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But the media says it....

Spirit of Light

Be who ever you want
The headline of this thread is the response from a friend of mine when he heard I converted to Islam.
So i asked him if he knew Islam only from the news, or if he had read a transof the Quran.

His answer was that he only listen to what the media told him about Islam.
So i asked him, do you think every muslim is a terrorist because that is what media portrays muslims as?
Surprisingly he said media know Islam better then muslims, so yes you become a terrorist now :confused:

Is that really how many people see Islam?
 

chinu

chinu
The headline of this thread is the response from a friend of mine when he heard I converted to Islam.
So i asked him if he knew Islam only from the news, or if he had read a transof the Quran.

His answer was that he only listen to what the media told him about Islam.
So i asked him, do you think every muslim is a terrorist because that is what media portrays muslims as?
Surprisingly he said media know Islam better then muslims, so yes you become a terrorist now :confused:

Is that really how many people see Islam?
As far as I understand, Muslim is the one who practice Jihad, And Jihad is always fought with one's own-mind, NOT anywhere in the outside world. And a Jihad with own-mind can NEVER make one terrorist.
 

ChristineM

"Be strong", I whispered to my coffee.
Premium Member
Many people are influenced by the media as their only source of knowledge. They consider there is no need to actually investigate what is said on their favourite news channel or tabloid newspaper.

I am not surprised your friend knows only what is blasted on the 6 o'clock news. To me it says he decided to cease his education when he left school.
 

ChristineM

"Be strong", I whispered to my coffee.
Premium Member
As far as I understand, Muslim is the one who practice Jihad, And Jihad is always fought with one's own-mind, NOT anywhere in the outside world. And a Jihad with own-mind can NEVER make one terrorist.


The only religion with the word, others have rhe same sentiment unnamed taught from their holy book
 

Eddi

Agnostic
Premium Member
Is that really how many people see Islam?
I think it is wrong to say all muslims are terrorists, that's obviously false

Draw a Venn diagram: not all moslems are terrorists and not all terrorists are moslems

I went to a secondary school that was 95% Pakistani moslems - and the moslems there treated me much better than any of the English kids did, and I will never forget that

I used to have a best friend who was moslem, I knew him from 1998 but earlier this year I ditched him as he said he hated gays, and wanted to exterminate us

I think he was radicalised, when he said this it sounded like he was repeating something he'd been told and before this he had always been tolerant of gays

He lacked critical thinking skills, he would believe whatever anyone told him to believe if they were in a position of spiritual authority

So I suppose it was only a matter of time...
 

Dawnofhope

Non-Proselytizing Baha'i
Staff member
Premium Member
The Quran along with the Christian Bible are arguably the two most influential books over the last two thousand years. I live in a developed and highly educated country yet its breathtaking the ignorance when it comes to the Quran and the influence Islam has had on the development of world history, particularly through the Islamic Golden Age. Almost all Christians I know have never laid eyes on the Quran and seem extremely reluctant to do so. So where there is ignorance, there is fear and prejudice. Stereotypes are amplified by Christian apologetics but ultimately it is a relatively small number of Muslim extremists who do the most harm to Islam.
 

exchemist

Veteran Member
The headline of this thread is the response from a friend of mine when he heard I converted to Islam.
So i asked him if he knew Islam only from the news, or if he had read a transof the Quran.

His answer was that he only listen to what the media told him about Islam.
So i asked him, do you think every muslim is a terrorist because that is what media portrays muslims as?
Surprisingly he said media know Islam better then muslims, so yes you become a terrorist now :confused:

Is that really how many people see Islam?
Yes, it is.

It's misguided, but you ought not to be surprised, given the enormous efforts in recent decades by Al-Qa'ida, Daesh and sundry bombers and murderers to destroy the reputation of Islam around the world and make everybody else hate it.

Islam has a huge problem today, brought about by the curse of "political Islam", developed largely in Egypt and Pakistan and then exported. This is still spreading, encouraging ordinary muslims to be intolerant of those who do not share their beliefs and intolerant also of any cultural integration into the wider community, in countries where Islam is not the dominant religion.

As a new convert, I hope you will succeed in avoiding political Islam and its associated intolerance.
 

Spirit of Light

Be who ever you want
Yes, it is.

It's misguided, but you ought not to be surprised, given the enormous efforts in recent decades by Al-Qa'ida, Daesh and sundry bombers and murderers to destroy the reputation of Islam around the world and make everybody else hate it.

Islam has a huge problem today, brought about by the curse of "political Islam", developed largely in Egypt and Pakistan and then exported. This is still spreading, encouraging ordinary muslims to be intolerant of those who do not share their beliefs and intolerant also of any cultural integration into the wider community, in countries where Islam is not the dominant religion.

As a new convert, I hope you will succeed in avoiding political Islam and its associated intolerance.
I start with your last words :) i am not interested in politics, only the spiritual aspects of islam. But i do see the misunderstandings the islamic terrorists do. To me, even i am new to the teaching see that terrorism is not a part of true Islacm. Those guys have misunderstood the word Jihad, it actually means to battle your inner self or war within you. Not at all war toward others :)
 

Spirit of Light

Be who ever you want
The Quran along with the Christian Bible are arguably the two most influential books over the last two thousand years. I live in a developed and highly educated country yet its breathtaking the ignorance when it comes to the Quran and the influence Islam has had on the development of world history, particularly through the Islamic Golden Age. Almost all Christians I know have never laid eyes on the Quran and seem extremely reluctant to do so. So where there is ignorance, there is fear and prejudice. Stereotypes are amplified by Christian apologetics but ultimately it is a relatively small number of Muslim extremists who do the most harm to Islam.
I fully agree with this @adrian009
 

exchemist

Veteran Member
I start with your last words :) i am not interested in politics, only the spiritual aspects of islam. But i do see the misunderstandings the islamic terrorists do. To me, even i am new to the teaching see that terrorism is not a part of true Islacm. Those guys have misunderstood the word Jihad, it actually means to battle your inner self or war within you. Not at all war toward others :)
Sure. But to me the key is tolerance. I know that Islam can be tolerant, but many modern manfestations of it are not.
 

Spirit of Light

Be who ever you want
Sure. But to me the key is tolerance. I know that Islam can be tolerant, but many modern manfestations of it are not.
I can not answer for other muslims, but in my understanding many muslims feel opressed by western world, because the negativity that some muslims drawn with them by wrong action.
I understand that western world feel many of the views muslims holds are not toleranse. But remember that the quran do say what is ok or not for a muslim. And the teaching is seen as Allahs words. Personally dont want go against Allah.
Much of the world today take it as offences if someone tells them that A God say their action, words or thoughts are not good. It comes down to belief in the scripture and not in the lust or needs of humans i think.
 

Harel13

Am Yisrael Chai
Staff member
Premium Member
There are very few muslims who do terrorism, and even the quran saybit is a wrong action to do. So are they trully following the teaching, or their own misunderstand of the Quran?
Nevertheless, the average non-Muslim thinks the Quran and/or Hadiths are to blame for Islamic terrorism.
 

Spirit of Light

Be who ever you want
Nevertheless, the average non-Muslim thinks the Quran and/or Hadiths are to blame for Islamic terrorism.
Well it is not the cause of terrorism, the cause of terrorism is the misunderstandings of a few verses i the quran, and thise who do terrorism in the name of Islam even they can recite the quran words by words they have not understood the deeper meanings.

Of course this is only my understanding of why some people use the Quran as their shield to do evil. I am in the middle of reading the quran from cover to cover, and i find very little that directly support use of voilence toward non muslims
 

exchemist

Veteran Member
I can not answer for other muslims, but in my understanding many muslims feel opressed by western world, because the negativity that some muslims drawn with them by wrong action.
I understand that western world feel many of the views muslims holds are not toleranse. But remember that the quran do say what is ok or not for a muslim. And the teaching is seen as Allahs words. Personally dont want go against Allah.
Much of the world today take it as offences if someone tells them that A God say their action, words or thoughts are not good. It comes down to belief in the scripture and not in the lust or needs of humans i think.
Well yes, but then this oppression is with good reason, is it not? It is the product of bitter experience.

Tolerance involves understanding that others may not share your faith or your way of life, and not trying to impose it on them. It also involves understanding that even within your religion there can be differences in teaching and outlook and that is a normal state of affairs.

Of course you must follow what you believe your religion teaches, but if you think that teaching requires you to be intolerant of others, you must expect to be oppressed.

Speaking as a Catholic, I have to live with the intolerance of Catholicism in past centuries, towards Jews and Muslims (e.g. crusades) and later towards Protestants. I cannot and will not defend that, other than to put it in the context of the time. Religions evolve however. My sense is that Islam faces the same struggle today, between tolerant and fanatical wings.
 
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Harel13

Am Yisrael Chai
Staff member
Premium Member
Well it is not the cause of terrorism, the cause of terrorism is the misunderstandings of a few verses i the quran, and thise who do terrorism in the name of Islam even they can recite the quran words by words they have not understood the deeper meanings.
The only thing that can be said is that those are some very very serious misunderstandings. One can only wonder how can such serious misunderstandings bring so much death and destruction...
 

Estro Felino

Believer in free will
Premium Member
The problem is that radical fundamentalism was created in very, very rich Arab countries.
Whereas the moderate ones live in those Arab countries with less resources.
So who owns the billions, advertises itself to the West.
It's all about the $$$
 

Spirit of Light

Be who ever you want
Tolerance involves understanding that others may not share your faith or your way of life, and not trying to impose it on them. It also involves understanding that even without your religion there can be differences in teaching and outlook and that is a normal state of affairs.

Of course you must follow what you believe your religion teaches, but if you think that teaching requires you to be intolerant of others, you must expect to be oppressed.
Honestly i do agree with what you say here.
Islam do teach tolerance and it is actually a huge part of the teaching ( as far as i have read until now)
One thing muslims could be better at is saying that the law of the quran apply to muslims and not to others. So even the teaching say certain things about things that is seen as good or normal today. Maybe muslims should concentrating on only speak about it among them self. So to not upset non muslims.

To me Islam is to become peaceful and good to others, that is what i will strive to do
 
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