There have been many wars and attrocities carried out in the name of one religion or another. That should be a big hint to stay away from religion!!! The "holy source" that you refer to is simply another book written by humans. I cannot fathom how anything 'holy' could be found in a book. Yes, the Bible and Qur'an give some good life-lessons. So do a lot of other books. I believe the problem isn't the words of the books, but the very fact that they represent a religion. Religion often breeds fanaticism which consequently leads to many attrocities. If everybody tried to be a concerned and helpful citizen, religion would become less relevant in my opinion.
On Jul 21, 11:09 pm, ""SeeMaa"" <[email protected]> wrote: > Hi .. > Read this .. Give me your opinion > > Islam Condemns Terrorism > > Some people who say they are acting in the name of religion may > misunderstand their religion or practice it wrongly. For this reason, > it is a mistake to form any idea of that religion from the activities > of these people. The best way to understand Islam is through its holy > source. > > The holy source of Islam is the Qur'an; and the model of morality in > the Qur'an is completely different from the image of it formed in the > minds of some westerners. The Qur'an is based on the concepts of > morality, love, compassion, mercy, modesty, self-sacrifice, tolerance > and peace, and a Muslim who truly lives according to these moral > precepts is highly refined, thoughtful, tolerant, trustworthy and > accommodating. To those around him he gives love, respect, peace of > mind and a sense of the joy of life. > > Islam Is A Religion Of Peace And Well-Being > > The word Islam has the same meaning as "peace" in Arabic. Islam is a > religion that came down to offer humanity a life filled with the peace > and well-being in which God's eternal mercy and compassion is > manifested in the world. God invites all people to accept the moral > teachings of the Qur'an as a model whereby mercy, compassion, > tolerance and peace may be experienced in the world. In Surat al- > Baqara verse 208, this command is given: > > You who believe! Enter absolutely into peace (Islam). Do not follow in > the footsteps of Satan. He is an outright enemy to you. > > As we see in this verse, people will experience well-being and > happiness by living according to the moral teaching of the Qur'an. > > God Condemns Mischief > > God has commanded humanity to avoid evil; he has forbidden immorality, > rebellion, cruelty, aggressiveness, murder and bloodshed. Those who do > not obey this command of God are walking in the steps of Satan, as it > says in the verse above, and have adopted an attitude that God has > clearly declared unlawful. Of the many verses that bear on this > subject, here are only two: > > But as for those who break God's contract after it has been agreed and > sever what God has commanded to be joined, and cause corruption in the > earth, the curse will be upon them. They will have the Evil Abode. > (Surat ar-Ra'd: 25) > Seek the abode of the hereafter with what God has given you, without > forgetting your portion of the world. And do good as God has been good > to you. And do not seek to cause mischief on earth. God does not love > mischief makers.' (Surat al-Qasas: 77) > > As we can see, God has forbidden every kind of mischievous acts in the > religion of Islam including terrorism and violence, and condemned > those who commit such deeds. A Muslim lends beauty to the world and > improves it. > > Islam Defends Tolerance And Freedom Of Speech > > [COLOR="rgb(255, 0, 255)"]Islam is a religion which fosters freedom of > life, ideas and thought. It has forbidden tension and conflict among > people, calumny, suspicion and even having negative thoughts about > another individual. > > Islam has not only forbidden terror and violence, but also even the > slightest imposition of any idea on another human being. > > There is no compulsion in religion. Right guidance has become clearly > distinct from error. Anyone who rejects false gods and believes in God > has grasped the Firmest Handhold, which will never give way. God is > All-Hearing, All-Knowing. (Surat al-Baqara: 256) > So remind, you need only to remind. You cannot compel them to believe. > (Surat al-Ghashiyah: 22) > > To force anyone to believe in a religion or to practice it, is against > the spirit and essence of Islam. Because it is necessary that faith be > accepted with free will and conscience. Of course, Muslims may urge > one another to keep the moral precepts taught in the Qur'an, but they > never use compulsion. In any case, an individual cannot be induced to > the practice of religion by either threat or offering him a worldly > privilege. > > Let us imagine a completely opposite model of society. For example, a > world in which people are forced by law to practice religion. Such a > model of society is completely contrary to Islam because faith and > worship have value only when they are directed toward God. If there > were a system that forced people to believe and worship, people would > be religious only out of fear of the system. What is acceptable from > the point of view of religion is that religion be practiced in an > environment where freedom of conscience is permitted, and that it be > practiced only for the approval of God. > > God Has Made The Killing Of Innocent People Unlawful > > According to the Qur'an, one of the greatest sins is to kill a human > being who has committed no fault: > > ...If someone kills another person - unless it is in retaliation for > someone else or for causing corruption in the earth - it is as if he > had murdered all mankind. And if anyone gives life to another person, > it is as if he had given life to all mankind. Our Messengers came to > them with Clear Signs but even after that many of them committed > outrages in the earth. (Surat al-Ma'ida: 32) > Those who do not call on any other deity together with God and do not > kill anyone God has made inviolate, except with the right to do so, > and do not fornicate; anyone who does that will receive an evil > punishment. (Surat al-Furqan: 68) > > As we can see in the verses above, those who kill innocent human > beings without a cause are threatened with evil punishment. God has > revealed that killing one person is as great a sin as killing all > mankind. Anyone who respected the prerogatives of God would not do > harm to even one individual, let alone murdering thousands of innocent > people. Those who think that they will escape justice and punishment > in this world will never escape the account they must give in the > Presence of God on the Last Day. So, those believers who know they > will give an account to God after their death, will be very careful > about respecting the limits God has established. > > God Commands Believers To Be Compassionate And Merciful > > In this verse, Muslim morality is explained: > > ...To be one of those who believe and urge each other to steadfastness > and urge each other to compassion. Those are the Companions of the > Right. (Surat al-Balad: 17-18) > > As we see in this verse, one of the most important moral precepts that > God has sent down to His servants so that they may receive salvation > and mercy and attain Paradise, is to "urge each other to compassion". > > Islam as described in the Qur'an is a modern, enlightened, progressive > religion. A Muslim is above all a person of peace; he is tolerant with > a democratic spirit, cultured, enlightened, honest, knowledgable about > art and science and civilized. > > A Muslim educated in the fine moral teaching of the Qur'an, approaches > everyone with the love that Islam expects. He shows respect for every > idea and he values art and aesthetics. He is conciliatory in the face > of every event, diminishing tension and restoring amity. In societies > composed of individuals such as this, there will be a higher > civilization, a higher social morality, more joy, happiness, justice, > security, abundance and blessings than in the most modern nations of > the world today. > > God Has Commanded Tolerance And Forgiveness > > Surat al-A'raf, verse 199, which says "practice forgiveness", > expresses the concept of forgiveness and tolerance which is one of the > basic principles of the religion of Islam. > > When we look at Islamic history, we can see clearly how Muslims > established this important precept of the moral teaching of the Qur'an > in their social life. At every point in their advance, Muslims > destroyed unlawful practices and created a free and tolerant > environment. In the areas of religion, language and culture, they made > it possible for people totally opposite to each other to live under > the same roof in freedom and peace, thereby giving to those subject to > them the advantages of knowledge, wealth and position. > > Likewise, one of the most important reasons that the large and > widespread Ottoman Empire was able to sustain its existence for so > many centuries was that its way of life was directed by the tolerance > and understanding brought by Islam. For centuries Muslims have been > characterized by their tolerance and compassion. In every period of > time they have been the most just and merciful of people. All ethnic > groups within this multi-national community freely practiced the > religions they have followed for years and enjoyed every opportunity > to live in their own cultures and worship in their own way. > > Indeed, the particular tolerance of Muslims, when practiced as > commanded in the Qur'an, can alone bring peace and well-being to the > whole world. The Qur'an refers to this particular kind of tolerance: > > A good action and a bad action are not the same. Repel the bad with > something better and, if there is enmity between you and someone else, > he will be like a bosom friend. (Surat al-Fussilat: 34) > Conclusion > > All this shows that the moral teaching offered to humanity by Islam is > one that will bring peace, happiness and justice to the world. The > barbarism that is happening in the world today under the name of > "Islamic Terrorism" is completely removed from the moral teachings of > the Qur'an; it is the work of ignorant, bigoted people, criminals who > have nothing to do with religion. The solution which will applied > against these individuals and groups who are trying to commit their > deeds of savagery under the guise of Islam, will be the instruction of > people in the true moral teaching of Islam. > > In other words, the religion of Islam and the moral teaching of the > Qur'an are not the supporters of terrorism and the terrorists, but the > remedy by which the world can be saved from the scourge of terrorism. > > Good Bye..! --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups ""Minds Eye"" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/Minds-Eye?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
