10 Dangerous Myths about Muslims

10 Dangerous Myths

Too often we read or hear things that we take at face value and assume to be true. Social media buzzes with articles, images and memes whose sources are hard to verify and, all-to-often, we assume to be true. And when it comes to Muslims, the rhetoric often ignores the facts. So, courtesy of our friend Carl Medearis, here are 10 Dangerous Myths and the Realities that contrast with the myths that we have all heard:

Myth #1 – Muslim are Violent

Islam is a religion of violence. And, by definition, if you’re a Muslim, then the natural and obvious working out of your religion is to be violent.

Reality

Islam as a religious system has not been any more violent than Christianity or Judaism. In the name of these three religions, much harm has been done. No one would accuse “Christianity” as being violent because of the actions of the KKK, yet they call themselves “Christian.” So we cannot blame the actions of less than 1{1ef34f8f1cacfdc6c19f5319e487deec2393c82eacea09a13da7feed1a24e305} on the whole of Islam.

Myth #2 – They are Backwards

Muslims are backward in general. They don’t have a complex or high culture.

Reality

Some of the greatest contributions to society, even Western society, has come from Islamic countries. Most historians acknowledge that the Western Renaissance which began in Italy in the 1400’s had it’s roots in the early Arab Renaissance headquartered in Baghdad. Science, math and literature have deep roots in the Arab Muslim world of the Middle Ages.

Myth #3 – They’re all Arabs

Muslims are all Arabs. Or, Arabs are all Muslims.

Reality

Of the 1.4 Billion Muslims, only about 280 million speak Arabic as their first language. The largest Muslims countries are Indonesia, India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. It is true that the Arab world still holds the greatest influence on the rest of Islam since the Qur’an is in Arabic and the holiest sites are all found in the Arab Middle East.

Myth #4 – Allah’s has Pagan Roots

Muslims believe in Allah, a false God. Or the moon God. Or something else.

Reality

No Muslim would say they “follow Muhammad.” And the only word for “God” in Arabic is Allah. All Arab Christians worship “Allah.” So it’s a silly argument based on semantics. For more on this, read Carl’s book Muslims, Christians and Jesus.

Myth #5 – Muslims gotta kill Christians

Islam teaches Muslims to kill Christians and Jews. I read this on the internet.

Reality

There is not a single command in the Qur’an for Muslims to go out and kill Christians or Jews. In fact quite the opposite. Read the Qur’an for yourself. The best version and easiest to read in English is the one published by Oxford Press.

Myth #6 – Islam is Anti-Western

Muslims cannot integrate into Western societies. Because Islam is basically incompatible with Democracy.

Reality

There is no reason to think Islam and Democracy are incompatible. Many Muslims countries have a form of Democracy. There are some political and social realities that make good Democracy difficult, but it doesn’t have to do with Islam.

Myth #7 – Islam is a Cult

Islam is a cult, not a true monotheistic religion like Judaism or Christianity.

Reality

Islam, Christianity and Judaism have always been called the three great Monotheistic religions.

Myth #8 – Muslims aren’t Thinkers

Muslims don’t think for themselves. They merely go along with their teachers or Imams or traditions.

Reality

Islam is incredibly complex with many “versions” like Christianity. Muslims are no more inclined to “go along” with what their teachers say then western Christians are.

Myth #9 – Islam is against Jesus

Islam is against Jesus. They don’t believe in Him. Or worse.

Reality

Ask any Muslim “Do you believe in Jesus” and they are likely to burst into a smile and start telling you how much they love him. We agree, that there are points of misunderstanding, some of which are significant, but that doesn’t mean they don’t “like him.”

Myth #10 – Islam is Anti-modern

Muslims resist modernization. They live a lifestyle stuck in ancient history.

Reality

If Muslims resist modernization, they do so only because they see the evils of the west and don’t want them. Things like gangs, pornography, divorce and such are seen as “Western Values” and those are incompatible with Islam.

Source: http://carlmedearis.com/2012/01/10-dangerous-myths-about-islam-and-muslims/