If you or someone you know is anti-Islam, Why?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If the Orthodox belief system is hostile to women, non-Jews and gays, how do you attempt to justify the reasons why you stay and why you'd raise your children in such a backward environment?

I lived in a predominantly Jewish (mostly Orthodox) area.

insular and arrogant

Anonymous wrote:Muslima, the more defensive you are about Islam, the less sympathetic people will be.

I am an Orthodox Jew but I can acknowledge that there are parts of Judaism that are difficult - unfair to women, to non-jews, gays.

Religion is hard. Its difficult for believers to follow and incredibly difficult (if not impossible) for those without the same belief system to understand.

Instead of being so defensive and trying to explain why everything little law is not as bad as it seems, just acknowledge that you have a different belief system and that although some Muslims impose that on others, thats not your interpretation of the Quoran.

I never said hostile, I said unfair. Many parts of life are unfair. There are parts that are unfair to men as well. People sacrifice fairness for other things like community, belief system, a desire to achieve more in life, etc.

I don't believe I am insular or arrogant and have said nothing to deserve name calling.

I'm sorry, but I see no difference btw hostile and unfair.

If you're purposely unfair, you're hostile.

I find it hypocritical that you continue to embrace this thinking - especially as a woman.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If the Orthodox belief system is hostile to women, non-Jews and gays, how do you attempt to justify the reasons why you stay and why you'd raise your children in such a backward environment?

I lived in a predominantly Jewish (mostly Orthodox) area.

insular and arrogant

Anonymous wrote:Muslima, the more defensive you are about Islam, the less sympathetic people will be.

I am an Orthodox Jew but I can acknowledge that there are parts of Judaism that are difficult - unfair to women, to non-jews, gays.

Religion is hard. Its difficult for believers to follow and incredibly difficult (if not impossible) for those without the same belief system to understand.

Instead of being so defensive and trying to explain why everything little law is not as bad as it seems, just acknowledge that you have a different belief system and that although some Muslims impose that on others, thats not your interpretation of the Quoran.

I never said hostile, I said unfair. Many parts of life are unfair. There are parts that are unfair to men as well. People sacrifice fairness for other things like community, belief system, a desire to achieve more in life, etc.

I don't believe I am insular or arrogant and have said nothing to deserve name calling.

I'm sorry, but I see no difference btw hostile and unfair.

If you're purposely unfair, you're hostile.

I find it hypocritical that you continue to embrace this thinking - especially as a woman.

Some people choose to work within a system to change it and not just abandon it. There are lots of parts of American society and capitalism that are unfair, but I don't abandon those either.

[Anonymous]

Matthew 7:15-17 wrote:Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit

Look around the world. From Somalia to Libya to Syria to Iraq to Iran to Afghanistan to Pakistan. Look from Al-Qaeda to Boko Haram to the Taliban to ISIS. These are the people of God? Where are the great inventions, the medical breakthroughs (zero Nobel Prizes for medicine??), or scientific discoveries in the last 800 years? Where are Islamic countries anywhere a model for the rest of the world?

You will know them by their fruits.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am not anti-Islam per se, but do not agree with the ideologial views held by many radicalized populations of this religion who believe that those who do not share the same beliefs are the enemy, and that it is ok to resort to violence to prove that point.

I do not think that the terrorists are doing what they are doing because of Islam. There has been some real injustices done to Middle Eastern countries and their population. Using Islam is a political play and a way to rally people around them. That's all.

+1,000

Its not about a religion, but about human nature, social injustice, and inequality.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am not anti-Islam per se, but do not agree with the ideologial views held by many radicalized populations of this religion who believe that those who do not share the same beliefs are the enemy, and that it is ok to resort to violence to prove that point.

I do not think that the terrorists are doing what they are doing because of Islam. There has been some real injustices done to Middle Eastern countries and their population. Using Islam is a political play and a way to rally people around them. That's all.

+1,000

Its not about a religion, but about human nature, social injustice, and inequality.

These things are a product of our times and of a world-wide epidemic of apathy, and a media with ADD which is fueled by money (see Fox and MSNBC).

[Muslima]

Anonymous wrote:

Matthew 7:15-17 wrote:Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit

Look around the world. From Somalia to Libya to Syria to Iraq to Iran to Afghanistan to Pakistan. Look from Al-Qaeda to Boko Haram to the Taliban to ISIS. These are the people of God? Where are the great inventions, the medical breakthroughs (zero Nobel Prizes for medicine??), or scientific discoveries in the last 800 years? Where are Islamic countries anywhere a model for the rest of the world?

You will know them by their fruits.

In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful

Say: "Oh, you who disbelieve!
"I do not worship that which you worship,
"Nor do you worship That Which I worship.
"Nor will I worship that which you have been worshipping,
"Neither will you worship That Which I worship.
"To you your religion and to my religion"

[Quran: 109]

[Anonymous]

Muslima wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am anti-Islam because Muslim extremists tried to kill my uncle. I don't really have any better reasons than that. I understand all of the arguments, that not all practitioners of Islam are violent, that Islam had a golden age sometime in the Middle Ages, that Christians have persecuted millions, etc., etc. But I can't help but notice that so much evil in the world today revolves around Islam.

This does not mean that I am anti-Muslim. I have a lot of Muslim friends and basically keep my sentiments to myself, except for right now as I type this.

I hope that one day, you can experience the beauty of Islam so that somehow, you can see it for more than the evil actions of some. In the end, love will always be stronger than hate

Somehow this response really peeves me. My uncle was almost murdered, do you think that I am interested in experiencing anything that has to do with Islam? I've gotten to see a LOT of Islam, and color me unimpressed.

[Muslima]

Anonymous wrote:

Muslima wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am anti-Islam because Muslim extremists tried to kill my uncle. I don't really have any better reasons than that. I understand all of the arguments, that not all practitioners of Islam are violent, that Islam had a golden age sometime in the Middle Ages, that Christians have persecuted millions, etc., etc. But I can't help but notice that so much evil in the world today revolves around Islam.

This does not mean that I am anti-Muslim. I have a lot of Muslim friends and basically keep my sentiments to myself, except for right now as I type this.

I hope that one day, you can experience the beauty of Islam so that somehow, you can see it for more than the evil actions of some. In the end, love will always be stronger than hate

Somehow this response really peeves me. My uncle was almost murdered, do you think that I am interested in experiencing anything that has to do with Islam? I've gotten to see a LOT of Islam, and color me unimpressed.

I am sorry but nor I or Islam are responsible for your uncle almost getting murdered. I hope one day you can experience the beauty of Islam, that is my wish for you~

[Anonymous]

Muslima- when someone kills or almost kills and does so in the name of Allah, saying that they're not really following Islam and it has nothing to do with that religion at all is insensitive and out of touch.

Perhaps they are not practicing your interpretation, but they are practicing none the less. Just because you don't agree with it or they're actions, doesn't make that person any less Muslim than you.

Then telling a family member of the attacked under the guise of religion, that you wish them to one day embrace your religion is arrogant.

[Anonymous]

Muslima wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Matthew 7:15-17 wrote:Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit

Look around the world. From Somalia to Libya to Syria to Iraq to Iran to Afghanistan to Pakistan. Look from Al-Qaeda to Boko Haram to the Taliban to ISIS. These are the people of God? Where are the great inventions, the medical breakthroughs (zero Nobel Prizes for medicine??), or scientific discoveries in the last 800 years? Where are Islamic countries anywhere a model for the rest of the world?

You will know them by their fruits.

In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful

Say: "Oh, you who disbelieve!
"I do not worship that which you worship,
"Nor do you worship That Which I worship.
"Nor will I worship that which you have been worshipping,
"Neither will you worship That Which I worship.
"To you your religion and to my religion"

[Quran: 109]

The above is an earlier

Quran (2:191-193) - "And kill them wherever you find them, and turn them out from where they have turned you out. And Al-Fitnah [disbelief] is worse than killing...
but if they desist, then lo! Allah is forgiving and merciful. And fight them until there is no more Fitnah [disbelief and worshipping of others along with Allah] and worship is for Allah alone. But if they cease, let there be no transgression except against Az-Zalimun (the polytheists, and wrong-doers, etc.)"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Muslima wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Matthew 7:15-17 wrote:Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit

Look around the world. From Somalia to Libya to Syria to Iraq to Iran to Afghanistan to Pakistan. Look from Al-Qaeda to Boko Haram to the Taliban to ISIS. These are the people of God? Where are the great inventions, the medical breakthroughs (zero Nobel Prizes for medicine??), or scientific discoveries in the last 800 years? Where are Islamic countries anywhere a model for the rest of the world?

You will know them by their fruits.

In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful

Say: "Oh, you who disbelieve!
"I do not worship that which you worship,
"Nor do you worship That Which I worship.
"Nor will I worship that which you have been worshipping,
"Neither will you worship That Which I worship.
"To you your religion and to my religion"

[Quran: 109]

The above is an earlier

Quran (2:191-193) - "And kill them wherever you find them, and turn them out from where they have turned you out. And Al-Fitnah [disbelief] is worse than killing...
but if they desist, then lo! Allah is forgiving and merciful. And fight them until there is no more Fitnah [disbelief and worshipping of others along with Allah] and worship is for Allah alone. But if they cease, let there be no transgression except against Az-Zalimun (the polytheists, and wrong-doers, etc.)"

Accidentally hit return to soon

The above is an earlier verse which falls under the doctrine of abrogation

Quran (8:12) - "I will cast terror into the hearts of those who disbelieve. Therefore strike off their heads and strike off every fingertip of them"

Quran (8:39) - "And fight with them until there is no more fitna (disorder, unbelief) and religion should be only for Allah"

Quran (9:5) - "So when the sacred months have passed away, then slay the idolaters wherever you find them, and take them captive and besiege them and lie in wait for them in every ambush, then if they repent and keep up prayer and pay the poor-rate, leave their way free to them."

Sorry, I don't think Islam is a good religion. But then again, I'm not a fan of any religion at all.

[Muslima]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Muslima wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Matthew 7:15-17 wrote:Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit

Look around the world. From Somalia to Libya to Syria to Iraq to Iran to Afghanistan to Pakistan. Look from Al-Qaeda to Boko Haram to the Taliban to ISIS. These are the people of God? Where are the great inventions, the medical breakthroughs (zero Nobel Prizes for medicine??), or scientific discoveries in the last 800 years? Where are Islamic countries anywhere a model for the rest of the world?

You will know them by their fruits.

In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful

Say: "Oh, you who disbelieve!
"I do not worship that which you worship,
"Nor do you worship That Which I worship.
"Nor will I worship that which you have been worshipping,
"Neither will you worship That Which I worship.
"To you your religion and to my religion"

[Quran: 109]

The above is an earlier

Quran (2:191-193) - "And kill them wherever you find them, and turn them out from where they have turned you out. And Al-Fitnah [disbelief] is worse than killing...
but if they desist, then lo! Allah is forgiving and merciful. And fight them until there is no more Fitnah [disbelief and worshipping of others along with Allah] and worship is for Allah alone. But if they cease, let there be no transgression except against Az-Zalimun (the polytheists, and wrong-doers, etc.)"

Accidentally hit return to soon

The above is an earlier verse which falls under the doctrine of abrogation

Quran (8:12) - "I will cast terror into the hearts of those who disbelieve. Therefore strike off their heads and strike off every fingertip of them"

Quran (8:39) - "And fight with them until there is no more fitna (disorder, unbelief) and religion should be only for Allah"

Quran (9:5) - "So when the sacred months have passed away, then slay the idolaters wherever you find them, and take them captive and besiege them and lie in wait for them in every ambush, then if they repent and keep up prayer and pay the poor-rate, leave their way free to them."

Sorry, I don't think Islam is a good religion. But then again, I'm not a fan of any religion at all.

Yeh if the Quran meant that, certainly I would agree with you, so let's start since you quoted the verses that all islamophobes use and i am very familiar with them .First of all, you can just cite random verses of the Quran out of context and create the narrative you want. The first verse that you cited is :

Quran (2:191-193) - "And kill them wherever you find them, and turn them out from where they have turned you out. And Al-Fitnah [disbelief] is worse than killing...
but if they desist, then lo! Allah is forgiving and merciful. And fight them until there is no more Fitnah [disbelief and worshipping of others along with Allah] and worship is for Allah alone. But if they cease, let there be no transgression except against Az-Zalimun (the polytheists, and wrong-doers, etc.)"

Why didn't you cite verse 190 which is the verse that comes right before it? Let me cite the whole passage for ya :

2:190 "Fight in the cause of Allah those who fight you, but do not transgress limits; for Allah loveth not transgressors. "
2:191: And kill them wherever you find them, and drive them out from whence they drove you out, and persecution is severer than slaughter, and do not fight with them at the Sacred Mosque until they fight with you in it, but if they do fight you, then slay them; such is the recompense of the unbelievers.
2:192:But if they cease, then Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.
2:193: And fight them until persecution is no more, and religion is for Allah. But if they desist, then let there be no hostility except against wrong-doers.

These verses were revealed after the unbelievers broke the treaty with the Prophet peace upon him and after he took over Mecca and forgave them for what they have done and still some of them would not stop killing the Muslims, and the Muslims did not defend themselves because they had not received the order yet, then the verses were revealed . For 10 years, while in Makkah, the Muslims were prohibited to openly fight the Kuffar because the disbelievers were greater in number and the Muslims were very few. The context is if MUSLIMS GET ATTACKED then they have the right to attack back, and the context is very clear on that, the theme comes into play on verse 190, not verse 191 which non-Muslims quote alone, the non-Muslim should quote from verse 190 onwards, and once doing so one will see that this is a defensive war, not an offensive one, if people attack the Muslims then the Muslims have the right to attack back, and that is exactly what the verses are saying.
The verses even say that if the people who started the fight begin to stop and make peace than we too must also stop and make peace as well,. You should read these verses in their textual and historical context. You should read the whole verse an the few verses before and few after instead of randomly quoting verses outside if their revealed contexts.

Quran (8:12) - "I will cast terror into the hearts of those who disbelieve. Therefore strike off their heads and strike off every fingertip of them"

First of, this is the correct & complete translation of the verse: "Remember thy Lord inspired the angels (with the message): "I am with you: give firmness to the Believers: I will instil terror into the hearts of the Unbelievers: smite ye above their necks and smite all their finger-tips off them."
Islamophobes like to always bring this up and claim that this verse proves that Islam promotes terrorism and that the Quran orders Muslims to go and chop people's heads off along with their finger tips. This shows their lack of knowledge on Islam, sadly!

To begin, this verse is referring to a SPECIFIC BATTLE, this verse is not an order on Muslims, and this verse is talking about a battle that took place. The battle it is referring to is the battle of Badr ( you can google the battle of Badr, there are clear historic documents about it). The first verse where Allah reveals that He told the angels "Give firmness to the Believers, I will instill terror in the hearts of the Unbeleivers". Muslims believe that Angels came and fought along with them during the Battle of Badr, they were hugely outnumbered by the Army they were fighting against & won the battle.

The 2nd part about "smite ye above their necks and smite all their finger tips off them: In the aftermath of the battle of Badr, the people used to recognize whomever the angels killed from those whom they killed, by the wounds over their necks, fingers and toes, because those parts had a mark as if they were branded by fire.Now off course during a battle in those days you would aim for the neck to get an immediate blow ( they didn't have guns), and off course you would also aim for their fingers, once taking out their fingers the enemy would not be able to carry his sword hence you neutralize the enemy. So there is nothing barbaric or mean about these verses, it is simply referring to a battle, and nothing barbaric was done in the battle neither these were how battles were fought back then.

Quran (8:39) - "And fight with them until there is no more fitna (disorder, unbelief) and religion should be only for Allah"

Again, this is the complete translation : "And fight them on until there is no more tumult or oppression, and there prevail justice and faith in Allah altogether and everywhere; but if they cease, verily Allah doth see all that they do."

The passage calls on the Muslims to fight against oppression, and to make sure that justice prevails. Is this not a noble cause that all humans should strive for?Notice the passage says that we should fight until there is no more oppression, and then the verse ends by saying "but if they cease", obviously this refers to them ending their oppression.Thus, Muslims are commanded to fight against oppression to make sure justice stands. Notice the verse says to fight them to stop oppression and does not say "fight them to convert them to Islam". Islam places A very high importance on justice, and allows for aggressors and unjust people be punished accordingly, unless they repent before they are brought to justice. At the same time, Islam encourages people to forgive those who have wronged them whenever possible.

Quran (9:5) - "So when the sacred months have passed away, then slay the idolaters wherever you find them, and take them captive and besiege them and lie in wait for them in every ambush, then if they repent and keep up prayer and pay the poor-rate, leave their way free to them."

This verse, often called "the verse of the sword", has been misquoted in a manner similar to the previous verses. First, we shall provide the verse in its context and completeness:
9:5-6 "But when the forbidden months are past, then fight and slay the Pagans wherever ye find them, an seize them, beleaguer them, and lie in wait for them in every stratagem (of war); but if they repent, and establish regular prayers and practise regular charity, then open the way for them: for Allah is Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful. If one amongst the Pagans ask thee for asylum, grant it to him, so that he may hear the word of Allah. and then escort him to where he can be secure. That is because they are men without knowledge."

This verse was revealed towards the end of the revelation period and relates to a limited context. Hostilities were frozen for a three-month period during which the Arabs pledged not to wage war. Prophet Muhammad was inspired to use this period to encourage the combatants to join the Muslim ranks or, if they chose, to leave the area that was under Muslims rule; however, if they were to resume hostilities, then the Muslims would fight back until victorious. One is inspired to note that even in this context of war, the verse concludes by emphasizing the divine attributes of mercy and forgiveness. To minimize hostilities, the Qur'an ordered Muslims to grant asylum to anyone, even an enemy, who sought refuge. Asylum would be granted according to the customs of chivalry; the person would be told the message of the Qur'an but not coerced into accepting that message. Thereafter, he or she would be escorted to safety regardless of his or her religion. Therefore, this verse once again refers to those pagans who would continue to fight after the period of peace. It clearly commands the Muslims to protect those who seek peace and are non-combatants. It is a specific verse with a specific ruling and can in no way be applied to general situations. The command of the verse was only to be applied in the event of a battle.

Indeed, it is truly amazing how lots of critics will ignore God's infinite mercy in their attempt to malign Islam. God has always given human beings a way out of any suffering, and has only ordained fighting as a last resort. Muslim scholars have written much commentary on these Qur'anic verses explaining the historical context in such great detail so that there may be no misconceptions but people always like to quote them out of context.


I will also explain what abrogation means, since some people might not be familiar with it. In the Qur'an there is naskh and there is also takhsees. Naskh is the abrogation of a ruling by a ruling that was revealed after it. Naskh occurs in matters of Islamic law. Takhsees on the other hand refers to specification, where one verse restricts the application of another verse, or specifies the limits not mentioned in the other verse. The conditions for naskh is that the two conflicting rulings apply to the same situation under the same circumstances, and hence there is no alternative understanding of the application of the verses.

Sorry, I don't think Islam is a good religion. But then again, I'm not a fan of any religion at all.

The Quran has been preserved and unchanged for 1400 years. There are currently millions of muslims who fully memorized the same exact qur'an down to the dots and crosses so to speak that was here 1400 years ago. People spend years studying the Quran, its historical context of every Surah that was revealed and its tafseer. If you Honestly& sincerely want to learn about teh Quran, get a Tafseer (explanation) of the Quran, it will tell you exactly when each verse was revealed, what was the context and what is the explanation of the verse, and the scholars have a consensus of this. PS: I can send you a free tafseer if you want. But, please do your research by going to the source i-e the Book itself that has been unchanged for 1400 years. Don't go on islamophobes websites and copy & paste verses they have misquoted totally ignoring their context. If you wanted to learn about Neuroscience, you would not go & ask an IT programmer to explain you how the brain works. Go to the source! Islam is a religion of mercy and justice. It calls all human beings to the worship of the One God who created us all. What many people falsely present as Islam IS opposed to the values and laws of Islam. The narrations and verses that I explained here are frequently misquoted by those who seek to malign Islam and spread hatred towards its followers. he only cure to this problem is education. Islam is not the enemy. Hatred, Intolerance and Ignorance are the enemies of humanity.

[Muslima]

Anonymous wrote:Muslima- when someone kills or almost kills and does so in the name of Allah, saying that they're not really following Islam and it has nothing to do with that religion at all is insensitive and out of touch.

Perhaps they are not practicing your interpretation, but they are practicing none the less. Just because you don't agree with it or they're actions, doesn't make that person any less Muslim than you.

Then telling a family member of the attacked under the guise of religion, that you wish them to one day embrace your religion is arrogant.

Don't put words in my mouth, I never said I wanted him to embrace Islam, way to twist words. Now, go and read again what my first answer was to that poster, and I repeat I will not carry the blame, if you can't make the difference between people who wanted to murder someone, and regular people you meet, and an entire religion, well sorry but I can't help you.

[Anonymous]

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/persecution-of-egypts-coptic-christians/

[Anonymous]

Muslim conquest of India bloodiest in history:

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=b49_1178839005