Islam means peace, and it respects and propagates the concept of humanity in all its teachings. All humans are to be treated with respect, love and kindness according to the teachings of Islam. Non Muslims under Islam have many rights and are given great protection and security. The Prophet (PBUH) has cautioned his followers from being cruel to the non-Muslims, and that we should always give them their rights.

Some people have a misconception that Islam does not allow you to be friends or have dealings with non-Muslims, but that is not true at all, and the Quran (Surah 60:8-9) proves that very well.

If we look at examples in history even Non-Muslim prisoners of war were treated with great kindness and humanity. The Noble Prophet (PBUH) said regarding non Muslim prisoners of war that they were Muslims’ brothers, and Allah had put them in the hands of Muslims so that they would give them food, clothes, work and help.

Islam also gives religious freedom to all Non-Muslim citizens living in an Islamic state. Islam does not compel non-Muslims to embrace it. It is every non Muslims’ right to practice whatever religion he follows, and no Muslim has any right to make fun of any religion, or hurt the feelings of any non Muslim. Islam is a religion of peace and personal choice, no Muslim has the right to mock or force any non Muslim to embrace Islam.

The second Chaliph of Islam; Hazart Umar (RA) used to ask people who came to him from various provinces about the well being of non Muslims, and whether they have any complaints, or faced any kind of oppression in these provinces.

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Islam is a growing religion in Europe especially France. Of the 15 million Muslims population in entire Europe, 5 million (over 30%) live in France, a demographic reality that the French people find it difficult to deal with. There are countless discussions, every now and then, on various forums citing Muslims as an “issue” or a “problem”. The famous notion of “clash of Civilizations” is especially applicable to Islam according to the western version. They equate Islam with terror and violence.

Muslims have always been considered a ‘threat’ and a ‘problem’ by the French people. Recently, the issue of the French ban on hijab stirred a lot of controversy and confusion across the globe. Another issue is the construction of mosques and loud call for prayer which is considered one of the greatest examples of the “clash of civilizations” by the French citizens. As of now, only five mosques stand in France for the entire five million Mulims, who live in Paris, Mantes la Jolie, Evry, Lille, and Lyon. The French citizens strongly put hurdles in efforts to build more. While the town mayors routinely and regularly ignore petitions to construct more mosques. To live peacefully in the country, the Muslims are pressurized to merge and defuse their identity.

France is as secular country as it can be. They applied the rule of “distance between church and state” in 1905 by banning any kind of ostentatious display of religious symbols in public schools. Although this was promulgated initially to root out the Catholic Christians, same law is now applicable to Muslims. The infamous Act “banning the veil in public space” is a clear proof of what they actually want. It is not just the government but society and white French people generally sneer at religion, and give such disturbing looks towards covered Muslim women suspecting them as a sign of violence. The underlying principle behind these laws and attitude is the historical commitment to secularism in France.

Second and third generation of Muslims suffer from an identity crisis. In France, they are immigrants, facing discrimination and unemployment, and in their ‘home’ country they are bound to live as foreigners. The Muslim population is alienated and excluded in all sorts, be it finding work, house to live or social mingling. The largest numbers of immigrants are living in areas which are ‘zones of economic and social exclusion” and have become synonymous with immigrants, extremism, rigidity and violence.

The tension between Muslims and the other French citizens is rising, and there is no effective steps being taken at the governmental level to stop this go. The recent issue of the ban on headscarf has increased the rift. Muslims are being oppressed to live according to their religion; are deprived of their due share of peaceful living and working conditions. The future of France and the Muslims in France hangs on the balance of whether the French people will allow Muslims to become a part of them. Islam is a reality; its here and Muslims should be recognized as a definite religious minority with rights and identity. It’s time for France to represent its love for human rights by taking away such unnecessary impositions, and barriers that are impeding the Muslim ideology.

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In Australia, people can express their beliefs and practise their religion without fear and interference. The Muslim population is as diverse as the population of Australia in terms of their natural heritage, customs and traditions. They represent less than two percent of the total population of Australia. Almost 40 percent of the Muslim population were born here. There are Muslims who have migrated from over 70 countries. The three main languages spoken by them at home are Arabic, Turkish and English.

Muslims can choose to become citizens of Australia, which gives them certain rights and places obligations on them as well. A wide-range research on the relations between Muslims and Non-Muslims was conducted over a period of two years. There has been a proliferation of misperceptions and lack of understanding between them. This can lead to ‘fear’ of the other and influence judgement. Stereotypes and prejudices widens the division between them not just in Australia but globally as well.

The international political issues and Australia’s foreign policy towards the Middle East are seriously and intently observed by the Muslim community here. There is a lot of discontent and frustration because of the lack of resolution on the Israel-Palestine conflict and ongoing suffering of the Palestine people; this affects the attitude of the Australian Muslim community towards the West.

The Media has played a huge role in perpetuating misunderstandings and misconceptions about Islam to the West which are not true of all Muslims. The best way to remove such misunderstandings is communication and learning and getting to know each other. There is the willingness on both sides to learn more about each other and co-exist in peace and harmony.

About the author

dpreeju

I am a freelance proofreader and editor residing in Melbourne, Australia. I hold a Bachelor’s degree in Commerce and Actuarial Science, but it was my passion for the written word that brought me to the editing world. I am honored to be a part of this team that works together to provide a medium of communication to the Muslims and non-Muslims alike, in order to eliminate any misgivings or misunderstandings between them.

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JIHAD: MISCONCEPTIONS

It is the favorite practice of countless anti-Islamic forces to quote this verse from the Holy Qur’an in Surah Tauba:”Kill the pagans where ever you find them” [Al-Qur’an 9:5]. The pity is that they never try to find out the context in which this verse was revealed. Actually, the verse was revealed during wartime. Just like in any war, a general orders his army to fight against the enemy. It would definitely be wrong of the army men if they gave up their swords and abandoned the war at that time. Similarly, Allah subhana WA ta’ala also ordained his followers to fully defend themselves and fight those who had waged a war against them.

PROPAGANDA

Ever since the incident of September 11, the West has gone on to raise the propaganda, against Islam, that this act was done under the banner of Jihad by the Muslims. This is completely wrong and many of the non-Muslims know that. To this day nothing can be said with certainty as to who caused that devastation. It is rumored that many people including the Americans also say that it was the American government’s plan for a propaganda against Islam and then to play the September 11 card as a pretext to fight against so called terrorism.

This way America got a pretext to interfere in other countries’ affairs and blast bombs in the name of the fight against terrorism. This can be clearly seen nowadays. However, this does not mean that we are putting the blame on the American government. Instead, the point is that  there is no surety as to who was behind the incident of September 11 and it is still  only a rumor that it was done by Muslims.

Let us consider for the sake of an argument that it was done by Al-Qaeda or any such groups which claim to be Muslims. Islam disregards all such people and expels them from the circle of Muslims. All the learned and educated Muslims of the world do not consider these groups to be Muslims and highly condemn such activities by these groups. Rather, they are considered propagandists of anti-Islamic ideologies and activities.

Another widespread misunderstanding amongst non-Muslims as well as many Muslims is that Jihad means killing non-Muslims. This is totally wrong. Jihad entails any act that is committed for the pleasure of Allah subhana WA tale, such as: helping the poor and the needy by giving charity, helping ones friends, kins and kith either financially or otherwise, seeking and spreading knowledge, going for hajj after enduring all the difficulties in the way of Allah subhana wa ta’ala, defending Islam against those who wage a war against it, and obeying one’s parents and looking after them when they reach old age. Hence, Jihad does not mean killing innocent human beings. Each and every act of good deed is considered Jihad in the sight of Allah subhana wa ta’ala.

About the author

Typical food lover Die Hard cricket fan specially Pakistan Cricket Team. Hipster-friendly twitter guru. Music ninja. Freelance writer.

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