Is Islam a religion? What defines a religion?

[TashaN]

I am asking about any law that would constrain the expression of a non-Muslim any differently than it would constrain the expression of a Muslim.

Free speech is granted for everyone whether they are muslims or non-muslims as long as it was in a respectful manner but not a statement of an ignorant in public having the intention to insult or proselytize.

You can't yell "fire" in a crowded theater when it is NOT on fire, because that could cause panic and people could get hurt.

I agree.

Ah, okay. Thanks for clearing that up. I thought that Shariah included laws against blasphemy....for example, I thought that in Saudi Arabia it was illegal to have Bible study groups but legal to have Qu'ran study groups, it's illegal for a person to publicly declare that Islam/Muhammad/Allah is false, it's illegal for a Muslim to convert to another religion, and so forth.

Well, thats in Saudi Arabia. In a real islamic state all religions have the right to practice their religion and have their own house of worship including their own scriptures. Nevertheless, if it wasn't there in the first place so they are not allowed to establish a new house of worship as far as i know because there is no reason to do so as long as there is no citizens who adhere to that particular faith.

I remember that i read once about the Jews in the time of prophet Mohammed, and when they had some disagreement about an issue, so they went to prophet Mohammed and he judged amongst them using their own holy scriptures at that time because they are not Muslims of course.

A government, too?

Yep. There is no conflict in Islam between the religion and state.

So a Christian or Jew or atheist can't preach/proselytize to a Muslim under Shariah law. (What's the penalty for that?) Can a Muslim preach/proselytize to non-Muslims?

Well, i have to search about that because i didn't read about all the rules in an islamic state and under the Shariah law, and i forgot some of what i know because i'm not that interested in law in general, but i find the theological and spiritual issues more interesting and attractive to me and i enjoy searching and learning about them.

Anyway, I'll try to search for you about it or one of the muslims in here might come up with an answer for that question for you.

We can all discuss about it in this link below where it belong:
http://www.religiousforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=52265

Thats because we don't want for this thread to go off-topic because its not about Shriah law but rather, about the defention of a religion. We don't want for becky to get angry.

 

[Popeyesays]

Unfortunately, Baha`i's are caught in a Catch-22 in some religiously based Muslim governments. Since Baha`u'llah lays claim to a prophecy after the Qur'an, under any stretch of Shar'iah it is not allowed.

Egypt recently has denied Baha`i's the right to citizenship identification cards, which means they cannot send their children to school, work for a living, marry, in some cases inherit.

Iran has been trying to drive the Baha`i's out since the mid-1850's, baha`i's are arrested there for nothing more than to intimidate all the other Baha`i's.

Religious Freedom in the eyes of the west is quite different from Religious Freedom under current interpretations of the Shar'iah.

Regards,
Scott

 

[fullyveiled muslimah]

Unfortunately, Baha`i's are caught in a Catch-22 in some religiously based Muslim governments. Since Baha`u'llah lays claim to a prophecy after the Qur'an, under any stretch of Shar'iah it is not allowed.

Egypt recently has denied Baha`i's the right to citizenship identification cards, which means they cannot send their children to school, work for a living, marry, in some cases inherit.

Iran has been trying to drive the Baha`i's out since the mid-1850's, baha`i's are arrested there for nothing more than to intimidate all the other Baha`i's.

Religious Freedom in the eyes of the west is quite different from Religious Freedom under current interpretations of the Shar'iah.

Regards,
Scott

I can understand the quandry here. It is easy for muslims to mistake bahai's as a sect of Islam, which muslims have a tendancy to want to squash. However from what I have learned it is not a sect it is a religion on its own for all intents and purposes. I would say the muslims in different places are confused, because I at one time dismissed bahai's as a wayward sect myself. It will be extremely difficult to try and make that clear when the people you're dealing with don't want to listen. I really feel sorry for what bahai's go through at the hands of the muslims especially.

 

[rocka21]

Pat Robertson is a moron who needs some oxy.

not nice, he is not my pastor, nor do i agree with everything he says.

but i don't think we should be calling ones morons.

 

[McBell]

not nice, he is not my pastor, nor do i agree with everything he says.

but i don't think we should be calling ones morons.

but in this case the shoe is such a perfect match...