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uzair
PAKISTAN
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 Topic initiated on Sunday, January 1, 2006 - 1:14 PM 
Are Muslims Better than Others?
Some people of modern thinking demand that Islam must be looked from outside, along with from inside. Such people, like Ch. Etizaz Ahsn, a renound Pakistani politician, expressed in his TV appearings, that Islam is just one relgion among many in the world. When we look at the followers of other religions, we conclude that they are more or less like Muslims, or may be better. Followers of other religions are good, as well as bad. They respect there parents, are honest, help needy people; or vice versa, they have bad people among them as Muslims do have. So Islam or any other religion does not play any role to improve people ethically. Followers of all religions are approximately similar.
TextSo has Islam influenced its followers in positive ways and caused them to be better than the followers of other religions, or it failed? Is this a proper way to analyse religions, or the necessaty of "the relgion" at all?
Edited by: uzair on Monday, January 02, 2006 3:45 PM |
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student1
PAKISTAN
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Posted - Sunday, January 1, 2006 - 5:46 PM 
Asalam Aalaikum,
I understand your point,the question could be either what is so special about Islam if their are good and bad people in muslims and similarly in other religions or how Islam is bringing changes in the societies if good and bad people exist in every society?
Well, before going into the details,we should first know that religion is essential for the development of spiritual aspects and guidance of a person.
As far as Islam is concerned,it is not only a religion but more than a religion,it is a way of life(Deen).
Every religion of the world including Islam teaches good and dissuades its followers from commiting evil and sins
but what is the difference between Islam and other religions?
Answering this question will inshallah help you understand how Islam brings and is bringing changes in the lifes of people.
Islam goes beyond the limits of dos and donts and guides us in practical phases of religion and shows us way.
Islam is a Universal religion which guides people in religious and spiritual matters and also gives guidlines to make a healthy and peaceful society.
The impact of Islam can also be judged from the fact that it is the fastest growing religion in West.
After WTC attack, the ratio of conversion to Islam has increased tremendously and people are taking interest in this religion.
Major difference between Islam and most other religions
All religions basically exhort mankind to be righteous and eschew evil. But Islam goes beyond that. It guides us towards practical ways of achieving righteousness and eliminating evil from our individual and collective lives. Islam takes into account human nature and the complexities of human society. Islam is guidance from the Creator Himself. Therefore, Islam is also called the Deen-ul-Fitrah (the natural religion of Man).
2)Example - Islam commands us to shun robbery and also prescribes method of eleminating robbery
a.Islam prescribes method of eliminating robbery
All major religions teach that theft is an evil act. Islam teaches the same. So what is the difference between Islam and the other religions? The difference lies in the fact that Islam, besides teaching that robbing is evil, shows a practical way of creating a social structure in which people will not rob.
b)Islam prescribes Zakaat
Islam prescribes a system of Zakaat (obligatory annual charity).Islamic law prescribes that every person who has a saving that exceeds the nisaab level i.e. more than 85 grams of gold, should give 2.5% of that saving every lunar year in charity. If every rich person in the world gave Zakaat sincerely, poverty will be eradicated from this world. Not a single human being would die of hunger.
c)Chopping off the hands as punishment for robbery
Islam prescribes chopping off the hands of the convicted robber. The Glorious Qur’an says in Surah Maidah:
"As to the thief, male or female, cut off his or her hands:a punishment by way of example,from Allah, for their crime: and Allah is Exalted in power, full of wisdom."[ Al-Qur’an 5:38]
The non-Muslim may say, "Chopping off the hands in this 20th century. Islam is a barbaric and ruthless religion!"
d.Results achieved when Islamic Shariah Implemented
America is supposed to be one of the most advanced countries in the world. Unfortunately it also has one of the highest rates of crime, theft, and robbery. Suppose the Islamic shariah is implemented in America i.e. every rich person gives Zakaat ( 2.5% of his savings in charity above 85 grams of gold every lunar year), and every convicted robber has his or her hands chopped off as a punishment. Will the rate of theft and robbery in America increase, remain same or decrease? Naturally it will decrease. Moreover the existence of such a stringent law would discourage many a potential robber.
I agree that the amount of theft that takes place in the world today is so tremendous that if you chop off the hands of all the thieves, there will be tens of thousands of people whose hands will be chopped off. The point here is that the moment you implement this law the rate of theft will decline immediately. The potential robber would give it a serious thought before jeopardizing his limbs. The mere thought of the punishment itself will discourage majority of the robbers. There will barely be a few who would rob. Hence only a few person’s hands would be chopped off but millions would live peacefully without fear of being robbed.
Islamic Shariah is therefore practical, and achieves results.
3.Example:Islam prohibits the molestation and rape of women. It enjoins hijaab and prescribes capital punishment for a convicted rapist.
Islam prescribes method of eliminating molestation and rape
All the major religions declare the molestation and rape of women as grave sins. Islam teaches the same. What then is the difference between Islam and the other religions? The difference lies in the fact that Islam does not merely preach respect for women, or abhor molestation and rape as serious crimes, but also gives clear guidance as to how society can eliminate such crimes.
Hijaab for men
Islam has a system of hijaab. The Glorious Qur’an first mentions hijaab for the men and then for the women. Hijaab for the men is mentioned in the following verse:
"Say to the believing men that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty: that will make for greater purity for them: and Allah is well acquainted with all that they do." [Al-Qur’an 24:30]
The moment a man looks at a woman and if any brazen or unashamed thought comes to his mind, he should lower his gaze.
Hijaab for women
Hijaab for women is mentioned in the following verse:
"And say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty; that they should not display their beauty and ornaments except what (must ordinarily) appear thereof; that they should draw their veils over their bosoms and not display their beauty except to their husbands, their fathers, their husbands’ fathers, their sons...." [Al-Qur’an 24:31]
The extent of hijaab for a woman is that her complete body should be covered. The only part that can be seen, are the face and the hands up to the wrists. If they wish to cover, they can even cover these parts of the body. However some Islamic scholars insist that even the face should be covered.
Hijaab prevents molestation
The reason why Allah has prescribed Hijaab for the women is given in the Qur’an in the folowing verse of Surah Al-Ahzab:
"O Prophet! Tell thy wives and daughters, and the believing women,that they should cast their outer garments over their persons (when abroad): that is most convenient, that they should be known (as such) and not molested. And Allah is Oft-Forgiving, most Merciful." [Al-Qur’an 33:59]
The Qur’an says that Hijaab has been prescribed for the women so that they are recognized as modest women this would prevent them from being molested.
Example of twin sisters
Suppose two sisters who are twins and who are equally beautiful, walk down a street. One of them is wearing the Islamic Hijaab i.e. the complete body is covered except for the face and the hands up to the wrists, and the other twin is wearing a mini skirt or shorts. Around the corner there is a hooligan who is waiting for an opportunity to tease a girl. Who will he tease? The girl wearing the Islamic Hijaab or the girl wearing the mini skirt or shorts? Dresses that expose more than they conceal, are an indirect temptation to the opposite sex for teasing, molestation and rape. The Qur’an rightly says that the hijaab prevents women from being molested.
Capital punishment for rapist
The Islamic shariah prescribes capital punishment for a convicted rapist. The non-Muslim may be horrified at such a stringent punishment in this age. Many accuse Islam of being ruthless and barbaric. I have asked a common question to hundreds of non-Muslim men. Suppose God-forbid, some one rapes your wife, your mother or your sister and you are made the judge. The rapist is brought in front of you. What punishment would you give him? All of them said, "we would put him to death." Some went to the extent of saying, "we would torture him to death", If your wife or your mother is raped you want the rapist to be put to death. But if someone else’s wife or mother is raped, capital punishment is a barbaric law. Why the double standards?
U.S.A. has one of the highest rate of Rape
The United States of America is supposed to be one of the most advanced countries of the world. An F.B.I report in the year 1990 says that 1,02,555 cases of rape were reported. It further says that only 16% of the cases of rapes are reported. Thus, in order to know the actual number of rapes that took place in 1990, the reported figure should be multiplied by 6.25. We get a total of 6,40,968 rape cases that took place in the year 1990. If the total is divided by 365 the number of days in a year, we get an average of 1,756 rape incidents everyday.
Later another report said that an average of 1900 cases of rape are committed in U.S.A every day. According to National Crime Victimization Survey Bureau of Justice Statistics (U. S. Dept. of Justice) in 1996 alone 3,07,000 cases of rape were reported. Only 31% of the actual cases of rape were reported. Thus, 3,07,000 X 3.226 = 9,90,322 rapes took place in 1996. That is, an average of 2,713 cases of rape took place everyday in America in 1996. Every 32 seconds one rape is taking place in America. Maybe American rapists got bolder. The FBI report of 1990 continues and says that out of the rape cases that were reported only 10% of the rapist were arrested, that is only 1.6% of the actual rapes committed. Out of those arrested, 50% were let free before the trial. This would mean that only 0.8% of the rapists faced a trial. In other words if a person commits 125 rapes the chances that he will get a punishment for rape is only once. Many would consider this a good gamble. And the report says that of those people who faced trial 50% received sentences of less than a year’s imprisonment though the American law says rape carries a seven year sentence of imprisonment. For a rapist, the judge is lenient to first time offenders. Imagine a person commits 125 rapes and the chances of being convicted is only once, and 50% of the time the judge will grant leniency and give a sentence of less than a year!
Results achieved when Islamic Shariah Implemented
Suppose the Islamic shariah is implemented in America. Whenever a man looks at a woman and if any brazen or unashamed thought comes to his mind, he lowers his gaze. Every woman wears the Islamic Hijaab, that is the complete body is covered except the face and the hands upto the wrists. After this if any man commits rape, he gets capital punishment. The question is, will the rate of rape in America increase, will it remain the same or will it decrease? Naturally it will decrease. Islamic Shariah gets results.
4.Islam has Practical Solutions for the Problems of Mankind
Islam is the best way of life because its teachings are not doctrinaire rhetoric but practical solutions for the problems of mankind. Islam achieves results both at the individual and collective levels. Islam is the best way of life because it is a practical, universal religion not confined to any ethnic group or nationality.
I hope this explanation will help you understand the importance of Islam.
Regards,
Edited by: ibrahim on Tuesday, January 03, 2006 7:07 AM |
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Nauman
PAKISTAN
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Posted - Monday, January 2, 2006 - 10:40 AM
As-Salaamu Alaikum.
Mr. Etizaz Ahsan was saying that democracy is better than any other forms of government. If there is something good we should accept it instead of rejecting it because it comes from a non- Muslim nation.
>> Quote: So Islam or any other religion does not play any role to improve people ethically.
I think religion only reforms further the sense of knowing what is right and what is bad in humans. People can live a very good mundane life without religion.
>> Quote: So has Islam influenced its followers in positive ways and caused them to be better than the followers of other religions, or it failed?
Since you are also living in an Islamic country Pakistan; I like to know why do you think we are the way we are? |
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uzair
PAKISTAN
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Posted - Monday, January 2, 2006 - 3:49 PM
Dear student1,
I thank you very much. Your statistics boasted some confidence.
The question under consideration is of comparison between Muslim and Non-Muslim societies. One must have had a good experience of living in non-Muslim societies, like American, English, French, Russian, Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Indian, etc. He might come to conclude that the claim that these societies are equal or better than the Muslim societies is a mere propaganda, as your stated statistics tend to indicate. As I had never got any chance to experience these societies, I lack the first hand knowledge. |
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uzair
PAKISTAN
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Posted - Monday, January 2, 2006 - 3:52 PM
Dear Nauman,
I personally experience a lot of evil in people. Though they are Muslims, in legal sense, but only as a matter of chance. Had they been born to Hindu parents, they would have been equally staunch Hindus. Being Muslim is not their conscious decision. But what does this mean? The societies those are Muslim societies are not Muslim, as they are Muslim by chance and not by choice.
Secondly, due to the fact that I had never experienced any Non-Muslim society, so I had no data to judge whether this claim is true that other are equally good human beings. Lack of data confuses me. |
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uzair
PAKISTAN
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Posted - Monday, January 2, 2006 - 3:54 PM
I want to analyse my own question:
As Quran says that Good and Evil is revealed to all humans, so everyone who attaches weight to his conscience, is a ‘Muslim’, if not completely, but say 60 to 70%. Islam, Christianity and Judaism are like ‘sects’ of the same religion. So a good Christian is, say 90% Muslim. Other religions may also be distorted forms of the same ‘True Religion’. In other words if adherents of all religions are more or less similar to Muslims, then it is not the failure of Islam. It is the success of ‘the religion’. After all we can safely assume that all religions are or have distorted forms of some Prophet’s teachings. So if these distorted forms are still doing a good job, by making their adherents good people, after all whose success is it? Of course of Good, human conscience and that of the hard work of Prophets! |
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Nauman
PAKISTAN
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Posted - Tuesday, January 3, 2006 - 12:17 PM
As-Salaamu Alaikum Uzair.
>> Quote: if adherents of all religions are more or less similar to Muslims, then it is not the failure of Islam.
You are absolutely right. One should not forget that humans are all the same everywhere. They need to be given the right direction to live their lives.
>> Quote: The question under consideration is of comparison between Muslim and Non-Muslim societies.
The basic principle on which the west has progress is the Freedom of individual to do whatever he wants. This is not the case with our conservative society where people impose things on others.
The people should be taught to respect the freedom of other individual from the beginning of their lives first. After that the religion plays a very important role at individual level restraining humans not to exceed the limits set by God. It cannot be the other way around; otherwise it will bring a lot of confusion and frustration in society.
I think you agree with me that we are an immature nation. Western maturity comes with the idea of “Freedom”. The value of freedom affects every level of the society. No society in majority practice religion in its true spirit. So one needs something additional to keep the society going a head; and that is tolerance. The tolerance only comes if the appreciation of freedom is taught. |
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Rakhtal
PAKISTAN
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Posted - Monday, January 9, 2006 - 12:21 AM
Quote: The impact of Islam can also be judged from the fact that it is the fastest growing religion in West.
Western people want to seek only their personal benefits and want to Islamise (falsely) every evil to pass the time of his/her short-lived life of this world nothing else. They have chosen Islam for the purpose (personal benefits) because the religion (Islam) has several relaxing points, which are easy to be moulded and exploited otherwise they (the Western people) have absolutely no interest in Islam. They don’t know even for example how to offer the prayer of Janadha etc. I am the eyewitness in many western countries. |
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