A recent poll in the UK revealed that the man on the street doesn’t think much of Islam:
# 58% associate Islam with extremism
# 50% associate Islam with terrorism
# Just 13% associate Islam with peace
Part of the problem is that people are getting information from completely biased sources:
# 57% obtain most of their information about Islam from the TV news
# 41% obtain their information about Islam from newspapers
# Just 3% get most of their information on Islam from Muslim organisations
After all, when you want to know about (say) the BP oil spill, you don’t go to the TV or newspapers. You want a website run by BP itself, since they’re the unbiased experts on the topic.
Accordingly, a bunch of Muslims have put together a site talking about how much they like Muhammad. It’s got video testimonials, inspiring quotes from modern-day scholars like H.G. Wells, timely examples from the Ottoman Empire and Muslim-occupied Spain, and a bright and cheerful color scheme.
The one thing it doesn’t do, alas, is provide any evidence to refute the poll results.
If people believe that Islam is associated with terrorism, it’s a complete non sequitur to respond that Muhammad was interested in Women’s Rights and Education.
For one thing, neither of these is particularly related to terrorism. More importantly, it doesn’t matter what Mohammed said. People associate Islam with terrorism because there are lots of prominent terrorist groups who explicitly claim Islam as their motivation. People think Islam has backward views on Education and Women’s Rights, because there are Islamic countries that have religiously-motivated backward policies on Education and Women’s Rights.
If your goal is to convince people that Islam and terrorism have nothing to do with each other, you might want to put up a webpage or two addressing the reasons why people think they do. (For extra credit you might consider condemning the people responsible for creating the impression, who — you’ll be surprised to learn — aren’t the TV stations and newspapers.) If your goal is to convince people that Islam is progressive on Women’s Rights, you might want to talk about the parts of the world where Islam is used to justify denying rights to women.
After all, even BP isn’t trying to deny that an oil spill is happening!
The CEO of BP says he is against oil spills, so clearly any mental association people have between oil spills and BP is fallacious. QED.
Sure, take what I wrote and sum it up much more pithily. Thanks a lot.
This entire campaign is rebuked here
http://www.wikiislam.com/wiki/Inspired_by_muhammad_(website)
This entire campaign is rebuked here. With evidence from the hadith (actions of mohammad)
http://www.wikiislam.com/wiki/Inspired_by_muhammad_(website)
And a survey taken in the Islamic world about christians found . . what?
Whatever they found, I bet it would make for an awesome game show:
“100 Muslims were surveyed, top ten answers are on the board. Name something you’d do to your daughter if she converted to Christianity.”
Actually I do hold Islam in low esteem and draw pictures of Mohammed in my idle moments.
“Tolerance implies no lack of commitment to one’s own beliefs, rather it condemns the oppression or persecution of others” —John F. Kennedy
Gallup poll has done research on what a billion Muslims think, Robert Pape has done research on Suicide Bombing in his book “Dying to Win”….these are not “myth-based” facts—but based on solid research and the results might surprise those who have the ignorant idea that Islam/Muslims are linked to terrorism.
The information is out there—do people want to bother to know facts—or would they rather be scared silly by myths?
We should support those Muslims who challenge the more violent interpretations of the Qur’an but, now that they have stepped into the fray, the Exploring Islam Foundation has to answer questions such as whether they accept the concept of universal human rights as they have developed in recent years.
http://wikiislam.com/wiki/Inspired_by_Muhammad
The ‘Inspired by Muhammad’ site is the usual taqiyya and kitman. For example its description of Muhammad’s life is highly sanitized and makes no mention of murder, torture, booty and rape etc. We are told nothing about his indulging in mufa’khathat with Aish or that the self-proclaimed Prophet considered women ro be deficient of mind and in all likelihood destined for Hell. Stuart Parsons
I wrote on their website and would encourage you all to do the same. If enough people contiually write in when they tell porkies then they will get the message that lying won’t work.
Mike
“Guys
You can’t be serious?
I understand your use of taqiyya but allowing these lies about Islam’s founding and Muhammed like this into the public square will only bite you on the bum with the public.
They aren’t stupid and have access to historical records and immediate media in Muslim lands.
Similarly, you can’t complain if people challenge your statements with factual history and testimony.
they will quote the Koran and Hadiths right back at you, you are onto a hiding for nothing and will have wasted taxpayers money.
That alone will encourage other faiths to apply for the same funding and the satirists will no doubt ask for funding to lampoon your faith and prophet.”
If you really want to read about what Islam is an its true goals then look no further than:
http://www.thereligionofpeace.com
It should become a mandatory course for any person either in or who wants to be elected to public office. Perhaps then they will stop chanting the mantra that Islam is a religion of peace.
I wrote a post in my blog and named it I’m inspired by Mohammad because I truly am and so proud to be indeed.
It gets on my nerves how ignorant someone can be about some issue and not only never admit it but also keep talking and talking about how much they are in the know. If you want to know about Islam or anything else go read an authentic book by a respectful scholar or ask a practicing Muslim. Getting information about a religion system from merely blogs or TV is pathetic still you might have a look on mine.
http://inalllanguages.blogspot.com/2010/08/im-inspired-by-muhammad.html