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@SS: I'm not sure about that. I often find someone who talk about religion (any religion) can be either deeply religious or too critical to the religion. Either way, you get biased answers. It depends on how far you can keep distance from holy books and being objective to them.

Originally posted by Minerva
@SS: I'm not sure about that. I often find someone who talk about religion (any religion) can be either deeply religious or too critical to the religion. Either way, you get biased answers. It depends on how far you can keep distance from holy books and being objective to them.

What I meant was that knowing what their 'holy text' says does not necessarily give one a clear idea of what the people of that faith believe. To really get an idea of what the people believe, you have to talk to the people and ask them, rather than just read books about it. You may get biased answers, but you get answers that tell you their personal belief, even if it doesn't seem to agree with what their holy text says. But you also have to remember that your own interpretation of things will be biased as well.

Official moderator mode
Eminem, you asked for basically a complete course on Islam with your very first question. I think that if you are that interested in the topic, you might be better served by looking into a course or seminar on the subject. A professor or religious leader will have more references at hand.
We, the moderators, do not want CM to feel pressured to respond if he has other committments, nor do we wish him to feel like he's under attack. Theological debates tend to bring out strong feelings and lost tempers.
Everyone please remain civil and respectful of peoples beliefs. If people start trolling there will be consequences.

WOW!!!!
I just got back from a weekend break in the mountains and thought I could relax.
I thought that this thread would die a quick and painless death as people would be too worried about being PC.
Anyway I just got back.
So I will take on the easy comments or questions first.
So M'n'M you will have to wait till later on tonight for a response.

@Fable: I agree with everything you say.
But as the saying goes: Good Advice is no advice.
Religion is core to the identity and way a muslim lives.
Seeing simple rules thrown out the window the exact opposite is done in the name of the religion is just plain crazy.
It hurts alot, but i guess i should take it easier.
InshAllah maybe, but I doubt i would be able to be calm when it comes to blasphemy.

@Kid01 correct.
On top of that all wives MUST be treated the same.
So one wife can't have a car and the other 3 have to walk.
If you are to buy a car for 1 wife, you must buy it for them all, and teh same model etc.
There must be an equality.
Also to answer Viv's question, all the same women can not share the same room.
Each wife must have a seperate room, and the husband must spend equal time in the bed of each wife.
In the case of rich arabs it can move from rooms to houses to cities.

The reason for marrying 4 women.
The arab tribes were always fighting so there was a surplus of women and a very small minority of men as they would end up dying in a battle.
So to keep the families thriving and the tribes, we were allowed to have 4 wives at one time.
Second when the Hazart Mohammad (SAW) brought Islam to the arabs, girls and women held no respect.
Infant girls were buried alived.
Women were solded in to bondage slavery, where the wife of the husband would become the wife of the son if the husband were to die etc.
They were openly raped on the streets and were taunted etc.

According to arab and many third world societies, once a lady is married she is considered the husband's honor.
If anything happens to the wife, the husband goes ballistic.
An present day example, is that sons will never forgive a father for cheating on wife/their mother.
At points sons have killed their fathers for such an act.
However if the mother cheats, the sons usually ignore the problem and at points blame the father for doing so.

In Islamic society the mother can do no wrong ever.
Back on to the topic, the second reason is that a husband provides security and protection etc.
Hope that helps there.

Spelling Quran - as Voodoo has said, you can't translate it into romanic verses.
It is Quran for all muslims.
But Koran is ok, as is Qoran.
The choice is yours.

Arabic is quite difficult to write in romanic script but i will try.
Voodoo Inti kalama arabie showieya?
Kadeira?
No my arabic is pretty pathetic, haven't spoken it for nearly 3 years now.
But I think Voodoo would have a problem deciphering the jargon above.

@Fable from my knowledge of arabic, it doesn't have vowels as you use them in english.

@T, you can't depict images of Allah as we don't know what he or she looks like.
For that reason we don't allow pictures of Allah or the Hazart Mohammad (SAW).
Nor any other prophets.
However muslims can take pictures of each other or of anybody else.
I can take a paint a pic of my friend if i want.
It would be a stick figure , but i am allowed to do it by Islamic law.

The issue of people pictures, is in my opinion an incorrect intrepretation of an act by Hazart Mohammad (SAW), in which he destroyed idols (which were worshipped) in Mecca, specifically in the Holy Kabba, which we believe is the home of Allah.
The taliban thus say the Bayan Bhudda's as idols which needed to be destoryed.
Yet according to Islam there is no specific law or hadis that I know of that says you can't take or make pictures of a normal man.
Allah and Prophets are a completely different issue.

@Min, correct.
Islam is seen as a following to both those religions.
It sees both as relevations from the same God.
And both christians and jews are people of the book and thus our brothers, and we all worship the same God.

That is all for now.

Wow! Nice answers CM. Those will come in handy in my World Religions class (Islam after Christianity!)

Well done, COMMrade...

...this thread would be difficult it seems to manage, but with the way you handle it (kudos to the mods too ), this thread is ending up pretty cool.

For my question, I would like to know from your point of view, what exactly justifies a jihad (holy war)?

It's quite unfortunate in my country that a number of our rebel Muslim brothers in the south use this as an excuse to raise arms against their countrymen.

It's just that I hate whenever people (regardless of faith), use religion for their selfish motives.

@mods: if this question is inappropriate, feel free to delete this post.

Ok sorry guys, i was busy editting a friends thesis.
I will again answer the easier ones, but M'n'M i am asking a friend about one of your questions.
When he replies i will give a reply to all your questions.

Waverly, Islam means submission to Allah.
So it is a way of life, and thus for muslims you can't seperate religion from any aspect of life, including the government.
Thus you can't have according to muslims a secular govt in a muslim majority land.

Now in the case of Turkey, the average muslims see it as a non-muslim state, in which muslims reside.
In the name of a secular govt, religious restrictions are made on muslims.
You can't have the call of prayers at all, which in Islam must be announced for muslim to come.
Women by law can't cover their heads with a scarf as a form of observing their religion.
In the name of secularization, Islamic laws and teachings are violated and restricted and at points deemed illegal.
So Turkey is only not an islamic state, the eyes of many.
However the people still practice in secret and stuff.

Islam is an intrepretation of the will of Allah, and since no 2 people see the world the same, there are always differences.
But in Islam we can't not force our intreperetation on others, so it is up to the people themselves to decide if something is Islamic or not.
Thus you have islamic states, which allow women to vote, like Iran, Pakistan and Syria (notably all countries deemed dangerous and rogue nations) and then Saudi, Kuwait and Bahrain don't allow women to vote.
There are many many more examples where countries apply Islam and Islamic law differently.
But the majority is agreed upon, it is the technical aspects of laws and social customs that people differ on.
Like all muslims see drinking as a sin.
But some do, and that is their choice, however they are seen as performing a sin, no matter if the person comes from Morroco or Indonesia.
Hope that helps.

@SS on the issue of Hazart Jesus.
We muslims believe that Allah is one.
There is no God but him and he has no children or any relations.
If i am correct christains believe Jesus to be along the lines of a son of God.
Muslims see Hazart Jesus as one of the most favored by God.
He performed miracles, of which we believe all.
However this is where Islam and Christianity differ.
We see all prophets as being humans, but gifted by Allah.
They can be in no way be related to him, as he is the one and the only.
Second we don't believe in the 3 forms - which i can't remember right now.
It is the Holy Ghost and err...sorry i forgot.
But we don't believe anything along those lines.

As for your teacher, it is not said anywhere in the Quran that if you believe Jesus is related to God, that you will go to hell.
It is seen as shirik - which is arabic for comparing a human to Allah, which is definitely a sin.
But we don't know what the punishment for such a thing is.
Only Allah has the right to judge - muslims have no right to judge others, be they muslims, jews and christians as they are just as flawed as all humans.

My sis studies in the US, a darn good college, which has a good religion/theology program.
Her teacher on Islam is good, according to her, i have yet to meet him but i trust my sisters judgement.
I have said this out, because I have come across only 2 non muslims who teach about Islam and do a good job.
The other is the Famous prof from George Town John L. Espisizto -I misspelled the last name.
But said there are alot more non-muslims teaching Islam in man colleges around the US and they don't do a good job from what i hear.
Esp. in the UK.

The art of war??
Hmm...not from what i remember, but i will look it up in the Quran.
Now Islam - as it is a way of life, it perscribes laws for war fair.
You can't kill women and children, and you can't attack vital necessities of life, like water resources and food supplies.
Not that it is practiced, but that is written.

Muslims are forbidden by law not to kill other muslims - again not practiced.
Those muslims who do kill muslims, have a place waiting for them in hell.
Now that is said in a Hadis by the Hazart Mohammad (SAW).
I will look up the surah and see what he is talking about.

left me confused as to what the actual attitude of Islam is about female circumcision.

No such thing in Islam from what i know.
This is also very specific to egypt maybe.
Because it does not occur from what i know in Pakistan, Malaysia or Indonesia.
The Egyptains have kept alot of practices which pre-date Islam coming to the region.
I am sure the Quran doesn't cover this at all.
I never heard of a hadis covering this either.
From an educated guess i would say it is not in Islam.
But i could confirm it if you want.

Mar and m'n'm hopefully i will answer your questions later on today.
InshAllah.

Such an interesting thread Fas

I have one question, slightly personal sorry about that.

What do you think of Sharia. I have heard of it being employed in Africa, and being so close to Indonesia (Australia ) We often get news of unrest in the remote provinces between Christians and Muslims. Some muslims have asked for Sharia however the leaders appear uncomfortable with it. I know a bit of it, but not much to properly understand how it affects our northern neighbour.

I first want to think CM for his willingness to answer all these questions. Not only am I learning more about another religion, one that shares much with my own; but I'm also getting more knowledge with which to find mistakes in what my World Religions professor teaches. (and Sadly, I'm sure I will find mistakes. )

Originally posted by CM
@SS on the issue of Hazart Jesus.
We muslims believe that Allah is one.
There is no God but him and he has no children or any relations.
If i am correct christains believe Jesus to be along the lines of a son of God.
Muslims see Hazart Jesus as one of the most favored by God.
He performed miracles, of which we believe all.
However this is where Islam and Christianity differ.
We see all prophets as being humans, but gifted by Allah.
They can be in no way be related to him, as he is the one and the only.
Second we don't believe in the 3 forms - which i can't remember right now.
It is the Holy Ghost and err...sorry i forgot.
But we don't believe anything along those lines.

According to Christianity, the Trinity is the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit/Holy Ghost(which term is used varies from church to church).

If the mods don't approve of this next question, they can remove it from my post. Okay, so Muslims believe God doesn't have any children. Can you give any kind of explanation why? Since we believe in the same God, I'm guessing that it isn't a belief that God can't have children, but since I'm not muslim, I don't know.

Also, if you believe in all the miracles Jesus performed, do you also believe that Jesus was resurrected?

As for your teacher, it is not said anywhere in the Quran that if you believe Jesus is related to God, that you will go to hell.
It is seen as shirik - which is arabic for comparing a human to Allah, which is definitely a sin.
But we don't know what the punishment for such a thing is.
Only Allah has the right to judge - muslims have no right to judge others, be they muslims, jews and christians as they are just as flawed as all humans.

Okay, looks like my professor was exagerating. He does seem to have a tendancy to inaccurately paraphrase.

My sis studies in the US, a darn good college, which has a good religion/theology program.
Her teacher on Islam is good, according to her, i have yet to meet him but i trust my sisters judgement.
I have said this out, because I have come across only 2 non muslims who teach about Islam and do a good job.
The other is the Famous prof from George Town John L. Espisizto -I misspelled the last name.
But said there are alot more non-muslims teaching Islam in man colleges around the US and they don't do a good job from what i hear.
Esp. in the UK.

It seems logical to me that someone teaching a religion they do not believe would not be as good as those who believe what they are teaching. My World Religions professor says he grew up Catholic, then became an agnostic, and is now a believer in Native American Religions. He claims that being NAR, he is unbiased about any of the religions he teaches, but I find that laughable.

The art of war??
Hmm...not from what i remember, but i will look it up in the Quran.
Now Islam - as it is a way of life, it perscribes laws for war fair.
You can't kill women and children, and you can't attack vital necessities of life, like water resources and food supplies.
Not that it is practiced, but that is written.

Muslims are forbidden by law not to kill other muslims - again not practiced.
Those muslims who do kill muslims, have a place waiting for them in hell.
Now that is said in a Hadis by the Hazart Mohammad (SAW).
I will look up the surah and see what he is talking about.

It's possible that the section he is refering to is where it talks about what you're refering to, though I am obviously not certain. One thing I do remember him mentioning when talking about this section was that it says it is okay to kill those who refuse to believe in the Islamic faith, or something like that. If I get the chance, I think I'll ask him a little more about it as well today after class.

No such thing in Islam from what i know.
This is also very specific to egypt maybe.
Because it does not occur from what i know in Pakistan, Malaysia or Indonesia.
The Egyptains have kept alot of practices which pre-date Islam coming to the region.
I am sure the Quran doesn't cover this at all.
I never heard of a hadis covering this either.
From an educated guess i would say it is not in Islam.
But i could confirm it if you want.

Well, from what I've read about female circumcision, it is practiced(illegally) in numerous countries, including the UK and US(I think). IIRC, though, female circumcision isn't actually legal in any country anymore; but, as I mentioned, it is still practiced illegally.

Ack, I gotta go to my World Religions class now. I'll definitely be back to read more of this thread later, though.

Mar: on Jihad.
Jihad means struggle and not the warped version you have in english which is "Holy war".
There are a total of 5 forums of Jihad, of which i know 3 off the top of my head.
The first is Jihad-i-Akbar - arabic for the "great jihad".
This is the first and foremost aspect of waging a battle in Islam.
It basic development of society towards a utopian ideal.
Muslims pay Zakat - 2.5% of your wealth per month is given the poor.
The choice is yours to do so, but it is complusory on all muslims.
If you don't it is a major sin.
It is one of the 5 pillars of islam that all muslims must follow and obey.
This is one fundemental aspect of Jihad-i-Akbar.
Here is a bit of information most people won't know, but the Hamas, Islamic Jihad and Hizbollah are all popular not for their miltant attitudes but their acts in Jihad-i-Akbar.
Take the Hizbollah in Lebanon.
They provide education and scholarships to colleges and further education facilities all free.
They had doctors who made rounds during the Israeli occupation of Lebanon, they provide house wives with basic facilities.
If people don't have say some kitchenwear, they can go any Hizbollah office, and these guys would do their utmost to help them.
The Hamas in Palestine provides women with lessons on how to cook and make clothes.
The islamic jihad provides social facilities, like building water pipes and wells.

The second forum of Jihad is the on where you actually take up arms against others.
The main reason is when you are attacked and retaliate.
If the ones attacking are non-muslims, jihad is something that can be announced.
Then it is the choice of person to fight for our brothers.
Though many will and do.
Afghanistan was called a Jihad by Saudi Arabia - the spiritual capital of Islam.
Muslims from as far as Chili came to fight in the name of Islam and for their brothers.
A pakistani military figure held foriegn jihads around 40,000 over a period of 10 years.
But Foriegn they meant exluding Pakistans and Afghanis.
The US had no problem with a Jihad then that waged for 10 years.
This Jihad can be called by any and all religious authorities.
Saudi being the definitive, if Saudi says it is a Jihad, all muslims would accept it and recruitment would increase dramatically.
In the case of Palestine, it is an Intifada - an uprising - not a Jihad.
So you don't have people pouring in like Afghanistan.
If one country takes up the mantel of Jihad in Palestine, all muslims will fall in line at once.
Hamas, Islamic Jihad and Hizbollah also follow this form of Jihad.

The Third that i know is a personal jihad which a muslim must go through everyday.
It is a Jihad towards becoming a better muslim.
Every muslim must better himself towards the Islamic ideal.
From a personal point of view.
I am a liberal conservative, meaning I follow all the fundemental aspects of islam, and i am conservative in many ways.
And in some ways Liberal as a muslim - this comes to aspects of dress, women, religion itself and hmm well other stuff.
I don't pray 5 times a day, that is a sin on my part, i am and try to pray when ever i can.
That is just in one way i perform jihad in Islam.
I struggle to follow all the tenets of Islam.

I hope I have answered your question.
Anything i missed out please tell me.

@Tamerlane?
You Aussie?
DAMN!!
I hate your cricket team.
You can't win all the time, it is unfair.

As for Shariah?
Yes i would like Shariah implemented to its utmost.
But not the messed up version of the Taliban or Iran or Saudi.
That is not Islam.
The laws are very simple.
1 simple law or basic tenet is that Islamic law applies on to Muslims.
For other minorities, Islamic law can not govern them.
So you can have secular laws or whatever for them.
Yes that causes a seperation of people, but most muslim states, that have an Islamic govt have very small minorities.
If you want i could discuss how the laws would work, but that would be a topic unto itself.
On a Pakistani site where i used to post - got very busy these days.
I asked who would want Shariah Law implemented.
The vast majority around 95% said yes.
If i recall only 3 said no.
So yes i would want Shariah law implemented.
And i can confidantly say, ask any muslim on the street, the Islamic world or the US, and they would say the same.

@SS and m'n'm.
Later on tonight hopefully.

First @CM, what an excellent idea to start this thread, I very much appreciate that you take the time and effort to answer all those questions

Some more questions:

Originally posted by CM

On top of that all wives MUST be treated the same.
So one wife can't have a car and the other 3 have to walk.
If you are to buy a car for 1 wife, you must buy it for them all, and teh same model etc.
There must be an equality.

The muslim men I know in Sweden, say they interpret the Quran like this: Mohammed was an extraordinary wise man who could treat his wives exactly equally, but they, as normal men, cannot, so they should only have 1 wife. Additionaly, some of them think that the custum of having more than 1 wife was suitable in the former days where women couldn't support themselves if they became widows etc, but in modern society where women work, there is no need to marry a women to save her from poverty. Now, what do you think about these interpretations?

Another question: When I've travelled in muslim countries, I have heard that you can take photos of men and children, but not on women. Why is that?

And another: How would you describe the difference between sunni and shia? I'm familiar with the historical background, but what differences does it make for everyday life and practises?

Yet another: Are there, to your knowledge, any major collisions between religion and science in islam, such as there has been in christianity v science? (Galileo and Heliocentric v geocentric world, Darwin and evolution, for instance)

Re: female circumcision - I have always understood this to be a regional practise, I have never heard that it was connected to islam.

OUCH!!!
Long questions, all need answering.
I can't be writting intellectual and informative posts all the time!
I need to spam..err..comm!
Just a request, if anybody has a question could you wait until i have finished with the last one?
So if anybody has a question could you please wait until i have answered CE question, before posting it?

For now i am only answering SS, i am tired!

Correct to an extent, he could have children - i don't really know.
But in Islam he does not have any.
He is the one and only, that is the basic pillar of Islam.
There is only one God.
However if he did have relations or children, they would also be Gods, or demi-Gods.
Thus there would be more than one God, and our basic premise would be defunct.
I hope that makes sense, it does to me.
Plus since we believe the Quran to be the words of God.
And it states that he is the one and only.
We thus believe, there is only one God and he or she is alone.

Resurrected?
hmmm...we believe that Jesus will come back before the Day of Judgement and rule for a period.
That we believe, is that what you are refering to?

Actually SS, the two teachers - my sis's is a christain.
And the one from George town is devote Practicing Roman Catholic.
Now isn't that weird?

As for the surah on war, could you get the exact thing he is talking about, like maybe a surah number?
I will look it up in the Quran tonight, if i have the time.
And if you teacher has any questions he can come and read this thread!

As for female cir. well it is illegal, but still practiced.
And not part of Islamic teachings.
It is more of a cultural thing - i think.

No hurry CM, you can reply to other questions in between if they are shorter, I'll be around as you know

Originally posted by CM
OUCH!!!
Long questions, all need answering.
I can't be writting intellectual and informative posts all the time!
I need to spam..err..comm!
Just a request, if anybody has a question could you wait until i have finished with the last one?
So if anybody has a question could you please wait until i have answered CE question, before posting it?

I'm gonna go ahead and respond to this, CM; but feel free to weight until you've answered the other questions that have been asked before answering these. I just want to type up responses before the spam makes me forget what I want to say.

Correct to an extent, he could have children - i don't really know.
But in Islam he does not have any.
He is the one and only, that is the basic pillar of Islam.
There is only one God.
However if he did have relations or children, they would also be Gods, or demi-Gods.
Thus there would be more than one God, and our basic premise would be defunct.
I hope that makes sense, it does to me.
Plus since we believe the Quran to be the words of God.
And it states that he is the one and only.
We thus believe, there is only one God and he or she is alone.

It makes some sense. As a Christian, I also believe there is only one God; but I believe that Jesus is the son of God and isGod, which I guess would seem a bit more difficult to believe, or at least more confusing.

Resurrected?
hmmm...we believe that Jesus will come back before the Day of Judgement and rule for a period.
That we believe, is that what you are refering to?

Actually, I'm refering to the Gospels in the New Testament of the Bible. The part where Jesus is crucified on the cross, buried in a tomb, then rises from the dead 3 days later.

Actually SS, the two teachers - my sis's is a christain.
And the one from George town is devote Practicing Roman Catholic.
Now isn't that weird?

Well, it does seem somewhat logical that, since there are a lot of similarities and such, at least in origins, for the religions, that that might be the case.

As for the surah on war, could you get the exact thing he is talking about, like maybe a surah number?
I will look it up in the Quran tonight, if i have the time.
And if you teacher has any questions he can come and read this thread!

Is "surah" the same as "chapter"? I was talking to the professor today. I had the name wrong, slightly. It's "the Spoils of War." Chapter 8 in the Quran. He showed me the specific verses(?) he was referring to. After reading them, I could see how someone could misinterpret/manipulate the meaning to justify what they did on 9-11, even to the point of saying it was God who did it, not them. However, reading it, I saw that it was referring specifically to meeting 'unbelievers' on the battlefield, which obviously is not what happened on 9-11. I did not have time to read all of it. The professor said that it only refers to peace once, though I don't know that for sure. Anymore insight you might have on it, I'd be interested in hearing.

As for female cir. well it is illegal, but still practiced.
And not part of Islamic teachings.
It is more of a cultural thing - i think.

That's what I guessed.

Originally posted by CM
As for female cir. well it is illegal, but still practiced.
And not part of Islamic teachings.
It is more of a cultural thing - i think.

Again CM--thank's for doing this thread.

Re: Female circumcision
History: Over 80-100 million women in the world have experienced Female genital mutilation (FGM) since it was first recorded over 4000 years ago in ancient Egypt. Because of its origin, it is sometimes referred to as a "pharonic custom." The ritual apparently spread from the Nile and its tributaries into adjacent regions such as Palestine. It spread through migration routes into the Maghrib area (N.W. Africa), and across the Sahara and Sahel regions into the West African savanna. It also spread along The Red Sea Coast into The Horn of Africa and parts of East Africa. In some areas it is practiced by almost all groups, in other areas by some ethnic groups and not others, and in other African areas, such as Southern Africa, by only a few groups. Today, it is mainly practiced in North and West Africa and parts of East Africa. The groups who practice it vary widely in terms of socio-economics. It is impossible for any writer I found to sum up one reason for FGM. In all of these countries, such as Egypt, FGM is carried out by both Moslems and Christians. It has probably been confused as an Islamic practice, since all of these countries are predominantly Muslim now.

Just to give everyone an idea--the World Health Organization gives the following prevalence of FGM:
Guinea, Somalia 99% of women
Djibouti 98%
Egypt 97%
Eritrea 95%
Mali 94%
Sierra Leone 90%
Sudan 89%
Ethiopia 85%
Gambia 80%
Burkina Faso 72%
Liberia, Chad 60%
Benin, Guinea-Bissau 50%
Central African Republic, Ivory Coast 43%
Kenya 38%
Ghana 30%
Mauritania, Nigeria 25%
Yemen 23%
Cameroon, Senegal 20%
Tanzania 18%
Togo 12%
Niger, Congo, Uganda 5%

The Qu'ran makes no mention of FGM, and there is no mention in the sunna. There is one anecdotal reference in the Hadith, but it has a weak chain of transmission (back to the Prophet), and thus cannot be admitted as evidence for this practice.

@CE
1. Regarding taking pictures of women, it is a cultural thing. I have never heard of that in Pakistan or Egypt.
Maybe in Saudi, but they have their own messed up version.
If you could tell me what nations you have visited i could maybe give a reason.
But in Islam there is no difference in taking a womans picture or a mans.

2. Sunni and Shia?
Now that is a PHD thesis paper if you want to know the differences, why they happened etc.
To make my job easier, tell me what you know and i will fill in the gaps.
I will provide a general overall summary of the major differences – which aren’t major in my opinion.
And you should read the following book: Actually all those who want an introductory course in Islam should read this book.
It was written back in the 1960‘s and does a very good job on explaining the religion to those who aren’t muslims, or those who haven’t lived in the region.

3. In the case of science, it is the opposite.
The prophet has said that to gain knowledge and progress we should even learn from the Kuffar – non-believers, ie. Hindus and Bhuddists etc.
Muslims believe that the Quran is very compatible with science and there are verses which written back then support modern discoveries of science.

1 verse says that those who go to hell for some crime, will put in to hell fire and their skin will burn and peal due to the fire causing great pain.
When that is done, the skin will grow again to renew the punishment.
Now i read somewhere that scientists believe or have confirmed that there are pain receptors in the skin and not just in the brain.
Many muslims see the above verse in the Quran detailing this very thing, and that modern science has discovered it.

Another is a Quranic verse, which states something along the lines of: Allah will identify every one by the print of their finger.
This to many muslims refers to the finger print – which is different for every person.

During the zenth of the Islamic empire, maths, chemistry, some elements of physics were being discovered etc.
A sad thing is that discoveries made during the Islamic empier are not common knowledge. I know very little about the scientific discoveries in Islam, as it can’t find any books on the issue.
Islam and science work hand in hand, that was the past.
Today the religious idiots think that educating people is a sin.
As you can see I have a deep hatred for the extreme conservatives in Islam.
They all deserve to be shot.

There have been no problems on the lines of Gal, or Darwin from what i know.
And i am not sure why that is.

Thanks, Fas! Although...

...I fear that the term jihad was overly used back home for selfish political motives...

That is true Mar.
A call to arms for Islam would get even the youngest to fight.
Sadly people take advantage of this.

M'n'M: The answers to your questions.

Muslim claim the Koran to be the word of God. What objective, historical, textual, expirical, and archaeological evidence (if any) can be used to support this claim?

Like Waverly said it is an issue of belief. And frankly I am not going to start a debate on which religion is the proper one. That is not for me to decide.

Why was Salman Rushdie marked for death after publishing the Satanic Verses, a book that cast doubt on the Koran's legitimacy and reliability?

Would you as a devote christain tolerate a book that described Mary as a whore?
Have you read the satanic verses?

Will a university professor in a Muslim country (ie. Saudi Arabia) be fired from his job if he publishes a book with a similar theme, or publishes a paper undermining the authenticity of Islamic Scriptures?

Most likely get killed. None have been killed so far, but students in Al-Azhar University in Cairo, beat up a prof. Very badly when he stated that the Quran is a pack of lies. I agree with what they did.

Are Muslims allowed to question the authenticity of the Koran in the same way Christians are allowed (even encouraged) to question the authenticity of the Bible to see if what it says is true, and its moral teaching applicable? Is it against the law (written or unwritten) to do this?

No. As we believe the Quran is the words and guidelines of God. How can mere mortals question something stated by our God?

Do Muslim teachers and clerics also encourage their followers to do this?

It is blind faith. We believe everything that is written the Quran as being correct, true and cannot be questioned under any circumstances.

Is there a Muslim Voltaire, Strauss, Bultmann, Crossan, Russel, or Shaw (prominent critics of Christianity and the Old and New Testaments)? If so, what books have they published? Where can a young, impressionable Muslim student find them?

The most prominent critics of Islam are mainly all non-muslims. The International Herald Tribune carried an article some time back where a brit (non-muslim) said something along the lines that the Quran is just a different version of the Bible, and it was amended by Hazart Mohammad. Problem is I can’t give you the link as the search function on the IHT website doesn’t work. But if you can look up the back issues from March, maybe late Feb for this. The only prominent critic of Islam who says he is muslim is Rusdie. But very few consider him a Muslim.

To my knowledge, and my friends – this was the answer I was waiting for. There are no muslim critics of Islam. All those who criticizes the religion are non-muslims. However there are many muslims who blast unislamic practices in the muslim countries. But those are criticism of actions and not of the religion itself.

Thanx in advance. You've chosen a interesting and I think important and necessary topic to cover.

No problem.

@SS

Actually, I'm referring to the Gospels in the New Testament of the Bible. The part where Jesus is crucified on the cross, buried in a tomb, then rises from the dead 3 days later.

No, we don’t believe he rises from the dead at all.

Is "surah" the same as "chapter"? I was talking to the professor today. I had the name wrong, slightly. It's "the Spoils of War." Chapter 8 in the Quran. He showed me the specific verses(?) he was referring to. After reading them, I could see how someone could misinterpret/manipulate the meaning to justify what they did on 9-11, even to the point of saying it was God who did it, not them. However, reading it, I saw that it was referring specifically to meeting 'unbelievers' on the battlefield, which obviously is not what happened on 9-11. I did not have time to read all of it. The professor said that it only refers to peace once, though I don't know that for sure. Anymore insight you might have on it, I'd be interested in hearing.

He is correct that the surah (chapter) refers to peace once. But logically why would a chapter devoted to the rules and conduct of war and its spoils, discuss peace? Now the surah states in many if not all places, that this is applied to a battlefield against Unbelievers. So if Pakistan went to war with china or India – for they are according to us unbelievers, then yes this surah is relevant and is justification. However in the case of Jews and Christians this surah provides no justification at all.

The Quran is not a very organized book, it flows from one subject to another with each verse. Just quoting 2 or 3 verses from one surah doesn’t mean it is a complete justification, the context and where it is written is also important, as the verses before and after provide insight to how they should be interpreted and implemented.
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All done.
Now if anybody has any question they can post them.