Isn't it time for Muslims to change their attitudes towards dhimmies, kaffirs, unbelievers, non-Muslims?

Question

I have every bit respect for Islam, but this is something that is so odd in the 21st century. I am not talking about liberal Muslims or Extremists, but everyday Muslims, from all walks of life. It's one thing to be proud of your race, culture, religion, but it's quite offensive to others when you try to impose your views on them. I once met a gentleman from an Arab country. He was very well-mannered, and his wife and kids were nice too. But, all through our dinner conversation, the family kept repeating the same subject, "Why don't you convert to Islam?" I tried to politely change the topic, but I didn't want to offend them. Although I had a very secular upbringing and was flexible enough to accommodate most ideas, I had to sit through an uneasy conversation. I didn't know how to react when they said, "You are such a nice person. THEN, why don't you become Muslim?" Well, can't non-Muslims be nice too? Do they all have to go to HELL? Isn't it time for reform in Quran interpretations?

Answer 1

i am muslim so here what i think ,maybe this muslim family was pushy but they believe as i do that islam is a gift from god to show us the right way so if you have something so great ,you wanna share with the ones you love ,care about or at least think they are nice so they tried to give you something from this gift only cuz they liked you nothing more ,nothing less
maybe they went too far but from your Q , i can see they didnt force you or threatend you by anyway
they only want for you what they think is the best .
of cousre being nice or not doesnt depend on religion ,it depends on ppl mannars and moralities
as muslim ,we think that islam is the only way to go to heaven exactly as the christians think about christianity the same as any other religion
everyone thinks that his relgion is the only true one
but about quran interpretation ,i guess quran was so clear in such matter
ALLAH said in al quran ( There is no compulsion in religion. Verily, the Right Path has become distinct from the wrong path. Whoever disbelieves in Tâghût[65] and believes in Allâh, then he has grasped the most trustworthy handhold that will never break. And Allâh is All-Hearer, All-Knower)al baqara chapter
also there is a whole chapter called ( the disbelievers) read it

http://muttaqun.com/quran/e/nobe109.htm

by the way do you know the meaning of word ( kaffirs ) ,its not an insult ,its an arabic comes from the verb kaffir it means the denial of something to assure this for you ,in the verse i had already mentioned in surant al baqara 256 ,you will find the word whoever disbelieve ,in arabic its whoever yakakffor in taguat so
i do believe in al islam and disbelieve in any other relgion = i am a believer in islam and akaffor in any other relgion
it mean i deny that any other religion is true
did you get the picture of what i mean ,sir ?
but as i said we cant change any thing in al quran , anyway if you want to believe in any religion ,its your choice
i am so glad cuz you are a very polite person unlike some ppl here on this site , i wish you the best in everything and peace to you
salam

Answer 2

I am a muslim too but i wouldn't do what my other brother did whom you met. Muslims are human beings as well. Some follow the religion more strictly some don't. Some turn out good some don't. So I think your question today is based upon that one person more than the muslim community. Yes, muslims do promote Islam. That's how it has spread so much over the years. But we're asked to do so in the best possible manner. Many people were directly invited. Many others got impressed by their manners. Some were impressed by the justice.

If someone was to ask me to describe Islam in one word, I would have said "JUSTICE". Justice to mankind with respect to everything. Do not base your ideas about islam upon some people.

About going to hell, no one is allowed to make that decision but God. We have been told what kind of people will go to hell and what won't. For example, we know that whoever dies worhipping multiple Gods or another god than the one true God, he/she has no chances in Paradise. But again, how do we know that person did not repent before dying and was forgiven. I hope you get the picture.

Answer 3

Simply, we r all wrong as on one side (Muslims side) are not practicing their religion the way it should be like in the past therefore any insane people can say that they are MUSLIMS and act the way they do like, killing people under the umbrella of ISLAM, further GOD is punching MUSLIMS as they had deviated from the straight way they should take and lead them to the best in the nowadays time and in the Eternity (as the grandfathers of the MUSLIMS) and the whole world should recognize and remember these times when the MUSLIMS lands were from CHINA TO SPAIN and don’t forgot the MUSILIMS Scientists which the European civilization take their theories in various branches as a strong base and as a right start for what they are living in now. On the second Side the (Western People) are totally ignorant regarding this issue you can find a lot of the successful people and even business men don’t know what is going on in this world nowadays and the false media is doing the best in this issue. The western people don’t c except some minor soldiers dead and don’t see how the massive weapons accompanied with the well trained military troops kill the isulated civilian people and the small kids in PALESTINE AND IN IRAQ……etc After that they wonder why some people make a suicide bombing ) something funny although its not right to kill civilians any way but this is from the depression these people living in…. REALLY IT’S A TRUE COMPLICATED SETUATION… and I can’t go any further……

Answer 4

It isn't just Muslims, Christians do the same thing. This is especially true of the more fundamentalist groups in the Southern US. I recently had one tell me that if I didn't follow Jesus, my soul would be lost.

The problem is that religion exists to explain reality, and there can only be one accurate description of reality. If the god that Muslims, Jews, and Christians believe in exists, then none of the gods from other religions can exist and vice versa. Many people of many religions are unable to accept that their belief system might be completely wrong, and that leads to religious intolerance.

What you're experiencing is just a mild example of this intolerance. Setting up so-called "abortion information" web sites and clinics by Christians in the US with the goal of discouraging abortions and forcing women in islamic countries (not just muslim women) to cover themselves from head to toe in the middle east are slightly worse than what you've experienced. They're nowhere near as bad as killing doctors (US Christians) who perform abortions, or bombing shiite mosques by Sunni Muslims.

The so-called war on terrorism has it's roots in religious intolerance. The Muslim Extremists believe that they are still fighting against the Christian Crusaders. When you look at how President Bush has mobilized the Christian right wing in this fight, you have to wonder if they're right.

Answer 5

Consider that if you convert to Islam (freely) you may not ever be able to get out because local sharia courts (the religous courts) will not allow you to renounce Islam. Here is a quote from a case going on right now in Malysia about an Islamic woman who is trying to formally leave Islam so she can marry a Catholic. See the website. this has been covered in the NYTimes and the Wall Street Journal in the last two weeks:

"Islamic conservatives fear that if the judges allow her to leave Islam, this would open the floodgates to many other requests of Muslims wanting to change their faith. So while they wait for the sentence, they are taking their "precautions".
http://www.cathnews.com/news/608/151.php

Answer 6

To say you have respect for Islam is a statement in stupidity! Islam teaches murder or convert! Not all Muslims practice Islam. Some are of other Faiths. It is their duty to convert or kill anyone that is not of the Islam Faith. That is something we all need to realize. Or we DIE. You do not need to interpret the Quran you need to read it. So we can know our enemy!

Answer 7

A religion which refuses to reform lacks behind. I think Islam's biggest enemies are its guardians because they have misinterpretated this religion beyond limits. They have convrted Islam into 6 century Sharia laws which they want to implement in 21st century. Learn from eastern religions like Hinduism and Buddism that How to reform without compromising your basics. Today these 2 oldest religions are most favourite of Philosphers, thinkers and scientists.

Answer 8

Dont compare the Quran with the bible, where christians has reform their interpretation to suite their needs.

The Quran is perfect and need not any reform all through the ages.
God has promised to protect it till end days.

Answer 9

i see truth here.. you must educate them. Tell them that you are muslim because your father is muslim , ask him to think backwards... Tell them that we dont need a religion. And tell him that no one is perfect. even the mullahs are not that faithfull to god. We are all players and the world is a stage , William Thomas Alva Eddison.
tell him to go infront of the mirror and ask - Why and when I became a muslim ? then come to you and ask you to convert.

Answer 10

According to the Quran, "There is no compulsion in religion" (2:256), thus, no one can be forced to become a Muslim. While it is true that in many places where Muslim armies went to liberate people or the land, they did carry the sword as that was the weapon used at that time. However, Islam did not spread by the sword because in many places where there are Muslims now, in the Far East like Indonesia, in China, and many parts of Africa, there are no records of any Muslim armies going there. To say that Islam was spread by the sword would be to say that Christianity was spread by guns, F-16's and atomic bombs, etc., which is not true. Christianity spread by the missionary works of Christians. Ten-percent of all Arabs are Christians. The "Sword of Islam" could not convert all the non-Muslim minorities in Muslim countries. In India, where Muslims ruled for 700 years, they are still a minority. In the U.S.A., Islam is the fastest growing religion and has 6 million followers without any sword around.

verses relating to fighting or "killing" refer to those who aggressed against Muslims and mostly [especially in Chapters 8&9 of the Quran] refer to idolatrous Arabs who committed "war crimes" against Muslims.

Both Hitler, Stalin and the United States were racing to perfect a nuclear bomb to use it to win a war and they are all Christians.




The final Messenger of God Prophet Muhammed said, "One who kills (non-Muslim citizen of the Islamic state), will not even smell the fragrance of Paradise."



Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) further warned: "Whoever oppresses any Dhimmi (non-Muslim citizen of the Islamic state), I shall be his prosecutor on the Day of Judgment."



By going through the teachings of Islam, it is clear that such a religion has only come to benefit mankind - not to destroy it



One of the many short comings which has arisen in the West, is judging Islam by the conduct of a minority of its people. By doing this, segments of Western society have deliberately played off the desperate actions of many Muslims, and have given it the name of Islam. Such behaviour is clearly not objective and seeks to distort the reality of Islam. For if such a thing was done Judge a religion by the conduct of its people) then we too could say that all Christianity is about is child molesting and homosexuality By using the many cases of child abuse and homosexuality by priests, Such a generalisation about Christianity could be made

In short, Islam is intolerant of false ideas, however it is tolerant of the people who hold to those ideas.

The Serbs in Yoguslavia and their massacures for more than 1,000,000 Muslims in Bosnia and lately in Kosovo. The Yoguslavian Serbs are 12,000,000 and they are GREEK ORTHODOX CHRISTIANS.

The massacures that happened in the Great land of United States of America against the Native Americans. More than 95% of the Native American population were massacures. They were literally shot everywhere they were found!. Ask any US History teacher and he would shed some light upon you regarding this subject. More than 90% of Americans are considered CHRISTIANS.

The Oklahoma City bombing happened by the CHRISTIAN CULTS group



VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN IN THE UNITED STATES MURDER . Every day four women die in this country as a result of domestic violence, the euphemism for murders and assaults by husbands and boyfriends. That's approximately 1,400 women a year, according to the FBI. The number of women who have been murdered by their intimate partners is greater than the number of soldiers killed in the Vietnam War.

SEXUAL ASSAULT . Every year approximately 132,000 women report that they have been victims of rape or attempted rape, and more than half of them knew their attackers. It's estimated that two to six times that many women are raped, but do not report it. Every year 1.2 million women are forcibly raped by their current or former male partners, some more than once.

SOURCES: "Violence Against Women: A National Crime Victimization Survey Report", U.S. Department of Justice, Washington, D.C., January 1994.

I could easily link the above events and the much more ones that were documented in history to Judaism and Christianity. But any normal educated person would seperate these kinds of massacures from religion.