”...contents of the realistic world with hearts soaked in liberal ideas...”

I am sure this can be achieved if we follow the QURAN in its essence. I personally have not yet been able to go through the HOLY BOOK but whatever knowlegde has been imparted to me by my parents, Islam appears to me the most liberal, dynamic and scientific religion, equipped with the power to undo all evils if followed in it’s essence, in the correct form which is due upon all!

Dear Shahwar K ,

I agree with your observation . But I am still confused how come perceptions laid down in the Quran have fallen prey to the distorted minds ? Why is the fallacious interpretation of Jihad has gained so much strength in the Muslim world ? Today , most of the nations across the globe are on the back foot because of the sinister implications arising out of wrong interpretation of Islamic precepts .

Arvind, your effort is very good. Please research a litle bit more and you will have to come up with another article opposing your own ideas :)

Dear Fariha ,

Thanks for your comment .Well, I am always ready to amend my views . However , it would be better if the Muslim world comes to redefine and reshape its priorities . It would make world a better place to live in .Or else , we would all sooner or later become victim of Jihad .Please also read the reply given to Shahwar K to understand the issue in better light .

Yes Arvind. The issue of jihad is widely misunderstood. Well, in islam there is a concept of jihad. Jihad mean to ”strive” wheras most people misinterpret it as ”fight”! This is sheer lack of knowledge. Jihad means to strive in the cause of truth or Haq and it can be in various forms like jihad with your money, jihad by writing etc. The last from is fighting when you have no choice and your religion is in danger or attacked by the enemy unduly. But even in this case, Our Prophet (PBUH)taught to work with peace and see if it can be settled without bloodshed. The last option is to fight if there is no way out. It is just like that someone would try to kill our child and you ought to fight with him to save your kid. In Islam we are ordered to fight if our faith is in danger and there is no other way to save it. Just like i have heard that in Maha Bharat, your prophets fight for the cause of truth. So thats a part of all religions.

Now what is happening today is an amalgamation of flasehood and righteousness. If any Muslim misuses this concept he is indeed wrong and Allah would discard his efforts. You are right many Mulsims are doing this with political or some negative motives behind it. But consider, if God forbid, someone would take over India or force you out of your house, what would you do? You would fight ofcourse. This is true in Afghanistan’s case. If they fight for their right, it is justified but if they kill innoccent people this is wrong.

The interesting thing is that in Islam the highest form of jihad is ”jihad with ones’ self” since all evil stems from there.

So its is just like we blame Hindusim seeing the mafia in India and say that Hindusim preaches so whereas it does not.

Quran is very clear but unfortunately, Muslims, like most ple of other religions, do not know their own scriptures; its lack of knowlegde and nothing else. However, we cant say wat exaclty is happening in Afghanistan and Iraq since they are invaded by foreigners. So its the intention of the ple there as to with which intention and for wat cause are they fighting.

Quran says ”He who kills a single person kills all of mankind, he who saves a single life, saves all mankind.” So we are not permitted to kill any human dear.

Hope it helps brother :)

Dear Fariha ,

You have come up with the right meaning of Jihad .But the most pressing question is that why the wrong interpretation of the jihad has gained popularity among the Islamic organizations ? For instance most of the terrorist the killings takes place in the name of Allah ? Or ,for that matter , the secret desire to spread Islam with the help of sword lurks within most of the Islamic organizations ?It’s hard to believe that only wrong interpretation is behind the rise of deadly organizations . It’s not only Iraq and Afghanistan but countries like India,Spain , U.S. , Britain , some parts of Russia , China etc . which are fast turning into havens for Islamic organizations having deep faith in Jihad .

I wonder whether Ulemas and Muslims can ever play a constructive role amid such confusion and bloodshed ? It’s really turned out to be clash of civilizations.

Brother Arvind,

what you see in the media is a gimmick of the west since most of the media is controlled by them. It is a misconception that there are Muslim terrorists all aorund the world. There are christain terrorists, jew terrorits and hindu terrorits for that matter but the only once highlighted in the media are the ones related to Islam. This is being done on purpose to destory the image of Islam and they are pretty successful in doing this.

As i explained u that islam does not tell to kill, but everyone is justified to protect himself in case they are attacked.

Here is a video, it might help to remove some misconceptions

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hW_T5ELSLS8

take care.

Dear Fariha ,

The reporting may be biased but no one can deny that growth of Islamic terrorism is too real .Are the killings also part of the gimmick ? How can we ignore the fact it’s ever increasing intensity has become cause of concern for most of the people across the globe ? And ,above all , it’s victim are innocent people having nothing to do with Islamic order of things ? If Islam does not tell to kill how come killings are done in the name of Allah ? How can we ignore the fact , borrowed from the pages of History , that bloodshed has been intrinsically linked with rise of Islam in various parts of world. It’s not only the question of wrong interpretation but bloodshed is also related with dubious Islamic legacy or ,for that matter ,diabolic mindset of its predecessors .

Dear Arvind,

You are biased and anyone who is not openminded can never see the true picture. If we were to point out, we could tell you how much blood was shed in Maha Bharat, but we Muslims respect all religions and do not beleive in pointing fingers to others. So think as and wat pleases u. I have already explained you wat i had to. God bless u.

Dear Fariha,

How can presenting an honest account of the state of affairs in present world be dubbed as biased approach ? Very few can dare to ignore the fact that Islamic radicals have turned the world into hell . Even small children can feel that outside world is no longer safe -the bombs have been planted everywhere .My dear friend , you are in no mood to face the truth .It’s time for you to get real .

I know very well that Islam does contain some better standards of living .But some inherent contradictions in the Islamic percepts have given rise to misguided followers right from the arrival of Islam on earth .It has gone to the heads of Islamic radicals that ” Only Allah is Supreme God ” and all those who don’t fall within the line of Islamic ideology needs to be wiped out .This in their eyes is essential for establishment of Shariat governed world . There is nothing wrong in expanding the cause of religion but when one starts assuming that his religion is superior than others it leads to rise of distorted forces . Today , these negative forces are ruling the Islamic world and playing havoc with the lives of non-followers .Sadly , they are more powerful than positive forces in Islam .

Today , not only the metros but even small cities of India are in the grip of Islamic radicals . Ayodhya , Varanasi , Jaipur , Ahmedabad , Surat , Coimbatore ...the list is endless . Do you want me to ignore the threatening developments ? I am not secular enough to turn a blind eye to the dangerous mindsets of the jihadis . Prophet Muhammad may have delivered sound teachings but most of his followers have come out with sinister interpretations .Probably this is why bloodshed has been the key element governing its affairs right from its arrival .And the modern world seems to be no exception !!!!! It’s time for you to see things in perspective .There is no point in sticking to illusions of the medieval times .It’s time to borrow better things from the past to provide a better world to future generations . Bombs and swords should not be used to promote the cause of religion or , for that matter , Islamic percepts .

Mahabharat war was not fought on religious grounds. Equating terrorism with Mahabharat war is ignorance, to say the least.

Islam does not preach PEACE for non believers. A quote here and there from Holy Quaran does not alter the mindset of its followers.

Dear Ramesh Balam ,

Thanks for putting the record straight by tackling the misplaced notions about Mahabharata .I wasn’t interested in correcting Fariha’s factual errors since that would have deviated me from the more important points .For us the battle against terrorism is not easy . Double standards prevailing in the name of secularism is preventing us to take tough steps against the terrorists . Recently , MK Naryanan , the National Security Advisor , informed us that 800 terrorist cells are operating in India with the help of ”external support” .Sadly , likes of Lalu and Mulayam feel that organizations like SIMI should not be banned . Probably this is why Islamic terrorists are getting bolder day by day .Against the backdrop of a weak governance ,it’s a threatening development . We all need to tackle the flawed Islamic ideologies,the real cause of rise of Islamic terrorists ,to prevent another division of India .Also global war on terrorism should be devoid of dubious intentions . If America is so sure about ISI’s involvement in terrorist activities then what’s preventing it to take tough action against Pakistan ? It’s better that it takes tough actions against Pakistan instead of issuing empty warnings .

Dear Fariha,

How can presenting an honest account of the state of affairs in present world be dubbed as biased approach ? Very few can dare to ignore the fact that Islamic radicals have turned the world into hell . Even small children can feel that outside world is no longer safe -the bombs have been planted everywhere .My dear friend , you are in no mood to face the truth .It’s time for you to get real .

I know very well that Islam does contain some better standards of living .But some inherent contradictions in the Islamic percepts have given rise to misguided followers right from the arrival of Islam on earth .It has gone to the heads of Islamic radicals that ” Only Allah is Supreme God ” and all those who don’t fall within the line of Islamic ideology needs to be wiped out .This in their eyes is essential for establishment of Shariat governed world . There is nothing wrong in expanding the cause of religion but when one starts assuming that his religion is superior than others it leads to rise of distorted forces . Today , these negative forces are ruling the Islamic world and playing havoc with the lives of non-followers .Sadly , they are more powerful than positive forces in Islam .

Today , not only the metros but even small cities of India are in the grip of Islamic radicals . Ayodhya , Varanasi , Jaipur , Ahmedabad , Surat , Coimbatore ...the list is endless . Do you want me to ignore the threatening developments ? I am not secular enough to turn a blind eye to the dangerous mindsets of the jihadis . Prophet Muhammad may have delivered sound teachings but most of his followers have come out with sinister interpretations .Probably this is why bloodshed has been the key element governing its affairs right from its arrival .And the modern world seems to be no exception !!!!! It’s time for you to see things in perspective .There is no point in sticking to illusions of the medieval times .It’s time to borrow better things from the past to provide a better world to future generations . Bombs and swords should not be used to promote the cause of religion or , for that matter , Islamic percepts .

Terrorism can be tackled effectively with political will power; like Israel. Otherwise, people tackle it in their own novel ways. For eg., Sikh terrorists in Punjab.

Delhi High Court has ruled that Holy Quran teaches non violence and spreads hatred amongst communities but refused to ban it on the grounds that it is a religious book of a particular faith. Don’t get carried away with the stories spread by girls about the prophet.

Dear Ramesh Balam ,

I agree with your observation . But I must add that our country has always had weak Central governments .Worse , appeasement policies have created new problems in the way of total elimination of governments . Just look what’s happening in Jammu amd Kashmir .

True , it’s very difficult for the Muslims to rise above limitations . More so when likes of Dr.Jakir Naik (peace channel fame )with their half truths emerge as a great preacher amongst them . It’s just like a blind man showing the path .I firmly believe that unless Muslims come to rise above half-baked truths ,the war against terrorism would always be a failure . Though there are good things in Holy Quran but I know it’s too difficult for Islamic organisations to grasp their true essence .

Dear Ramesh Balam ,

I agree with your observation . But I must add that our country has always had weak Central governments .Worse , appeasement policies have created new problems in the way of total elimination of governments . Just look what’s happening in Jammu amd Kashmir .

True , it’s very difficult for the Muslims to rise above limitations . More so when likes of Dr.Zakir Naik (peace channel fame )with their half truths emerge as a great preacher amongst them . It’s just like a blind man showing the path .I firmly believe that unless Muslims come to rise above half-baked truths ,the war against terrorism would always be a failure . Though there are good things in Holy Quran but I know it’s too difficult for Islamic organisations to grasp their true essence .