is the muslim faith distorted by the terrorist?

[catholictiger]

I don’t know if there are many muslim’s on this board but I think that many people espically in the west and europe too have a distorted view of muslims they think that all muslims want to blow you up and think your a just infidels something along those lines, i think you get the point.

so simple question has terrorism distorted the view of Muslim, i don’t think the Muslim faith is the correct faith to follow or the truth but I don’t think its as horrible as some people make it out to be there are just a few radicals who have it all wrong and make the whole faith look bad.

Christians have a few of those people too we can’t deny it.

 

[stephe1987]

It is, but only for the people who don’t know any better, who don’t have Muslim friends. There are a lot of Muslims all over my state, so I don’t think that’s an issue, except for a few people who are angry and blame all Muslims for some things a radical terrorist group did.

 

[streetpreacher]

And the Christians being martered in these “Muslim” countries are to be overlooked as being done by only a few radicals, not at all from the governments in place and public policy. And the restrictions to show ones Christian faith in these countries, just a few radicals, not policy as well. And the ban on bibles in those countries, and the ol pesky death penalty for Muslims that convert to Christianity… all of those crazy few extremists again at it…right!!!

Nope, guys, the tree is bearing rotten fruit, it’s sour, pewtredly falling from the vine of death, that’s it plain and simple. Not just a few radicals, it’s only policy and our so called “friends of the other faith” are not in an uproar about their brethren practically burning “our” brethren at the stake, yet you mention an iota of dissension towards their faith, leadership, book, etc. and all hell breaks loose in them…

Their faith is NOT distorted by the terrorists, it’s only one of it’s fruits… bottom line, period…

 

[FidesSpesCarita]

No. Every person, without exception, that I know who has lived in a muslim country will tell you that it is an oppressive environment for any and all non-muslims or muslim women (the women part they have no real way of knowing, since most of them are men. Several women I know enjoy/praise the muslim lifestyle).

Islam has been described by many as not being a religion so much as a complete world view that MUST be followed and I tend to agree. Every country, without exception, that has developed a majority muslim population has developed an intolerant attitude that I find reprehensible wherever I see it (Average fundamentalists, I am looking at you on this one too).

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[runningdude]

No. Every person, without exception, that I know who has lived in a muslim country will tell you that it is an oppressive environment for any and all non-muslims or muslim women (the women part they have no real way of knowing, since most of them are men. Several women I know enjoy/praise the muslim lifestyle).

Islam has been described by many as not being a religion so much as a complete world view that MUST be followed and I tend to agree. Every country, without exception, that has developed a majority muslim population has developed an intolerant attitude that I find reprehensible wherever I see it (Average fundamentalists, I am looking at you on this one too).

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(I have a sneaking suspicion that this thread will be disappeared if we let it get too heated so please, take this my following response tongue and cheek.)

As it is, I hate to play the both the Jew card AND the white guilt card in a single post but here it goes…

It seems to me that every homogenous human society because totally intolerant of outsiders.

>> *White people in North America (bye-bye Indians…)
*
>> Spanish people in Central America (bye-bye Aztecs)

>> Muslim people in Southwest Asia/Northwest Africa (Bye-Bye Christians and Jews)

>> *Roman People in Roman Times (Bye-Bye Christians/Hello Lions)
*
>> Catholic people in Medieval Europe (Bye-Bye Jews)

>> Secularist in Europe (Bye-Bye Christians)

>> Planes with famous singers (Bye-Bye Ms American Pie)

Does it justify intolerance and oppression. No. Does it prove the fallen nature of humanity. Yes.

Basically, all I ask is that you don’t blame all Muslims. Blame the evil kings and governments. There is only one good king!

 

[FidesSpesCarita]

(I have a sneaking suspicion that this thread will be disappeared if we let it get too heated so please, take this my following response tongue and cheek.)

As it is, I hate to play the both the Jew card AND the white guilt card in a single post but here it goes…

It seems to me that every homogenous human society because totally intolerant of outsiders.

>> *White people in North America (bye-bye Indians…)
*
>> Spanish people in Central America (bye-bye Aztecs)

>> Muslim people in Southwest Asia/Northwest Africa (Bye-Bye Christians and Jews)

>> *Roman People in Roman Times (Bye-Bye Christians/Hello Lions)
*
>> Catholic people in Medieval Europe (Bye-Bye Jews)

>> Secularist in Europe (Bye-Bye Christians)

>> Planes with famous singers (Bye-Bye Ms American Pie)

Does it justify intolerance and oppression. No. Does it prove the fallen nature of humanity. Yes.

Basically, all I ask is that you don’t blame all Muslims. Blame the evil kings and governments. There is only one good king!

I can take a well intentioned reprimand when deserved. You are correct sir. My only excuse is that I was raised surrounded by moral relativists and have begun to fight that particular brand of ignorance and sometimes I just lash out without stopping to think.uch::doh2:

 

[Reuben_J]

Islam is just another religion if Muslims live that religion as a personal belief that guides their life. When that happens they would be probably like your nice neighbors next door.

Having said that, Islam can easily turn into an ideology because of the nature of its teaching and the example of the life of their prophet, Mohammad, who was not only a spiritual and religious figure but a ruler as well.

Perhaps more than Christianity, Islam as an ideology can metamorphose into what we see today – the rise of awareness among Muslims to be a nation regardless of their ethnic origin. To further the cause of Islam, to Islamize the land, there are clauses in the Quran and by the example of Mohammad that can lead to violence. Remember the command is from Allah; not just a human command and therefore how much more binding it is for the adherence to follow.

 

[Matthew_Holford]

I do think that Muslims are tainted by those who proclaim to follow that Faith who are terrorists. Not all Muslims are fundamentalists who want to see the west destroyed.

I also don’t believe that Muslim countries that are totalitarian regimes are necessarily brutal because they are Muslim. There’s very little democracy in South America and their leaders probably profess to be Catholic. One of the most brutal regimes in the world at the moment is the one in Zimbabwe and Robert Mugabe professes to be Catholic.

Nearer to home for me are the terrorism in Northern Ireland committed by Catholics and Protestants. Catholics and Protestants have been killing each other throughout history!

Not all Muslim theologians agree that apostates from Islam should be put to death.

Hindus in India wage war against Muslims.

I think it is absolutely wrong to take the stance that Islam is an evil faith, when with very little effort it is quite easy to find examples of appalling behaviour committed by all faiths.

As Catholics we cannot say that Islam alone is a “false religion” we have to say the same about every other non-Christian faith and regarding non-Catholic Christian Churches and ecclesial communities we have to say they’ve got Christianity wrong.

So, yes I do think the majority of Muslims are tainted by the small number of terrorists and I think it wrong that we should single out Islam as a faith with fundamental, intolerant elements.

 

[Publisher]

I don’t know if there are many muslim’s on this board but I think that many people espically in the west and europe too have a distorted view of muslims they think that all muslims want to blow you up and think your a just infidels something along those lines, i think you get the point.

so simple question has terrorism distorted the view of Muslim, i don’t think the Muslim faith is the correct faith to follow or the truth but I don’t think its as horrible as some people make it out to be there are just a few radicals who have it all wrong and make the whole faith look bad.

Christians have a few of those people too we can’t deny it.

Of course it’s distorted…any faith tradition is distorted when used for political gain and for love of power and authority.

I have only been acquainted with a couple Muslim people…they were kind…gentle…devout and more than willing to share their faith with me when asked. They demonstrated how to use a “prayer rug” and the various positions one moves through during the prayers and the “symbolism” of each of the positions they take during prayer…I found that when we speak of the “deep things of the Spirit”…we have much in common…they are mortified at the violence the extremists have participated in.

They are no more representative of Islam than are some of the “Christian” wars various factions of “Christian extremists” have taken to make this a “Christian world”.

I asked them why so few Muslims speak out against such brutality…and while this wasn’t a satisfactory answer for me…it did make sense…and I have seen it’s counterpart here at CAF and elsewhere…A tenet of Islam is that no individual Muslim should speak against their Muslim brother with an “infidel”…one must support one’s brother in the faith…and often times it is taken to the extreme.

Here at CAF I have noticed when a Catholic becomes particularly rude and obnoxious…very few Catholics will call them to task as the one being offensive is usually doing so against the “heretical Protestants”…a “solidarity” of faith occurs…an “us against them” mentality so often occurs…not only with Muslims…but with Catholics vs Protestants as well…just my :twocents:…which may or may not be absolute…but it has been my experience.

After getting to know me and my “faith tradition”…these Muslim acquaintences didn’t seem so strange to me any longer…we had much in common…their food they shared was awesome…I’m all about food.

 

[meedo]

…A tenet of Islam is that no individual Muslim should speak against their Muslim brother with an “infidel”…one must support one’s brother in the faith…and often times it is taken to the extreme.

Hi… umm… this is absoloutley not a tenent of Islam. In Islam we are called to witness the truth even if it comes at the expense of our near and dear. I condemnt 9/11 and the london bombing and the spanish bombings with all my heart and soul. And muslims all over ahve condemned these acts.

The issue is that Terrorism is a tactic and a crime… just like any other crime except it is politically motivated.

Crime is solved through understanding the background behind it … which environment does it flourish in and what a re teh social and political backgrounds that lead to it .

Islam is a vehicle the goal itself is not set by Islam . When the International justice fails in giving justice to the oppressed they take matters in their own hands… and when they are weaker than the mighty armies against them… sometimes some of them resort to crime .

Islam has been there for ages… Terrorism began to link gradually with Islamic movements due to the faliure of the secular project in teh arab world due to dictatorships. So people resorted to God after they saw that their leaders where corrupt. Instead of riding the secular vehicle… people choose to ride the religious vehicle.

 

[meedo]

I don’t know if there are many muslim’s on this board but I think that many people espically in the west and europe too have a distorted view of muslims they think that all muslims want to blow you up and think your a just infidels something along those lines, i think you get the point.

so simple question has terrorism distorted the view of Muslim, i don’t think the Muslim faith is the correct faith to follow or the truth but I don’t think its as horrible as some people make it out to be there are just a few radicals who have it all wrong and make the whole faith look bad.

Christians have a few of those people too we can’t deny it.

Yes the muslim faith is distorted by

1- Terrorists
2- People who have an agenda not to see a strong arab and muslim world
3- Secular dictatorships who oppress the muslim world and give Islamic countrues a bad name

 

[JHow]

I don’t know if there are many muslim’s on this board but I think that many people espically in the west and europe too have a distorted view of muslims they think that all muslims want to blow you up and think your a just infidels something along those lines, i think you get the point.

so simple question has terrorism distorted the view of Muslim, i don’t think the Muslim faith is the correct faith to follow or the truth but I don’t think its as horrible as some people make it out to be there are just a few radicals who have it all wrong and make the whole faith look bad.

Christians have a few of those people too we can’t deny it.

Why don’t you let muslims speak for themsleves? Who am I to challenge the muslim bona fides of a guy like Saudi sheikh 'Abd Al-Rahman bin Nasser Al-Barrak?

memri.org/report/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/4599.htm

 

[Publisher]

Hi… umm… this is absoloutley not a tenent of Islam. In Islam we are called to witness the truth even if it comes at the expense of our near and dear. I condemnt 9/11 and the london bombing and the spanish bombings with all my heart and soul. And muslims all over ahve condemned these acts.

The issue is that Terrorism is a tactic and a crime… just like any other crime except it is politically motivated.

Crime is solved through understanding the background behind it … which environment does it flourish in and what a re teh social and political backgrounds that lead to it .

Islam is a vehicle the goal itself is not set by Islam . When the International justice fails in giving justice to the oppressed they take matters in their own hands… and when they are weaker than the mighty armies against them… sometimes some of them resort to crime .

Islam has been there for ages… Terrorism began to link gradually with Islamic movements due to the faliure of the secular project in teh arab world due to dictatorships. So people resorted to God after they saw that their leaders where corrupt. Instead of riding the secular vehicle… people choose to ride the religious vehicle.

Thank you friend…I stand corrected…it is obvious I was not understanding what my Muslim acquaintences were seeking to convey.

 

[mark_a]

so simple question has terrorism distorted the view of Muslim,

I think it has. The Muslims’ problem is the same as the Protestants’ problem: They have no central authority.

Christians have a few of those people too we can’t deny it.

Just a few?

Personally, I believe extremists are heavily influenced by the iniquities of the cultures they are from.

 

[JHow]

I’d be interested to know how those of you who think Islam has been distorted parse this stuff. Do any posters want to step up and disown the “International Union of Muslim Scholars”?

Sheikh Al-Qaradhawi: Jihad Is a Moral Islamic Obligation; The Ban on Killing the Elderly, Women, and Children Doesn’t Apply to Israeli Society

The Arab news website moheet.com reported that on the “Fiqh Al-Hayyat” (“Islamic Law in Daily Life”) program on Iqraa TV, Sheikh Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi, head of the International Union of Muslim Scholars (IUMS), called jihad a moral Islamic obligation that can be carried out only when certain conditions are upheld – the most important of which are monotheism, repelling oppression and polytheism, and defending honor, truth and all that is sacred.

Al-Qaradhawi said that while the Prophet did ban killing the elderly, women, and children in wartime, this ban does not apply to Israeli society – which he called “different from other societies, because it is a society that occupies and attacks… [and] recognizes nothing but the oppression of the rights of others.” Therefore, he said, Israeli women may be killed because they are soldiers “in the army of the occupation” and participate in the war against Islam."[8]

[8] moheet.com/newsPrint.aspx?nid=407528, August 25, 2010.

You can find it in English here, fourth item down:

memri.org/report/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/4599.htm

 

[thedarknight]

As Catholics we cannot say that Islam alone is a “false religion” we have to say the same about every other non-Christian faith and regarding non-Catholic Christian Churches and ecclesial communities we have to say they’ve got Christianity wrong.

As Catholics, we have to respect other religions. However, to be objective, Islam is a false religion, in the sense that Islam has an imperfect view of God. There are some truths found in the Koran and hadith, but without divine revelation – they are incomplete, in error.

In addition, Muhammad is a false prophet. He probably had good intentions, after all, he was surrounded by other tribes that worshipped polytheistic gods. Muhammad brought the concept of monotheism to the pagans. We must remember, that after Saint John The Baptist, there were no other prophets sent by God.

Jesus Christ was the fulfillment of the Word of God.

 

[Thyme]

You get so much bias, it’s difficult to find out. These are my two observances (Sorry, my writing doesn’t flow well):

My Muslim friend says that terrorists are interpreting the Qu 'ran wrong and are giving Islam a false bad name. Which, would give you the answer ‘yes’, but what is the correct interpretation?

My old step dad was in a Muslim area in Nigeria on Sept 11th. He said that everyone (without exagerrating) was cheering. Which would give you the answer ‘no’, but is that cultural influences?

I think instead of looking at Islam in general, you have to see it as two sides- the side of those who want to earn salvation through faith and good works. The image of moral Muslims has been distorted and I feel sorry for them, but God will reward them.

Then there’s the extremists. Moral Muslims don’t consider them Muslims and believe they interpret the Qu 'ran incorrectly (according to a Muslim friend), but extremists use the Qu 'ran to justify what they do.

There is another “observation” I have made…:

My sister recently became a Muslim. She used to be bitter, but now she is even more bitter than ever. She says that Islam makes her happy, but she’s not- she makes statements such as, “the faithful shouldn’t want to associate with atheists” and gets angry if I tell her to stop being so hateful.

I haven’t read the Qu 'ran so can’t determine whether this is a result of her trying to follow it, but if she was converting to Christianity, she would be in for a shock.

 

[Reuben_J]

Then there’s the extremists. Moral Muslims don’t consider them Muslims and believe they interpret the Qu 'ran incorrectly (according to a Muslim friend), but extremists use the Qu 'ran to justify what they do.

No Muslims can consider their brother Muslims kafir or infidels no matter how bad they are unless they apostate (murtad).

 

[elwill]

Why don’t you let muslims speak for themsleves? Who am I to challenge the muslim bona fides of a guy like Saudi sheikh 'Abd Al-Rahman bin Nasser Al-Barrak?

memri.org/report/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/4599.htm

the article is talking about jihad , not terrorism
if you think that they are equal , then you are mistaken

 

[autdrew]

the article is talking about jihad , not terrorism
if you think that they are equal , then you are mistaken

Would you be so kind as to answer the OP’s question? Have the terrorists distorted Islam or are they following the Islam set forward by mohammad?