Islam is not a Religion of Extremism   
   Allah says:   
   "...Whosoever kills an innocent human being, it shall be as if he has killed   
   all mankind, and whosoever saves the life of one, it shall be as if he had   
   saved the life of all mankind..." Qur'an 5:32   
   Islam... an extreme religion?   
   "Islamic terrorists!" "Muslim fundamentalists!" "Extremists!" "Radical   
   Islamists!" These are just some labels that have been wrongly applied to   
   Muslims and certain Muslim groups in recent years.   
   The media's portrayal of Islam often misleads those whose knowledge of the   
   religion is limited, into making negative assumptions about this very peaceful   
   and tolerant way of life.   
   Peter Manning, a journalist of over 30 years, states in his book, "Us and   
   Them": "My experience tells me there's a vast gulf between the realities of   
   the daily lives of Arab and Muslim Australians and how they are represented in   
   our [Australian] media.   
   In more than 60 percent of cases [from the coverage of 2 major newspapers],   
   the words 'violent', 'death', 'attack', 'kill', 'suicide' or 'gunmen' were in   
   close proximity to the words 'Arab', 'Palestinian', 'Muslim' or 'Islam'. "   
   Is it then, any wonder that most people associate Islam with terrorism?   
   The problem of ignorance is highlighted by a survey which revealed that more   
   than one in three Australians admit to knowing nothing about Islam and its   
   followers.   
   "Those with the least knowledge and personal contact with Muslims were the   
   most likely to feel threatened by Islam," said Dr Dunn, who was commissioned   
   by the Australia-Indonesia Institute to carry out the study.   
   The prevalence of media bias and ignorance regarding Islam can be countered by   
   understanding Islam through its proper teachings. That means referring to the   
   Qur'an (which Muslims believe to be the word of God) and the authentic sayings   
   of the Prophet    
   Muhammad (peace be upon him). Through the proper understanding of these   
   teachings, one will discover Islam to be completely against any form of   
   extremism.   
   How the Qur'an can be misunderstood   
   When reading through the Qur'an or the sayings of the Prophet (peace be upon   
   him), one must understand the context in which the wording applies. The   
   following verse of the Qur'an is a favourite amongst those seeking to mislead   
   people about Islam:   
   "And kill them wherever you find them, and expel them from where they expelled   
   you, as persecuting people to sway them from God's Religion is worse than   
   killing. But do not fight them at the Sacred Mosque, unless they fight you   
   there. But if they do    
   fight you, then slay them; This is the recompense of the disbelievers." Qur'an   
   2:191   
   On occasions, this verse has been dangerously trimmed down to the following:   
   "And kill them wherever you find them..." Qur'an 2:191   
   The obvious question is, "Kill who?". To answer this question, one should read   
   the verses before and after verse 2:191.   
   "And fight in the way of Allah those who fight with you, and do not exceed the   
   limits, surely Allah does not love those who exceed the limits." Qur'an 2:190   
   The above verse mentions fighting as a means of self defence (i.e. with those   
   who fight you). The verse after 2:191 is:   
   "But if they cease, Allah is Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful." Qur'an 2:192   
   These verses were revealed at a time when the Muslims had been expelled from   
   their homes on account of their faith. They endured more than ten years of   
   persecution and eventually had to flee to a safe land.   
   The above verses were referring to the Arab pagans of Mecca during the   
   Prophet's time, who oppressed the Muslims and planned to attack them where the   
   Muslims sought refuge.   
   Hence, the above verse can only be applied in such circumstances.   
   This example demonstrates that verses in the Qur'an should be understood in   
   their proper context since verses were revealed in stages in relation to   
   particular situations, over a period of 23 years. It is also important to note   
   that the Qur'an was    
   revealed in Arabic. Therefore, translations into different languages may be   
   misleading and/or inaccurate.   
   Permissible Warfare/Fighting   
   There can be no doubt that Muslims (like anybody else) have a legitimate right   
   to fight against aggression or when oppressed.   
   Islam teaches that warfare is permitted in order to preserve the wellbeing of   
   the community or to prevent oppression from spreading - this may be in the   
   context of defensive or offensive warfare depending on the particular   
   situation. Islam, just like any    
   'way of life' that wants to ensure its survival, has the right to defend   
   itself when war is declared against it. In the Qur'an (22:39) we read:   
   "To those against whom war is made, permission is given to fight, because they   
   are wronged."   
   However, when the enemy ceases its hostility, Muslims are commanded to cease   
   fighting.   
   "And if they incline to peace, then incline to it and trust in God; surely He   
   is the All-Hearer, the All-Knower." Qur'an 8:61   
   Abu Bakr (may God be pleased with him), Prophet Mohammad's closest friend and   
   first successor, spoke of the Islamic approach to war by highlighting the   
   following.   
   In the battlefield, one should not:   
   commit treachery   
   mutilate the dead   
   deviate from the right path   
   kill a woman, child or aged man   
   harm or burn trees, especially the fruitful   
   slay the enemy's flock, except for food   
   harm those who devote their life to worship   
   As we read in verse 2:190, Allah commands Muslims not to go to extremes by   
   saying, "Do not transgress the limits." A situation of war is no excuse to go   
   beyond boundaries. Islam teaches the avoidance of blind retaliation.   
   "And let not the hatred of others make you avoid justice. Be just: that is   
   nearer to righteousness." Qur'an 5:8   
   Terrosim in perspective   
   The problem with putting terrorism into perspective is that there is no   
   agreed-upon definition of what constitutes "terrorism". Also, terrorism takes   
   many forms, as the following examples illustrate.   
   Robert Fisk, from The Independent, writes: "Israel and Israel's militia allies   
   (on 16 September 1982) started their three-day orgy of rape, knifing and   
   murder in the Palestinian refugee camps of Sabra and Shatila that cost 1,800   
   lives. It followed an    
   Israeli invasion of Lebanon designed to drive the PLO (Palestine Liberation   
   Organisation) out of the country and given the green light [by the United   
   States] which cost the lives of 17,500 Lebanese and Palestinians, almost all   
   of them civilians."   
      
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   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)