
After the London Bombings they were harshly condemned throughout the Islamic world but they were given minimal or no coverage at all.
It is easy to see why the world has such a skewed and distorted message of Islam. The media will broadcast every extremist's comments but never bothers to research Islam or broadcast the voice of other muslims. The only balance I've found is to read a combination of Reuters, CBC, AP and Aljazeera to actually find out what the truth is.
The ironic thing is that Americans in particular claim that Islam is intolerant and a religion of terror yet in any discussion forums on-line which are filled with anti-Islamic comments, bigotry and hate refuse to listen to anything other than CNN, George Bush and anti-Islamic preaching from many Evangelical Churches. Whenever evidence pointed to the contrary is shown they ask you to stop talking about religion even though they were the ones trashing Islam without any knowledge.
The truth is that Islam is being singled out in the world. The KKK is a Christian group who promotes their Christian values and any educated person knows their history yet no one sees the Christians as terrorists. Every month we hear about another priest who has molested children but no one would ever accuse the Christians of being pedophiles. Simply, these acts are done by people who use the religion as a cover and an excuse and just because a Christian or Muslim or whatever faith they may be should not reflect on an entire people.
Islam is actually a universal religion and contrary to the media portrayal we are actually the most accepting and tolerant religion. The Qur'an itself declares it was brought for ALL OF MAN KIND and says we are all really one people, the sons of Adam and Eve. Islam teaches us tolerance, patient, charity and kindness to all humans. A human life is a human life regardless of their color or religion. The reason being that we believe in one god, the same god who brought the Tor'ah, Bible and other prophets including Abraham, Moses and Jesus to name a few who you will find mentioned and praised in the Holy Qur'an. Islam is the ONLY religion to accept all divine revelation (Bible, Tor'ah, Qur'an and all other holy scriptures) and all the prophets whereas other religions only believe in the books and prophets that came to their people. Before you think about Islam you should do your research and not just listen to me or any other source, the truth can only be found through education, reading, research and most importantly common sense.
If anyone wants more information or sources then feel free to ask me and I'll be glad to explain what I can. Islam is really the most misunderstood religion in the world although it is the largest religion.
Take this fun BBC Quiz about Islam:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/newsid_4190000/newsid_4191500/4191599.stm
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