To Dear Christians, and other non-Muslims: Would you accept my appreciation?

Question

Lately, and almost always I have noticed that people often post questions trying to emphasize the Gap between faiths. Asking such questions as, Do you hate this faith or that faith. It's surprising to me that so many folks out there would rather spend their time magnifying hatred, as hatred is always easier to justify. But I have noticed many good Christians, and others as well, defending their faith in good manner by showing love towards Muslims. And I wanted to thank you.

I would also like to ask what you think can be done in order to educate people on tolerance? What do you do when you see people of your faith (any faith), discriminating others?

And to everyone else who reads this:
Islam teaches me to love and respect everyone. Would you help me in making this place a bit more welcoming, after all think about it, we wont be around forever... Shouldn't we spend our time being the best towards others?

Peace&Love :-)

Answer 1

Moonlit, if each Muslim could be as attentive to the Quran as you, And as alert to its deeper messages, then I would have said the Shahada long ago myself. I wish that more Christians would also pay attention to the root messages of Christ. That when another person is mean, it doesn't justify my being mean. That I should love my neighbor as myself.

I have often said that the only way to understand a culture is through immersion. When it becomes part of your life, you learn and adapt, because that's what your brain is designed to do. But with so many people so removed from the Middle East crisis, Islam, etc., they don't have a reason to learn, so they don't. I'll even admit to the same mentality. Until Islam showed up on my doorstep, I never had a reason to learn it. I even held a sense of bitterness toward not just for the 9/11 actions, but for the society I lived in when I lived in Jiddah as a child.

Being forced to take the time to learn, and adapt, has opened my mind to the possibility that there are alternative ways to find God in my life, and to live in emulation of the love he has for me. So while I am confused as to the practice of faith, my faith is as strong as it has ever been.

Some days, though, I want to pull people who profess a faith aside and smack them with their Scripture and ask if they've bothered to read it lately. In Islam, according to the Quran, in Christianity according to the Bible, there is NO PLACE for the violence, hatred, and bitterness that we have allowed to grow and thrive in this world.

Answer 2

I think we should put more of an emphasis on what is the same about religions. For instance, Christians and Muslims both worship the God of Abraham, right? And both revere Jesus. I don't know a whole lot about Islam, but I did some reading about Shiria law and was really amazed at how it could be used to benefit women rather than repress. Maybe finiding verses from the Bible and Qu'ran that are similar and teach the same lessons?

I am not Christian, but any lessons of peace and compassion are good.

Good luck - this is a noble endeavor!

Edit: While I do understand where October is coming from, I think we need to understand each others' cultures a bit more. What October may not realize is that the Crusades are still a very big part of the perception of the West. Then, Christians did the killing and beheading. I would like to see more interfaith discussions taking place in a highly visible manner so the West can get to know Islam a bit.

EDIT: What on earth is it in this woman's question that has so many of you being jerks??? A hijab? Get over it.

Answer 3

We should show our best behaviour & respect to people irrespective of their religion & other differences. This is what, infact, all religions teach us. Regarding educating people on tolerance... if we preach on tolerance, how many people do you think are actually going to follow what the preacher has said? There should be a strong will on part of the person to accept the teachings. Lots of reasons affect a person's decision to be tolerant towards other people & religions. For eg. the enviornment in which the person has been brought up, fickle-mindedness of a person, etc.
What do I do when someone attacks my faith? True, it does hurt me. But, i do not retort back. Because i'm trying to be a more evolved person. Every religion has only one purpose and that is to make a a better person out of every human being and ultimately to lead him to God. Water, for eg, is said in a different way in each & every language. But does that change the nature of water? No. Religion is just like that. From what ever part of the world a person comes from, God is God. His nature does not change. Then what is all the argument about? If we apply a universal aspect to all, then the ignorant would realise that it is nothing but fruitless to fight.
Eventually, i pray to God that everyone realises that it is nothing but a waste of time to fight in the Lord's name. The Sun does not distribute the rays unequally depending on the religious factor. Everyone receives the same amount of light.
There was, there is, and there will be only One Ultimate and no religion can deny that fact.

Answer 4

My five favorite people in the world - my husband and our four children - are Muslim. I'm not, but I'm still learning.

When I hear anyone saying anything negative about Islam, I try to find out what they're saying and why, and I do my best to educate them as to what Islam REALLY teaches. It's a very tolerant, charitable religion, and most of the people are kind and good. Same as Christians.

And just as decent Christians are embarrassed by extremists who call themselves Christian (the KKK is Christian, Adolph Hitler identified himself as Catholic), most Muslims do NOT support terrorism and the taking of innocent life.

I find that most of the people who trash Islam are people who have absolutely no knowledge of the religion, other than some little snippets they've heard and misinterpreted from the media.

Salaam alaikum, sister. Fi Amaani Allah.

Answer 5

Peace, love, tolerance, respect. Great qualities that a human can posses. Sadly SOME of the people who answered this question don't know the meanings of these words. So sad, it is these kinda people who make the world a cruel place to live in. I have no respect for these kinda people, who make it their aim to spread hatred and increase the gaps that divide us.
I respect those who respect others. I love those who love others.

Peace be with you sister.

Answer 6

Reading the answers to this question, I can see why there will never be peace. So many people talk about how Muslims should be more open minded, and dedicate themselves to peace and harmony, and whenever we do, well, you can see the responses. Unfortunately, this is typical of the American (and non-Islamic world) mindset - demand some one take action, then condemn them all the more loudly when they do...Do they mistake kindness for weakness? I think so. People demand that Muslims stand against those who are deemed by western society to be intolerant to other beliefs, but where are those people when their own need to be stood up against? How many of you sent e-mails to the people who responded so negatively and rudely to this Sisters attempt at peace and reconciliation? Exactly....

Answer 7

In my present understanding; the difference for many may be a matter of the heart. Judaism, Christianity, and Islam all trace their 'lineage' back to Abraham. All three have the '2 or more witnesses' principle currently. Unfortuneately, in Christianity' in USA it is not fully applied presently (combined with 2 Tim. 3:16-17).

Answer 8

I look at all organized religion as the cause of the worlds pain but it is far to easy for some to point to the muslim faith and lay all the blame upon your feet the muslim religion christianity and the hebrew faith all share the same roots and all come from the same culture of the middle east.You asked that we all look into islam I ask one thing of you to.Look into yourself and ask with all the different religions and there historys and how their books were written and changed thru interpretation and time how do you know who the true god is.I say only god knows who he is and all that I can do is to be the best person and love that which he created which is all the different people of the world and treat them with respect.

Answer 9

It makes me disappointed and sad to read many of the responses you've received to this question. You've seen here some of the poorest examples of Christian love. To be Christ-like is to be tolerant and loving of others - not to attack or demean them.

It is unfortunate that these loud few will be heard by more than the majority who think that this is a thoughtful question and a loving gesture towards all. They are in essence showing the same lack of love that the few in your religion who give the world a bad impression of Muslims show.

I think because of current world events, Muslims are greatly misunderstood. I don't claim to understand Islam either, but have seen some very enlightening answers given by Muslims to questions on here.

Peace and love to you also.

Answer 10

To expand tolerance, I think you just have to get rid of all the misunderstandings and stereotypes by explaining what everything is really about. When I see anyone from my faith that is discriminating against any religion, I always try to set them straight, and it usually works. People just have to learn to speak up in a polite way and that can go very far.