Islam is not a Religion of Extremism
Allah says:
...Whosoever kills an innocent human being, it shall be as if he has killed
all mankind, and whosoever saves the life of one, it shall be as if he had
saved the life of all mankind... Qur'an 5:32
Islam... an extreme religion?
Islamic terrorists! Muslim fundamentalists! Extremists! Radical
Islamists! These are just some labels that have been wrongly applied to
Muslims and certain Muslim groups in recent years.
The media's portrayal of Islam often misleads those whose knowledge of the
religion is limited, into making negative assumptions about this very peaceful
and tolerant way of life.
Peter Manning, a journalist of over 30 years, states in his book, Us and
Them: My experience tells me there's a vast gulf between the realities of the
daily lives of Arab and Muslim Australians and how they are represented in our
[Australian] media.
In more than 60 percent of cases [from the coverage of 2 major newspapers], the
words 'violent', 'death', 'attack', 'kill', 'suicide' or 'gunmen' were in close
proximity to the words 'Arab', 'Palestinian', 'Muslim' or 'Islam'.
Is it then, any wonder that most people associate Islam with terrorism?
The problem of ignorance is highlighted by a survey which revealed that more
than one in three Australians admit to knowing nothing about Islam and its
followers.
Those with the least knowledge and personal contact with Muslims were the most
likely to feel threatened by Islam, said Dr Dunn, who was commissioned by the
Australia-Indonesia Institute to carry out the study.
The prevalence of media bias and ignorance regarding Islam can be countered by
understanding Islam through its proper teachings. That means referring to the
Qur'an (which Muslims believe to be the word of God) and the authentic sayings
of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). Through the proper understanding
of these teachings, one will discover Islam to be completely against any form
of extremism.
How the Qur'an can be misunderstood
When reading through the Qur'an or the sayings of the Prophet (peace be upon
him), one must understand the context in which the wording applies. The
following verse of the Qur'an is a favourite amongst those seeking to mislead
people about Islam:
And kill them wherever you find them, and expel them from where they expelled
you, as persecuting people to sway them from God's Religion is worse than
killing. But do not fight them at the Sacred Mosque, unless they fight you
there. But if they do fight you, then slay them; This is the recompense of the
disbelievers. Qur'an 2:191
On occasions, this verse has been dangerously trimmed down to the following:
And kill them wherever you find them... Qur'an 2:191
The obvious question is, Kill who?. To answer this question, one should read
the verses before and after verse 2:191.
And fight in the way of Allah those who fight with you, and do not exceed the
limits, surely Allah does not love those who exceed the limits. Qur'an 2:190
The above verse mentions fighting as a means of self defence (i.e. with those
who fight you). The verse after 2:191 is:
But if they cease, Allah is Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful. Qur'an 2:192
These verses were revealed at a time when the Muslims had been expelled from
their homes on account of their faith. They endured more than ten years of
persecution and eventually had to flee to a safe land.
The above verses were referring to the Arab pagans of Mecca during the
Prophet's time, who oppressed the Muslims and planned to attack them where the
Muslims sought refuge.
Hence, the above verse can only be applied in such circumstances.
This example demonstrates that verses in the Qur'an should be understood in
their proper context since verses were revealed in stages in relation to
particular situations, over a period of 23 years. It is also important to note
that the Qur'an was revealed in Arabic. Therefore, translations into different
languages may be misleading and/or inaccurate.
Permissible Warfare/Fighting
There can be no doubt that Muslims (like anybody else) have a legitimate right
to fight against aggression or when oppressed.
Islam teaches that warfare is permitted in order to preserve the wellbeing of
the community or to prevent oppression from spreading - this may be in the
context of defensive or offensive warfare depending on the particular
situation. Islam, just like any 'way of life' that wants to ensure its
survival, has the right to defend itself when war is declared against it. In
the Qur'an (22:39) we read:
To those against whom war is made, permission is given to fight, because they
are wronged.
However, when the enemy ceases its hostility, Muslims are commanded to cease
fighting.
And if they incline to peace, then incline to it and trust in God; surely He
is the All-Hearer, the All-Knower. Qur'an 8:61
Abu Bakr (may God be pleased with him), Prophet Mohammad's closest friend and
first successor, spoke
