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Controversial miscellaneous issues related to Islam
Religious freedom
a- freedom of choice
"There is no compulsion in religion. Verily, the Right Path has become distinct from the wrong path. Whoever disbelieves in Taghut and believes in Allah, then he has grasped the most trustworthy handhold that will never break. And Allah is All-Hearer, All-Knower." (AlBakarak:256)
"And had your Lord willed, those on earth would have believed, all of them together. So, will you (O Muhammad) then compel mankind, until they become believers." (Yunus:99)
These two verses represent the general Islamic rule as regard religious belief that no one can be obliged or compelled to convert to Islam. For this reason, there is no historical incident of Muslims forcing any non-Muslim to embrace Islam. This is a fact acknowledged by western historians. Compulsion in the matter of religious worship is incompatible with the religion of Islam because every religion depends upon faith and will, and these would be meaningless if they are induced by force.
b- Building and Protecting of places of worship
Islam protects places of worship of non Muslims and sanctified their religious rituals.
Examples:
1. In the tenth year of the Hirah, a delegation of fourteen Christian Chiefs from Najran; among them Abdul Masih of Bani Kinda, their chief, and Abdul Harith, bishop of Bani Harith, came to Medina to make a treaty with the Islamic prophet Muhammad, and were permitted by him to pray in his mosque, which they did turning towards the east.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Najran#The_Christians_and_Jews_of_Najran_and_their_expulsion)
The contract that our noble prophet made with the Christians of Najran stated that:
"Najran and its neighbours area are in the security of Almighty Allah and His messenger. The property, religions and churches of the inhabitants, as well as all possessions, whether much or little, are under the protection of the Prophet."
2. The peace treaty conducted by the Caliph Umar Ibn Elkhattab, may Allah be pleased with him, with the citizens of Jerusalem stated:
"In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Beneficent.
This is what the slave of Allah, Umar b.Al-Khattab, the Amir of the believers, has offered the people of Illyaa’[1] of security granting them Amaan (protection) for their selves, their money, their churches, their children, their lowly and their innocent, and the remainder of their people.
Their churches are not to be taken, nor are they to be destroyed, nor are they to be degraded or belittled, neither are their crosses or their money, and they are not to be forced to change their religion, nor is any one of them to be harmed."
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Umar#The_Treaty_of_Umar)
3. The covenant between Khalid Ibn Elwalid and the people of Anat stated: "They are allowed to ring their bells at any time of the day or night, except at the Islamic prayer times. They are allowed to bear their crosses in their festivals"
4. Permitting non-Muslims to build their own houses of worship in towns mainly populated by Muslims also falls under this scope, where early in Muslim history several churches were built in Egypt during the first Hijri century.
An example of this is the construction of the Mar Marcus Church in Alexandria (between AH 39 and 56), and the construction of the first church in Fustat in the Roman Alley during the reign of Maslamah ibn Mikhled (between the years AH 47 and 68). Ruler Abdul `Aziz ibn Marwan also authorized constructing a church in Helwan while founding the city, beside establishing two monasteries for some bishops.
Historian Al-Maqrizi once said, "It is agreed that all the churches of Cairo were established after the coming of Islam."
c- Freedom to perform missionary activities
Non-Muslims are free to do missionary activities and to propagate their faith.
They have full freedom to run their missionary organizations and evangelist activities. They are free to propagate their creed openly and praising their beliefs in comparison to beliefs of Muslims. They enjoy the right to criticize the religion of Islam as Muslims have the right to criticize their religion as long as it does not create a breach of peace. Both parties are NOT allowed to hurt the feelings of the other.
d- Freedom to change religion
Non-Muslims have the right to change from one religion to another.
In Islam, freedom in its general sense is a well-established fact. At a time when people were enslaved intellectually, politically, socially, religiously, and economically, Islam came to establish the freedom of belief, freedom of thought, freedom of speech, and freedom to criticize. Islam strictly forbids that people be forced to adopt a certain creed or to believe in a particular religion.
Allah Almighty says: "If it had been thy Lord’s Will, they would all have believed, all who are on earth; wilt thou then compel mankind, against their will, to believe?" (Yunus 10: 99)
This was in the Makkan era. In the Madinan period, Allah also revealed: "Let there be no compulsion in religion: truth stands out clear from error." (Al-Baqarah 2: 256)
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