Is Islam a Religion of Violence?

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There is amongst the non-Muslim world the misconception that Islam is a religion of violence. This is due to their lack of knowledge. Muslim is defined as a person who is obedient and subservient to all the dictates of God as given in the Holy Quran. In performance of the orders of God, the life he leads is called Islam.

There is only one God in whom all the power and the driving force for running the universe lies. Therefore all the believers of God fall within the definition of Muslim. However, various religions have their own holy books. Why then, should they follow the dictates given in the Quran? The reason being that the Quran is the latest and final edition which encompasses all the rulings and the philosophies given in the past holy books with due corrections and deletions according to the requirement of the present developed world. Since the start of human life more than a hundred thousand messengers of God brought the instructions/commandments of God in different forms for the mankind to follow. By the passage of time, some of these messages got lost owing to neglect, and some got changed intentionally due to the vested interests of the preachers of religion. Also, where there was a conflict of authority between the kingdom and the church, the religious instructions were tempered with. On the other hand, not a word got changed since the first script of Quran was written.

In fact, Islam is a religion for the whole world and not for a particular community. It is the most liberal and peace propounding religion, which encompasses all the good points of socialism, capitalism, democracy and even dictatorship, since you have to follow the dictates of God who is your creator. It contains all the philosophies which are desired for leading a noble and peaceful life in this world and a promise of rewarded infinite life in the world hereafter if the dictates of God are followed. It gives in detail the interrelationship between a man and his wife, his children, his parents, his neighbors, his fellow citizens� right up to international commitment and understandings. It even professes affectionate dealings with people of short acquaintances.

Some leaders of the super powers have found it convenient to label Islam as a war mongering religion. By being in control of the media, they have propagated against Islam for political gains within their countries plus making a pretext of launching wars on Muslim countries with ulterior motives e.g. exploiting their oil reserves like in Iraq or a strategic control over a country like Afghanistan. Without having the least knowledge of Islam, they propagate against the term Jihad as laid down in the Quran.

During the cold war with Soviet Union and while they captured Afghanistan, it was the USA who sponsored the Jehad convention amongst the population of Afghanistan and the people of Pakistan. They financed and created all the schools (Madarsas) in Pakistan to wage a holy war (Jehad) against Soviet Union. In Islam, Jehad is declared in case your country is attacked and occupied by any enemy. Secondly, if your community is being massacred and annihilated, you have the right to declare Jehad. Well, any country and community would do the same. France when attacked by Germans was doing Jehad to liberate their country. While the community of England was being massacred in Folk land, they launched a war (Jehad) against Argentina. Now while the Muslims are being attacked and massacred in Iraq, Afghanistan, Palestine and Kashmir, why shouldn�t they declare Jehad?

Now I would like to give the various dictates or philosophies given in the Quran which are applicable and good for any society in the world. They are as under:

You should become a part of such group which endorses justice and equality and establishes a relationship of impartiality and righteousness with other communities of the world.
Adopt a way of life in which you are helpful to other human beings.
When required to impart justice, do it most impartially.
In business, be very honest and meticulous about measuring or weighing.
Keep your relations very straight with other human beings.
You should be a person of stern rectitude so as to bring moral improvement in the society.
Remove evil with goodness. It will make friends out of your enemies.
The entire humanity is one community and there is only one God.
Where you hear any news first, get it confirmed before taking any action on it. Also confirm the reliability of the messenger.
Bestow on others what God has bestowed on you. Give out the wealth and food that God has given to you.
Live pious and noble lives in action and in thought in return for which you will never need to be afraid of anything nor will sadness bother you.
You should be truthful and righteous.
Treat well and look after your parents, your relatives, the orphans and the poor.
You should donate or spend some of the wealth so dear to you on the look after of the poor and of the needy travellers.
You must fulfill your promise and abide by any agreement that you make.
Learn to forgive people for petty mistakes.
You must not cheat others of their valuables.
Force must be used to deal with treachery and intrigue which is worse than murder.
Drinking and gambling is forbidden since they do more harm than good.
In case there is some dispute between a husband and wife, appoint an arbitrator from the relations of each of them to bring tranquility and peace.
You should have full sense of responsibility towards the society and prove yourself trustworthy of the secrecy of any state secrets that you are entrusted with.
When you must talk, talk sense and weigh your words. Use decent language whatever the provocation.
Men and women should dress in a manner to cover the sexual parts of their bodies so as not to arouse passions.
When you come of age you should marry even if poor. If due to some difficulty marriage is not possible, desist from Zina(sex outside marriage) till God removes that difficulty.
Talk in a subdued voice.
Make sure of the correct utilization of the gifts that God has given to you e.g. health, wealth and wisdom.
Do not kill or murder anyone.
Do not oust anyone from his home or shelter.
Do not gang against the weak or oppressed.
Do not be cruel.
Do not hide any evidence of which you are a witness.
Do not lose your temper. Losing your temper is harmful for your health and it also affects your social life.
Do not try to justify your mistakes for prestige�s sake.
Do not have strained relations with your relatives and friends.
Do not commit suicide.
Do not envy people richer than you. This feeling is harmful for your health.
Do not be stiff necked, boastful and proud.
Do not be a miser or a spendthrift.
Do not shift the responsibility of any crime or misdeed that you have committed, on to any innocent person.
Do not change the normal behavior of human beings from its natural style as designed by God e.g. making men and women infertile, becoming gay and such like activities, which were considered immoral and illegal from the days of the early prophets.
Do not do things in haste.
Do not do anything of which you have no expertise. In other words, make sure you acquire the concerned abilities or understanding before attempting your endeavor.
Do not enter any house without the explicit permission of the head of the family. If he is not there, do not enter the house. If you are told to go away, do not mind it since the other person may be busy in something important (this reflects good culture and ethics).
Do not quarrel or argue with the illiterate.
Do not tease or make fun of each other.
Do not pass sarcastic remarks about each other.
Do not criticize people behind their backs unless you want to warn someone of any danger from them.
Do not be a racist since you are all the children of Adam.
Do not get disheartened by any losses, difficulties and diseases that you suffer from.
Do not indulge in whispering.
Do not allow your children or servants to enter your bedroom during your resting time.
Do not tell people to do things which you do not practice.
Do not let your conscience go to sleep. It will destroy you.

Now tell me, is there any religious society or any system of government which would disagree on the agenda of the Quran, it being the latest addition of all religious books and all the philosophies brought out from the times of Aristotle, Socrates, and Luqman etc. mullah protests www.pakpositive.com