"Myths About Islam..."

This is a post from PrisonTalk.com from the poster Sheyanne. I thought it was fantastic and interesting. Needed to be shared!

Myths About Islam 


[Hopefully this will clear up some of the ignorance that some continue to spread]

The crescent moon is a universal symbol of IslamThe early Muslim community did not really have a symbol. During the time of the Prophet Muhammad, Islamic caravans and armies flew simple solid-colored flags (generally black, green, or white) for identification purposes. The crescent moon and star symbol actually pre-dates Islam by several thousand years, and wasn't affiliated with Islam at all until the Ottoman Empire placed it on their flag.



Muslims worship a moon-godSome non-Muslims mistakenly believe that Allah is an "Arab god," a "moon god," or some sort of idol. Allah is the proper name of the One True God, in the Arabic language. The most fundamental belief that a Muslim has is that "There is only One God," the Creator, the Sustainer -- known in the Arabic language and by Muslims as Allah. Arabic-speaking Christians use the same word for the Almighty.



Muslims don't believe in JesusIn the Qur'an, stories about the life and teachings of Jesus Christ (called 'Isa in Arabic) are abundant. The Qur'an recalls his miraculous birth, his teachings, and the miracles he performed by God's permission. There is even a chapter of the Qur'an named after his mother, Mary (Miriam in Arabic). However, Muslims believe that Jesus was a fully human prophet and not in any way divine himself.



Most Muslims are ArabsWhile Islam is often associated with Arabs, they make up only 15% of the world's Muslim population. The country with the largest population of Muslims is Indonesia. Muslims make up 1/5 of the world's population, with large numbers found in Asia (69%), Africa (27%), Europe (3%) and other parts of the world.



Islam is intolerant of other faithsThroughout the Qur'an, Muslims are reminded that they are not the only ones who worship God. Jews and Christians are called "People of the Book," meaning people who have received previous revelations from the One Almighty God that we all worship. The Qur'an also commands Muslims to protect from harm not only mosques, but also monasteries, synagogues, and churches -- because "God is worshipped therein."



Islam promotes "jihad" to spread Islam by the sword and kill all unbelieversThe word Jihad stems from an Arabic word which means "to strive." Other related words include "effort," "labor," and "fatigue." Essentially Jihad is an effort to practice religion in the face of oppression and persecution. The effort may come in fighting the evil in your own heart, or in standing up to a dictator. Military effort is included as an option, but as a last resort and not "to spread Islam by the sword."



The Quran was written by Muhammad and copied from Christian and Jewish sourcesThe Qur'an was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad over a period of two decades, calling people to worship One Almighty God and to live their lives according to this faith. The Qur'an contains stories of Biblical prophets, because these prophets also preached the message of God. Stories are not merely copied, but the oral traditions are referred to in a way that focuses on the examples and teachings that we can learn from them.

'And when it is said to them,'Believe in what Allah has sent down,'they say,we believe in what was sent down to us.'And they disbelieve in that which came after it,while it is the truth confirming what is with them. Surah 1,ayat 91 [verse from Qur'an]

True Test

I said sometime within the last month, "Things are going so well in my life, I'm afraid because that means something horrible is about to happen." LOL! It sounds pessimistic, but in my eyes, it was just realistic.

And something very bad did happen, I was right. Something so bad, it tried its very best to overshadow absolutely every single blessing God has given me. It tried, but I guarantee you, it did not succeed.

Yes, I've been crying. Yes, I've been severely depressed. Yes, I have had some horrible thoughts. Yes, I am literally struggling every moment not to break down when I'm out in public. Yes, getting out of bed has been a struggle on it's own. BUT. . . I never one single time asked, "Why me?" Also, I didn't ask God to take it away, either. Here is why:

"Be sure We shall test you with something of fear and hunger, some loss in goods, lives and the fruits (of your toil), but give glad tidings to those who patiently persevere.

Who say: when afflicted with calamity: "To Allah we belong and to Him is our return."

Al-Baqara - 2:155-156

"Or do ye think that ye shall enter the Garden (of Bliss) without such (trials) as came to those who passed away before you? They encountered suffering and adversity and were so shaken in spirit that even the Messenger and those of faith who were with him cried: "When (will come) the help of Allah?" Ah! verily the help of Allah is (always) near!"

Al-Baqara - 2:214

"And the messengers whom We sent before thee were all (men) who ate food and walked through the streets: We have made some of you as a trial for others: will ye have patience? For Allah is One Who sees (all things)."

Al-Furqan - 25:20

"Do men think that they will be left alone on saying "We believe" and that they will not be tested?

We did test those before them, and Allah will certainly know those who are true from those who are false."

Al-Ankaboot - 29:2-3

The simple fact that I have been tested so severely is a blessing on it's own. The fact that my faith is strong enough for God to believe in and test is something that is beautiful to me.

"On no soul doth Allah Place a burden greater than it can bear."

Al-Baqara - 2:286

I have been praying for God to help me get through this test, and I know that help is continuously coming.  He is the absolute Greatest of all and there is nothing I would change about my life in any way. I just pray and ask that God continue to guide me through this test and help me come out as a better person from this. My real struggle will be to use this test to my advantage and use it to improve who I am. I am endlessly grateful to God for every single blessing and I feel even more grateful now that I'm going through this struggle.

ALHAMDULILLAH EVERY SINGLE MOMENT OF EVERY SINGLE DAY OF LIFE AND BEYOND.

Short Bio of Me

Okay, this post is per request. :-D

So, because this is a religion-related blog, I'm going to kind of focus more on the spiritual side of my life.

My parents didn't raise me in a religious household. My mother was Christian, but didn't regularly practice Christianity or impose it upon us kids. My father was atheist (which he didn't tell me until recently), so religion and God wasn't really brought up or taught to us that much as kids. When I was very young, probably about 12 years old, I read a book my sister had that was called "Conversation with God." After reading that book [series], that was basically my entire belief system. I was not assigned or restricted to any religion, but I had a strong relationship with God.

I grew up a very inquisitive and analytical child, teenager, young adult, and so on. Since I was young, I was interested in different cultures, different religions especially. I read any and all books I could about the major world religions, and they all interested me in their own way.

My mother became religious when I was around 16 years old. Among the many dramas of my teenage years, this basically was stressful for me. She was Southern Baptist Christian, and her views and church was very imposing and suffocating. I HATED going to church with her. All the talk from the pastor about fire and brimstone and how God hates Gays as much as Murderers was TOO much for me. I was in a bad mood the entire day when I had to go. Then, once the pastor came to our house and asked me what I believed, and I told them all and felt very judged and as though I had no idea what I was talking about. I was just "young and haven't found the truth yet." It always seems like people say that when you don't agree with their personal views. Hmmm.

So around the age of I'd say. . . 20 years old, I started going to one of my best friend's culture centers and Buddhist meetings with her. I loved the peace I felt when I chanted and participated and I became a Nichiren Buddhist. I had NOT changed my view on God in any way and Nichiren Buddhism is not necessarily a religion as more of a lifestyle? It's difficult to explain if you have not experienced it yourself.

After a couple of years, I stopped praying (read: chanting) and I just fell out of the loop with it. I didn't feel that the things I was doing was necessary for my happiness.

I never stopped researching and studying religions. I never felt the need to be part of a major religion and I definitely didn't think I would fit into one. I started researching Judaism more and more and was completely intrigued by the religion. I was agreeing with so much of it, and I wanted to learn more. I was trying my best to find synagogues around me that had introduction classes or q & a's or something similar, but all of those were available. . . at a price! And an expensive price, at that! I wanted to learn more, but from people, not just books. I wanted questions answered and all of that. Alas, I found nothing free.

So as I've said, I love studying religion and I did find a Qur'an study class that was available in the area I live that was free of charge and every week. I started attending those classes and absolutely loved it. I loved the people and everything. I learned a lot of what the speaker thought about certain things, and what Sunni Muslims view on Islam was. It was incredibly interesting.

I decided that I believed the Qur'an was divinely relayed to Mohammed, and the rest is history!

Muslims' Worst Enemies

Ever since I converted to Islam, it has been abundantly clear to me who the strongest enemies are to Muslims: other Muslims. Because I have opinions and viewpoints on Islam that differ from the mainstream hadith-followers, Sunnis, Shias, etc, I, for some reason, come off as offensive to other Muslims. 


I wonder why that is? I wonder why Muslims feel the need to regulate my religion and my beliefs, as if I asked them to, or as if that is their duty. Au contraire, it is a Muslim's duty NOT to interfere with my beliefs and religion:


Quran 109:6 "To you be your Way, and to me mine." 


Quran 2:256 "Let there be no compulsion in religion: Truth stands out clear from Error: whoever rejects evil and believes in Allah hath grasped the most trustworthy hand-hold, that never breaks. And Allah heareth and knoweth all things."


I must say that it does slightly annoy me, because who are other Muslims to judge my connection and belief in Allah, and my own personal truth? Many Muslims believe that there is only one path to Allah, but if they were to read the Qur'an clearly, they would understand that the only things one must do (as stated over and over in the Qur'an) is to 

• Believe in Allah & only worship Allah.
• Believe in the day of judgement.
• Establish regular prayer.
• Establish regular charity. 

Maybe Muslims get defensive because they know that my points are valid and their beliefs are ones they have embraced because of Islam the culture, not Islam the religion. (I'll write another blog entry about Islam culture vs. Islam religion.) I really have no other reason I can think of that Muslims get so. . . indignant. 

It's sad that I have to refer even Muslims to my post about regulators. If my beliefs offend you, I am sorry you cannot see my point of view, but I will not be changing my outlook for your comfort. You can believe that I am a Muslims or not - either way, it doesn't concern you and you should focus your efforts on other things. If I need advice on religion, I will definitely keep in mind that you are available for me to ask your perspective.