Muslims:what ways can we start to repair our image which groups like Hezbollah have destroyed?

Question

non-muslims are free to answer as well(as long as its not bashing)

Answer 1

asalam alikum
i would say first off we have to start with ourselves before we can fix our image as an ummah .next they should stop practicin bida'a
for each bida'a leds us to the hellfires.then we must read the glorious quran and practice the ways of the rasool(Saws) by following ahadith.the we should purify the ummah just like abu bakr did when he was in caliph.

Answer 2

While I have no respect for the Qu'ran after having read it, I do respect the history of Muslim culture. Under the Caliphate, the sciences (Al-chemi, which led to Chemistry, Al-jebra which led to Algebra, etc) flourished. Without the Muslim culture preserving the knowledge and wisdom of the Library of Alexandria when that Wonder was lost to the world, we would likely still be in the dark ages in the western world.

Something has changed fundamentally in mainstream muslim culture. I cannot put my finger on it -- I don't live in it. But the respect for the secular sciences, the Jihad of the Mind, had been replaced with the Jihad of the Sword. Where there was once great respect for anyone who engaged their brains with passion (for to be a scientist in the day was to be an artisan, a thinker, and a good citizen), there is now a general feeling of animosity and isolationism. While I cannot condone everything that the allied forces did during and subsequent to World War II in the Middle East and other traditionally Muslim countries, Muslims have reacted as a community (not necessarily each individual, I speak here of gestalt reactions, not generalizations) enacting a beseiged mentality. The mainstream muslim culture comes across to me as a people who have abandoned the sciences because they are too worried about the enemy without and the enemy within (the Shia/Sunni split, which is causing more deaths in Iraq than the USA has inflicted in that country in the entire history of Iraq).

To restore its credibility, the mainstream Muslim culture would need to ensure that every time a person was killed or a terrorist act commited, the leaders of local, national, and international muslim communities came forth and said, openly, publicly, and loudly, "We recognize these misguided individuals as beliving they were Muslim -- they were not. They have chosen to enact the Jihad of the Sword when that war is killing our people. True Muslims know that the true Jihad is the Jihad of the Mind and Heart, the Jihad against hate, killing, and destruction. Holy Jihad is fought within, not without. We stand against these people. We stand with the victims, we stand with their families, we stand with their communities, and in one voice we say -- the Jihad of the Sword is evil, it is a perversion of all that is given us by Allah, for Allah is the Most Loving and Most Merciful. We will not let these Sword Jihadists smear us any longer."

When the mainstream Muslim culture wakes up and realizes that the Jihad of the Mind and Heart is far, FAR more important than the Jihad of the Sword, when there is no dancing in the streets and burning of another country's flag (American or otherwise) to celebrate death, when the mainstream Muslim culture again celebrates Life... the damage will have been repaired.

What are you doing to win this Jihad of the Mind and Heart against the Sword Jihadists?

Answer 3

Do not force your religion on other people. In the USA we have many religions, but we don't fight others if they don't beleve
what we do. I was raised as a Baptist, married a Church Of Christ, still in love after 40 years. Almost all of my friends are from different religions but this will never stand in the way of us being friends. I would like to have friends from other countries but I refuse to force my choice of political or religious ideas on them. Life is to short to hate someone because he has more than you or believes something different than you do. We love all children in the world, it is what we become as adults that change how we get along in this world. JUST TREAT PEOPLE AS YOU WANT TO BE TREATED. It does not matter where i am from or going in this world, people are people.and we should pull together to solve problems, like hunger, education, sickness, and stop all this hate. This note is not all about Muslims, this goes for all of us.
We are all in this world together for a short time, and we should make the best of the time we have. I hope the Muslims can help the USA find ways to help our image, it breaks my heart that we are hated all over the world for something the people did not do. It is small majority of the people in our country that causes our problems. As voters we can solve this problem. Thanks to all.

Answer 4

Hey I want to thank you for caring enough about your religion to be one of the few that I have been asking where the hell are the good muslims that should be speaking out against the supposed extremist.

Till now it seems like the good muslims are the soft hand that puts one to sleep so the harsh hand aka the extremist can creep up and strangle thee.

I would invite you to news.faithfreedom.org so that you can continue this debate and stop the hate.

as a fellow human to a fellow human, thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Answer 5

unfortunately . whatever Muslims do to repair their image it is not gonna help. other religions have it embedded in their minds like carvings on stone that Islam is a bad religion.. which in fact it really isn't .. Islam is a wonderful religion with great people who follow. their is at least one bad apple in every pack ..a good start to repair the image of Muslims is to educate non Muslims about the beauty of Islam .. i have three Muslim friends and i have to say they are the most beautiful ,kindest ,non selfish, well mannered people on this planet .. Muslims rock ..

Answer 6

I'm not Muslim, but simply sharing your actual beliefs, parts of the Quran and Sunnah. Give examples of Muslims who work for peace and believe in women's rights. There's a lot of negative stereotyping of Muslims in the US due to the actions of a tiny, violent minority. Any facts that contradict these stereotypes would help. Violent, negative news seems to draw people's attention more than positive news. Also goods deeds like the others here suggest.

Answer 7

Don't sweat it. If the Crusaders mass murdered people in the name of Jesus or if during the Inquisition they destroyed innocent Christians for disagreeing with their political views or If a few hundred priests have molested children, it doesn't mean that Christians need to repair the image of Christianity.
There are too many people in all religions doing too many bad things. We shouldn't pass judgement on other groups because of their luney factions. We can't even pass judgment on the luney factions before we find out why they do what they do. Maybe if our entire family was wiped out we'd want to go luney too.
In short, no one is responsible for others mistakes. As Christians we must not judge only God can.

Answer 8

You know what I find helps me get respect from non-muslims? Whenever I go out, I help anybody and everybody in any possible way I can. For example, one time there was an Asian woman getting on a bus but she didn't have enough bus fare so the driver told her to get off. I told him that I'll pay the difference of what she didn't have and the lady was very thankful. Another time, I went grocery shopping (right around the time that the store was about to close) and the people in line in front of me saw that I had broccoli in my cart and asked me where I got it from. The man tried to go and find it, but they had already put them away so I gave him my bag. Little gestures like that make non-muslims know that we are not bad people. And also, I am respectful towards everybody. Another time, an (athiest) man came up to me and asked me about why women in Islam where hijab/niqab and I openly listened to him tell me about his beliefs as well.

Answer 9

i cant believe that u think that Hezbollah are giving Muslims a bad image!!!!!
they are the only ones who are speaking up and defending Muslims and Christians in Palestine!!!and Lebanon!!!! they r the strength in the Muslim countries....
I'm a Muslim and proud to be a Muslim and proud of having a group like Hezbollah being Muslims
on the other hand if u want to say that AL-qaada are giving Muslims a bad image than u r right on track but Hezbollah are not anything like qaada....Hezbollah r defending stolen countries and the prisoners that r being tortured.....

Answer 10

Every religion has this issue, but I don't think you need to repair your image. I grew up with Muslim neighbors and ate at their house and played with their kids. I love them like my own family and can see that they are good and loving people who accept me as I am, and I accept them. If everyone in the US could have Muslim friends like that, then there would be no image problem at all. So all groups in the US need to mix together more and care for each other, so we can all see that we're all human beings regardless of our religion or culture.

Answer 11

Guess you'd better destroy those groups, and those clerics and Muslims who have destroyed your image. And, it HAS been destroyed. It would take generations of peace in Islam before anyone even began to believe the preaching of love and peace by good people when the leaders are rotten, thieving, murderous barbarians. Islam is the Nazism of the 21st Century.

Hey, can you guys talk to your cleric leaders, or are they above approach and reproach. Most of the rest of the world smells a rat or three in the hierarchy of Islam.