Christian minorities in Muslim countries

Fidel wrote: Thank you all who have contributed their advice. I am afraid that despite your assurances that a) Islam never spread itself by the sword b) there is only one correct interpretation of the Quran that can be made, I simply don't share your belief that this could be true. The historical record is that Islam has forced people to convert when persuasion wasn't enough (even Al Qaeda referred to the "head tax" of the past). How did the second primary seat of Christianity, Constantinople become Muslim? Persuasion, no? By force. It would be like Rome suddenly becoming Muslim. Islam is doing the same today, using terrorism. It is too easy to disown those, who do Islam's bidding on one hand and accept them on the other hand when it suits. I have  been brainwashed for years.  As soon as I brought up awkward questions, others became defensive, because they haven't ever really questioned it for themselves.  I have since been baptised. I have become a Christian. I have discovered that many things that we said about Christians are untrue.

Back up your claims with reliable sources. This section is where non-Muslims can ask questions about Islam. You will not be allowed to spread any lies here. Back up  your claims, otherwise your posts will be deleted. Consider this a warning.

peacemaker wrote: Fidel: You will not be allowed to post anti-Islam web sites as references. Your recent post after first warning was deleted.

I agree that fidel should be banned from this forum .. He is spreading lies and misconceptions about his OWN religion and now he is hesitant about HIS religion

Islam doesnot need someone like him .. he is not fearing GOD .. if he fears God . he will not post lies and hate about ISlam ..

Well  - With all western media spreading lies and hate about Islam .. i wonder what the muslim world need to do ..

I have seen so many westerns forums spreading so many lies . and hate .. muslims should unit ..
fedil you are posion in your own religion ..see this website about how islam is spread .. www.dailymuslim.com

And fedil ,, You are not welcomed here .. due to the fact that only true muslime need to be here in this ISLAMIC forum ..

Salam alkoum

Peacemaker, you have asked me to back up my claims with reliable sources. (To those who are accusing me of telling lies, all I will say is simply that I am stating what I in clear conscience believe is the truth.) OK then:

"Islam spread partly as a result of conquest". Who said this?

The following in an open letter to Pope Benedict.

1. H.E. Allamah Abd Allah bin Mahfuz bin Bayyah
   Professor, King Abd Al-Aziz University, Saudi Arabia - Former Vice President; Minister of justice; Minister of Education and Minister of Religious Affairs, Mauritania

2. Professor Dr. Allamah Muhammad Said Ramadan Al-Buti
   Dean of Department of Religion, University of Damascus, Syria

3. Prof. Dr. Mustafa Cagrici
   Grand Mufti of Istanbul

4. H.E. Shaykh Professor Dr. Mustafa Ceric
   Grand Mufti and Head of Ulema of Bosnia and Herzegovina

5. H.E. Shaykh Ravil Gainutdin
   Grand Mufti of Russia

6. H.E. Shaykh Nedzad Grabus
   Grand Mufti of Slovenia

7. Shaykh Al-Habib Ali Mashhour bin Muhammad bin Salim bin Hafeez
   Imam of the Tarim Mosque and head of Fatwa Council, Tarim, Yemen

8. Shaykh Al-Habib Umar bin Muhammad bin Salim bin Hafeez
   Dean, Dar Al-Mustafa, Tarim, Yemen

9. Professor Dr. Farouq Hamadah
   Professor of the Sciences of Tradition, Mohammad V University, Morocco

10. Shaykh Hamza Yusuf Hanson
    Founder and Director Zaytuna Institute, California, USA

11. H.E. Shaykh Dr. Ahmad Badr Al-Din Hassoun
    Grand Mufti of the Republic of Syria

12. Dr. Shaykh Izz Al-Din Ibrahim
    Advisor for Cultural Affairs, Prime Ministry, United Arab Emirates

13. H.E. Professor Dr. Omar Jah
    Secretary of the Muslim Scholars Council, Gambia -Professor of Islamic Civilization and Thought, University of Gambia

14. Shaykh Al-Habib Ali Zain Al-Abideen Al Jifri
    Founder and Director, Taba Institute, United Arab Emirates

15. H.E. Shaykh Professor Dr. Ali Jumu'ah
    Grand Mufti of the Republic of Egypt

16. Professor Dr. Abla Mohammed Kahlawi
    Dean of Islamic and Arabic Studies, Al-Azhar University (Women's College), Egypt

17. Professor Dr. Mohammad Hashim Kamali
    Dean, International Institute of Islamic Thought and Civilization (1STAC), Malaysia - Professor of Islamic Lam and Jurisprudence, International Islamic University, Malaysia

18. Shaykh Nuh Ha Mim Keller
    Shaykh in the Shadhili Order and Senior Fellow of Ahl al-Bayt Institute for Islamic Thought (Jordan), U.S.A.

19. H.E. Shaykh Ahmad Al-Khalili
    Grand Mufti of the Sultanate of Oman

20. Shaykh Dr. Ahmad Kubaisi
    Founder of the Ulema Organization, Iraq

21. Allamah Shaykh Muhammad bin Muhammad Al-Mansouri
    High Authority (Marja') of Zeidi Muslims, Yeomen

22. Shaykh Abu Bakr Ahmad Al-Milibari
    Secretary-General of the Ahl Al-Sunna. Association, India

23. H.E. Dr. Moulay Abd Al-Kabir Al-Alawi Al-Mudghari
    Director-General of the Bayt Mal Al-Qods Al-Sharif Agency
    Former Minister of Religious Affairs, Morocco

24. H.E. Shaykh Ahmad Hasyirn Muzadi
    General Chairman of the Nahdat al-Ulema, Indonesia

25. H.E. Professor Dr. Scyyed Hossein Nasr
    University Professor of Islamic Studies, George Washington University, Washington D. C, U.S.A.

26. H.E. Shaykh Sevki Omerbasic
    Grand Mufti of Croatia

27. H.E. Dr. Mohammad Abd Al-Ghaffar Al-Sharif
    Secretary-General of the Ministry of Religious Affairs, Kuwait

28. Dr. Muhammad Alwani Al-Sharif
    Head of the European Academy of Islamic Culture and Sciences, Brussels, Belgium

29. Shaykh M. Igbal Sullam
    Vice General-Secretary, Nahdat al- Ulema, Indonesia

30. Shaykh Dr. Tariq Sweidan
    Director-General of the Risalah Satellite Channel

31. H.E. Ayotollah Muhammad Ali Taskhiri
    Secretary General o f the World Assembly for Proximity of Islamic Schools of Thoughts (WAPIST), Iran

32. Professor Dr. H.R.H. Prince Ghazi bin Muhammad bin Talal
    Chairman of the Board of the Ahl al-Bays Institute fir Islamic Thought, Jordan

33. H.E. Shaykh Naim Trnava
    Grand Mufti of Kosovo

34. H.E. Dr. Abd Al-Aziz Uthman Al-Tweijri
    Director-General of the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO), Morocco

35. H.H. Justice Mufti Muhammad Taqi Uthmani
    Vice President, Dar Al-Ulum, Karachi, Pakistan

36. H.E. Shaykh Muhammad Al-Sadiq Muhammad Yusuf
    Grand Mufti of Uzbekistan

37. Shaykh Abd Al-Hakim Murad Winter
    Shaykh Zayed Lecturer in Islamic Studies, Divinity School, University of Cambridge, U. K. Director of the Muslim Academic Trust, U.K.

38. H.E. Shaykh Muamer Zukorli
    Mufti of Sanjak, Bosnia

Fidel wrote: Peacemaker, you have asked me to back up my claims with reliable sources. (To those who are accusing me of telling lies, all I will say is simply that I am stating what I in clear conscience believe is the truth.) OK then: "Islam spread partly as a result of conquest". Who said this? The following in an open letter to Pope Benedict. H.E. Allamah Abd Allah bin Mahfuz bin Bayyah Professor, King Abd Al-Aziz University, Saudi Arabia - Former Vice President; Minister of justice; Minister of Education and Minister of Religious Affairs, Mauritania Professor Dr. Allamah Muhammad Said Ramadan Al-Buti Dean of Department of Religion, University of Damascus, Syria Prof. Dr. Mustafa Cagrici Grand Mufti of Istanbul H.E. Shaykh Professor Dr. Mustafa Ceric Grand Mufti and Head of Ulema of Bosnia and Herzegovina H.E. Shaykh Ravil Gainutdin Grand Mufti of Russia H.E. Shaykh Nedzad Grabus Grand Mufti of Slovenia Shaykh Al-Habib Ali Mashhour bin Muhammad bin Salim bin Hafeez Imam of the Tarim Mosque and head of Fatwa Council, Tarim, Yemen Shaykh Al-Habib Umar bin Muhammad bin Salim bin Hafeez Dean, Dar Al-Mustafa, Tarim, Yemen Professor Dr. Farouq Hamadah Professor of the Sciences of Tradition, Mohammad V University, Morocco Shaykh Hamza Yusuf Hanson Founder and Director Zaytuna Institute, California, USA H.E. Shaykh Dr. Ahmad Badr Al-Din Hassoun Grand Mufti of the Republic of Syria Dr. Shaykh Izz Al-Din Ibrahim Advisor for Cultural Affairs, Prime Ministry, United Arab Emirates H.E. Professor Dr. Omar Jah Secretary of the Muslim Scholars Council, Gambia -Professor of Islamic Civilization and Thought, University of Gambia Shaykh Al-Habib Ali Zain Al-Abideen Al Jifri Founder and Director, Taba Institute, United Arab Emirates H.E. Shaykh Professor Dr. Ali Jumu'ah Grand Mufti of the Republic of Egypt Professor Dr. Abla Mohammed Kahlawi Dean of Islamic and Arabic Studies, Al-Azhar University (Women's College), Egypt Professor Dr. Mohammad Hashim Kamali Dean, International Institute of Islamic Thought and Civilization (1STAC), Malaysia - Professor of Islamic Lam and Jurisprudence, International Islamic University, Malaysia Shaykh Nuh Ha Mim Keller Shaykh in the Shadhili Order and Senior Fellow of Ahl al-Bayt Institute for Islamic Thought (Jordan), U.S.A. H.E. Shaykh Ahmad Al-Khalili Grand Mufti of the Sultanate of Oman Shaykh Dr. Ahmad Kubaisi Founder of the Ulema Organization, Iraq Allamah Shaykh Muhammad bin Muhammad Al-Mansouri High Authority (Marja') of Zeidi Muslims, Yeomen Shaykh Abu Bakr Ahmad Al-Milibari Secretary-General of the Ahl Al-Sunna. Association, India H.E. Dr. Moulay Abd Al-Kabir Al-Alawi Al-Mudghari Director-General of the Bayt Mal Al-Qods Al-Sharif Agency Former Minister of Religious Affairs, Morocco H.E. Shaykh Ahmad Hasyirn Muzadi General Chairman of the Nahdat al-Ulema, Indonesia H.E. Professor Dr. Scyyed Hossein Nasr University Professor of Islamic Studies, George Washington University, Washington D. C, U.S.A. H.E. Shaykh Sevki Omerbasic Grand Mufti of Croatia H.E. Dr. Mohammad Abd Al-Ghaffar Al-Sharif Secretary-General of the Ministry of Religious Affairs, Kuwait Dr. Muhammad Alwani Al-Sharif Head of the European Academy of Islamic Culture and Sciences, Brussels, Belgium Shaykh M. Igbal Sullam Vice General-Secretary, Nahdat al- Ulema, Indonesia Shaykh Dr. Tariq Sweidan Director-General of the Risalah Satellite Channel H.E. Ayotollah Muhammad Ali Taskhiri Secretary General o f the World Assembly for Proximity of Islamic Schools of Thoughts (WAPIST), Iran Professor Dr. H.R.H. Prince Ghazi bin Muhammad bin Talal Chairman of the Board of the Ahl al-Bays Institute fir Islamic Thought, Jordan H.E. Shaykh Naim Trnava Grand Mufti of Kosovo H.E. Dr. Abd Al-Aziz Uthman Al-Tweijri Director-General of the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO), Morocco H.H. Justice Mufti Muhammad Taqi Uthmani Vice President, Dar Al-Ulum, Karachi, Pakistan H.E. Shaykh Muhammad Al-Sadiq Muhammad Yusuf Grand Mufti of Uzbekistan Shaykh Abd Al-Hakim Murad Winter Shaykh Zayed Lecturer in Islamic Studies, Divinity School, University of Cambridge, U. K. Director of the Muslim Academic Trust, U.K. H.E. Shaykh Muamer Zukorli Mufti of Sanjak, Bosnia

This is the problem with your reasoning:

"by conquest" is not an admission or an evidence of "forced conversion" after conquest. Before conquest, your neighborhood friendly Christians (the group you identify with in regards to theology but differ in nuances) considered Islam to be an outlawed, heretical branch unfit to be openly practiced and discussed in its lands.

After war was waged between your group and Muslims, when Muslims were the victors, this allowed open practice and discussion of Islam. Christianity was not banned, or outlawed, but the face of Islam was open after conquest to societies that would have banned it, and killed people for practcing it openly prior.

Spread though trade meant that Muslims who traded with distant lands who did not have problems with open discussions of religion and were pluralistic were allowed to see it and talk to Muslims openly.

Hope this helps.