READ CAREFULLY: THINK: Does Islam tolerate others beliefs?

Question

The Quran says: God forbids you not, with regards to those who fight you not for [your] faith nor drive you out of your homes, from dealing kindly and justly with them; for God loveth those who are just. (Quran, 60-8)

It is one function of Islamic law to protect the privileged status of others, and this is why non-Muslim places of worship have flourished all over the Islamic world. History provides many examples of Muslim tolerance towards other faiths: when the caliph Omar entered Jerusalem in the year 634, Islam granted freedom of worship to all religious communities in the city.

Islamic law also permits non-Muslim minorities to set up their own courts, which implement family laws drawn up by the minorities themselves.

The Patriarch invited him to pray in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, but he preferred to pray outside its gates, saying that if he accepted, later generations of Muslims might use his action as an excuse to turn it into a mosque!

Answer 1

yes, i'd like to add some more to that.

It is a common complaint among some non-Muslims that Islam would not have millions of adherents all over the world, if it had not been spread by the use of force. The following points will make it clear, that far from being spread by the sword, it was the inherent force of truth, reason and logic that was responsible for the rapid spread of Islam.


1.
Islam means peace.

Islam comes from the root word ‘salaam’, which means peace. It also means submitting one’s will to Allah (swt). Thus Islam is a religion of peace, which is acquired by submitting one’s will to the will of the Supreme Creator, Allah (swt).

2.
Sometimes force has to be used to maintain peace.
Each and every human being in this world is not in favour of maintaining peace and harmony. There are many, who would disrupt it for their own vested interests. Sometimes force has to be used to maintain peace. It is precisely for this reason that we have the police who use force against criminals and anti-social elements to maintain peace in the country. Islam promotes peace. At the same time, Islam exhorts it followers to fight where there is oppression. The fight against oppression may, at times, require the use of force. In Islam force can only be used to promote peace and justice.

3.
Opinion of historian De Lacy O’Leary.
The best reply to the misconception that Islam was spread by the sword is given by the noted historian De Lacy O’Leary in the book "Islam at the cross road" (Page 8):

"History makes it clear however, that the legend of fanatical Muslims sweeping through the world and forcing Islam at the point of the sword upon conquered races is one of the most fantastically absurd myth that historians have ever repeated."


4.
Muslims ruled Spain for 800 years.
Muslims ruled Spain for about 800 years. The Muslims in Spain never used the sword to force the people to convert. Later the Christian Crusaders came to Spain and wiped out the Muslims. There was not a single Muslim in Spain who could openly give the adhan, that is the call for prayers.

5.
14 million Arabs are Coptic Christians.
Muslims were the lords of Arabia for 1400 years. For a few years the British ruled, and for a few years the French ruled. Overall, the Muslims ruled Arabia for 1400 years. Yet today, there are 14 million Arabs who are Coptic Christians i.e. Christians since generations. If the Muslims had used the sword there would not have been a single Arab who would have remained a Christian.

6.
More than 80% non-Muslims in India.
The Muslims ruled India for about a thousand years. If they wanted, they had the power of converting each and every non-Muslim of India to Islam. Today more than 80% of the population of India are non-Muslims. All these non-Muslim Indians are bearing witness today that Islam was not spread by the sword.

7.
Indonesia and Malaysia.
Indonesia is a country that has the maximum number of Muslims in the world. The majority of people in Malaysia are Muslims. May one ask, "Which Muslim army went to Indonesia and Malaysia?"

8.
East Coast of Africa.
Similarly, Islam has spread rapidly on the East Coast of Africa. One may again ask, if Islam was spread by the sword, "Which Muslim army went to the East Coast of Africa?"

9.
Thomas Carlyle.
The famous historian, Thomas Carlyle, in his book "Heroes and Hero worship", refers to this misconception about the spread of Islam: "The sword indeed, but where will you get your sword? Every new opinion, at its starting is precisely in a minority of one. In one man’s head alone. There it dwells as yet. One man alone of the whole world believes it, there is one man against all men. That he takes a sword and try to propagate with that, will do little for him. You must get your sword! On the whole, a thing will propagate itself as it can."

10.
No compulsion in religion.
With which sword was Islam spread? Even if Muslims had it they could not use it to spread Islam because the Qur’an says in the following verse:

"Let there be no compulsion in religion:
Truth stands out clear from error"
[Al-Qur’an 2:256]


11.
Sword of the Intellect.
It is the sword of intellect. The sword that conquers the hearts and minds of people. The Qur’an says in Surah Nahl, chapter 16 verse 125:

"Invite (all) to the way of thy Lord
with wisdom and beautiful preaching;
and argue with them in ways that are
best and most gracious."
[Al-Qur’an 16:125]


12.
Increase in the world religions from 1934 to 1984.
An article in Reader’s Digest ‘Almanac’, year book 1986, gave the statistics of the increase of percentage of the major religions of the world in half a century from 1934 to 1984. This article also appeared in ‘The Plain Truth’ magazine. At the top was Islam, which increased by 235%, and Christianity had increased only by 47%. May one ask, which war took place in this century which converted millions of people to Islam?

13.
Islam is the fastest growing religion in America and Europe.
Today the fastest growing religion in America is Islam. The fastest growing religion in Europe in Islam. Which sword is forcing people in the West to accept Islam in such large numbers?

14.
Dr. Joseph Adam Pearson.
Dr. Joseph Adam Pearson rightly says, "People who worry that nuclear weaponry will one day fall in the hands of the Arabs, fail to realize that the Islamic bomb has been dropped already, it fell the day MUHAMMED (pbuh) was born".

Answer 2

I will Prove you wrong very easy.
If what you say is correct WHY Saudia Arabia doesn't have a single church nor it permits the christians to build one WHILE all the countries in the world,including the Vatican,let Muslims build Mosques?? Have the courage and answer.
For your knowledge only, the Arabian Peninsula was full with churches & synagogues.Where are they now?


p.s.yes Caliph Omar has done what you said BUT it is just half of the story,you didn't mention that he ordered all christians to put a coloured strap on their hands to be recognised,you didn't mention that he banned all christians celebrations outside the walls of the churches,you didn't mention that he ordered christians not to ride horses....and a lot more thing.Go read your history well before you fanfare here.

Answer 3

if i examine the historic previous, it truly is for sure shows that Islam do tolerate different ideals. there is likewise a rule approximately allowing Muslim guy marrying lady from yet another faith in Quran. a number of my pals ever advised me that there is lot of complicated words in Quran, it truly is like interpreting poems while u examine it, so we ought to continually discover what's the meaning at the back of those words. i assume quite some Muslims misunderstand the meaning of Quran, and those undesirable issues exceeded off

Answer 4

islam in its principle had to live with the local beliefs, because during the original islamic expansions the muslim tribes simply did not have the abilities to govern empires. Since then, the periods of religious tolerance altered with those of religious hatred.

fact is that prior the deployment into muslim countries you are advised to state or fake a belief into one GODwhen in the contact with locals, preferably the Christian /the muslims dont like the Jewish religion/. You are advised to omit the calling yourself atheist or a follower of various "pagan" -polytheistic or omnitheistic- religions.

that is how the modern islam tolerates other beliefs.

Answer 5

NO! islam (small l) does NOT tollerate others beliefs. For some years islam has been presecuting those belonging to The Baha'i Faith in islamic countries. And of course they are not the only one islam presecutes.

It is a hateful religion despite what their quoran says.
Really quite useless in my eyes....

Answer 6

No. Islam does not tolerate other beliefs. You keep asking the same question over and over again? Are you expecting any other answer besides the truth, which I have just declared?

Answer 7

Yes, Islam does tolerate other beliefs. The pity is that not all Muslims do. So it's not unlike Christianity. Just look at the last 500 years of European history which is one long illustration of bitter hatred between Catholic and Protestant.

Answer 8

What you say is true and there are several notable examples of the tolerance of Christians and Jews already living in regions that they have conquered in the past. Islam, if it is practised faithfully in this respect, is a religion based on tolerance even if, as with the conquest of Jerusalem, Jews and Christians did pay a tax for the privilege of such religious tolerance.

Although what you say does not mean that Islam is necessarily more of a peace-loving religion than is Christianity: both religions are adaptable to hatred and warfare and have dones so many times throughout the centuries. This is particularly notable in the revival of the Muslim history of conquest in India by various Mogul rulers such as the Persian Haider Ali (172201782) and Muhammad bin Qasim's initial conquest in 712 AD.

In theory, Islam allowed for some toleration for Christians and Jews. But they were subjected to slavery and a second-class status called Dimmis, which was far worse than “Jim Crow”. Due to Islamic proscriptions on domestic slavery, Islam invented a large-scale race-based slave trade. Arab Muslims imported slaves from Europe and Sub-Saharan Africa. Islamic slave raids were common in southern Europe and sometimes reached the shores of Ireland.

Add to this the historial treatment of Assyrians under Islamic occupation. During the Patriarchate of Mar Khnanishu I (686 -701 A.D.), the Caliph Abd al-Malik imprisons and tortures the Patriarch and places another bishop in his place. Abd al-Malik was the first to insist on the collection of the poll tax from the Christians. The Christians were persecuted and their churches were destroyed. On 737, the Caliph Mahdi decrees that all churches built since the Muslim conquest be destroyed. Over 5000 Christians from Halab were forced to accept Islam or death.

During the Patriarchate of Mar Theodosius(852-858 A.D.), the caliph Mutawakkil persecuted the Christians. He imprisoned the Patriarch on the false suspicion of spying for the Byzantines, and he decreed that the Christians should wear special badges as a sign of degradation. On 873 the famous Assyrian physician and translator, Hunayn Bar Iskhaq, was executed by the order of Caliph Mutawakkil.

In 1014, during the reign of Caliph Qadir, the Muslims sacked the houses of the Christians in Baghdad, and destroyed and burned down many of their churches. The Caliph, at the same time, destroyed the church of the Resurrection in Jerusalem, and other churches in the same city. The Caliph ordered the town criers or heralds in each place to announce that, according to the will of the ruler, all his subjects should embrace his religion. The Christians and the Jews who did so should be rewarded; if they resisted, and did not change their religion, they should be punished. They were not allowed to have rings on their right hand, nor ride on a horse (only on donkeys). If they disregarded the order, their whole property was forfeited to the state, and they were expelled from the country. Many Christians emigrated to the Roman (Byzantine) territory, others embraced Islam, but a great number remained and defied the ordinance. They wore crosses of gold and silver around their neck to show their religion. The Caliph ordered that every Christian who wore a cross of gold or silver should have it exchanged for a wooden one, weighing 4 pounds. If they resisted, they should be put to death.

In 1261, thousands of Assyrians fled the Nineveh plains villages of Bartillah, Bakhdida (Qaraqosh), Badna, Basihra, Karmlis towards Arbil to escape the overwhelming numbers of Kurds who were ordered by King Salih Ismail to emigrate from the mountains of Turkey to the Nineveh plains. The villages were looted and thousands who did not reach Arbil were butchered by the newcomers. The nuns' monastery in Bakhdida (Qarqosh) was invaded and it's inhabitants were brutally massacred.

My point is not to disagree with your post simply because you are Muslim but to show that there is always more to historical truth than the side which is most favourable to whoever puts the argument. As with Christianity, which has its own deplorable episodes, Islam cannot claim a completely peaceful and tolerant history either.

Answer 9

Why do so many countries under Islamic law have the death penalty for apostasy? This seems intolerant to me and designed to compel belief through fear.

Answer 10

Is it true that it was also islam that allowed its followers to behead Daniel Pearl,.....the Nepalis, the Koreans.......etc, etc without much condemnation from the ayatollahs, mullahs or utaz? Can someone give me proper answer? Have the Sunni-Shiite today in Iran and Iraq tolerate each other in the name of tolerant religion?

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Answer 11

Looking forward to seeing you in a Church in Saudi Arabia.