If ya wanna know ISLAM , wud ya Judge it by Media or followers or Scriptures?

Question

Media maligns Islam
Islam is without doubt the best religion but the media is in the hands of the westerners who are afraid of Islam. The media is continuously broadcasting and printing information against Islam. They either provide misinformation about Islam, misquote Islam or project a point out of proportion, if any.
When any bomb blasts take place anywhere, the first people to be accused without proof are invariably the Muslims. This appears as headlines in the news. Later, when they find that non-Muslims were responsible, it appears as an insignificant news’ item.
If a 50 year old Muslim marries a 15 year old girl after taking her permission, it appears on the front page but when a 50 year old non-Muslim rapes a 6 year old girl, it may appear in the news in the inside pages as ‘Newsbriefs’. Everyday in America on an average 2,713 cases of rape take place but it doesn’t appear in the news, since it has become a way of life for the Americans.

Black sheep in every community:
I am aware that there are some Muslims who are dishonest, unreliable, who cheat, etc. but the media projects this as though only Muslims are involved in such activities. There are black sheep in every community. I know Muslims who are alcoholics and who can drink most of the non-Muslims under the table.

Muslims best as a whole:
Inspite of all the black sheep in the Muslim community, Muslims taken on the whole, yet form the best community in the world. We are the biggest community of tee-totallers as a whole, i.e. those who don’t imbibe alcohol. Collectively, we are a community which gives the maximum charity in the world. There is not a single person in the world who can even show a candle to the Muslims where modesty is concerned; where sobriety is concerned; where human values and ethics are concerned.

Don’t judge a car by its driver:
If you want to judge how good is the latest model of the "Mercedes" car and a person who does not know how to drive sits at the steering wheel and bangs up the car, who will you blame? The car or the driver? But naturally, the driver. To analyze how good the car is, a person should not look at the driver but see the ability and features of the car. How fast is it, what is its average fuel consumption, what are the safety measures, etc. Even if I agree for the sake of argument that the Muslims are bad, we can’t judge Islam by its followers? If you want to judge how good Islam is then judge it according to its authentic sources, i.e. the Glorious Qur’an and the Sahih Hadith.

Judge Islam by its best follower i.e. Prophet Mohammed (pbuh):
If you practically want to check how good a car is put an expert driver behind the steering wheel. Similarly the best and the most exemplary follower of Islam by whom you can check how good Islam is, is the last and final messenger of God, Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). Besides Muslims, there are several honest and unbiased non-Muslim historians who have acclaimed that prophet Muhammad was the best human being. According to Michael H. Hart who wrote the book, ‘The Hundred Most Influential Men in History’, the topmost position, i.e. the number one position goes to the beloved prophet of Islam, Muhammad (pbuh). There are several such examples of non-Muslims paying great tributes to the prophet, like Thomas Carlyle, La-Martine, etc.

Judge Islam by its best follower i.e. Prophet Mohammed (pbuh):
If you practically want to check how good a car is put an expert driver behind the steering wheel. Similarly the best and the most exemplary follower of Islam by whom you can check how good Islam is, is the last and final messenger of God, Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). Besides Muslims, there are several honest and unbiased non-Muslim historians who have acclaimed that prophet Muhammad was the best human being. According to Michael H. Hart who wrote the book, ‘The Hundred Most Influential Men in History’, the topmost position, i.e. the number one position goes to the beloved prophet of Islam, Muhammad (pbuh). There are several such examples of non-Muslims paying great tributes to the prophet, like Thomas Carlyle, La-Martine, etc.

JUDGE IT BY READING SCRIPTURES

Answer 1

I am not Islamic, but the people that I know personally, are great.

Anybody that listens to the media might as well treat soap operas like reality shows. The same goes for all the governments.

Answer 2

As a non Muslim (I'm Irish) I would like to start of by congratulating you on the very well written, well thought out and informative set of statements which follow your question. I did find some parts of it somewhat biased (IE Islam is without doubt the best religion), but I can certainly forgive and understand your obvious passion for your faith.

Personally I sympathize greatly with you, Islam has been much maligned by the media, based on the actions on a very small percentage of your Islamic 'believers'. I have always tried to be open to all viewpoints, with some success, but I find it hard not to be moved to anger by most of the stories I encounter in the news about 'so-called' followers of Islam.

However, although I cannot say that I am well informed about the Islamic faith, I do know enough to be certain that these atrocities are NOT committed by true followers of the Islamic faith. It is, in my opinion, tragic that the media makes such an effort to generalize, and sensationalize and exaggerate in some instances, and downplay the significance of other events. But lets be honest, when has the media ever been fair? I take everything I hear in the media with a pinch of salt, always remembering that they are always trying to SELL me a story.

To answer your question, I will continue to listen to the media as my 'normal' introduction to the events happening around the globe and use that as a starting point for finding the truth. I will listen to the voice of all followers of Islam as I encounter them, as I have listened to yours today. I will research as I am able whatever relevant scriptures I can find on the net (pointers to sources always appreciated). I will then make up my own mind on what I believe to be the truth. As for Judgment, I will reserve that until I am FULLY informed (if ever), until then I will condone the actions of evil men and NOT, by association, the actions of the faith they 'claim' to follow, or the other true followers of that faith.

Answer 3

Hello,
I agree with you on some points... Foremost is that although the majority of muslims are as good as the next christian or the next hindu, there are those deviant few, which u describe as the black sheep, that are responsible for the bad name that Islam has today. I have always believed that everything, no matter how good, deserves to be adopted in moderation. However, I also believe that Islam is not as great as u make it out to be.
Sure, most muslims are tee-totalers, as consuming wine or alcohol is forbidden by the Koran. But its not what goes into men's mouth that is evil, its what comes out. One principal drawback of Islam is that women are given a far inferior position than men. A husband can divorce his wife by simply saying the word "talaq" 3 times... Is this just? A woman can never do that, not by Islamic rules. A woman has to keep herself covered head-to-toe, in a Burqa, according to the Koran... Is this just? You call it modesty. I call it fanaticism.
Dont get me wrong... I dont have anything against Muslims or Christians or Hindus or any other religion... As long as u dont try to shove religion down my throat. Perhaps we need to realise that the greatest religion of all is Humanity... Something which most of us have long forgotten.

Answer 4

Here are some mainstream Muslim beliefs which are incompatible with living in a free democratic society:

Jihad: The mandatory dislike and impetus to kill people who don't follow Islam. This message itself is a bit of jihad. How dare you! Your criticisms mean nothing to me. You can't tell me who I am!

Blasphemy: Freedom implies a willingness to be offended. Anything less is theocracy and is unacceptable. I am offended by your insistence, because it smacks of a threat that cannot be reasoned with, but you go ahead.

Theocracy: A book of ancient rules simply cannot be expected to be applied today in a modern world full of so many people holding so many different opinions and going in so many directions. A government who wants to control people, force them to behave, based on an old book of rules, not based on whether or not they are actually hurting someone, is wrong. Just saying "old" and "god" doesn't mean anything. It's just your belief, your opinion, your personal attitude, and you can live it and talk about it all you want, but you can't force it upon me. The US Constitution protects me from you forcing your beliefs on me.

Answer 5

The media is cr*ap...it really brainwashes people...I wouldn't judge anything by what the media perceives it to be...they're just biased!! I believe that your religion is just as good as the other two main religions...Christianity and Judaism...I can understand you can't stand it when people think that your religion is all about terrorism...but in Christianity we also have those *Christians* who are bad...maybe it's just cuz the media is so interested in your religion...but hey, the media is fickle....just do what you think is best because you will be persecuted for your beliefs...Iike l always say, "Only in America..."

I accept your religion as equal to mine...I believe in equality...and I'm really sorry about the dumba**es who say that shizzit about your religion...when I hear about the terrorists, I don't believe they deserve to be given any credits...

Answer 6

When i was christian and lived in my country, i was islamophobic like whole Russia. Media did its dirty business.

When i got chance to come to the Middle East and met muslims, I got holy scriptures in my hands and a lot of literature about Islam.

Alhamdulillah now Islam is my way of life

Answer 7

I don't think the media maligns the muslims. But they do show the demonstrations and the hate that some of these people have for our country. It breeds fear which breeds a hatred back. Why do they hate us? We are a free country with every religion and nationality. We have our share of social problems but the media doesnt hide them they highlight them. I think they focus on the negative stories too much. There is so much to offer everyone here. Ahh...I dont think rape is a "way of life" for Americans. It sounds as though you may have bought into the propaganda yourself. One question though....the american media was reporting that al jazeera was spreading propaganda ...was al jazeera reporting that america was spreading propaganda? We all need to take any reports with a grain of salt and not believe everything as gospel. ( I would judge islam by its followers, there are many things in the bible that dont necessarily reflect my Catholic views)

Answer 8

Well, apparently ALL americans have freedom of religion and speech, so when i say im a christian and dont judge people by Race,Gender, or their own religion, I would think others would respect people opinoins......and as to your "Islam is without doubt the best religion" thats your opinion And I respect it....Would you not give the same courtesy to me?

Answer 9

that's true ..

ISLAM IS THE BEST RELIGION EVER...

you can't judge Muslims through the American Media or fake Islamic sites by Isreal...

Answer 10

You mean like this?

8:12 . . I will instil terror
into the hearts of Unbelievers
smite ye above their necks
And smite all their
Finger tips off them."

-- The Koran