MISCONCEPTION #1:
Muslims are violent, terrorists and/or extremists.
   
This is the biggest misconception in Islam, no doubt resulting from
the constant stereotyping and bashing the media gives Islam.  When a
gunman attacks a mosque in the name of Judaism, a Catholic IRA
guerrilla sets off a bomb in an urban area, or Serbian Orthodox
militiamen rape and kill innocent Muslim civilians, these acts are not
used to stereotype an entire faith. Never are these acts attributed
to the religion of the perpetrators. Yet how many times have we heard
the words 'Islamic, Muslim fundamentalist. etc.' linked with violence. 

Politics in so called  "Muslim countries" may or may not have any
Islamic basis.  Often dictators and politicians will use the name of
Islam for their own purposes. One should remember to go to the source
of Islam and separate what the true religion of Islam says from what
is portrayed in the media. Islam literally means 'submission to God'
and is derived from a root word meaning 'peace'.  

Islam may seem exotic or even extreme in the modern world. Perhaps
this is because religion doesn't dominate everyday life in the West,
whereas Islam is considered a 'way of life' for Muslims and they make
no division between secular and sacred in their lives.   Like
Christianity, Islam permits fighting in self-defense, in defense of
religion, or on the part of those who have been expelled forcibly
from their homes.  It lays down strict rules of combat which include
prohibitions against harming civilians and against destroying crops,
trees and  livestock.

NOWHERE DOES ISLAM ENJOIN THE KILLING OF INNOCENTS.. The Quran says:
"Fight in the cause of God against those who fight you, but do not
transgress limits.  God  does not love transgressors." (Quran 2:190)
"If they seek peace, then seek you peace.  And trust in God for He is
the One that heareth  and knoweth all things." (Quran 8:61) War,
therefore, is the last resort, and is subject to the rigorous
conditions laid down by the  sacred law.  The term 'jihad' literally
means 'struggle'.  Muslims believe that there are two kinds of  jihad.
The other 'jihad' is the inner struggle of the soul which everyone
wages against egotistic  desires for the sake of attaining inner
peace.

MISCONCEPTION #2:
Islam oppresses women.

The image of the typical Muslim woman wearing the veil and forced to
stay home and forbidden to drive is all too common  in most peoples
thoughts. Although some Muslim countries may  have laws that oppress
women, this should not be seen as coming  from Islam.  Many of these
countries do not rule by  any kind of Shari'ah (Islamic law) and
introduce their own cultural standpoints on the issue of  gender
equity.    

Islam on the other hand gives men and women different roles and equity
between the two  is laid down in the Quran and the example of the
Prophet (peace be upon him). Islam sees a woman, whether   single or
married, as an individual in her own right, with the right to own and
dispose of her property  and earnings.  A marriage gift is given by
the groom to the bride for her own personal use, and  she keeps her
own family name rather than taking her husband's. Both men and women
are expected to dress in a way that is modest and dignified. The
Messenger of God (peace be upon him) said: "The most perfect in faith
amongst  believers is he who is best in manner and kindest to his
wife." 

Violence of any kind towards  women and forcing them against their
will for anything is not allowed. A Muslim marriage is a simple, legal
agreement in which either partner is free to include  conditions.
Marriage customs thus vary widely from country to country.  Divorce is
not common,  although it is acceptable as a last resort.  According to
Islam, a Muslim girl cannot be forced to  marry against her will: her
parents simply suggest young men they think may be suitable.

MISCONCEPTION #3: 
Muslims worship a different God.

Allah is simply the Arabic word for God. Allah for Muslims is  the
greatest and most inclusive of the Names of God, it is an Arabic word
of rich meaning, denoting the one and only God and ascribing no
partners to Him. It is exactly the same word which the Jews, in
Hebrew, use for God (eloh), the word which Jesus Christ used in
Aramaic when he prayed to God. God has an identical name in Judaism,
Christianity, and Islam; Allah is the same God worshiped by Muslims,
Christians and Jews.  Muslims believe that Allah's sovereignty is to
be acknowledged in worship and in the pledge to obey His teaching and
commandments, conveyed through His messengers and prophets who were
sent at various times and in many places throughout history.
However, it should be noted that God in Islam is One and Only. He,
the Exalted, does not get tired, does not have a son ie Jesus or
have associates, nor does He have human-like attributions as found in
other faiths.

MISCONCEPTION #4:
Islam was spread by the sword and intolerant of other faiths.

Many social studies textbooks for students show the image of an Arab
horseman carrying  a sword in one hand and the Quran in the other
conquering and forcibly converting. This, though, is not a correct
portrayal of history.  Islam has always given respect and  freedom of
religion to all faiths. 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. 60:8)
   
Freedom of religion is laid down in the Quran itself: "There is no
compulsion (or coercion)  in the religion (Islam).  The right
direction is distinctly clear from error". (2:256) Christian
missionary, T.W. Arnold had this opinion on his study of the question
of the  spread of Islam: ".. of any organized attempt to force the
acceptance of Islam on the non-Muslim  population, or of any
systematic persecution intended to stamp out the Christian religion,
we hear  nothing. Had the caliphs chosen to adopt either course of
action, they might have swept away  Christianity as easily as
Ferdinand and Isabella drove Islam out of Spain, or Louis XIV made
Protestanism ..."
   
It is a function of Islamic law to protect the privileged status of
minorities, 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.   Proclaiming to the
inhabitants that their lives, and property were safe, and that their
places of  worship would never be taken from them, he asked the
Christian patriarch Sophronius to  accompany him on a visit to all the
holy places.  Islamic law also permits non-Muslim minorities to set up
their own courts, which  implement family laws drawn up by the
minorities themselves. The life and property of all citizens in an
Islamic state are considered sacred whether the  person is Muslim or
not.
   
Racism is not a part of Islam, the Quran speaks only of human equality
and how all  peoples are equal in the sight of God.   "O mankind! We
created you from a single soul, male and  female, and made you into
nations and tribes, so that you may come to know one another.  Truly,
the most honored of you in God's sight is the greatest of you in
piety.  God is All-Knowing, All- Aware. (49:13)

MISCONCEPTION #5:
All Muslims are Arabs

The Muslim population of the world is around 1.2 billion.  1 out of 5
people in the world is a  Muslim.  They are a vast range of races,
nationalities, and cultures from around the globe--from the
Phillipines to Nigeria--they are united by their common Islamic faith.
Only about 18% live  in the  Arab world and the largest Muslim
community is in Indonesia.  Most Muslims live east of Pakistan.   30%
of Muslims live in the Indian subcontinent, 20% in Sub-Saharan Africa,
17% in Southeast  Asia, 18% in the Arab world, and 10% in the Soviet
Union and China.  Turkey, Iran and  Afghanistan make up 10% of the
non-Arab Middle East.  Although there are Muslim minorities in  almost
every area, including Latin America and Australia, they are most
numerous in Russia and  its newly independent states, India and
central Africa.  There are about 6 million Muslims in the  United
States

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