“7 Myths About Islam” – Dr Furnish (excerpts)
Came across this yesterday:
7 Myths About Islam By Timothy R. Furnish http://hnn.us/articles/16536.html
Dr Furnish is an Assistant Professor specializing in Islamic History and the author of “Holiest Wars”: Islamic Mahdis, their Jihads and Osama bin Laden (Praeger, 2005).
Some excerpts:
One of the few positive effects of 9/11 has been renewed American interest in Islam and the Middle East. Unfortunately, much of the information disseminated in the media about those topics is ignorant and misleading….There are in particular seven myths about Islam and Islamic history that have been repeated so often in the media that they’ve achieved conventional wisdom status.
First, it is untrue that Islam is the world’s fastest-growing religion. Currently there are 2 billion Christians and 1.3 billion Muslims (out of a world population of 6 billion), and in the 21st century Christianity will maintain its lead, thanks to explosive growth in sub-Saharan Africa and China.
Second, despite the claims of even President Bush in a number of public statements, Islam is not solely a “religion of peace.” Yes, there are verses of toleration in the Qur’an: …But verses such as these are arguably outweighed by others: Sura Anfal:12ff and Sura Muhammad:3ff command the beheading of unbelievers; Sura al-Nisa’:34ff allows for beating of one’s wives and in verses 74ff and 94ff, promises great reward for those who die fighting for Allah; Sura al-Ma’idah:51 says “Believers, take neither Jews nor Christians for your friends.”
…no one denies that, as many—both Muslim and non-Muslim—deny these violent and
misogynistic passages in the Qur’an. Many arguments can be made against such verses (they must be contextualized, they are applicable only to that time, they are metaphorical, etc.) but one cannot say they do not exist. Someone who simply rehashs that “the Qur’an teaches peace” obviously hasn’t read it.
Third on the misinformation parade is the allegation that jihad does not mean holy war. This falsehood crops up often in text books and in the media, where the politically-correct tirelessly repeat that jihad actually means only “striving to be a good Muslim.” This is half-right. But early on in Islamic history, jihad came to mean fighting against unbelievers in order to expand the territory under Muslim rule. al-Bukhari lived in the 9th century CE and was the most authoritative compiler of sayings attributed to the prophet Muhammad; he
mentions jihad many times as meaning “holy war.” Jihad as “Muslim piety” is mainly the province of the Sufis, the mystics of Islam, and has become a minority view today.Fourth is the whopper that Islam spread peacefully from Arabia, as if the followers of Muhammad went door-to-door ringing doorbells and handing out brochures. From the mid-7th century CE Muslims militarily overran regions and then pressured the conquered to convert.
The fifth tiresome myth is that the European Catholic Crusaders started the war with Islam and that for eight centuries Muslims have been brooding over the horrible injustices thereof. Actually, the Crusades, 1095-1291, were simply the first time that European Christians managed to take the fight to their enemy’s territory. And besides: why are the Crusades being constantly used as a club with which to beat the West…when the Muslims won?
Another fairy tale about Islam is that poverty produces terrorists. …Most of the 9/11 and London bombers were university-educated and at least middle-class. The same is true for Palestinian suicide bombers… Regarding the recent London bombings, a British terrorism expert said that “socioeconomic background does not appear to [have] play[ed] a role.”
And finally, we have politically-correct mendacity number seven, which even British Prime Minister Tony Blair recently repeated: that Islam has been “hijacked” by terrorists. In this view Bin Ladin, the ayatollahs in Iran, the former Taliban rulers of Afghanistan, the Saudis with their Wahhabism (a particularly puritanical brand of Sunni Islam)—all are twisting a “moderate” religion to suit their purpose.
…Islamic history is replete with Muslim scholars whom the modern Islamic fundamentalists draw upon. The most famous is Ibn Taymiyah who, 700 years before George Bush said “you’re either for us or against us,” divided the world into the domain of Islam and that of war.
…it is no use pretending that the UBLs (Usama Bin Ladens) of the world have falsely “hijacked” Islam. Indeed, their view of the faith—however intolerant and violent it may seem—has a basis in Islamic theology and history. ..to help (the moderate strand within Islam win), we need to open our eyes to the reality of the harsher aspects of Islam and Islamic history. Anything else is simple—and dangerous—self-deception.
as long as the muslims are poor, hardly able to meet their ends meet , they won’t think much about religion . But as soon as their resources improve ,they seem to have time to serve their religion by turning to actual teachings of koran.
Now the question is, how can a peaceloving , believing in God to be in every being survive in an insecure atmosphere that has been created by these true muslims ? should we leave our prakriti and become like them (survival of the fittest) or should we have faith in the higher power who will get the world rid of this dangerouscult as he promises He will take an avatar on Earth whenever there is increase in unrighteous against righteous.
In your second point you mention a few verses of the Quran which talk about violence. I would suggest you look into it because most of these are taken out of context. You need to consider when these verses were revealed and under what situation and then these will start making sense. You can’t expect someone peaching peace when you’re being attacked by others and are being killed. I suggest you read the following, in which i have explained the context of some of the verses :
http://uberkoen.blogsome.com/2007/02/14/criticism-of-surah-929/
in your third point you try to define Jihad. Jihad, my friend, is an arabic word which means struggle. There are several different types of Jihad in Islam. Jihad an-nafs (jihad against one’s self) and jihad ash-Shaytan (jihad against Satan) are obligatory upon everyone who is accountable. Jihad against the munafiqin (hypocrites), kuffar (disbelievers) and leaders of oppression and innovation is obligatory upon the community as a whole. Physical jihad (i.e., fighting) against the kuffar may become an individual obligation upon everyone who is able to do it in certain circumstances. jihad had against the munafiqin (hypocrites) and kuffar (disbelievers) is of four kinds: with the heart, the tongue, one’s wealth and oneself. Jihad against the disbelievers is more along the lines of physical fighting, whereas jihad against the hypocrites is more along the lines of using words and ideas. Muslims are only allowed to fight those who fought them, and to refrain from fighting those who leave them alone and do not fight him.
Islam did spread peacefully. There is no compulsion in religion. No one was forced to convert. Yes, muslims did conquer other lands as did everyone else. Didn’t the Romans? The British? and other empires do the same? Just because millions of people were influenced by muslim leaders and converted to Islam under them does not mean they were forced.
Crusades are not being used as a club as you mentioned. Muslims only mention Crusades when jihad is mentioned as to say that there were Christian extremists as well who were given the order to do this by the Pope. Educated muslim leaders do not promote what terrorists are doing now and lets not forget during the Crusades the Jews were also killed and raped.
No one says poverty produces terrorists. There are people out there preaching the wrong version of Islam to anyone willing to listen and these young minds are brain washed for a political agenda.
You only mention people that have caused chaos. Have you forgotten the contributions muslims have made in medicine, science, education, architecture and astronomy? Please read the following :
http://uberkoen.blogsome.com/2007/02/07/how-muslim-scientists-changed-the-world/
Yes I agree with Awai.
All muslims are not terrorists.
As Awai said: “There are people out there preaching the wrong version of Islam to anyone willing to listen and these young minds are brain washed for a political agenda”
But the fact of preaching the wrong version of islam is alarming. Not only for disbelivers, also for those who follows wrong version of Islam. They are being used by hate preached clerics for sacrificing their life, in the name of religion. Their family needs them utmost more than the religion needs them. I feel sorry and sad for them as they have very short life to live on this beautiful Earth. There is no gurantee so far of what happens after death as they are promised with paradise in Islam(that is what i have heard). Any soul who departed till now has never came back to give any kind of evidences of paradise so far.
So all (for everyone whether muslim or non-muslim) must undertand that our precious alive soul is for our family and children not for any priest, clerics, or mullha.