Adverts to promote positive view of Muslims

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Adverts to promote positive view of Muslims

(AFP) – 5 hours ago

LONDON — An advertising campaign aimed at countering negative views of Muslims was launched in London on Monday as a survey showed that a majority of Britons linked Islam with terrorism.

The adverts, which will appear on London taxis, underground trains and bus stops, feature pictures of Muslim professionals.

The Inspired by Muhammad campaign is organised by the Exploring Islam Foundation, a group run by British Muslim professionals which aims to challenge "damaging stereotypes about Islam through the medium of creative resources."

A YouGov poll of 2,152 adults conducted for the foundation last month found that 58 percent associated Islam with extremism and 50 percent associated the religion with terrorism.

Some 13 percent thought Islam was based on peace and six percent associated it with justice.

Asked if Muslims had a positive impact on British society, four in 10 disagreed.

The poll also found that 69 percent thought Islam encouraged the repression of women.

"We are very concerned about the way our faith is perceived by the public," said the foundation's campaigns director Remona Aly.

"We want to foster a greater understanding of what British Muslims are about and our contribution to British society. We are proud of being British and being Muslim."

They launched the campaign Monday against the backdrop of London's iconic Tower Bridge, with the slogan "The rights of women are sacred" and an Internet link written on the side of a taxi.

Other adverts have slogans like "I believe in social justice. So did Muhammad."

A spokesman for Quilliam, the counter-extremism think tank, said: "We welcome the Inspired By Muhammad campaign as a valuable and timely step to help improve relations and foster deeper understanding between British citizens."

At the last census, conducted in 2001, there were 1.6 million Muslims living in Britain -- 2.8 percent of the population -- making it the second most common religion after Christianity.

London had the highest proportion of Muslims in Britain, at 8.5 percent.

Source

inspiredbymuhammad.com

[elmcitymaven 9,712]

Well, it might work in some heathen backwater like Britain, where their brains have been rotted by Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, but not here in God's own country.

[ready4ONE 5,400]

Just say "No thank you." Islam is a religion of peace, as long as we all agree to be Islamic.

Poll reveals 40pc of Muslims want sharia law in UK

By Patrick Hennessy and Melissa Kite

Published: 12:06AM GMT 19 Feb 2006

Four out of 10 British Muslims want sharia law introduced into parts of the country, a survey reveals today.

The ICM opinion poll also indicates that a fifth have sympathy with the "feelings and motives" of the suicide bombers who attacked London last July 7, killing 52 people, although 99 per cent thought the bombers were wrong to carry out the atrocity.

Overall, the findings depict a Muslim community becoming more radical and feeling more alienated from mainstream society, even though 91 per cent still say they feel loyal to Britain.

The results of the poll, conducted for the Sunday Telegraph, came as thousands of Muslims staged a fresh protest in London yesterday against the publication of cartoons of Mohammed. In Libya, at least 10 people died in protests linked to the caricatures.

And in Pakistan, a cleric was reported to have put a $1 million (£575,000) bounty on the head of the Danish cartoonist who drew the original pictures.

Last night, Sadiq Khan, the Labour MP involved with the official task force set up after the July attacks, said the findings were "alarming". He added: "Vast numbers of Muslims feel disengaged and alienated from mainstream British society." Sir Iqbal Sacranie, the secretary general of the Muslim Council of Britain, said: "This poll confirms the widespread opposition among British Muslims to the so-called war on terror."

The most startling finding is the high level of support for applying sharia law in "predominantly Muslim" areas of Britain.

Islamic law is used in large parts of the Middle East, including Iran and Saudi Arabia, and is enforced by religious police. Special courts can hand down harsh punishments which can include stoning and amputation.

Forty per cent of the British Muslims surveyed said they backed introducing sharia in parts of Britain, while 41 per cent opposed it. Twenty per cent felt sympathy with the July 7 bombers' motives, and 75 per cent did not. One per cent felt the attacks were "right".

Nearly two thirds thought the video images shown last week of British troops beating Iraqi youths were symptomatic of a wider problem in Iraq. Half did not think the soldiers would be "appropriately punished".

Half of the 500 people surveyed said relations between white Britons and Muslims were getting worse. Only just over half thought the conviction of the cleric Abu Hamza for incitement to murder and race hatred was fair.

Mr Khan, the MP for Tooting, said: "We must redouble our efforts to bring Muslims on board with the mainstream community. For all the efforts made since last July, things do not have appear to have got better."

He agreed with Sir Iqbal that the poll showed Muslims still had a "big gripe" about foreign policy, particularly over the war on terror and Iraq.

David Davis, the shadow home secretary, said: "It shows we have a long way to go to win the battle of ideas within some parts of the Muslim community and why it is absolutely vital that we reinforce the voice of moderate Islam wherever possible."

A spokesman for Charles Clarke, the Home Secretary, said: "It is critically important to ensure that Muslims, and all faiths, feel part of modern British society. Today's survey indicates we still have a long way to go… [but] we are committed to working with all faiths to ensure we achieve that end."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1510866/Poll-reveals-40pc-of-Muslims-want-sharia-law-in-UK.html

[Nagishkaw 510]

Source

inspiredbymuhammad.com

Edited June 7, 2010 by Nagishkaw

[IndigoSkies 168]

Just say "No thank you." Islam is a religion of peace, as long as we all agree to be Islamic.

Islam is a religion of peace. And there are countless ways to co-exist with Muslim peacefully. Even in a Muslim-majoirty, Islamic theocracy non-Muslims can live peacefully without converting to Islam. Early histories of Islam with rife with minority groups within the Muslim from Spain to Indonesia. Your view of Islam is framed by the actions of terrorists. Sadly you're wrong. Feel free to ask me specific questions about why you think Islam is not peaceful. Even though the very word Islam means peace.

[Usui Takumi 1,562]

Islam is a religion of peace. And there are countless ways to co-exist with Muslim peacefully. Even in a Muslim-majoirty, Islamic theocracy non-Muslims can live peacefully without converting to Islam. Early histories of Islam with rife with minority groups within the Muslim from Spain to Indonesia. Your view of Islam is framed by the actions of terrorists. Sadly you're wrong. Feel free to ask me specific questions about why you think Islam is not peaceful. Even though the very word Islam means peace.

I feel that Islam has suffered much like Christianity under the weight of Catholicism. What the Catholic church did should not reflect on Christianity. Catholicism was never very "biblical". Likewise, it seems to be that the same thing that is happening to Islam. Sharia law may have links to the Quran but it appear that man has interpreted things within the Quran to the extreme in order to produce law.

Edited June 7, 2010 by Sousuke

[IndigoSkies 168]

I feel that Islam has suffered much like Christianity under the weight of Catholicism. What the Catholic church did should not reflect on Christianity. Catholicism was never very "biblical". Likewise, it seems to be that the same thing that is happening to Islam. Sharia law may have links to the Quran but it appear that man has interpreted things within the Quran to the extreme in order to produce law.

That is absolutely true. The social justice that Islam preaches and demands out of its followers, not even 1% of that is followed by House of Saud in Arabia. But sadly people see KSA is the shining example of Islamic government. But it is not. Neither is Iran truly an Islamic country. These are autocratic countries masquerading as Islamic.

If you really, truly want to understand Islamic laws consider what Islam says actually. I bring the issue of minority up again. On paper, non-Muslims in Muslim country are compelled to pay jizyah and become dimmi. You can consider this as wrong at first glance. But in truth, it cannot be anymore just than it is. Jizyah is no more than a tax paid to the government. And Dhimmis aren't second class citizen but rather protect citizens whose rights are not to be trampled upon. They aren't compelled to join the military unless they wish to join. But throughout history, some Muslim rules have put up insane interpretation such as a church cannot have higher steeple than a mosque's minarets. There's nothing Islamic about that. That's pure lunacy. Same sort some European countries are considering by banning building of minarets. What’s more is that Muslims are also supposed to pay taxes to the government but also must take up arms if called on by the nation-state. Looking purely at the Islamic understand, there’s nothing wrong with this. Just that these has been interpreted and re-interpreted through history by lunatics.

[Scott & Lai 12]

Islam is a religion of peace. And there are countless ways to co-exist with Muslim peacefully. Even in a Muslim-majoirty, Islamic theocracy non-Muslims can live peacefully without converting to Islam. Early histories of Islam with rife with minority groups within the Muslim from Spain to Indonesia. Your view of Islam is framed by the actions of terrorists. Sadly you're wrong. Feel free to ask me specific questions about why you think Islam is not peaceful. Even though the very word Islam means peace.

In Islamic lands, may Christians and followers of other non-Islamic relgions freely and openly practice their faiths? Can they build houses of worship? Can they publicly speak about their beliefs? Can they openly display symbols of their faith? Do they have the same rights as their Islamic neighbors? Are they required to live according to Islamic laws?

[Usui Takumi 1,562]

In Islamic lands, may Christians and followers of other non-Islamic relgions freely and openly practice their faiths? Can they build houses of worship? Can they publicly speak about their beliefs? Can they openly display symbols of their faith? Do they have the same rights as their Islamic neighbors? Are they required to live according to Islamic laws?

Again, I don't think that is Islam's fault, but the fault of the leadership who have polluted the religion.

[IndigoSkies 168]

In Islamic lands, may Christians and followers of other non-Islamic relgions freely and openly practice their faiths? Can they build houses of worship? Can they publicly speak about their beliefs? Can they openly display symbols of their faith? Do they have the same rights as their Islamic neighbors? Are they required to live according to Islamic laws?

Yes. Yes. Yes. And more Yes. There's churches in almost all Muslim countries except Saudi Arabia.

But are the minority rights in poor countries on par with fully developed industrial countries, like say Sweden? Probably not. But that's blamed on socio-economic realities. And religion is just a part of that. Not the whole of it.

Edited June 7, 2010 by IndigoSkies

[Sofiyya 1,687]

Yes. Yes. Yes. And more Yes. There's churches in almost all Muslim countries except Saudi Arabia.

But are the minority rights in poor countries on par with fully developed industrial countries, like say Sweden? Probably not. But that's blamed on socio-economic realities. And religion is just a part of that. Not the whole of it.

I'm a rib rock conservative, but one of the great disappointments I have with my conservative brethren is how they are not only ignorant of Islam, but they INSIST on being ignorant of Islam. To add insult to injury, they also insist that anyone who refuses to use their misguided vocabulary, i.e. "Islamic terrorism", "jihadist", etc. when discussing terrorism. The level of willful stupidity by conservatives who spew hate first and ask no questions is embarassing because this is an issue where they are easily lead by the nose by biased presentations on netboards and talk shows.

[ready4ONE 5,400]

I'm a rib rock conservative, but one of the great disappointments I have with my conservative brethren is how they are not only ignorant of Islam, but they INSIST on being ignorant of Islam. To add insult to injury, they also insist that anyone who refuses to use their misguided vocabulary, i.e. "Islamic terrorism", "jihadist", etc. when discussing terrorism. The level of willful stupidity by conservatives who spew hate first and ask no questions is embarassing because this is an issue where they are easily lead by the nose by biased presentations on netboards and talk shows.

Just tell your Imam you want out of the faith, see how peaceful your religion can be.

Islamic Jihad is not a conservative catch phrase, it the how the Islamic Jihadist's describe and comport themselves.

Monthly Jihad Report

May, 2010

Jihad Attacks:150

Countries:14

Religions:5

Dead Bodies:729

Critically Injured:1591

http://www.thereligionofpeace.com/index.html

[Hilarious Clinton 452]

In Islamic lands, may Christians and followers of other non-Islamic relgions freely and openly practice their faiths? Can they build houses of worship? Can they publicly speak about their beliefs? Can they openly display symbols of their faith? Do they have the same rights as their Islamic neighbors? Are they required to live according to Islamic laws?

Mecca and Medina are closed cities. Non-Muslims may not enter.

Celebrate diversity.

[IndigoSkies 168]

Mecca and Medina are closed cities. Non-Muslims may not enter.

Celebrate diversity.

But rest of Saudi Arabia is open to anyone. Those two cities serve very specific religious purpose. Being excluded from those cities isn't detrimental to a non-Muslims well-being. If for example the Vatican said only Christians may enter their premises, nothing would diminish from the Muslims. They're life wouldn't be stopped. It's not like all money and food are only available in Vatian. Vatican would be a place of worship, a sanctuary for peaceful meditation, etc.

But beside those two small areas of those two cities, non-Muslims aren't forbidden by Islam to go anywhere else.

I fail to see how this relates to diversity. I think you may have a infantile understanding of the concepts of diversity.

[sara..... 371]

But rest of Saudi Arabia is open to anyone. Those two cities serve very specific religious purpose. Being excluded from those cities isn't detrimental to a non-Muslims well-being. If for example the Vatican said only Christians may enter their premises, nothing would diminish from the Muslims. They're life wouldn't be stopped. It's not like all money and food are only available in Vatian. Vatican would be a place of worship, a sanctuary for peaceful meditation, etc.

But beside those two small areas of those two cities, non-Muslims aren't forbidden by Islam to go anywhere else.

I fail to see how this relates to diversity. I think you may have a infantile understanding of the concepts of diversity.

I admire what your trying to do......i have been on this forum a few years and have seen many try to reason about Islam..i myself am Muslim but what i have learned is those that state we don't speak up enough about terrorism rip us apart on any discussion coming up with so many quotes that are yes from the Quran but out of context so that of course it looks bad same can be said for the Bible....but i guess my point is you can not justify or condemn anything to anyone that has no wish to understand.....as a Muslim we can not stand against the horror of terrorism that a few from our faith has made the choice to do with out being painted with the same brush the terrorist have made for them self...........one could argue the point that there have been many Christians that have committed terrorism them self in the name of Christianity or love for the USA (the rapes and murders committed against civilians and pics of it put on the web from Iraq) that does not mean that all Christians are bad....as long as there are people that have no wish to listen or try to understand that Islam is peace and it is a few that have decided to interpret the Quran in their own way to try to justify what they are doing it is a useless act.

sara