Is Islam a religion of peace?  Many say it is and many say it is not. Let’s begin today’s study with some direct quotes.

“The defeatists should fear Allaah lest they distort this religion and cause it to become weak on the basis of the claim that it is a religion of peace. Yes, it is the religion of peace but in the sense of saving all of mankind from worshipping anything other than Allaah and submitting all of mankind to the rule of Allaah.” – Fiqh al-Da’wah by Sayyid Qutb, 217-222 (Islam Q&A: Was Islam Spread by the Sword?)

“Only when Muslims admit that 9/11 and 7/7 were the work of Muslim terrorists can we move forward to the next juncture: which is recognising the hard truth that Islam does permit the use of violence. Muslims who deny this, preferring instead to mouth easy platitudes about how Islam is nothing but a religion of peace, make the job easier for the radicals who can point to passages in the Koran, set down in black and white, that instruct on the killing of unbelievers.” – Former Muslim jihadist, Hassan Butt (Islam: A Threat to Civilization  Google Books, page 83)

“The face of terror is not the true faith of Islam.  That’s not what Islam is all about.  Islam is peace. “– George W Bush, September 17, 2001 (Office of the Press Secretary, The White House)

So, is Islam a religion of peace?  Interestingly, American presidents may have declared that is, yet voices from the Muslim world dispute the fact.  Who’s right?  Is the Muslim faith misrepresented by a minority group of fanatics who go around committing terrorists acts?  Or perhaps you’ve heard that Christians and Muslims are spiritual cousins descending from sons of Abraham, thus are peaceful.   What is the truth about Islam?

We will begin our quest for answers by studying a bit more about Islamic history.  Dr David Reagan has written a series of articles focusing on the realities of Islam.  We’ll take a look at a couple of those articles.  Let’s start by gleaning information from The Truth about Islam – History.  Please use that article to answer the following:

• How would you describe Muhammad’s rise to the position of prophet?
• How did Allah come to be the god of Islam?
• Do you find it interesting that a prophet would determine who god will be?
• Why do early passages in the Qur’an speak admirably of Jews and Christians, while later passages do not?
• How was the spread of Islam accomplished after Muhammad’s death?

Now, let’s examine the spiritual truth of Islam.  Read The Truth about Islam – Spiritual by Dr David Reagan.

• What are some of the discrepancies noted about the Qur’an?
• Is the god of Islam the same God we serve and worship as Christians?
• What does Islam teach about Jesus?
• Muslim theology denies sin, thus abolishing any need for forgiveness. If man needs no redemption, then whose work is life and salvation dependent upon?
• How do you describe the Islamic standard of ethics?
• Muslim theologian, Al Ghazzali, stated, “We must lie when truth leads to unpleasant results.” What’s wrong with this theology?
• What is the Islamic doctrine of salvation?

Wow, we’ve covered some ground today!  Have you discovered any truth about Islam?  Even if most of this was old news to you, I hope you found a few nuggets to stash away.  Tomorrow we’ll get down to our original question, “Is Islam a religion of peace?”  See you then!