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   XPost: alt.christnet.bible, alt.christian   
      
   As is too often the jw practice, they carve out a bit to distort and   
   mislead.   
      
   Here a muslim web page discusses the same bit more fully;:   
      
   O YOU who have attained to faith! Do not take the Jews and the Christians   
   for your allies: they are but allies of one another and whoever of   
   you allies himself with them becomes, verily, one of them; behold, God does   
   not guide people who are unjust. (Quran 5:51)   
      
   This verse is often quoted to show that Islam is intolerant.   
      
   Quran is a complete book of guidance and while studying various issues it   
   should be kept in mind that a particular issue may be discussed   
   over several chapters or several verses in the same chapter. A complete   
   understanding can only be achieved by understanding the whole issue   
   as presented over all the verses and chapters and not by looking at only   
   part of the Quran. God specifically warns us against doing just   
   that, upholding part of the Quran while disregarding the rest.   
      
   .. Then is it only a part of the Book that ye believe in, and do you reject   
   the rest? but what is the reward for those among you who behave   
   like this but disgrace in this life? - and on the Day of Judgment they   
   shall be consigned to the most grievous penalty. For God is not   
   unmindful of what ye do. (Quran 2:85)   
   To understand the issue of befriending the Jews, Christians or people of   
   any other faith, we have to study all the concerned verses from the   
   Quran collectively.   
      
   Let us look at some other verses about this issue. The following two verses   
   regulate relations with any people, regardless of faith:   
      
   As for such [of the unbelievers] as do not fight against you on account of   
   [your] faith, and neither drive you forth from your homelands, God   
   does not forbid you to show them kindness and to behave towards them with   
   full equity: for, verily, God loves those who act equitably. (Quran   
   60:8)   
   God only forbids you to turn in friendship towards such as fight against   
   you because of [your] faith, and drive you forth from your   
   homelands, or aid [others] in driving you forth: and as for those [from   
   among you] who turn towards them in friendship; it is they, they who   
   are truly wrongdoers! (Quran 60:9)   
   From the above verses, we learn that we are only discouraged from   
   befriending those who fight Muslims because of their religion. Now let's go   
   back to the verse immediately after 5:51, to see if it sheds some further   
   light on the issue.   
      
   And yet you can not see how those in whose hearts there is disease vie with   
   one another for their good will (the hostile Jews and   
   Christians), saying [to themselves], "We do fear lest a change of fortune   
   bring us disaster." But God may well bring about good fortune [for   
   the believers] or any [other] event of His own devising, whereupon those   
   [waverers] will be smitten with remorse for the thoughts which they   
   had secretly harboured within themselves- (Quran 5:52)   
   During the time of the Prophet when the Jews and Christians were in open   
   conflict with the Muslims, there were some Muslims who were more   
   concerned about maintaining there alliances with the Jews and Christians at   
   the expense of the Muslim community. The above verse is referring   
   to such situations where Muslims with doubts in their hearts will ally   
   themselves with the enemy.   
      
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   Chapter 5 Verse 57 of the Quran makes it clear again, who are not to be   
   taken as friends; O you who believe! take not for friends and   
   protectors those who take your religion for a mockery or sport,- whether   
   among those who received the Scripture before you, or among those   
   who reject Faith; but remain conscious of God, if you are (truly)   
   believers. (Quran 5:57)   
      
   God teaches us throughout the Quran that there are righteous Jews and   
   Christians. As such there is no prohibition for Muslims to be friends   
   with Jews, Christians or people of any other faith who are of good   
   character.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)