Forcing people to believe in a religion or to adopt its forms of belief is completely contrary to the essence and spirit of Islam. That is because according to Islam, true faith is only possible with free will and freedom of conscience.

In the contemporary world, there are people who envisage or support authoritarianism in the name of Islam. However this is a great misconception. Islam is a religion which provides and guarantees freedom of ideas, thought and life. It has issued commands to prevent and forbid tension, disputes, slander and even negative thinking among people. In the same way that it is determinedly opposed to terrorism and all acts of violence, it has also forbidden even the slightest ideological pressure to be put on them:

There is no compulsion in religion. True guidance has become clearly distinct from error. (Surat al-Baqara: 256)

So remind them! You are only a reminder. You are not in control of them. (Surat al -Ghashiyya: 21-22)

Forcing people to believe in a religion or to adopt its forms of belief is completely contrary to the essence and spirit of Islam. That is because according to Islam, true faith is only possible with free will and freedom of conscience. Of course, Muslims can advise and encourage each other about the features of Qur’anic morality. All believers are charged with explaining Qur’anic morality to people in the nicest manner possible. They will explain the beauties of religion in the light of the verse, “Call to the way of your Lord with wisdom and fair admonition…” (Surat an-Nahl: 125), however, they must also bear in mind the verse, “You are not responsible for their guidance, but God guides whoever He wills.” (Surat al-Baqara: 272)

Thus true Muslims will never resort to compulsion, nor any kind of physical or psychological pressure. Neither will they use any worldly privilege to turn someone towards religion. When they receive a negative response to what they say, Muslims will reply along the lines of: “To you your religion, and to me, mine” (Surat al- Al-Kafirun: 6)

The world we live in contains societies with all kinds of beliefs: Christian, Jewish, Buddhist, Hindu, atheist, deist and even pagan. Muslims living in such a world must be tolerant of all beliefs they come up against, no matter what they may be, and behave forgivingly, justly and humanely. This responsibility placed on believers invites people to the beauty of the religion of God by means of peace and tolerance. The decision whether or not to implement these truths, whether or not to believe, lies with the other party. Forcing that person to believe, or trying to impose anything on him, is a violation of Qur’anic morality. In fact, God issues a reminder to believers in the Qur’an:

If your Lord had willed, all the people on the earth would have believed. Do you think you can force people to be believers? (Surat Yunus: 99)

We know best what they say and you [O Muhammad] are not a compeller over them. But warn by the Qur’an whoever fears My warning. (Surat Qaf: 45)

A model of society in which people are forced to worship is a complete contradiction to Islam. Belief and worship are only of any value when they are directed to God by the free will of the individual. If a system imposes belief and worship on people, then they will become religious out of fear of that system. From the religious point of view, what really counts is that religion should be lived for God’s good pleasure in an environment where peoples’ consciences are totally free.

When we look at the history of Islam, the way that Muslims have translated this important feature of Qur’anic morality into the life of society can be seen quite clearly. Since the Prophet Muhammed, true Muslims have always brought with them an atmosphere of freedom and tolerance wherever they have gone. They have enabled people whose religions, languages and cultures are completely different from one another to live together in peace and harmony under one roof, and provided peace and harmony for its own members. One of the most important reasons for the centuries-long existence of the Ottoman Empire, which spread over an enormous region, was the atmosphere of tolerance and understanding that Islam brought with it. Within this multi-national structure, all ethnic and religious groups have been free to live according to their own religions, and their own rules.

Barbarism in the name of religion, that is so preoccupying the world at present, is the work of ignorant and fanatical people, completely estranged from Qur’anic morality, and who have absolutely nothing to do with religion. The solution to these people and groups who try to carry out their savagery under the mask of religion is the teaching of true Qur’anic morality.

Islam and Qur’anic morality are solutions to the scourge of bigotry, barbarism and terrorism, not supporters of it.

Under the pen name of Harun Yahya, Adnan Oktar has written some 250 works. His books contain a total of 46,000 pages and 31,500 illustrations. Of these books, 7,000 pages and 6,000 illustrations deal with the collapse of the Theory of Evolution. You can read, free of charge, all the books Adnan Oktar has written under the pen name Harun Yahya on these websites www.harunyahya.com

Are you the parent of a child with autism that has been blamed for your child’s behavioral difficulties? Have you been told by special education personnel that your child’s learning disability, is your fault? This article will discuss a study of school psychologists about blame for children’s learning difficulties. And also, give you tips, on how to overcome the blame, placed by some disability educators.

Several years ago, I heard about a study where school psychologists were asked who they blamed, when a child had learning difficulties. The basic outcome of the study showed that 100% of the psychologists that were surveyed, placed the blame on the child or the parents. Not one school psychologist blamed the school district, teacher, inappropriate curriculum, lack of resources, or inadequate instruction, for children’s learning difficulties. Parents must overcome this blame, so that they can advocate for an appropriate education, for their child.

Tip 1: If a school person tells you that your child’s behavior, is because of something that is going on at home, stand up to them. Tell the person that you do not believe that this is true. If your child has autism, they may have a lot of behavioral difficulties due to their disability. Most families are not perfect, but most times do not “cause” a child’s behavioral difficulty; especially if the child’s behavioral difficulty is at school.

Tip 2: Try and figure out what your child is telling you by their behavior; perhaps the work is too hard, they are trying to avoid the work etc. Try and figure out the ABC’s of Behavior; A stands for antecedent (what was happening before the behavior), B stands for Behavior (what was the specific behavior), and C stands for the Consequence (what did the child get out of the behavior). By focusing on the behavior, and not the blame you will help your child.

Tip 3: If your child is struggling with academics due to a learning disability; make sure that they are receiving research based instruction, which is required by No Child Left Behind (NCLB). Children with learning disabilities need a reading program with five principles: Simultaneous multi sensory, systematic and cumulative, direct interaction, diagnostic teaching, and analytic instruction. Check out www.ortongillingham.com for more information.

Tip 4: Tell the special education person, that your child has the right to a free appropriate public education, and you will be holding them accountable for that. Be honest, and bring up any school related reasons that you believe your child is having academic difficulty. Many schools continue using outdated curriculums that do not work.

You can overcome the blame that some disability educators try and place on your or your child. Continue to focus on your child, and their needs, and this will help you overcome the blame. Your child is depending on you!

As the crucial voting for energy legislation draws nearer, the American Wind Energy Association or AWEA will be taking a majors step towards advocating the use of wind power for energy consumption. The said group will launch a massive ad campaign today. The said ads are aimed towards supporting the move to have a renewable electricity standard or RES. The advocacy campaign will invade different mediums from TV commercials to print ads.

“The ad campaign is part of a broader effort to focus attention on this crucial referendum on American energy policy,” said Gregory Wetstone, director of Government and Public Affairs of AWEA. “We believe that greater public awareness will translate into more Congressional support for renewable energy sources like wind and solar power, which are overwhelmingly popular, but face well-financed opposition,” he added.

The RES being debated on widely is a mechanism which is based on the market. The RES calls for a fixed portion of the country’s source of electricity to be produced using renewable resources. Today, 25 states have already enacted renewable energy standards. But experts agree that a national RES will be much more beneficial.

This week, the House of Representative will decide on the matter. This issue is being targeted early on because of the increasing awareness to the threat of global warming.

There have been studies conducted to find out the benefits of an RES. According to results of these studies, an RES in place will slow down global warming. With renewable energy sources being tapped, less petroleum fuel will be burned. That translates to less greenhouse gases. This move will be beneficial in the future as automakers are now experimenting with vehicles which run on electricity alone. Automobiles like the Acura CL compressor -equipped luxury car are considered as one of the biggest producers of harmful greenhouse gases.

Another benefit of an RES is that it creates jobs. According to a study conducted by the Union of Concerned Scientists, an RES will help create about 185,000 American jobs. Wind and solar energy are expected to be the biggest source of alternative energy. With a national RES, these industries will experience a boom thus creating jobs for Americans.

Studies also reported that an RES would “revitalize rural America”. According to the studies, rural land owners will be able to take about $3,000 to $8,000 per turbine annually while still being able to work their land. These benefits will be deliberated for sure before the House of Representatives decide on the issue.

Islam and Democracy: Sociological analysis

By H. A. Yahya, Professor of Sociology

Opinions about Islam and democracy vary among Muslim thinkers and theologians. Those who are proponent of Islamic State or Islamic System tend to argue that Democracy is a concept imposed by the West. And that  democracy in this respect should not be applied particularly for Muslim community. Justifying their opinion, because they claim that democracy negates Islamic value, where Islam considers all people are equal regardless of color, or nationality, [but not of sex or gender, because man and woman are not equal in Islam for certain reasons debated widely between  believers in Islam- intellectuals and theocratic personnel].

Other groups, however, reject Democracy as exemplified, and should be resisted by Muslim communities, particularly represented by  fundamentalist, such view is obviously considered as a result of  Western colonization. For them, Democracy for both groups is the means to  split Islamic community (the Ummah) rather than unite Islamic community in  two ways by which the western colonialism intend to hamper Muslim community from unifying. 1) Muslim community is coerced to accept an understanding, belief, and parameter (Democracy) that is bequeathed by colonizers to be put into practice in Muslim countries even if it is clear not corresponding to Islamic belief. 2) The West synchronizes democracy with Islam so as to produce Muslim’s view that there is no such distinction between Islam and democracy. One of their strategies is to reject Democracy as exposed by the West .

In conjunction with the above arguments of fundamentalists, a group of intellectuals and Muslim thinkers (al_Azm, al-Nabulsi, and many others,  for example,] completely disagree with the compatibility of democracy and Islam. Such a view point is derived mainly from the western thought which splits the State from Religion. Which depends on logical reasoning and mostly derived from western scholars who strongly reject the argument that Islam and democracy is actually equal. Almost all foreign or Muslim intellectuals including Samuel Huntington, Martin Kramer and Francis Fukuyama who argue that Islam is not compatible with democracy. That’s why they claim that Islam as any other religion imposes  a threat for democracy and negates western democratic values such freedom and equality and justice since Islamic culture  rejecting any implementation of  democratic systems in the Islamic countries.

In conclusion, some Muslim groups reject the idea of democratization as a product of the West, and should be fought and rejected for that reason, it should not be accepted or implemented because  democracy is coined by infidels or comes from Western culture. Which I believe, such judgment, is based upon politics rather than theological thought. These groups can be described as prejudiced about the west and therefore, reject Western value of Democracy. Other Muslim groups argue that the one who has authority to command people is God alone can rule people or society not elected people in the case of Democracy. And for that reason they emphasize the nature of the principles of Islamic political theory which cannot give an authority over people to lead the other people.. By rejecting Democracy, they argue that God’s Law should rule every thing in earth. According to Abul Ala’ Maududi “no one should be allowed to pass orders or make commands in his own right and no one ought to accept the obligation to carry out such commands and obey such orders.” To support his opinion, he brought the Ayah which reads:

“The authority rests with none but Allah. He commands you not to surrender to any one save Him. This is the right way (of life). And “They ask: Have we also got some authority? Say: all authority belongs to God alone”. (Quran 3: 15)

The debate continues between the two opposing views toward democracy connection to Islam. Muslims, however were left to be ruled by what fundamentalists argue to encourage people to implement Shari’a as a fixed rule from God Himself described  in Qur’an as controlling both lives in the present and the Hereafter lives of humanity, rather than implementing Democracy as man made system deals with everyday reality.

Hasan Yahya is a columnist at wfol.tv, Malaysia, and TINA International News Agency,  Chicago,  USA

According to the Koran, war represents an “unwanted obligation” which has to be absolutely carried out with strict observance of particular humane and moral values and resorted only when it is inevitable.

In a verse, it is explained that those who start wars are the disbelievers and that God does not approve wars:

…Each time they kindle the fire of war, Allah extinguishes it. They rush about the earth corrupting it. Allah does not love corrupters. (Surat al-Ma’ida: 64)

A closer examination of Prophet Muhammad’s life reveals that war is a method resorted for defensive purposes only in unavoidable situations.

The revelation of the Koran to Prophet Muhammad lasted for 23 years. During the first 13 years of this period, Muslims lived as a minority under a pagan rule in Mecca and faced much oppression. Many Muslims were harassed, abused, tortured, and even murdered, their houses and possessions were plundered. Despite this however, Muslims led their lives without resorting to any violence and always called pagans to peace.

When the oppression of pagans escalated unbearably, Muslims emigrated to the town of Yathrib, which was later to be renamed Medina, where they could establish their own order in a more friendly and free environment. Even establishing their own political system did not prompt them to take up weapons against aggressive pagans of Mecca. Only after the following revelation, the Prophet commanded his people to get prepared for war:

Permission to fight is given to those who are fought against because they have been wronged – truly God has the power to come to their support – those who were expelled from their homes without any right, merely for saying, ‘Our Lord is God’… (Surat al-Hajj: 39-40)

In brief, Muslims were allowed to wage war only because they were oppressed and subjected to violence. To put it in another way, God granted permission for war only for defensive purposes. In other verses, Muslims are warned against use of unnecessary provocation or unnecessary violence:

Fight in the Way of God against those who fight you, but do not go beyond the limits. God does not love those who go beyond the limits. (Surat al-Baqara: 190)

After the revelations of these verses, wars occurred between Muslims and pagan Arabs. In none of these wars, however, were the Muslims the inciting party. Furthermore, Prophet Muhammad established a secure and peaceful social environment for Muslims and pagans alike by signing a peace agreement (Hudaybiya) which conceded to the pagans most of their requests. The party who violated the terms of the agreement and started a new war was again the pagans. However, with rapid conversions into Islam, the Islamic armies attained great power against the pagan Arabs and Prophet Muhammad conquered Mecca without bloodshed and in a spirit of tolerance. If he willed, he could have taken revenge on pagan leaders in the city. Yet, he did not do harm to any one of them, forgave them and treated them with the utmost tolerance. Pagans, who would later convert to Islam by their own will, could not help admiring such noble character of the Prophet.

The Islamic principles God proclaims in the Koran account for this peaceful and temperate policy of Prophet Muhammad. In the Koran, God commands believers to treat even the non-Muslims kindly and justly:

…God does not forbid you from being good to those who have not fought you over religion or driven you from your homes, or from being just towards them. God loves those who are just. God merely forbids you from taking as friends those who have fought you over religion and driven you from your homes and who supported your expulsion… (Surat al-Mumtahana: 8-9)

The verses above specify the outlook of a Muslim on non-Muslims: A Muslim should treat all non-Muslims kindly and avoid making friends only with those who show enmity to Islam. In case this enmity causes violent attacks against the existence of Muslims, that is, in case they wage a war against them, then Muslims should respond them justly by considering the humane dimensions of the situation. All forms of barbarism, unnecessary acts of violence and unjust aggression are forbidden by Islam. In another verse, God warns Muslims against this and explains that rage felt for enemies should not cause them to drift them into injustice:

You who believe! Show integrity for the sake of God, bearing witness with justice. Do not let hatred for a people incite you into not being just. Be just. That is closer to heedfulness. Heed God (alone). God is aware of what you do. (Surat al-Ma’ida:

The Meaning of the Concept of “Jihad”

Another concept that deserves clarification due to the content of this article is the concept of “jihad”.

The exact meaning of “Jihad” is “effort”. That is, in Islam, “to carry out jihad” is “to show efforts, to struggle”. Prophet Muhammad explained that “the greatest jihad is the one a person carries out against his lower soul”. What is meant by “lower soul” here is the selfish desires and ambitions. A struggle given on intellectual grounds against anti-religious, atheist views is also a form of jihad in its complete sense.

Apart from these ideological and spiritual meanings, struggle in the physical sense is also considered as “jihad”. However, as explained above, this has to be a struggle carried out solely for defensive purposes. The use of the concept of “jihad” for acts of aggression against innocent people, that is for terror, would be unjust and a great distortion.

Compassion, Tolerance and Pacifism in Islam

To state briefly, the Islamic political doctrine is extremely peaceful and moderate. This fact is also confirmed by many non-Muslim historians and theologians. One of these is the British historian, Karen Armstrong, a former nun and a renowned expert on Middle East history. In her book, Holy War, in which she examines the history of the three great divine religions, she comments:

… The word Islam comes from the same Arabic root as the word peace and the Koran condemns war as an abnormal state of affairs opposed to God’s will: “When the enemies of the Muslims kindle a fire for war, Allah extinguishes it. They strive to create disorder in earth, and Allah loves not those who create disorder.” (Koran 28:78). Islam does not justify a total aggressive war or extermination, as the Torah does in the first five books of the Bible. A more realistic religion than Christianity, Islam recognizes that war is inevitable and sometimes a positive duty in order to and oppressions and suffering. The Koran teaches that war must be limited and be conducted in as humane a way of possible. Mohammed had to fight not only the Meccans but also the Jewish tribes in the area and Christian tribes in Syria who planned on offensive against him in alliance with the Jews. Yet this did not make Mohammed denounce the People of the Book. His Muslims were forced to defend themselves but they were not fighting a holy war against the religion of their enemies. When Mohammed sent his freedman Zaid against the Christians at the head of a Muslim army, he told them to fight in the cause of God bravely but humanely. They must not molest priests, monks and nuns nor the weak and helpless people who were unable to fight. There must be no massacre of civilians nor should they cut down a single tree nor pull down any building. This was very different from the wars of Joshua. [1]

Following the death of Prophet Muhammad, Muslims continued to treat the members of other religions with tolerance and respect. Islamic states became the secure and free home of both Jews and Christians. After the conquest of Jerusalem, Caliph Omar calmed the Christians who were in fear of a massacre and explained to them that they were secure. Furthermore, he visited their churches and declared that they could continue to practise their worship freely.

In 1099, 4 centuries after the conquest of Jerusalem by Muslims, Crusaders invaded Jerusalem and put all Muslims inhabitants to the sword. Again, contrary to the fears of Christians, Saladin, the Muslim general who captured Jerusalem and saved the city from invasion in 1187, did not touch even a single civilian and did not allow a single soldier to plunder. Moreover, he allowed the invading Christians to take all their possessions and leave the city in security.

A portrait of the tolerance against Christians in the Islamic lands.

The periods of Seljuk Turks and the Ottoman Empire were also marked by the tolerance and justice of Islam. As is known, Jews who were expelled from Catholic Spain found the peace they sought on the lands of Ottoman Empire, where they took refuge in 1492. Sultan Mehmed, the conqueror of Istanbul, also allowed Jews and Christians religious freedom. Regarding the tolerant and just practises of Muslims, historian A. Miquel states the following:

The Christians were ruled by a very well administered state which was something that did not exist in the Byzantium or Latin sovereignty. They were never subjected to a systematized oppression. On the contrary, the Empire, and foremost Istanbul, became a refuge for the much tortured Spanish Jews. They were never forced to accept Islam. [2]

John L. Esposito, a professor of Religion and International Politics at the Georgetown University, makes a similar comment:

For many non-Muslim populations in Byzantine and Persian territories already subjugated to foreign rulers, Islamic rule meant an exchange of rulers, the new ones often more flexible and tolerant, rather than a loss of independence. Many of these populations now enjoyed greater local autonomy and often paid lower taxes… Religiously, Islam proved a more tolerant religion, providing greater religious freedom for Jews and indigenous Christians. [3]

As is clarified in these words, history never witnessed Muslims as “makers of mischief”. On the contrary, they brought security and peace to the people from all nations and beliefs inhabiting the large territory over which they reigned. (For further reference, see Justice and Tolerance in the Koran, by Harun Yahya, 2000)

In brief, compassion, peace and tolerance constitute the very basis of the values of the Koran and Islam aims to wipe mischief out of the earth. The commands of the Koran and the ways Muslims practised them throughout history are so clear as to leave no room for dispute.

Under the pen name of Harun Yahya, Adnan Oktar has written some 250 works. His books contain a total of 46,000 pages and 31,500 illustrations. Of these books, 7,000 pages and 6,000 illustrations deal with the collapse of the Theory of Evolution. You can read, free of charge, all the books Adnan Oktar has written under the pen name Harun Yahya on these websites www.harunyahya.com

Notes

1- Karen Armstrong, Holy War, MacMillian London Limited, 1988, p. 25

2- Feridun Emecen, Kemal Beydilli, Mehmet Ýpþirli, Mehmet Akif Aydýn, Ýlber Ortaylý, Abdülkadir Özcan, Bahaeddin Yediyýldýz, Mübahat Kütükoðlu, Osmanlý Devleti Medeniyeti Tarihi, (The History of the Ottoman State), Istanbul: 1994, Ýslam Tarih, Sanat ve Kültür Araþtýrma Merkezi, p. 467

3- John L. Esposito, The Islamic Threat: Myth or Reality, Oxford University Press, New York, 1992, p. 39