6/10/2004 3:00:00 PM GMTBy Youssuf Islam (formerly the singer Cat Stevens) Why does the media always point finger at Muslims and the Arab world as the main source of terrorism in the whole world? Here I want to explain some basic facts about this noble religion; Islam. I came to Islam in my late 20s, during my searching period as a wandering pop star. I found a religion that blended scientific reason with spiritual reality in a unifying faith far removed from the headlines of violence, destruction and terrorism. One of the first interesting things I learned in the Qur'an was that the name of the faith comes from the word salam - peace. Far from the kind of Turko-Arab-centric message I expected, the Qur'an presented a belief in the universal existence of God, one God for all. It does not discriminate against peoples; it says we may be different colors and from different tribes, but we are all human and "the best of people are the most God- conscious". Today, as a Muslim, I have been shattered by the horror of recent events; the display of death and indiscriminate killing we've all witnessed has dented humanity's confidence in itself. Along with most Muslims, I feel it a duty to make clear that such orchestrated acts of incomprehensible carnage have nothing to do with the beliefs of most Muslims. Allah says in the Qur'an: "If anyone murders an (innocent) person, it will be as if he has murdered the whole of humanity. And if anyone saves a person it will be as if he has saved the whole of humanity." The Qur'an that our young people learn is full of stories and lessons from the history of humanity as a whole. The Gospels and the Torah are referred to; Jesus and Abraham are mentioned. In fact there is more mention in the Qur'an of the prophet Moses than of any other. It acknowledges the coexistence of other faiths, and in doing so acknowledges that other cultures can live together in peace. "There is no compulsion in religion," it states, meaning that people should not be compelled to change their faith. Respect for religious values and justice is at the Qur'an's core. The Qur'anic history we teach our young provides ample examples of inter-religious and international relationships; of how to live together. But some extremists take elements of the sacred scriptures out of context. There is a whole chapter in the Qur'an entitled Consultation. Communal well being is central to human life, so there is a concept in Islam called Istihsan, which means "to look for the common good". Even though the Qur'an may lay down a diktat, scholars are also supposed to consider the circumstances prevalent at the time. Sometimes that means choosing the lesser of two evils or even suspending legislation if necessary: for instance, a person who steals bread during a famine is not treated as a thief. Thus, moderation is part of faith, so those who accuse Muslim schools of fostering fanaticism should learn a bit more about Islam. Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) said: "Ruined are those who insist on hardship in faith," and, "A believer remains within the scope of his religion as long as he doesn't kill another person illegally." Such knowledge and words of guidance are desperately needed at this time, to separate fact from falsehood, and to recognise the Last Prophet's own definition of that which makes a person representative, or otherwise, of the faith he lived and the one we try to teach. Source: http://www.islamonline.com/cgi-bin/news_service/spot_full_story.asp?service_id=712
Are you sure you're not Cat Stevens the one that got banned from hip forums? BTW since when was Islam anything other than bunch of malcontents that want war with the west (well in the last 500 years that is) Unless I see on the news that muslims have decided to become moral people - I just wont believe it ! HA HA HA HA HAAAA!!! islamonline a tolerant place of islam - I asked a few awkward questions there - such as - why live in the west if you hate it so much, or is it the money you like? I asked hundreds of questions about their perception of the world based on a 1000 years of living a lie about the existence of god and they dont want debate - they want everyone at war Next you'll be saying aljazeera is a good unbiased reportage of the news BWAAAA HA HA HA !
It's just media perception to fuel gain through war or whatever and not everyone believes it even if masses seem to but this is always the way, oh well we know It's a very beautiful religion and one note of Sufi music is enough to fall in love with the spirit God bless you and peace
sufis were some of the main jihadis, the mad mahdi whose men cut off general gordons head and danced about with it on a pole was a sufi and a slave trader like mohammed was so were most of his men . lots of the chechens are sufis I think the man behind beslan was a sufi and if you remember what cat stevens said during the rushdie affair he said he wanted to go and see rushdie burned alive, and that if he knew where he was he would tell people where he was so they could do him harm . now much like the nazis hes flim flamming and trying to cover up what he actually wants it plays like this you call for someones death drive them into hiding for 20 years then you say you were misrepresented ,and the saps who just see this guy in a white robe and are too lazy to actually find out what he said buy the whole lie of being a peaceful person . cat stevens is a total fake , I dont know who I dislike more him or the people who support him and in so doing turn their back on the freedom to write a novel without being murdered . cat stevens has never said that a rushdie should be free to write what he likes , and hes worked his entire life to bring in a theocracy that would murder people like rushdie
