ok

being good

affection

love

tolerance

just try to understand

truth

I love everybody

Please read the Quran(what the God is saying) and Hadith(what the prophet Muhammed is saying) first.Then think and talk about the Islam.
Otherwise all your criticism will be only a prejudice.

Not to all but some aggressive critics:
Why dont you be peacefull even when you criticise Islam, instead of using improper words(if you claim yourself a good person ``unlike a muslim``)and dont be respectfull to 1.5 billion people`s belief?

Hopefully everybody from any religion will be at least respectfull to each other.But they`d better love each other not hate.

Do you have to hate everyone else to love Allah?

Most Muslims are inherently good just as all other kinds of people on Earth.

I believe in the truths of Islam,Its prophet, It's descriptions of Heaven, Hell, as dimensions of spiritual progress,I believe in the divine source of the Qur'an, and the Qur'an as inexhaustible source of truth and wisdom, I believe the revelation that Allah the most perfect name of the Creator which is also the governor of creation. As a religious movement Islam suffers from some of the failings of christianity however. In that interpretations by humans who are not perfect can mislead entire populations into wrongdoings. A big difference here however is that the origional scripture is preserved and guarded, by a vigourous and scholarly community who are not shy about pointing out falsehoods and misinterpretations. Islam incorporates most of the greatest ideas found in the greatest older religions of all time including the dualistic nature of creation found in the far east. It incorporates this in such an elegant way that one is certain it must be a divine answer to the questions of entire eras of wise seekers. But it is sad that as predicted in the Qur'an, the movement of Islam as a religious body has fallen into disrepair as dogmas and posturing have taken presidence over true understanding and the promotion of the bliss that comes with spiritual freedom. The promotion iof Islam as a practice building peace and harmony among this confused and aggressive humanity. It would do well for all sectors of society to study Islam and discover what it can teach them to improve their own lives and that of their neighbors..but it is not good to use Islam MERELY as a substitute to instill order and shortcut of being a true seeker. One who approaches Islam as a seeker will likely incorporate some if not all of its teachings and practices and find no flaws that cant be traced back to their own personal tastes. One who approaches Islam with the idea of Imposing themselves on others and creating a disturbance will find that they are destroying or corrupting their community and most of all themselves. Seekers should think of Islam as a genuine means to connect to the higher in a power rapidly, and with the support of a world wide community. Yet I caution the independent minded seeker to study Islam as much as possible within reason on their own or within the comfort of their current body of seekers. Do so with sincerity and it is likely the divine god will guide you to the best source of teachers to help you understand your tough questions for the Qur'an (which unless you believe in the continuation of divine Khilafat ie succession descended from a reformer prophet, the Qur'an is your best teacher of Islam itself.)

not on your life

no

Despite the negative veiw placed on Islam, I find it to be a beautiful religion. The Koran is a beautiful book and although it cant be completly translated into english, what is , is absolutly beautiful.

Just another false religion with more false prophet's.

the reason I rated Islam as "good" is cuz I have read parts of the Koran, and I am well aware that not all Muslim's are fundamentalist, just as not all Christian's are fundamentalist-if ppl that are not Muslim would take a few min. out of their day to check into what Isalam truly says, then I believe they would be quite surprised-no place that I found in the Koran stated that Allah wishes his ppl to kill for him-the Muslim's that are suicide bombers, or insurgents are no different than Chritian fundamnetalist's-I clearly remember that both religions believe being a martyr is highly regarded by their God-however, I also remember that one of the 10 commandmant's explicitly say "Thou Shall Not Kill"-which I think applies to abortion Dr.'s as well-I do not believe that all Christians are fundamentalit's, just as I do not believe that all Muslim's are fundamentalist's either

Baptist!

there not all terrorists

Geez, how do you rate a world religion? On one level, I have more sympathy for the pagans and the Fictionologists than the monotheists, whose belief system, the sociologists tell us, tends to make them often alienated and psychotic. Isn't it obvious that if we have to have just one god, we're never all going to get along? Muslims tend to be the least tolerant of the monotheists.

However, I'm starting to think that the particular belief system isn't the real issue. Even fervent Muslim monotheists doesn't always favor world domination, at least any more than evangelical Christians do. Many of the truly believing Muslims of the world don't have a problem with America. So the problem of fundamentalism is ultimately political, not doctrinal. Like the Christian Reformation, the coming Islamic Reformation will have to be political.

No, Islam hasn't yet had its Reformation, which to me is an urgent global task in the 21st century. It's sad that our foreign policy has done almost nothing to further it, instead hardening the stance of the fundamentalists. Joe Klein was right when he recently contended that Iran's Ahmadinejad is praying for a McCain victory, because it would allow him to pose as the leader of the Islamic world and crush dissent in his own country. That's been the effect of the West's interventions in the Middle East over the last couple of decades. It's also sad that the vast majority of Muslims who are moderates are getting shut out of the game: look at the moderation of Islam in its largest country--Indonesia--and you'll see what I'm talking about. Meanwhile, those moderate groups in less tolerant countries, like the Alevis in Turkey, are getting ignored and even more oppressed as a result of our policies.

I just wouldn't be me if I stayed out of this one. Islam gets a three from me on account of some glaring contradictions among its followers. There is a goal to spread it among non-believers, and whether or not anyone wants to admit to it, some of the conversions have been forced. Alot of stupid things have been done lately by the extremists in the religion, so that has to count for something, even if it is a very small minority of its followers. I also still remember many "mainstream muslims" dancing in the street on 9-11, so don't try to act righteous on me. Now, I did give it a three. Why? Its practices, if really followed, will lead a person to live a kind and moral life. I can't really dispute that, so you get some points back on the theology being okay. It is at a bit of a crossroads today and alot will be decided about the direction that Islam moves in over the next few years.

UPDATE: Wow, some people are pissed at Islam, ain't they. Yeah, the details on the prophet are sketchy and often times in dispute, but take it easy. The demon thing is something I've only heard from my half crazy father but I do know that he was bothered by some of his visions and he indeed made war on others, something other major religious figures did not do. I still gotta support the idea that many Musilms view their religion as one of peace, though. I've met Musilms that back that claim up and insist that these extremists are a poison to Islam, kinda like the way televangelists have screwed up Chistianity in alot of people's eyes. I guess that's all I got for now, but I'll throw my nuts out there again if anyone has some static for numbah over this...

UPDATE: See now, the accusation that Islam is a perversion of Satan has alot to do with Muslims being pissed at the west...

A hijacked religion by certain individuals who have perverted and distorted in order to make it fit their wicked and satanic agenda. The origin is clearly biblical, but men have created it into an anti Jewish and anti Christian religion.

I don't know whether all Muslims are like this but the Al Queda types give them all a bad name.

Today's Islam, for lack of a better term, Sucks.
The Arab kings messed the purity of the historic Islam and we are all suffering for it.

prophets... drugs are no different.

DAMN TERRORISTS!!!!

asdfghjkl

Islam is accually a pretty kool religon...so mysterious

never really learned about it

I do not agree with this religion and the belief system of today

Well, Muhammed could be a interpreted name for Jesus.... even though Jesus says HIS NAME is the only answer.... and seeing as this is so widely followed, these people need to be converted and told the truth if they will listen, who knows, it doesn't mean they will go to hell!

too controversial

Again.... they believe in their God not my place to judge...

Islam has more in common with Judaism and Christianity than most in the Western world would like to believe. In no way do I believe that they have things right, but I do think they are closer to the truth than any of the far east religions.

As a clarification, I am not considering Middle East terrorists as Muslims, just as I would not consider the KKK to be Christians. 

Islam teaches peace, its just the terrorists that use it as an excuse to kill people. Regular muslims are pretty chill.

It honestly disgusts me to see the amount of close-minded arrogant rednecks in here that give this religion a 1. I am not a Muslim, I actually would consider myself Agnostic. However unlike the majority of this country, I've read through the Qu'ran and found it to be a beautiful work of art. To the people that confuse this religion with terrorism, do some research... it's the fundamentalists that give this religion a bad name. Not the Muslims. Your average Muslim is a hard-working honest person just like you and I... not a terrorist. I repect Islam and it's followers... it is a personal choice not to practice the religion... if I had to pick a religion though... it would probably be Islam. I'm not trying to push my beliefs upon anyone by posting this, I just choose to defend those that our country has chosen as a scapegoat for everything bad.

If a religion gives a person who otherwise is unable to do do a way of living a better life and makes them more confident about what lies ahead after death then good luck to them. Trouble is that all religions have caused cruelty and war. Animal sacrifice?  A good god would demand that?  Too much death in Islam, Judaism and Christianity.

As I mentioned before, I am a Christian, yet I maintain a deep respect and interest for all religions.  One thing I do not have any acceptance or tolerance for is religious violence.  Anyone who uses their religion to justify violence towards others is corrupting it.  This applies to all religion.  I never looked upon Islam as a violent or evil religion.  It has been given a negative reputation by the acts of radicals and extremists.  I took the time to read the entire Qur’an.  I found it very interesting.  According to the way I interpreted most of the teachings, much of the text describes the importance of acquiring knowledge and learning.  It also describes how Muslims must work to peacefully coexist with their neighbors.  It also describes how they must help the poor, sick, the needy, and anyone else who is less fortunate.  Nowhere did it say that this charity action is restricted to only Muslims.  I found very few mentions of the word “jihad.”  The glossary said that this means “struggle.”  According to my interpretation of the script, most of the”struggle” involves a person trying to live their lives according to God.  It does not say that all Muslims must fight a “jihad” against America and the West. Many of these extremists only take the passages that speak of using violence to protect their families and homes and they twist the meanings to justify their actions.  This, of course, can happen with any religious scripture. It does disturb me that some leaders in the Muslim world not only condone religious violence, but they endorse it.  When I find ironic, for example, is when the Shah was forced to flee Iran, the Iranians demanded that he be turned over to answer for his crimes.  To emphasize the demand, the US Embassy was invaded.  On the other hand, when Idi Amin was forced to flee Uganda, some leaders gave him sanctuary because he supposedly rediscovered Islam.  Libya, Saudi Arabia, and Iran offered him protection, despite the fact he was responsible for the deaths of almost one million Ugandan civilians.  He lived the rest of his life free in Saudi Arabia.  Something like that really would upset me about religion.  As I said, I do not believe Islam is violent, but I think some of their leaders need to set a much better example to prove this to the world.

Let's not confuse Islam with terrorism.  Those idiots who quote from the book of Islam, claiming to be Muslims who infiltrate their hate on the West are not Muslims, their idiots.  Islam means peace and most importantly Muslims are supposed to value human life, so tell me how a terrorist can calim to be a Muslim when they don't follow what their very religion is asking them to practice?  If someone is not following the code of their religion their turning it into something else on their own terms.

The Divine revelation given  by our common God to the three great religions :Islam ,Christianity and Jew's religion is a message of Love ,Peace and Brotherhood.God has chosen Moses ,Jesus and Muhammed (the principal messengers of God ,Peace upon them) because they are men of Peace and their heart were full of Love and Humanity.I'm a Muslim but i also consider myself a Christian and a Jew.Yes i can go and pray in a Mosque ,in a Church or in a Synagogue .It's the three God's house.I consider extremists not being from these three religions.Extremists are violent and bad.In fact they are on the wrong way.Our God is Beautiful and nice .Bad People will not win because it's God 's promise.Racists have no place among Good people.Islam is a religion of MODERATION .It's not the religion of terrorists or extremists.God has never say in Holy Koran or in Holy Bible or in Holy Tohra to be violent and bad.Yes we have to defend innocent people who are killed by people who understand nothing to the religion of God.Hope after this comment your heart will be full of love .God bless you and protect you .Khalid

See my Christianity review.

I don't think you can find a religion closer to satanism than this one

Theres a surprising amount of ones here :). Sparks42 mentions sites which provide info on both sides of the coin. In my opinion that's not possible. You can't see both sides of the coin, you can only examine one at a time. With that said, heres the Islamic side of the coin.  www.islamicperspectives.com  ////I have to warn whoever goes there, it's not an "easy" read. Not recommended for general info. But the cool thing, is that unlike most islamic tradition the author does a good job of eliminating "blind faith" aspect as much as possible (not entirely-but as much as possible). It's more meant for muslims or someone who already knows a good deal about islam.

Vibrant and on the move. It probably has peaked and when oil production steeply declines, it will do so also. Western secular thought will eventually lead to its modification.

Muslims hate for you to know the truth about Islam but here are the historical facts: When Muhammad was a little child his mother sent him away from the city to the country to be care for by a caretaker nurse.As a child Muhammad began having fits and the nurse thought he had demon spirits bothering him and was so stress out from his fits she refused to care for him after he was 5 years old. His mother practice spiritism and occult arts and had many experiences with demons disguised as angels which she thought were good angels. His parents both died by the time he was 6 years old. He married a wealthy woman when he 25 so he had plenty of free time so he would wander around the desert and in caves, this is when he started being visited by what he thought were angels but were really evil spirits that gave him visions and revelations. He would go into strange convulsions from these spiritual experiences. After many of these encounters with these spirits he became so tormented he became convinced he had demons and wanted to commit suicide. He told his wife this and she worked hard to talk him out of it and convince him those were not demons but visits and revelations from God. The Islam religion was inspired by a man who was severely effected by demon spirits. Sir Norman Anderson writes how Muhammad believed he was possessed by the Jinn (demons). "It seems, however, that Muhammed himself was at first doubtful of the source of these revelations, fearing that he was possessed by one of the Jinn, or sprites, as was commonly believed to be the case with Arab poets and soothsayers. But Khadijah (his wife) and others reassured him, and he soon began to propound divine revelations with increasing frequency" (Anderson, The World's Religions.p. 55). Fundamentalist who practice Islam are not following a ultra-literal interpretation but a faithful accurate literal interpretation of the Koran. Don't let anyone fool you, look into it your self and find out the truth. Americans are incredibly ignorant of Islam but then if you try to read the Koran you will see why, it is the most boring book ever written, it is inspired by demons.It is part of Satan's plan to deceive and destroy people, Islam is a totally cursed religion, it has brought nothing but seemingly endless curses and death to humanity and there is no end in sight of the destruction that Islam will continue to bring to the world. There is much obscurity and debate swirling around Muhammad's life history, Islam wants that way so you don't know the facts. Here's some helpful resource books "Islamic Invasion by Robert A. Morey","The Everlasting Hatred: The Roots of Jihad by Hal Lindsey" ," The World's Religions by Sir Norman Anderson ", The Holy Sword by Robert Payne" look them up on www.amazon.com, there are many helpful pro & con reviews on amazon for some of these books.

Illusionbuster has captured my attention: You really need to get your facts straight... what you say is absurd and nobody in the right mind would believe that rubbish... let alone a Muslim. Seems you may have some issues that you need to resolve in your life and Islamophobia is definately one of them. It is quite a shame that this God-sent religion has been debased to the degree that you are subjecting it to... I find that very unfortunate. Because in the end, what are we all? HUMAN and the value of one soul resonates throughout mankind, no matter what your religous beliefs... it is our responsibility as individuals and people of instinctual morality and conscience to respect and appreciate others without attacking their religous, social or cultural framework.

more fairy tales

I have no problem with the peaceful islamics. The rest of them are no good.

Modern Islam is best understood as divided into four branches: mainstream Islam (including around 1.2 billion people), fundamentalist/Wahhabi Islam (around one hundred million, concentrated in Saudi Arabia, West Africa and Pakistan-though small numbers of ultra-radical fundamentalists are active world-wide) and traditionalist Islam (dying out fast, though still practiced in the isolated mountainous regions of Morocco, Yemen and Pakistan). Finally, there are Muslims whose religous observance is limited, or characterized by New-Age Sufism and other practices; such forms of religion tend towards deism/secularism/agnosticism, but they are a very small group, concentrated in the West and the upper classes. The vast majority of Muslims are 'mainstream' or 'fundamentalist' Muslims; it is these two forms I will focus on.


Mainstream Islam is divided into Sunni and Shiite branches, the main difference being that Shiites have a hierarchial structured clergy (like Catholicism) and are concentrated in Iran, Iraq and Lebanon. Both mainstream Sunni and Shiite Islam are around the level of development of Catholic Southern Europe around the 1930s, dealing with the challenges of modernity (Spain and Italy in the 1930s were ruled by Fascist dictatorships with the support of the Church, with similar levels of poverty, illiteracy, and anti-semitism as the Islamic World today). Mainstream Islam will no doubt adopt to the modern world, as other religions have.

However, it might take longer in those areas where local tribal/clan networks are especially strong, as in did in Sicily. Tribal-dominated areas are much larger in the Islamic World than they ever were in Europe (mainly because the Catholic church went out of its way to destroy tribal/extended family networks). Much of the Arab world, Pakistan, Afghanistan and nearly all of Islamic Africa are dominated by tribal/clan structures; consequently, their transition to modernity will be far more difficult and disruptive than, for example, Islamic Turkey or Malaysia.

Fundamentalist Islam is another matter. Based on an ultra-literal reading of the Koran, pioneered by an 18th Century Saudi theologian, Ibn Abd Al-Wahab. 'Wahhabi' fundamentalism is currently being sponsored by Saudi Arabia, which spends billions financing radical mosques and preachers world-wide. This is the primary origin of Islamic fundamentalism. Shiite fundamentalism, which different roots but similar results (ultra-literal interpretation of religious law, the confinement of women, the use of violence against the 'enemies of the faith') was sponsored by Iran in the 1980s. It has subsided since, though it may be on the upswing, as the ill-advised invasion of Iraq has created a power vaccuum, which is rapidly being filled by Shiite fundamentalists backed by Iran. Unless the oil wealth of Saudi Arabia and Iran disappears, or their governments collapse in revolution, the problem of Islamic fundamentalism is only likely to worsen.

Just as bad as Christianity, if not worse. Though to be fair, the vast majority of Moslems have absolutely nothing to do with terrorism.