1. I've read in a magazine (Reader's Digest) that accoding to one pakistani muslim madrassah principal, there is two "worlds" the world of peace, which is all the muslims, and the world of war, which is everything else. Is that really what the muslims think?
2. In afghanistan, and some other muslims countries, the girls are not given much respect. why? i'm not saying that this is a muslim thing. But still.. why are girls not treated with respect in the islamic world? why arent they given any rights to vote etc?
3. Why do muslim women have to wear the burqa? (forgive me if i spelt it wrongly. i'm bad @ spelling)
4. Why is there tension and fights between the muslims themselves?
5. i believe there are a few different "branches" of Islam? what is the difference in them? arent they all muslims? same goes for Christanity. what is the difference? dont all christians belive in 1 God and all muslims in Allah? whats the difference in their different branches?
2006-09-02 04:14:02 · 19 answers · asked by Slayer215X 2 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Well, I thank you for your questions, and never feel ashamed or embarassed to ask. Knowledge is surely better than ignorance and every Muslim should do his/her best to answer you to the best of their knowledge.
1. There are undoubtedly some Muslims who believe that same idea (eg Taliban), however this is certainly not supported by all, or even by many Muslims. In Islam there is not room for racism, and intolerance towards non-Muslims is highly discouraged! I will provide some examples from the Quran:
49:13 O mankind! We created you from a single (pair) of a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that ye may know each other (not that ye may despise (each other). Verily the most honoured of you in the sight of Allah is (he who is) the most righteous of you. And Allah has full knowledge and is well acquainted (with all things).
60:8-9 "As for such [of the unbelievers] as do not fight against you on account of [your] faith, and neither drive you forth from your homelands, God does not forbid you to show them kindness and to behave towards them with full equity: for, verily, God loves those who act equitably. God only forbids you to turn in friendship towards such as fight against you because of [your] faith, and drive you forth from your homelands, or aid [others] in driving you forth: and as for those [from among you] who turn towards them in friendship; it is they, they who are truly wrongdoers!"
9:6 “And if anyone of the Mushrikoon (polytheists, idolaters, pagans, disbelievers in the Oneness of Allah) seeks your protection then grant him protection so that he may hear the Word of Allah (the Qur’an) and then escort him to where he can be secure”
3:64 "Say: O People of the Scripture. Come to an agreement between us and you: that we shall worship none but Allah, and that we shall ascribe no partners unto Him, and that none of us shall take others for lords beside Allah. And if they turn away, then say: Bear witness that we are they who have surrendered (unto Him)."
5:8 "O YOU who have attained to faith! Be ever steadfast in your devotion to God, bearing witness to the truth in all equity; and never let hatred of any-one lead you into the sin of deviating from justice. Be just: this is closest to being God-conscious. And remain conscious of God: verily, God is aware of all that you do."
16:125 "CALL THOU [all mankind] unto thy Sustainer's path with wisdom and goodly exhortation, and argue with them in the most kindly manner- for, behold, thy Sustainer knows best as to who strays from His path, and best knows He as to who have been guided."
2. It is my opinion that the Arab world is the worst example of a "Muslim" society if there ever was one. Corruption is abundant, people abuse religion for political gain, basic rights are denied left and right. What I have come to see, and many Arabs and others have agreed with me, is that American Muslims are by far the best example of a working Muslim society. We have the freedom to learn about religion without the dirty hands of politicians getting in the way. We *live* tolerance, we are surrounded by Christians and Jews and atheists and etc in our everyday lives and get along perfectly with them. We know how to hold a peaceful protest, lol! Our rights as women and as Muslim women are protected and upheld... I can go on, but I think you see the idea. So essentially corruption is to blame for all of this.
3. Well, the burqa (you spelled it right) is traditionally worn only in Afghanistan. It's uncommon for a non-Afghan to wear it. The hijab (the simple headscarf) is what is required for us to wear, though some women choose not to wear even that due to differences of interpretation. The niqab is also not a requirement, however (due to differences of interpretation, lol) some women DO believe it is a requirement and will wear it accordingly. These are most common in Saudi Arabia, but you will find women from everywhere who choose the niqab. I hope that didn't confuse you more, lol!
4. There are some who will look for anything to fight over, religion included (as you can see on this board, lol). It's such a shame that we have to fight each other for purposes started by (again) corrupt, devious politicians and the clergy under their thumbs. That's really the best answer I can give because the situation is just beyond me. It's rediculous.
5. Well, as with all religions, over the times people have broken off into different groups over disagreements in teachings, in history, in interpretations, etc. So, as basic as I can get it, here are the different sects of Islam:
-Sunni - are the traditionalists, try to follow Islam as Prophet Muhammad (saws) taught it through Quran and Sunnah
-Shiia - very similar to Sunni, however in disagreement over the nephew of Muhammad (saws), Ali (ra), whom they thought should have been the successor of the Prophet (saws) after his death. They have a few differences in rituals and practices than the Sunni.
-Sufi - these are the mystics of Islam. A little confusing to me, as I haven't studied much on Sufism, but the link at the bottom will help you out.
-Nation of Islam - this is a little controversial because the majority of Muslims see this group as a cult of sorts. They are believed to have more of a political purpose than a religious, and have very often went against the teachings of Islam; calling the founder God incarnate, practicing racism, etc.
-Wahhabi - this is an offshoot of Sunni Islam and are a little more traditional and strict in their practices, sometimes making them more prone to fundamentalism.
-Druze - not much is known about them because they keep pretty secret about themselves.
These are just a few, but wiki gives alot, even some I've never heard of, lol! Basically, everyone believes in God/Allah and the Last Day, and all the basic beliefs of Islam. The differences, like in Christian sects, lies in certain interpretations, rituals and practices, etc. Even Sunnis are divided into different schools of thought, with some following just one, and some following two+/all of them. Why we've made it so hard on ourselves, I'll never know, lol!
2006-09-03 04:44:51 · answer #1 · answered by hayaa_bi_taqwa 6 · 1⤊ 1⤋
There are loads of differences between Islam and Christianity. First of all Christianity is way older then Islam. Islam is a mistakemade by Muhammed who was the first muslim leader, not long after he died the muslim religion split up into Shiites and Sunnites. One of them doesn't accept the leader of the others (the ayatolla's are accepted by the shiites, not by the sunnites).
You could say that both Christians and muslims believe in the same god, but that isn't true. The God we Christians believe in is way more tolerant and forgiving then the god the muslims believe in. So they also believe in one god, but he is not the same.
It is no coincidence that 85% of terrorism around the world is done by muslims for religious reasons. Less then 1% by Christians and 14% by others or by non religions groups (Tamil tigers and African rebels mainly).
2006-09-02 04:22:29 · answer #2 · answered by Vage Centurian 3 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Islam recognizes no man-made artificial distinctions based on color, tribe, race, nationality, or otherwise. As all people come from the original couple-Adam and Eve-they are all one family and therefore equal before God
. What distinguishes people from each other is their commitment to Islam: "The most honored in the sight of Allah is (he who is) most righteous." (Qur'an 3:86).
In Islam all over the world They agree about the oneness of God They follow the same book - Quran(same words and letters all over the world). They follow the same prophet Muhammad . offer their prayers five time a day. fast in the month of Ramadan.Give charity (Zakat) which is the poor-due on the wealth of the rich go for hajj, pilgrimage to Mecca ...but they may have differnt opinions not on the basics
Those who follow some sayings and views of Ali (one of the early muslims leaders), as the rightful successor to Prophet Muhammad , are called Shia. Shia means a partisan (party of Ali) and it started more as a political party to help Ali in his conflict with his political adversaries.
About 90% of Muslims are Sunni, the word Sunni is based on the word Sunnah which is an Arabic word means the Prophet's Doctrine. Sunnis believe in (GOD) as the One Creator and Mohammad is His last and final Messenger.
but you have to know that the sects in islam not like the sects in other religions in other religions1- they can change in their books for example the Catholic Bible contain 73 books while the Protestant Bible has only 66 in Islam no one can change any thing There is not even one word of difference between two Arabic Qur'ans, anywhere in the world. There has been no disagreements in history among Muslims as to what should and should not be in the Qur'an
The Sunnah or Hadith consists of the teachings, sayings, and actions of Prophet Muhammad. This information was meticulously reported and collected by his Companions. It is essentially an elaboration of the Qur'anic verses that shows how they are to be implemented in one's daily life ALLthe true muslims agree about that
The right picture of lslam is conveyed in the Qur'an, which is exemplified by Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him. The reality is that it is not fair to judge a religion by the actions of its followers alone because there are good and bad followers in every religion. The correct thing to do is to judge a religion by its documented revelation from God and the prophet who brought that revelation.
I encourage Christians and other religions to learn about Islam from Muslim sources and The Basis Of The Muslim Belief and not rely on second hand information which in many cases is distorted or contains a deep seated anti Muslim agenda. This is indeed a more scholarly approach. I think any one will not accept from his enemy to give informations to the world about his life and his belief
2006-09-02 04:33:55 · answer #3 · answered by BeHappy 5 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Muslims are just people. Like Christianity has the KKK. Some people use religion to control others or oppress them. . In the Quran there is a whole Chapter in the Quran intitled "Women" in it, he tells husbands to treat their wife with curdiosy and respect.
Like preachers molesting kids, its not Christianity its just that people are sick. The Quran speaks against this and even speaks out against Muslims who are hypocrtical. As far as Muslims women, they chose that, I chose to wear my scarf, and some, like I said, don't wear a scarf. Islam encourages free thinking, search, good deeds, and respect for others. Islam is going through the same process Christianity went through, then the Protestant movement came. This is the process that the Abrahamic religion goes through. People are begginging to read teh Quran themselves and not depend on "scholars."
As far as civil war in Iraq, remember the civil war of America?
Do depend on the Media to show you how 99% of Muslims are, do research, visit Mosques, and you will see we are normal people. What if I were overseas and all I saw of America was the rapes, beatings, drugs, porn, gambling, and murders" I would think America was a very bad country. I would have to visit it to see the good side. Every country has crime. Look at the events
as Historical repeats of Christianity. Islam is a beautiful religion with people of various races, do not depend on the Media to deliver truth to you. Best Wishes of your search for clearity in these times of confusion.
.
2006-09-02 04:32:17 · answer #4 · answered by Muse 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Because Religion breeds Contempt!
The Crusades
The Spanish Inquisition
The Crucifixion of Christ
The Irish conflict
The Cossacks
Hitler
Need I say more?
2006-09-02 04:30:21 · answer #5 · answered by sunkissed 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
First of all let me say i'm not a Muslim but i've studied Islam to an extent and i also live with Musllims. Muslims are not racist, just people are. women are respected in Islam and its out of this respect that women are not meant to do certain things, this goes all the way back to when the arabs lived in deserts alone and there were no cities as there are today. Men as in all religions and societies only twisted everything to suit thier own desires and wants.
Yes there are branches in almost all religions and thats because religion was made by man( meaning humans) and man is bound to twist things to suit thier present needs and beliefs.
There are bound to be conflicts between muslims and muslims, christains and christains, man and man, woman and woman, man and woman because we are all humans and as humans who live and believe in the physical world, we want things to go our way and our way only so when there is someone who stands in our way, we try to eliminate them.
2006-09-02 04:31:08 · answer #6 · answered by lilmiss 1 · 0⤊ 3⤋
Because they are human beings
human beings by nature classify; we put everything we sense into categories, and attach value to eveything, including other human beings. How we classify is conditionned by experience. There are divisions and schisms within human groups everywhere there are groups of humans. The prophet Mohammed (may peace be upon him) taught that all are equal under God. He teachings would not support racism of any form, even against non-muslims.
2006-09-02 04:27:03 · answer #7 · answered by soobee 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Islam is not necessarily a "religion of hate", but it is their religious leaders that turn it into one. Kind of like Pat Robertson on the "Family Network". Anything could be spun to mean something else. Words can be twist and conformed like we clay. After a while, the become the hardened truth.
2006-09-02 04:18:11 · answer #8 · answered by F T 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
for ur 1st question answer is no its wrong ISLAM do not teach us to hate or fight it teaches us to respect i agree with u coz i am from pakistan coz there are some madrassah who teaches this but this is totally wrong
answer to ur 2nd question
there are some muslims country who dont have much education so thats why they d that they treat muslims girls very bad this is truee it happen in many country it also happen in pakistan remmber ISLAM says a women is EQUAL to men and have same right like men
anser to ur 3rd question a muslim women have t were burka so she can save her self from evil (men eyes)http://www.modernmuslima.com/hijabsource.htm this link might help u about muslim dress
answer to ur fourth question is this that i also dont have any answer to that
to 5th i am not sure about that
peace
2006-09-02 04:20:30 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
you know there is no difference in living our life...the things you ask and speak are the kinds of questions we all ask of people in general...
why are some white people racist against others?
why are some black people racist against others?
some men here in USA do not give there wife/girlfriend any kind of respect or rights..
and just because you read something in a magazine does not mean it is completely true..that is the authors opinion and his views on the subject...
and Muslim women dress modestly by choice and I see nothing wrong with it..It is better than wearing barely nothing and having others drool over you or make remarks..Its all about respect..
you shouldn't condemn anothers way of life just because it is not your choice.. Every part of this world has its own problems with people so one Religion should not be singled out ..its not fair..
2006-09-02 04:24:39 · answer #10 · answered by ? 5 · 0⤊ 2⤋
I think they are indoctrinated to believe that anyone who doesn't believe what they do is wrong. Some even go so far as to brand such people as infidels and call for them to be killed. People have been scared to speak out about this for fear of being branded racist, but I think that recent happenings are making people wake up at last.
2006-09-02 04:20:27 · answer #11 · answered by ? 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋