(Arguments critical to religion in general, or specific to monotheism, such as the existence of God, are not dealt with here. For other meanings including people named 'Islam' see Islam (disambiguation. Aqidah (sometimes spelled Aqeeda, Aqidah or Aqida) (عقيدة is an Islamic term meaning Creed. Allah ( Arabic: الله, ʔalˤːɑːh) is the standard Arabic word for ' In Islam, God is believed to be the only real supreme being all-powerful and all knowing Creator Sustainer Ordainer and Judge of the universe Islam puts a heavy emphasis IMPORTANT PLEASE READ ##### For all questions relating to the addition of (pbuh peace be upon him or other honorifics Muslims regard as Prophets of Islam ( Arabic: نبي) those non-divine humans chosen by Allah as Prophets The Five Pillars of Islam (Arabic أركان الإسلام is the term given to the five duties incumbent on every Muslim. The Shahada ( Arabic: ar الشهادة, from the verb ar شهد "to testify" is the Islamic Creed. Ṣalāt ( Arabic: صلاة‎, pl ṣalawāt, Qur'anic Arabic: صلوة ṣalawah) (also munz in Pashto and Sawm ( Arabic: صوم is an Arabic word for Fasting regulated by Islamic jurisprudence. This is a sub-article of Islamic economical jurisprudence. Zakaat ( زكاة zækæːh zakaat or zakāh, has the implied The Hajj (حج is a pilgrimage to Mecca (Makkah It is the largest annual pilgrimage in the world Muslim history began in Arabia with the Muhammad 's first recitations of the Qur'an in the 7th century Caliph Caliph is the term or title for the Islamic leader of the Ummah, or community of Islam There is much more to Muslim history than its military and political aspects this particular chronology is almost entirely of military and political nature See also Muhammad's wives Ahl al-Bayt ( Arabic:ar أهل البيت is an Arabic phrase literally meaning People of the House, or family In Islam, the Ṣaḥābah (الصحابة "Companions" were the companions of the Islamic prophet Muḥammad. The Rightly Guided Caliphs or The Righteous Caliphs ( ar الخلفاء الراشدون) is a term used in Sunni Islam to refer to the first Imāmah (إمامة is the Shī‘ah doctrine of religious spiritual and political leadership of the Ummah. Qur'an Text Surahs ** Ayah Commentary/Exegesis Tafsir Sharia ( Arabic: ar شريعة) is the body of Islamic Religious law. The Qur’an ( القرآن, literally "the recitation" also sometimes transliterated as Qur’ān, Koran, Alcoran Sunnah ar (سنة plural سنن Sunan literally means “trodden path” and therefore the sunnah of the prophet means “the way and the manners of the prophet” Hadith ( ar الحديث, pl aḥadīth; lit. "narrative" are oral Traditions relating to the words and deeds of the Islamic Fiqh ( Arabic: فقه, fɪqəh is Islamic Jurisprudence. Fiqh is an expansion of the Sharia Islamic law—based directly on the Sharia ( Arabic: ar شريعة) is the body of Islamic Religious law. Kalām (علم الكلام is the Islamic philosophy of seeking Islamic theological principles through Dialectic. Sufism ( تصوّف - taṣawwuf, Persian: صوفی‌گری sufigari, Turkish: tasavvuf, Urdu: تصوف Sunni Islam is the largest denomination of Islam. Sunni Islam is also referred to as Ahl as-Sunnah wa’l-Jamā‘h (Arabic Muslim Culture is a term primarily used in Secular Academia to describe all cultural practices common to historically Islamic peoples The term Muslim world (or Islamic world) has several meanings This is a sub-article to Religious education, Academic discipline, and Islam. This article is about Animals in Islamic thought The Qur'an assigns an inferior status to animals in comparison with humans and has a tendency towards Islamic art encompasses the arts produced from the 7th century onwards by people (not necessarily Muslim) who lived within the territory that was inhabited by culturally The Islamic calendar or Muslim calendar ( Arabic: التقويم الهجري at-taqwīm al-hijrī; Persian: تقویم هجری قمری ‎ The topic of Islam and children includes the rights of children in Islam children's duties towards their parents and parent's rights over their children both males and females Listing of Muslims by country Important note Population counts by religious affiliation like most demographic characteristics of a Population Muslim holidays are mostly based around the life of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, especially the events surrounding the first hearing of the Qur'an. A "mosque" in English refers to all types of buildings dedicated for Islamic worship although there is a distinction in Arabic between the smaller privately owned mosque and the larger Islamic philosophy is a branch of Islamic studies, and is a longstanding attempt to create harmony between Philosophy ( Reason) and the religious teachings See also Modern Islamic philosophy, Islamism, Islamic terrorism Political aspects of Islam are derived from the Quran, the Sunna Over the centuries of Islamic history, Muslim rulers Islamic scholars, and ordinary Muslims have held many different attitudes towards other religions The historical interaction between Christianity and Islam, in the field of Comparative religion, connects fundamental ideas in Christianity with similar ones in Islam Hinduism and Islam, from the of arrival of the Arabs as far back as the eighth century AD has had a checkered history Islam and Jainism came in close contact with each other following the Islamic conquest from Central Asia and Persia in the seventh The historical interaction of Judaism and Islam started in the 7th century CE with the origin and spread of Islam in the Arabian peninsula. In Islam, Muhammad is the last and final Prophet of God Islam views Jews Christians and Muslims as " People of the Book Islamophobia is a Neologism that refers to Prejudice or Discrimination against Islam or Muslims The term itself dates back to the The following list consists of Concepts that are derived from both Islamic and Arab tradition which are expressed as words in the Arabic language. This article lists various controversies related to Islam and Muslims. Criticism of Muhammad has existed since the 7th century when Muhammad was attacked by his non-Muslim Arab contemporaries for preaching Monotheism, Muslims believe that the Qur'an is the literal word of God as recited to Muhammad through the angel Gabriel. See also Islamism This article is about criticism of the Islamic political and religious movement known as Islamism Criticism of Islamism A dhimmi ( ذمي, collectively أهل الذمة, ahl al-dhimma, the people of the dhimma or pact of protection Ottoman Turkish Eurabia is a political Neologism used to refer to a Europe which allies itself to and becomes subsumed by the Arab World. See also Islam and Judaism Islam and antisemitism looks at the teaching of Islam relating to Jews and Judaism and the attitudes of the The relationship between Islam and domestic violence is disputed Islamism ( Islam + ism; Arabic: al-'islāmiyya) a set of ideologies holding that Islam is not only Islamophobia is a Neologism that refers to Prejudice or Discrimination against Islam or Muslims The term itself dates back to the Jihad (جهاد ʤɪhæːd an Islamic term, is a religious duty of Muslims. Persecution of Muslims refers to the Religious persecution inflicted upon Muslims Persecution may refer to beating torture confiscation or destruction Qutbism (also Kotebism Qutbiyya or Qutbiyyah is the radical strain of Islamist ideology and activism based on the thought and writings of Sayyid Qutb, an Islamist The Satanic Verses controversy refers to the controversy surrounding Salman Rushdie 's novel The Satanic Ayaan Hirsi Ali ( Ayaan Xirsi Cali; born Ayaan Hirsi Magan 13 November 1969 in Mogadishu, Somalia) is a Dutch Irshad Manji (born 1968 is a Canadian Feminist, Author, journalist, activist and professor of leadership Daniel Pipes (born September 9 1949 is a American historian and political commentator who particularly focuses on the Middle East and Islam. Ibn Warraq (born 1946 is the Pen name of a Secularist author of Pakistani origin and founder of the Institute for the Secularisation of Islamic Society Philippe de Villiers (born Viscount Philippe Le Jolis de Villiers de Saintignon on March 25, 1949) was the Mouvement pour la France Geert Wilders ('xert 'ʋildərs 'ʋildəʁs}} born 6 September 1963) is a Dutch Politician. Robert Bruce Spencer (born 1962 is an American author who writes articles and books relating to Islam and Islamic terrorism. Theo van Gogh (ˈteːjoː vɑnˈxɔx ( July 23, 1957 – November 2, 2004) was a Dutch Film director, Television producer Afshin Ellian (born 27 February, 1966 in Tehran, Iran) is a Dutch professor of law, Philosopher, and Poet Not to be confused with the pseudonym of L Frank Baum Hugh Fitzgerald is the vice-president of Jihad Watch. Susanne Winter is a lawyer and politician for the right-wing Freedom Party of Austria in the southern Austrian city of Graz. Moazzam Begg (born 1968 is one of nine British Muslims who were held in Extrajudicial detention in the Guantanamo Bay detainment camp, in Osama bin Laden, with some spelling variations is the name used in English to refer to (أسامة بن محمد بن عوض بن لادن born 10 March The War in Afghanistan, which began on October 7 2001 as the U The Guantanamo Bay Detention Camp is a controversial United States Detention center operated by Joint Task Force Guantanamo since 2002 in Guantanamo March 11, 2002 Mecca girl's schools fire killed at least fourteen students but was especially notable for complaints made that Saudi Arabia's religious police stopped The Iraq War, also known as the Second Gulf War, the Occupation of Iraq, or the War in Iraq, is an ongoing Military campaign The Qur'an desecration controversy of 2005 began when Newsweek's April 30 issue contained a report about U On October 30, 2005, Theresia Morangke (15 Alfita Poliwo (17 and Yarni Sambue (17 were beheaded by militants in the Poso region on the Indonesian island Fox News Channel journalists Olaf Wiig, a New Zealander Photojournalist, and Steve Centanni, an American reporter Beginning in 2004 accounts of Abuse, Torture, Sodomy and Homicide of Prisoners held in the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq The Egyptian identification card controversy resulted from a ruling of the Supreme Administrative Council of Egypt on December 16, 2006 against the The Flying Imams controversy (sometimes humorously referred to as sheiks on a plane, a reference to the movie Snakes on a Plane) is a controversy concerning The In mid-June 2007 Salman Rushdie, British - Indian novelist and author of controversial novel The Satanic Verses, was bestowed the honour of being The Pope Benedict XVI Islam controversy arose from a lecture delivered on 12 September 2006 by Pope Benedict XVI at the University of Regensburg The Lars Vilks Muhammad drawings controversy began in July 2007 with a series of Drawings by Swedish artist Lars Vilks which depicted the Fitna is a 2008 short film by Dutch parliamentarian Geert Wilders. Criticism of religion involves Criticism of the concept of Religion, the validity of religion the practice of religion and the consequences of religion Arguments for and against the existence of God have been proposed by philosophers theologians and others This page describes criticism specific to Islam only, looking at either its historical nature or that of its beliefs and practices. The Historiography of early Islam refers to the study of the early origins of Islam based on a critical analysis evaluation and examination of authentic Primary )

Criticism of Islam has existed since Islam's formative stages. For other meanings including people named 'Islam' see Islam (disambiguation. Early written criticism came from Christians, prior to 1000 CE, many of whom viewed Islam as a radical Christian heresy. A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth Heresy is an introduced change to some system of belief especially a religion that conflicts with the previously established canon of that belief ^[1] Later there appeared criticism from the Muslim world itself, and also from Jewish writers and from ecclesiastical Christians. The term Muslim world (or Islamic world) has several meanings PLEASE TAKE NOTE************ ^[2][3][4][5] In the modern era, criticism has come from people both inside and outside Islam, on a wide variety of topics.

Objects of criticism include Islam's intolerance of criticism, attitudes towards perceived heresy and accused heretics, and the treatment accorded to apostates in Islamic law. Heresy is an introduced change to some system of belief especially a religion that conflicts with the previously established canon of that belief Sharia ( Arabic: ar شريعة) is the body of Islamic Religious law. ^[6] Another area focuses on the morality of the life of Muhammad, the founder of Islam, both in his public and personal life. IMPORTANT PLEASE READ ##### For all questions relating to the addition of (pbuh peace be upon him or other honorifics For other meanings including people named 'Islam' see Islam (disambiguation. ^[5][7] Issues relating to the authenticity and morality of the Qu'ran, the Islamic holy book, are also discussed by critics. The Qur’an ( القرآن, literally "the recitation" also sometimes transliterated as Qur’ān, Koran, Alcoran ^[8][9] Other criticisms focus on the question of human rights in modern Islamic nations, and the treatment of women in Islamic law and practice. ^[10][11] Recently, Islam's influence on the ability of Muslim immigrants in the West to assimilate has been criticized. ^[12]

History of criticism of Islam

Early Islam

The earliest surviving written criticisms of Islam are to be found in the writings of Christians, who came under the early dominion of the Islamic Caliphate. A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth A caliphate (from the Arabic خلافة or khilāfa) is the political leadership of the Muslim community in classical and medieval Islamic history One such Christian was John of Damascus (born c. Chrysorrhoas redirects here For the river see Barada. Saint John of Damascus ( Arabic: يوحنا الدمشقي 676), who was familiar with Islam and Arabic. Events By Place Europe Æthelred invades Kent. Asia In Japan Emperor Temmu Arabic (ar الْعَرَبيّة (informally ar عَرَبيْ) in terms of the number of speakers is the largest living member of the Semitic language The second chapter of his book, The Fount of Wisdom, titled 'Concerning Heresies' presents a series of discussions between Christians and Muslims. John claimed an Arian monk influenced Muhammad and viewed the Islamic doctrines as nothing more than a hotchpotch culled from the Bible. MONK is a Monte Carlo software package for simulating nuclear processes particularly for the purpose of determining the neutron multiplication factor or k-effective Writing on the Islam's claim of Abrahamic ancestry, John explained that the Arabs were called "Saracens" because they were "empty of Sarah". They were called "Hagarenes" because they were "the bastard descendants of the slave-girl Hagar". ^[13] According to John V. Tolan, a Professor of Medieval History, John's biography of Muhammad is based on deliberate distortions of Muslim traditions. ^[14]

The Hadith (written between 844 and 874) contain accounts of criticism of Islam at the time of Muhammad from the pagan, Jewish and Christian inhabitants of Arabia. Hadith ( ar الحديث, pl aḥadīth; lit. "narrative" are oral Traditions relating to the words and deeds of the Islamic Paganism (from Latin paganus, meaning "country dweller rustic" is a word used to refer to various religions and religious beliefs from across the world PLEASE TAKE NOTE************ A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth

Medieval Islamic world

Over the years there have been several famous Muslim critics and skeptics of Islam from within the Islamic world itself. In tenth and eleventh-century Syria there lived a blind poet called Al-Ma'arri. Syria ( سوريّة or) officially the Syrian Arab Republic (Arabic ar الجمهورية العربية السورية Al-Ma‘arri (full name in Arabic: أبو العلاء أحمد بن عبد الله بن سليمان التنوخي المعري Abu al-ʿAlāʾ Aḥmad ibn ʿAbd According to Ibn Warraq, he became well-known for a poetry that was affected by a "pervasive pessimism. Ibn Warraq (born 1946 is the Pen name of a Secularist author of Pakistani origin and founder of the Institute for the Secularisation of Islamic Society " He labeled religions in general as "noxious weeds," and said that Islam does not have a monopoly on truth. He had particular contempt for the ulema, writing that:

In 1280, the Jewish philosopher Ibn Kammuna criticized Islam in his book Examination of the Three Faiths. PLEASE TAKE NOTE************ Said ibn Mansur Ibn Kammuna (d 1284 was a 13th Century Jewish Physician ( ophthalmologist), Philosopher and Dissenter of Islam He reasoned that incompatibility of sharia with the principles of justice undercuts Muhammad's claims of being a perfect man: "there is no proof that Muhammad attained perfection and the ability to perfect others as claimed. "^[15] The philosopher thus concluded that people usually convert to Islam from ulterior motives:

According to Bernard Lewis, just as it is natural for a Muslim to assume that the converts to his religion are attracted by its truth, it is equally natural for the convert's former coreligionists to look for baser motives and Ibn Kammuna's list seems to cover most of such nonreligious motives. Bernard Lewis (born May 31, 1916 in London, England) is a British - American Said ibn Mansur Ibn Kammuna (d 1284 was a 13th Century Jewish Physician ( ophthalmologist), Philosopher and Dissenter of Islam ^[16]

Maimonides, one of the foremost 12th century rabbinical arbiters and philosophers, sees the relation of Islam to Judaism as primarily theoretical. Moses Maimonides ( March 30 1135 – December 13 1204) also known as the Rambam, was a Rabbi, Physician, and Posek ( Hebrew פוסק po·ˈseq pl Poskim, פוסקים is the term in Jewish law for "decider"—a legal scholar who decides the Maimonides has no quarrel with the strict monotheism of Islam, but finds fault with the practical politics of Muslim regimes. He also considered Islamic ethics and politics to be inferior to their Jewish counterparts. Maimonides criticised what he perceived as the lack of virtue in the way Muslims rule their societies and relate to one another. ^[4]

Medieval Christendom

Main article: Medieval Christian view of Muhammad

• In Dante's Inferno, Muhammad is portrayed as split in half, representing his status as a heresiarch (one who split from the Christian church). For the contemporary view of Muhammad see Non-Muslim view of Muhammad. A heresiarch (also hæresiarch, according to the Oxford English Dictionary; from the Greek:, hairesiárkhēs, literally "heresy A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth

• Some medieval ecclesiastical writers portrayed Muhammad as possessed by Satan, a "precursor of the Antichrist" or the Antichrist himself. Satan, ( Standard Hebrew Satan'el, English accuser) is a term that originates from the Abrahamic faiths, being traditionally For other uses see Antichrist (disambiguation In Christian eschatology, the Antichrist or anti-Christ means a person office ^[5]

• Denis the Carthusian wrote two treatises to refute Islam at the request of Nicholas of Cusa, Contra perfidiam Mahometi, et contra multa dicta Sarracenorum libri quattuor and Dialogus disputationis inter Christianum et Sarracenum de lege Christi et contra perfidiam Mahometi. Denis the Carthusian (1402 &ndash 1471 also known as Denys van Leeuwen or Denis Ryckel, was a Roman Catholic Theologian and mystic ^[17]

• The Tultusceptru de libro domni Metobii, an Andalusian manuscript with unknown dating, shows how Muhammad (called Ozim, from Hashim) was tricked by Satan into adulterating an originally pure divine revelation. A manuscript is any Document that is Written by hand as opposed to being printed or reproduced in some other way Hashim ( Arabic: ہاشم) is a Male Arabic Given name.It means pulverizer destroyer of evil or generous Satan, ( Standard Hebrew Satan'el, English accuser) is a term that originates from the Abrahamic faiths, being traditionally The story argues God was concerned about the spiritual fate of the Arabs and wanted to correct their derivation from the faith. He then sends an angel to the monk Osius who orders him to preach to the Arabs. Osius however is in ill-health and orders a young monk, Ozim, to carry out the angel's orders instead. Ozim sets out to follow his orders, but gets stopped by an evil angel on the way. The ignorant Ozim believes him to be the same angel that spoke to Osius before. The evil angel modifies and corrupts the original message given to Ozim by Osius, and renames Ozim Muhammad. From this followed the erroneous teachings of Islam, according to the tultusceptrum. ^[18]

• According to many Christians, the coming of Muhammad was foretold in the Holy Bible. According to the monk Bede this is in Genesis 16:12, which describes Ishmael as "a wild man" whose "hand will be against every man". Bede (ˈbiːd (also Saint Bede, the Venerable Bede, or (from Latin Beda (beda (c Ishmael ( Hebrew: יִשְׁמָעֵאל, Standard Yišmaʿel Tiberian Yišmāʿêl Arabic: إسماعيل Bede says about Muhammad: "Now how great is his hand against all and all hands against him; as they impose his authority upon the whole length of Africa and hold both the greater part of Asia and some of Europe, hating and opposing all. "^[19]

• In 1391 a dialog was believed to have occurred between Byzantine Emperor Manuel II Palaiologos and a Persian scholar in which the Emperor stated:

The first sentence of this quotation, when repeated by Pope Benedict XVI in 2006, lead to a series of riots, firebombing of churches and a Fatwa against the life of the Pope (see Pope Benedict XVI Islam controversy). Pope Benedict XVI ( Latin: Benedictus PP XVI; Italian: Benedetto XVI; German: Benedikt XVI; born Joseph Alois Ratzinger The Pope Benedict XVI Islam controversy arose from a lecture delivered on 12 September 2006 by Pope Benedict XVI at the University of Regensburg

Late 19th and Early 20th Century Critics of Islam

See also: Orientalism

During the late 19th and early 20th century, the new methods of Higher criticism were applied to the Qu'ran, claiming that it had a non-divine origin. Orientalism refers to the imitation or depiction of aspects of Eastern cultures in the West by writers designers and artists and can also refer to a sympathetic stance Historical criticism or higher criticism is a branch of literary analysis that investigates the origins of a text as applied in Biblical studies it naturally Ignaz Goldziher and Henri Corbin wrote about the influence of Zoroastrianism, and others wrote on the influence of Judaism, Christianity and Sabianism ^[20]

Winston Churchill, the British Prime Minister through most of World War 2, was a strong critic of the effects Islam had on its believers. Ignác (Yitzhaq Yehuda Goldziher ( June 22, 1850 – November 13, 1921) often credited as Ignaz Goldziher was a Hungarian Orientalist Henry Corbin ( 14 April 1903 - October 7, 1978 was a Philosopher, Theologian and professor of Islamic Studies at Zoroastrianism (ˌzɔroʊˈæstriəˌnɪzəm is the religion and philosophy based on the teachings Judaism (from the Greek Ioudaïsmos, derived from the Hebrew יהודה Yehudah, " Judah " in Hebrew יַהֲדוּת Yahedut Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings The Sabians ( صابئين, צבאים) were a religious group Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, KG, OM, CH, TD, FRS, PC, PC (Can ( 30 November 1874 He stated in his 1899 book "The River War" ^[21]:

Contemporary critics of Islam

Notable contemporary critics include:

• Robert Spencer an American writer on Islam. Robert Bruce Spencer (born 1962 is an American author who writes articles and books relating to Islam and Islamic terrorism. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the For other meanings including people named 'Islam' see Islam (disambiguation. He is the author of six books, including two bestsellers, on topics related to Islam and terrorism. For other meanings including people named 'Islam' see Islam (disambiguation. Terrorism is the systematic use of terror especially as a means of coercion He is the founder and director of the Jihad Watch and Dhimmi Watch websites that focus on Islamist terrorism-related events and various Jihad-activity worldwide. Jihad Watch is a Website and Blog directed by American author Robert Spencer. Islamism ( Islam + ism; Arabic: al-'islāmiyya) a set of ideologies holding that Islam is not only Jihad (جهاد ʤɪhæːd an Islamic term, is a religious duty of Muslims. ^[22]
• Serge Trifkovic a Serbian-American historian, journalist, and political analyst. Srđa Trifković (also Srdja Trifković; Serbian Cyrillic: Срђа Трифковић and as author Serge Trifkovic) (born July 19 Author of the Sword of the Prophet: The politically incorrect guide to Islam: History, Theology, Impact on the World (2002) The book chronicles events related to the rise of Islam and the patterns of violence adopted by it's founder, Muhammad.
• Daniel Pipes an American historian and analyst who specializes in the Middle East. Daniel Pipes (born September 9 1949 is a American historian and political commentator who particularly focuses on the Middle East and Islam. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The Middle East is a Subcontinent with no clear boundaries often used as a synonym to Near East, in opposition to Far East. He has written or co-written 18 books, maintains a blog, and lectures around the world presenting his analysis of world trends.
• Bat Ye'or an Egyptian-born British historian ^[23] and scholar ^[24] specialising in the history of non-Muslims in the Middle East, and in particular the history of Christian and Jewish dhimmis living under Islamic governments. Bat Ye'or (בת יאור meaning "daughter of the Nile " a Pseudonym of Gisèle Littman, This article is about the country of Egypt For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Egypt topics. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located See also History An historian is an individual who studies and writes about History, and is regarded as an Authority on it Scholarly method &mdash or as it is more commonly called scholarship &mdash is the body of principles and practices used by scholars to make their claims about the world as The Middle East is a Subcontinent with no clear boundaries often used as a synonym to Near East, in opposition to Far East. A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth PLEASE TAKE NOTE************ A dhimmi ( ذمي, collectively أهل الذمة, ahl al-dhimma, the people of the dhimma or pact of protection Ottoman Turkish ^[25]
• V. S. Naipaul, a Nobel prize winning, Trinidadian-born British novelist of Hindu heritage, who has sowed controversy with his criticism of Islam. Sir Vidiadhar Surajprasad Naipaul Kt, TC (born August 17, 1932 in Chaguanas, Trinidad and Tobago) better known The Nobel Prize (Nobelpriset (Nobelprisen is a Swedish prize established in the 1895 will of Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel; it was first awarded in Peace, Literature Trinidad ( Spanish: " Trinity " is the largest and most populous of the two major islands and The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located A Hindu ( Devanagari: हिन्दू is an adherent of the philosophies and scriptures of Hinduism, a set of religious, Philosophical He claims it has had a "calamitous effect on converted peoples", destroying their ancestral culture and history. ^[26]
• Brigitte Gabriel, founder of American Congress For Truth and author of Because They Hate. Brigitte Gabriel (born 1965 is a Lebanese American journalist author and activist American Congress for Truth ( ACT) is a Non-profit organization that focuses on threats to the US Israel and the West from Islamic fundamentalism Brigitte Gabriel (born 1965 is a Lebanese American journalist author and activist
• Oriana Fallaci, an Italian journalist and novelist who has written three short books after the events of September the 11th advancing the argument that the "Western world is in danger of being engulfed by radical Islam". Oriana Fallaci ( 29 June 1929 - 15 September 2006) was an Italian Journalist, Author, and political interviewer Two of them, The Rage and The Pride and The Force of Reason have been translated into English by Fallaci. The Rage and the Pride ( La Rabbia e l’Orgoglio in Italian) is a Book written in the wake of the September 11 2001 attacks by the The Force of Reason (La forza della ragione is a 2004 book by Italian author Oriana Fallaci. ^[27]
• Right-wing European and American politicians such as Tom Tancredo, Nick Griffin, Philippe de Villiers, Geert Wilders, Pia Kjærsgaard and Susanne Winter
• Bloggers including Hugh Fitzgerald, Lawrence Auster, Fjordman

Several scholars do not self-identify as critics of Islam but criticize some of its aspects:

• Bernard Lewis holds that unbelievers, slaves, and women are considered fundamentally inferior to other groups of people under Islamic law. Thomas Gerard Tancredo (born December 20 1945) is a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from Colorado Nicholas John "Nick" Griffin (born 1959 is a British politician Philippe de Villiers (born Viscount Philippe Le Jolis de Villiers de Saintignon on March 25, 1949) was the Mouvement pour la France Geert Wilders ('xert 'ʋildərs 'ʋildəʁs}} born 6 September 1963) is a Dutch Politician. Pia Merete Kjærsgaard (⁽ˈ⁾pʰi(ːæ ˈkʰjɛɐ̯ˀsg̊ɒːˀ born February 23, 1947 in Copenhagen) is a Danish politician Susanne Winter is a lawyer and politician for the right-wing Freedom Party of Austria in the southern Austrian city of Graz. Not to be confused with the pseudonym of L Frank Baum Hugh Fitzgerald is the vice-president of Jihad Watch. Lawrence Auster (b1949-- is an American traditionalist conservative blogger and Essayist. Fjordman is an anonymous Norwegian blogger who writes about Islam and Muslim Immigration and the danger that he believes it poses to Western civilization Bernard Lewis (born May 31, 1916 in London, England) is a British - American As a social-economic system slavery is a legal institution under which a Person (called "a slave" is compelled to work for another He does write that even the equality of free adult male Muslims represented a very considerable advance on the practice of both the Greco-Roman and the ancient Iranian world. Ancient Rome was a Civilization that grew out of a small agricultural community founded on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 10th century BC For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Iran topics. ^[28][29]
• John Esposito has written many introductory texts on Islam and the Islamic world. John Louis Esposito (born 19 May 1940 Brooklyn, New York City) is a professor of International Affairs and Islamic Studies at Georgetown University For example, he has addressed issues like the rise of militant Islam, the veiling of women, and democracy. ^[30][31] Esposito emphatically argues against what he calls the "pan-Islamic myth". He thinks that "too often coverage of Islam and the Muslim world assumes the existence of a monolithic Islam in which all Muslims are the same. " To him, such a view is naive and unjustifiably obscures important divisions and differences in the Muslim world. ^[32]
• Patricia Crone, is a scholar, author and historian of early Islamic history working at the Institute for Advanced Study. Patricia Crone, PhD, (born 1945 Denmark) is a Scholar, Author and historian of early Islamic history working at the Scholarly method &mdash or as it is more commonly called scholarship &mdash is the body of principles and practices used by scholars to make their claims about the world as An author is defined both as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created The Historiography of early Islam refers to the study of the early origins of Islam based on a critical analysis evaluation and examination of authentic Primary The Institute for Advanced Study is a private institution in Princeton Township, New Jersey, designed to foster pure cutting-edge research by scientists She co-authored the controversial Hagarism: The Making of the Islamic World, a book that researched the early history of Islam, coming to conclusions at variance with the traditional view. Hagarism The Making of the Islamic World (1977 is a controversial book on the early history of Islam written by the historians Patricia Crone and
• Geert Wilders, a Dutch politician that wants to ban the Koran in the Netherlands, because he believes it conflicts with the Dutch laws and calls for violence in general. Geert Wilders ('xert 'ʋildərs 'ʋildəʁs}} born 6 September 1963) is a Dutch Politician. The Netherlands ( Dutch:, ˈnedərlɑnt is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands the Netherlands The Netherlands ( Dutch:, ˈnedərlɑnt is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands the Netherlands

Atheists

• Michel Onfray, a French philosopher and ardent supporter of atheism. Michel Onfray (born January 1 1959 in Argentan, Orne, France) is a French Philosopher. Atheism Onfray attacks Islam along with other monotheistic religions, speaks of "muslim fascism" that had risen with the Islamic Revolution in Iran and considers Islamic teachings to be "structurally archaic". For the Celtic Frost album see Monotheist (album In Theology, monotheism (from Greek grc [[wiktμόνος μόνος]] The Iranian Revolution' (mostly known as the Islamic Revolution, Persian: انقلاب اسلامی Enghelābe Eslāmi was the Revolution that transformed However, he considers Western consumerist culture to be flawed as well. ^[33]
• Richard Dawkins an outspoken antireligionist, atheist, secular humanist, and sceptic, and he is a supporter of the Brights movement. Clinton Richard Dawkins, FRS, FRSL (born 26 March 1941 is a British ethologist, evolutionary biologist, and Popular science Antireligion is opposition to Religion. Antireligion is distinct from Atheism, although many antireligionists are also atheists Atheism Secular humanism is a humanist philosophy that upholds Reason, Ethics and Justice, and specifically rejects the Supernatural Scientific skepticism or rational skepticism ( also spelled scepticism) sometimes referred to as skeptical inquiry, is a scientific or practical ^[34]. Dawkins' impassioned advocacy of evolution has earned him the appellation "Darwin's rottweiler". ^[35]
• Sam Harris, author of the bestseller The End of Faith, who is skeptical that moderate Islam is even possible, arguing that Muslim extremism is a consequence simply of taking the Qur'an literally. Sam Harris (born 1967 is an American Non-fiction writer and Philosopher. The End of Faith (2004 is a book written by Sam Harris, concerning organized religion the clash between religious faith and rational thought and the problems of ^[36] This book has a chapter entitled "The problem with Islam" where puts forward arguments specific to Islam saying "There are good beliefs and there are bad ones and it should now be obvious to everyone that Muslims have more than their fair share of the latter". ^[37]
• Christopher Hitchens a vociferous critic of what he describes as "fascism with an Islamic face"
• Richard Carrier a philosopher and ancient historian, frequently criticises Islam in his writings on the Secular Web. Christopher Eric Hitchens (born April 13, 1949) is a British Author, Journalist, Literary critic and American This article is about the term "Islamofascism" See the broader treatment of possible relations between religion and fascism in Clerical fascism and Neofascism Richard Cevantis Carrier MA, MPhil, PhD in Ancient History, (born 1 December 1969) is a published Historian Internet Infidels, Inc is a Colorado Springs Colorado -based nonprofit educational organization founded in 1995 by Jeffery Jay Lowder and Brett Lemoine that maintains ^[38]

Evangelical Christians

• Pat Robertson who expresses the view that "Islam wants to take over the world and is not a religion of peace", and that radical Muslims are "satanic", and that Osama Bin Laden was a "true follower of Muhammad". Marion Gordon "Pat" Robertson (born March 22 1930 is a controversial Televangelist from the United States. The Religion of peace (sometimes abbreviated as ROP or RoP) is a Political neologism used to describe Islam. Osama bin Laden, with some spelling variations is the name used in English to refer to (أسامة بن محمد بن عوض بن لادن born 10 March ^[39][40]
• Jerry Falwell, another American conservative Baptist minister, characterized the prophet Muhammad as being a 'terrorist'. Jerry Lamon Falwell Sr ( August 11 1933 – May 15, 2007) was an American evangelical Christian Pastor, Baptist is a term describing individuals belonging to a Baptist church or a Baptist denomination. ^[41]
• Franklin Graham who described Islam as an 'evil and wicked religion' and suggested that those who believed Islam to be "wonderful" should "go and live under the Taliban somewhere". William Franklin Graham III (born July 14, 1952) known publicly as Franklin Graham, is an American Christian evangelist The Taliban ( طالبان, also anglicised as Taleban; translation "students" is a Sunni Islamist, predominately ^[42]

Former Muslims

There are also outspoken former Muslims who believe that Islam is the primary cause for what they see as the mistreatment of minority groups in Muslim countries and communities. Almost all of them now live in the West, many under assumed names because of a legitimate danger to themselves. Many have had death threats made against them by Islamic groups and individuals.

• Ayaan Hirsi Ali, who has focused on the plight of Muslim women, saying that "they aspire to live by their faith as best they can, but their faith robs them of their rights. Ayaan Hirsi Ali ( Ayaan Xirsi Cali; born Ayaan Hirsi Magan 13 November 1969 in Mogadishu, Somalia) is a Dutch "^[43]
• Magdi Allam, an outspoken Egyptian-born Italian journalist who describes Islam as intrinsically violent and characterised by “hate and intolerance”. Magdi Allam, as a Catholic Magdi Cristiano Allam ( Arabic: مجدي علام Maǧdī ʿAllām born April 22, 1952) ^[44] He converted to Catholicism and was baptised by Pope Benedict XVI during an Easter Vigil service on March 23, 2008. As a Christian Ecclesiastical term Catholic —from the Greek adjective, meaning "general" or "universal"—is described Pope Benedict XVI ( Latin: Benedictus PP XVI; Italian: Benedetto XVI; German: Benedikt XVI; born Joseph Alois Ratzinger
• Nonie Darwish, who founded the pro-Israel web site Arabs for Israel and stated that "Islam is more than a religion, it is a totalitarian state"^[45] She is also the author of Now They Call Me Infidel: Why I Renounced Jihad for America, Israel, and the War on Terror. Nonie Darwish (نوني درويش is an Egyptian born American writer and public speaker For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Israel topics. Nonie Darwish (نوني درويش is an Egyptian born American writer and public speaker
• Nyamko Sabuni, who is the Minister of Integration and Gender Equality in Sweden and advocates banning the veil and instituting compulsory gynecological examinations for schoolgirls to guard against female genital mutilation, stating, "I will never accept that women and girls are oppressed in the name of religion" and declaring it not her intent to reform Islam but only to denounce "unacceptable" practices. Nyamko Ana Sabuni (born 31 March 1969) is a Politician, currently serving as Minister for Integration and Gender Equality in the Swedish The Ministry of Integration and Gender Equality (Integrations- och jämställdhetsdepartementet is a ministry of the Government Offices of Sweden. "Sverige" redirects here For other uses see Sweden (disambiguation and Sverige (disambiguation. Female genital cutting (FGC also known as female genital mutilation (FGM female circumcision or female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C refers to She has received death threats, requiring 24-hour police protection, for her views. ^[46]
• Zachariah Anani, a former Sunni Muslim Lebanese militia fighter. Zachariah Anani (also Zack or Zak is a former Sunni Muslim Lebanese Militia fighter Sunni Islam is the largest denomination of Islam. Sunni Islam is also referred to as Ahl as-Sunnah wa’l-Jamā‘h (Arabic A Muslim (مسلم pronounced Muslim, not Muzlim) is an adherent of the Religion Lebanon (ˈlɛbənɒn Arabic: ar لبنان Lubnān) officially the Republic of Lebanon or Lebanese Republic (ar الجمهورية اللبنانية The term militia is commonly used today to refer to a military force composed of ordinary Citizens to provide defense emergency law enforcement or Paramilitary service Anani said that Islamic doctrine teaches nothing less than the "ambushing, seizing and slaying" of non-believers -- especially Jews and Christians. ^[47]
• Khalid Duran, a specialist in the history, sociology and politics of the Islamic world who coined the term "Islamofascism" to describe the push by some Islamist clerics to "impose religious orthodoxy on the state and the citizenry". Khalid Durán is a specialist in the History, Sociology and Politics of the Islamic world. This article is about the term "Islamofascism" See the broader treatment of possible relations between religion and fascism in Clerical fascism and Neofascism ^[48]
• Ehsan Jami, a Dutch politician who criticized Islamic prophet Muhammad, describing him as a "criminal". Ehsan Jami (born April 20, 1985) is a Dutch Politician. From March 7 2006 until November 6 2007 he was member of the City council The Netherlands ( Dutch:, ˈnedərlɑnt is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands the Netherlands A politician (from Greek " Polis " is an individual who is involved in influencing public decision making through the influence of Politics or a person Muslims regard as Prophets of Islam ( Arabic: نبي) those non-divine humans chosen by Allah as Prophets IMPORTANT PLEASE READ ##### For all questions relating to the addition of (pbuh peace be upon him or other honorifics ^[49]
• Maryam Namazie, a Communist activist and the leader of the Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain. Maryam Namazie is a communist political activist of Iranian descent. Communism is a Socioeconomic structure that promotes the establishment of an egalitarian, classless, stateless Society based The Central Council of Ex-Muslims (Zentralrat der Ex-Muslime is a German association (Verein of non-religious secular persons who were Muslim or originate from ^[50]

• Walid Shoebat a former member of the Palestine Liberation Organisation who took part in terrorist attacks against Israeli targets^[51]. Walid Shoebat (وليد شويبات is an American citizen born to a Palestinian father and American mother The Palestine Liberation Organization ( PLO) (منظمة التحرير الفلسطينية or Munazzamat al-Tahrir al-Filastiniyyah) is a political and paramilitary Terrorism is the systematic use of terror especially as a means of coercion He stated that "Secular dogma like Nazism is less dangerous than Islamofascism that we see today . Nazism, which was a short name for National Socialism (Nationalsozialismus refers primarily to the Ideology and practices of the National Socialist German This article is about the term "Islamofascism" See the broader treatment of possible relations between religion and fascism in Clerical fascism and Neofascism . . because Islamofascism has a religious twist to it; it says 'God the Almighty ordered you to do this. It is trying to grow itself in fifty-five Muslim states. So potentially, you could have a success rate of several Nazi Germanys, if these people get their way. "^[52]".
• Ibn Warraq a secularist author, intellectual, scholar and founder of the Institute for the Secularisation of Islamic Society and a senior research fellow at the Center for Inquiry^[53][54][55] specializing in Koranic criticism. Ibn Warraq (born 1946 is the Pen name of a Secularist author of Pakistani origin and founder of the Institute for the Secularisation of Islamic Society Secularism is generally the assertion that governmental practices or institutions should exist separately from Religion or religious beliefs The Institute for the Secularisation of Islamic Society ( ISIS) is an organization of scholars and writers that promotes the ideas of Rationalism, Secularism The Center for Inquiry (CFI is a non-profit educational organization with headquarters in the United States whose primary mission is to encourage evidence-based inquiry ^[56][57]
• Wafa Sultan, who has pointed out that the prophet of Islam said: "I was ordered to fight the people until they believe in Allah and his Messenger. Wafa Sultan (وفاء سلطان born 1958, Damascus, Syria) is an American Psychiatrist and a controversial critic of Muslims regard as Prophets of Islam ( Arabic: نبي) those non-divine humans chosen by Allah as Prophets " Sultan has called on Islamic teachers to review their writings and teachings and remove every call to fight people who do not believe as Muslims. ^[58] Dr. Sultan is now in hiding, fearing for her life and the safety of her family after appearing on the al-Jazeera TV show. For the English-language channel see Al Jazeera English Al Jazeera (الجزيرة al-jazīrah,, meaning "The Island" ^[59]

Muslims

• Irshad Manji, a Canadian journalist and author of The Trouble with Islam. Irshad Manji (born 1968 is a Canadian Feminist, Author, journalist, activist and professor of leadership The Trouble with Islam Today, original title The Trouble with Islam is a 2004 book critical of Islam written by Irshad Manji, styled in an open-letter ^[60]
• Ahmed H. al-Rahim, founder of American Islamic Congress, who says that the Mosques in America are teaching values of hate and not peace. Ahmed H al-Rahim is an Arabic scholar active in the promotion of a moderate form of Islam The American Islamic Congress ( AIC) is a 501(c(3 Non-profit organization based in the United States. ^[61]

Responses to criticism of Islam

• William Montgomery Watt who in his book Muhammad: Prophet and Statesman addresses Muhammad’s alleged moral failures. William Montgomery Watt ( 14 March 1909 – 24 October 2006) was an Emeritus Professor in Arabic and Islamic He claims that “Of all the world's great men none has been so much maligned as Muhammad. ” Watt argues on a basis of moral relativism that Muhammad should be judged by the standards of his own time and country rather than "by those of the most enlightened opinion in the West today. This article attempts to confine itself to discussion of relativism in morals and ethics "^[62]
• Karen Armstrong, tracing what she believes to be the West's long history of hostility toward Islam, finds in Muhammad’s teachings a theology of peace and tolerance. Karen Armstrong (born 14 November 1944 in Wildmoor Worcestershire) is a British author of numerous works on Comparative religion, who first rose to prominence with Armstrong holds that the "holy war" urged by the Qur'an alludes to each Muslim's duty to fight for a just, decent society. ^[63]
• Edward Said, in his essay Islam Through Western Eyes, stated that the general basis of Orientalist thought forms a study structure in which Islam is placed in an inferior position as an object of study. Edward Wadie Saïd MRSL ( إدوارد وديع سعيد,; 1 November 1935 &ndash 25 September Oriental studies is the academic field of study that embraces Near Eastern and Far Eastern societies and cultures languages peoples history and archaeology in recent He claims the existence of a very considerable bias in Orientalist writings as a consequence of the scholars' cultural make-up. He claims Islam has been looked at with a particular hostility and fear due to many obvious religious, psychological and political reasons, all deriving from a sense "that so far as the West is concerned, Islam represents not only a formidable competitor but also a late-coming challenge to Christianity. "^[64]
• Cathy Young of Reason Magazine claimed that the growing trend of anti-Islamic and anti-Muslim sentiment stemmed from an atmosphere where such criticism is popular. While stating that the terms "Islamophobia" and "anti-Muslim bigotry" are often used in response to legitimate criticism of fundamentalist Islam and problems within Muslim culture, she claimed "the real thing does exist, and it frequently takes the cover of anti-jihadism. Islamophobia is a Neologism that refers to Prejudice or Discrimination against Islam or Muslims The term itself dates back to the "^[65]
• Muhammad Mohar Ali says that the Qur'an records the earliest criticisms (and responses), examples of which are Muhammad being called a madman (e. g. 15:6), a poet (21:5), a kahin soothsayer (69:42), and so on. He writes that nothing of importance has been added by later critics. ^[66]

Criticism of the truthfulness of Islam and Islamic Scriptures

Reliability of the Qur'an

Main article: Criticism of the Qur'an

See also: Historicity of Muhammad -- historical authenticity of the Qur'an

See also: Origin and development of the Qur'an

Muslims believe the Qur'an to be the perfect word of Allah, and as such it cannot contain any errors or contradictions, and must be perfectly compatible with science. Muslims believe that the Qur'an is the literal word of God as recited to Muhammad through the angel Gabriel. The historicity of Muhammad concerns the reconstruction of the life of the historical Muhammad. The study of the origins and development of the Qur’an can be said to fall into two major schools of thought the first being a Traditionalist Muslim view and It is so perfect that readers must conclude it is of divine, rather than human, origin.

Critics argue that:

• the Qur'an has scientific errors. ^[67]
• the Qur'an contains numerous verses which contradict each other. ^[68]
• the Qur'an contains incorrect cosmological explanations. ^[38]
• there is nothing miraculously new in the Qur'an^[38]
• the Qur'an is not original, but rather shows the influence of Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Sabianism, and Samaritanism in its origins. Zoroastrianism (ˌzɔroʊˈæstriəˌnɪzəm is the religion and philosophy based on the teachings Judaism (from the Greek Ioudaïsmos, derived from the Hebrew יהודה Yehudah, " Judah " in Hebrew יַהֲדוּת Yahedut The Sabians ( صابئين, צבאים) were a religious group American missionary S Zwemer claimed the Qur'an

• The oldest scripts of the Qur'an (the Sana'a manuscripts, found in Yemen in 1972) ^[69] contain differences from the traditional version. The Sana'a manuscripts —found in the Great Mosque of Sana'a, Yemen in 1972 represent the oldest existent version of the Qur'an, dated to the latter half Yemen ( Arabic: اليَمَن al-Yaman officially the Republic of Yemen ( Arabic: الجمهورية اليمنية al-Jumhuuriyya ^[70] Critics believe that this implies that the Qur'an has changed over time. ^[71]
• The traditional account of the history of Islam says there were two verses in the Qur'an (known as the Satanic Verses) that were allegedly added by Muhammad when he was tricked by Satan. Satanic Verses is an expression coined by the historian Sir William Muir in reference to a few verses delivered by Muhammad as part of the Qur'an IMPORTANT PLEASE READ ##### For all questions relating to the addition of (pbuh peace be upon him or other honorifics These verses referred to "daughters of Allah". These verses were later removed from the Qur'an. ^[72][62] Allah is said to guarantee that any errors will eventually be corrected.

Muslim Answers to Criticism of the Qur'an

• On Scientific Errors & Contradictions

Prominent muslims such as Dr. Zakir Naik, on the other hand claim that "every single of these criticisms can be easily refuted; all one needs is an unbiased mind and an understanding of the (criticized) verses or chapters in the their right context"^[73][74]. His lectures^[75] and debates are mostly centered around the removing of misconceptions regarding Islam and the Quran. In his book titled The Qur'an and Modern Science, Compatible or Incompatible?^[76] he explains a number of scientific 'miracles' of the Qur'an (i. e. verses referring to what has only recently been scientifically established) and thus concludes The scientific evidences of the Qur’an clearly prove its Divine origin. No human could have produced a book, fourteen hundred years ago, that would contain such profound scientific facts. The Qur’an, however, is not a book of Science but a book of ‘Signs’. He and most other muslims scholars like Ahmed Deedat claim that the seeming contradictions amongst verses in the Qur'an can be refuted simply by understanding verses in their context. They also claim that Qur'an itself poses a challenge to anyone to find a single contradiction and prove the Qur'an was not authored by Allah"^[77]; they all then quote the following verse:-

“

Will they not then ponder on the Qur'an? If it had been from other than Allah they would have found therein much contradictions. Allah ( Arabic: الله, ʔalˤːɑːh) is the standard Arabic word for ' (Qur'an, Chapter 4:Verse 82)

”

• On some Similarities with other Religious Scriptures

Writers such as S. M. Saifullah argue that it is an Islamic viewpoint that every nation was sent a Messenger for their guidance by Allah. The important matter was the concept of Tawheed (i. e. Islamic-monotheism) while the secondary matter was Shariah which kept changing from nation to nation^[78]; their arguments are based on Qur'anic verses like the following

“

And verily, We have sent among every Ummah (community, nation) a Messenger (proclaiming): "Worship Allah (Alone), and avoid (or keep away from) Taghut (all false deities, etc. Sharia ( Arabic: ar شريعة) is the body of Islamic Religious law. i. e. , do not worship Taghut besides Allah). " Then of them were some whom Allah guided and of them were some upon whom the straying was justified. So travel through the land and see what was the end of those who denied (the truth). (Qur'an, Chapter 16:Verse 36)

”

and others. Muslims thus believe that it is obligatory for them to believe in the prophets mentioned by Prophet Muhammed and the Qur'an. IMPORTANT PLEASE READ ##### For all questions relating to the addition of (pbuh peace be upon him or other honorifics ^[79]

• The Sana'a manuscripts

Aisha Geissinger, a notable writer on Islam, notes in her article titled 'Orientalists plot against the Qur'an under the guise of academic study and archive preservation'^[80] {{cquote| that the existence of minor differences in wording and in the ordering of the surahs in the earliest masahif (manuscripts) is no surprise to classical Muslim scholars, since such variations occurred for reasons like the dialectical differences in different regions of Arabia and the fact that some of the Sahaba (many of who were known to have memorized the Qur'an) recorded such masahif for their own personal use as an aid to memory; thus, notes in the margins such as the wording of du'as (supplications) occurred, and the order of surahs varied. Scholars in Islamic studies are both Muslim and non-Muslim scholars who work in one or more fields of Islamic studies. In Islam, the Ṣaḥābah (الصحابة "Companions" were the companions of the Islamic prophet Muḥammad. Books written by classical Muslim scholars, such as al-Suyuti's Itqan, go into great detail about such issues.
Gerd-Ruediger Puin who originally studied these, after the publication of the Atlantic Monthly article in 1999, wrote a letter in which he revealed^[81]:

“

The important thing, thank God, is that these Yemeni Qur'anic fragments do not differ from those found in museums and libraries elsewhere, with the exception of details that do not touch the Qur'an itself, but are rather differences in the way words are spelled. Gerd Rüdiger Puin (born 1940 is a German scholar and the world's foremost authority on Qur'anic Paleography, the study and scholarly interpretation of Year 1999 ( MCMXCIX) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1999 Gregorian calendar) This phenomenon is well-known, even in the Qur'an published in Cairo in which is written: Ibrhim next to Ibrhm Quran next to Qrn Simahum next to Simhum' In the oldest Yemeni Qur'anic fragments, for example, the phenomenon of not writing the vowel alif is rather common. In Phonetics, a vowel is a Sound in spoken Language, such as English ah! or oh!, pronounced with an open Vocal tract is the reconstructed name of the first letter of the Proto-Canaanite alphabet, continued in descended Semitic alphabets as Phoenician

”

In his book titled 'The History of The Qur’ānic Text from Revelation to Compilation: A Comparative Study with the Old and New Testaments'^[82], professor Muhammed Mustafa al-Azami thus concludes that this deflates the entire controversy.

Reliability of hadith

Main article: Hadith

Hadith are Muslim traditions relating to the Sunna (words and deeds) of Muhammad. Hadith ( ar الحديث, pl aḥadīth; lit. "narrative" are oral Traditions relating to the words and deeds of the Islamic Hadith ( ar الحديث, pl aḥadīth; lit. "narrative" are oral Traditions relating to the words and deeds of the Islamic They are drawn from the writings of scholars writing between 844 and 874 CE, more than 200 years after the death of Mohammed in 632 CE. ^[83] In general, for Muslims the hadith are second only to the Qur'an in importance,^[84] although some scholars put more emphasis on the perpetual adherence of Muslim nation to the traditions to give them credibility, and not solely on hadith. Ummah (أمة is an Arabic word meaning Community or Nation. It is commonly used to mean either the collective nation of states, or (in the ^[85]. Most of our knowledge about the life of Muhammad comes from the hadith, many of which were biographies of Mohammed. Many Islamic practices (such as the Pillars of Islam) are drawn from the hadith. The Five Pillars of Islam (Arabic أركان الإسلام is the term given to the five duties incumbent on every Muslim.

However, there is criticism of the historical reliability of hadith. John Esposito notes that "Modern Western scholarship has seriously questioned the historicity and authenticity of the hadith", maintaining that "the bulk of traditions attributed to the Prophet Muhammad were actually written much later. John Louis Esposito (born 19 May 1940 Brooklyn, New York City) is a professor of International Affairs and Islamic Studies at Georgetown University " He mentions Joseph Schacht as one scholar who argues this, claiming that Schacht "found no evidence of legal traditions before 722," from which Schacht concluded that "the Sunna of the Prophet is not the words and deeds of the Prophet, but apocryphal material" dating from later. Joseph Schacht, born in Ratibor, 15 March 1902, died in Englewood, 1 August 1969, was a British-German professor of ^[86]

Other Western scholars, like Wilferd Madelung, are more confident in the reliability of Islamic traditions, rejecting the stance of some historians who show an "extreme distrust" for "Muslim literary sources for the early age of Islam". Wilferd Ferdinand Madelung (born 26 December 1930) is a scholar of Islam. Madelung wrote in the preface of his book The Succession to Muhammad:

Within Islam, different schools and sects have different opinions on the proper selection and use of hadith. The four schools of Sunni Islam all consider hadith second only to the Qur'an, although they differ on how much freedom of interpretation should be allowed to legal scholars. ^[88] Shi'i scholars disagree with Sunni scholars as to which hadith should be considered reliable. The Shi'as accept the Sunna of Ali and the Imams as authoritative in addition to the Sunna of Muhammad, and as a consequence they maintain their own, different, collections of hadith. ^[89]

On the extreme end, there have been Muslims who deny the authority of the hadith completely or almost completely (manifestations of which have sometimes been termed the Quran-only movement). Qur'an alone Muslims Qur'anic Muslims, or sometimes Anti-Hadith Muslims, is a term used to refer to Muslims who reject Hadith, or reported traditions of Early in Islamic history there was a school of thought that adhered to this view, but it receded in importance after coming under criticism by al-Shafi'i. TemplateInfobox Muslim scholars --> Al-Shafi'i, Arabic Jurist (150 AH/767 AD - 204 AH/820 AD Daniel Brown describes a modern anti-hadith movement that reached its peak in the 1950s and 1960s, but is now in decline. ^[90] The Submitters movement today holds to a Quran-only view,^[91] although they are considered heretical by more traditionalist Muslims. The United Submitters International is a minor Islamic group founded by Rashad Khalifa. ^[92]

Lack of secondary evidence

See also: Historiography of early Islam

The traditional view of Islam has also been criticised for the lack of supporting evidence consistent with that view, such as the lack of archaeological evidence, and discrepancies with non-Muslim literary sources. The Historiography of early Islam refers to the study of the early origins of Islam based on a critical analysis evaluation and examination of authentic Primary ^[93] (see Hagarism)

Criticism of the morality of Islam

Criticism of the morality of Muhammad

Main article: Criticism of Muhammad

Muslims consider Muhammad to be the final prophet, the messenger of the final revelation that he called the Qur’an. Hagarism The Making of the Islamic World (1977 is a controversial book on the early history of Islam written by the historians Patricia Crone and Criticism of Muhammad has existed since the 7th century when Muhammad was attacked by his non-Muslim Arab contemporaries for preaching Monotheism, IMPORTANT PLEASE READ ##### For all questions relating to the addition of (pbuh peace be upon him or other honorifics The Qur’an ( القرآن, literally "the recitation" also sometimes transliterated as Qur’ān, Koran, Alcoran Muslims believe that Muhammad is righteous, holy, no more than a messenger, a warner and seal of Prophets. However, critics such as Koelle and Ibn Warraq, as well as some other non-Muslims, see some of his actions as immoral. Ibn Warraq (born 1946 is the Pen name of a Secularist author of Pakistani origin and founder of the Institute for the Secularisation of Islamic Society ^[5][7] Islamic scholars, such as William Montgomery Watt disagree, especially when a comparison is made between Muhammad and Biblical prophets. William Montgomery Watt ( 14 March 1909 – 24 October 2006) was an Emeritus Professor in Arabic and Islamic Watt, for example, argues that Muhammad should be judged by the standards of his own time and country rather than "by those of the most enlightened opinion in the West today. "

Criticism of the morality of the Qur'an

Main article: Criticism of the Qur'an

Muslims believe that the Qur'an is the literal word of God as recited to Muhammad through the Angel Gabriel. Muslims believe that the Qur'an is the literal word of God as recited to Muhammad through the angel Gabriel. The Qur’an ( القرآن, literally "the recitation" also sometimes transliterated as Qur’ān, Koran, Alcoran Gabriel ( Latin: Gabrielus; Greek:, Gabriēl; Arabic: جبريل Jibrīl or جبرائيل Criticism of the Qur'an generally consists of questioning traditional claims about the Qur'an's composition and content.

It is a central tenet of Islam that the Qur'an is perfect, so criticism of the Qur'an is considered criticism of Islam. The Qur’an ( القرآن, literally "the recitation" also sometimes transliterated as Qur’ān, Koran, Alcoran

This is a list of critical arguments:

• Critics argue that the Quranic verse ^{[Qur'an 4:34]} allows Muslim men to beat their wives. The Qur’an ( القرآن, literally "the recitation" also sometimes transliterated as Qur’ān, Koran, Alcoran ^[94][95]

"Men are the managers of the affairs of women for that God has preferred in bounty one of them over another, and for that they have expended of their property. Righteous women are therefore obedient, guarding the secret for God's guarding. And those you fear may be rebellious admonish; banish them to their couches, and beat them. If they then obey you, look not for any way against them; God is All high, All great. " (Koran, Quran, 4:34)

• Critics claim that because violence is implicit in the Qur'anic text, Islam itself, not just Islamism, promotes terrorism. Islamism ( Islam + ism; Arabic: al-'islāmiyya) a set of ideologies holding that Islam is not only ^[96][97]
• The Quran is criticized for advocating the death penalty. Capital punishment, the death penalty or execution, is the Killing of a person by judicial process as Punishment. ^[98][99]
• Some critics argue that the Qur'an is incompatible with other religious scriptures, attacks and advocates hate against people of other religions. ^{[8][100][101][102][103]}

Human Rights: Apostasy

Decision of a Fatwa committee on the case of a convert to Christianity: "Since he left Islam, he will be invited to express his regret. A fatwā (فتوى plural fatāwā فتاوى in the Islamic faith is a religious opinion on Islamic law issued by an Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings If he does not regret, he will be killed pertaining to rights and obligations of the Islamic law. "

Main article: Apostasy in Islam

Apostasy in Islamic law

Bernard Lewis summarizes:

The four Sunni schools of Islamic jurisprudence, as well as Shi'a scholars, agree that a sane adult male apostate must be executed. Sunni Islam is the largest denomination of Islam. Sunni Islam is also referred to as Ahl as-Sunnah wa’l-Jamā‘h (Arabic A female apostate may be put to death, according to the majority view, or imprisoned until she repents, according to others. ^[105]

The Qur'an threatens apostate with punishment in the next world only, the historian W. Heffening states, the traditions however contain the element of death penalty. Muslim scholar Shafi'i interprets verse ^{[Qur'an 2:217]} as adducing the main evidence for the death penalty in Qur'an. The Qur’an ( القرآن, literally "the recitation" also sometimes transliterated as Qur’ān, Koran, Alcoran ^[106] The historian Wael Hallaq states the later addition of death penalty "reflects a later reality and does not stand in accord with the deeds of the Prophet. " He further states that "nothing in the law governing apostate and apostasy derives from the letter of the holy text. "^[107]

William Montgomery Watt, in response to a question about Western views of the Islamic Law as being cruel, states that "In Islamic teaching, such penalties may have been suitable for the age in which Muhammad lived. William Montgomery Watt ( 14 March 1909 – 24 October 2006) was an Emeritus Professor in Arabic and Islamic However, as societies have since progressed and become more peaceful and ordered, they are not suitable any longer. "^[108]

Some contemporary Islamic jurists from both the Sunni and Shi'a denominations together with Qur'an only Muslims have argued or issued fatwas that state that either the changing of religion is not punishable or is only punishable under restricted circumstances. Qur'an alone Muslims Qur'anic Muslims, or sometimes Anti-Hadith Muslims, is a term used to refer to Muslims who reject Hadith, or reported traditions of A fatwā (فتوى plural fatāwā فتاوى in the Islamic faith is a religious opinion on Islamic law issued by an ^{[109][110][111][112][113][114][115][116]} For example, Grand Ayatollah Hossein-Ali Montazeri argues that no Qur'anic verse prescribes an earthly penalty for apostasy and adds that it is not improbable that the punishment was prescribed by Muhammad at early Islam due to political conspiracies against Islam and Muslims and not only because of changing the belief or expressing it. Grand Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri (حسین علی منتظری styled His Honourable Eminence, (born in 1922 was one of the leaders of the Islamic Montazeri defines different types of apostasy. He does not hold that a reversion of belief because of investigation and research is punishable by death but prescribes capital punishment for a desertion of Islam out of malice and enmity towards the Muslim. ^[117]

Contemporary treatment of accused apostates

Today, out of 57 mostly Islamic countries in OIC, five make apostasy from Islam a crime punishable by death: Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Sudan and Yemen. The Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC is an International organization with a permanent delegation to the United Nations. Afghanistan /æfˈgænɪstæn/ officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan ( Pashto: د افغانستان اسلامي جمهوریت, The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, KSA ( المملكة العربية السعودية, al-Mamlaka al-ʻArabiyya as-Suʻūdiyya) or Suudi For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Iran topics. Sudan (officially the Republic of Sudan) ( السودان al-Sūdān is a country in northeastern Africa. Yemen ( Arabic: اليَمَن al-Yaman officially the Republic of Yemen ( Arabic: الجمهورية اليمنية al-Jumhuuriyya According the US State Department, there have been no reports any executions carried out by the government of Saudi Arabia for several years. ^[118] On the other hand, in Pakistan, vigilante attacks against alleged apostates are common. ^[119]

Abdul Rahman

The recent case of Afghan Abdul Rahman has achieved particular notoriety. Abdul Rahman (عبدالرحمن (born 1965) is an Afghan Citizen who was arrested in February 2006 and threatened with the death penalty In early 2006, Rahman was arrested and held by Afghan authorities on charges that he converted from Islam to Christianity, a capital offense in Afghanistan. Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings Many Muslim clerics in the country pushed for a death sentence, but after international pressure (including a public statement by U. S. Secretary of State at the time Condoleezza Rice) he was released and secretly given asylum in Italy. Condoleezza Rice (born November 14 1954 is the 66th United States Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest ^[120][121]

Nasr Abu Zayd

In 1993, an Egyptian professor named Nasr Abu Zayd was divorced from his wife by an Egyptian court run by Islamic radicals on the grounds that his controversial writings about the Qur'an demonstrated his apostasy. This article is about the country of Egypt For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Egypt topics. Nasr Hamid Abu Zayd, in Arabic ar نصر حامد ابو زيد (born July 10 1943 is an Egyptian Qur'anic thinker and one of the leading liberal theologists in He subsequently fled to Europe with his wife. ^[122] Another Egyptian professor, Farag Fuda, was killed in 1992 by masked men after criticizing Muslim fundamentalists and announcing plans to form a new movement for Egyptians of all religions. ^[123]

Apostasy and Human Rights Conventions

Some widely held interpretations of Islam are inconsistent with Human Rights conventions that recognize the right to change religion. ^[124][125]

In particular article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights ^[126] states:

To implement this, Article 18 (2) of the ICCPR states:

The right for Muslims to change their religion is not afforded by the Iranian Shari'ah law, which specifically forbids it ^{[127][125][124]}

Muslim countries such as Sudan, Iran, and Saudi Arabia, have the death penalty for apostasy from Islam. Sudan (officially the Republic of Sudan) ( السودان al-Sūdān is a country in northeastern Africa. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Iran topics. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, KSA ( المملكة العربية السعودية, al-Mamlaka al-ʻArabiyya as-Suʻūdiyya) or Suudi ^[128].

These countries have criticized the Universal Declaration of Human Rights for its perceived failure to take into account the cultural and religious context of non-Western countries. The term Western world, the West or the Occident ( Latin: occidens -sunset -west as distinct from the Orient) can have multiple meanings

In 1990, the Organisation of the Islamic Conference published a separate Cairo Declaration of Human Rights compliant with Shari'ah. The Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC is an International organization with a permanent delegation to the United Nations. The Cairo Declaration of Human Rights in Islam (CDHRI is a declaration of the member states of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference, which provides an overview on the ^[129]. Although granting many of the rights in the UN declaration, it does not grant Muslims the right to convert to other religions, and restricts freedom of speech to those expressions of it that are not in contravention of the Islamic law. Freedom of speech is the freedom to speak freely without Censorship or Limitation.

Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi, the founder of Jamaat-e-Islami,^[130] wrote a book called Human Rights in Islam^[131], in which he argues that respect for human rights has always been enshrined in Sharia law (indeed that the roots of these rights are to be found in Islamic doctrine)^[132] and criticizes Western notions that there is an inherent contradiction between the two. Sayyid Abul A'la Maududi (Urdu سید ابو الاعلىٰ مودودی - alternative spellings of last name Maudoodi, and Mawdudi) ( -) also known Jamaat-e-Islami ( Urdu: جماعتِ اسلامی, " Islamic Block " Jamaat, JI) is an Islamist Human Rights in Islam is a 1976 book written by Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi, the founder of Jamaat-e-Islami. Human rights refers to the "basic Rights and freedoms to which all humans are entitled Sharia ( Arabic: ar شريعة) is the body of Islamic Religious law. ^[133]. Western scholars have, for the most part, rejected Maududi's analysis. ^{[134][135] [136]}

Women

Main articles: Women and Islam#Liberal Islam, Islamic feminism, and other progressive criticism and Islam and domestic violence

Many have asserted that "women are not treated as equal members" of Muslim societies ^[10] and have criticized Islam for condoning this treatment. The relationship between Islam and domestic violence is disputed ^[11] The term "Muslim apartheid" has been used to highlight religious isolation in France as well as gender segregation practices. ^[137][138]

The Catholic Church has warned christian women about marrying Muslim men because of the "inferior" status of women in Muslim countries and the nonexistence of maternal rights to children. [7]

Homosexuals

Main article: Homosexuality and Islam

Critics such as Muslim lesbian activist Irshad Manji^[139], former muslim Ehsan Jami and the Dutch Muslim-born politician Ayaan Hirsi Ali have criticized Islam's attitudes towards homosexuals. Islamic views on homosexuality have always been influenced by the rulings prescribed by the Qur'an and the teachings of the Islamic prophet Muhammed. Irshad Manji (born 1968 is a Canadian Feminist, Author, journalist, activist and professor of leadership Ehsan Jami (born April 20, 1985) is a Dutch Politician. From March 7 2006 until November 6 2007 he was member of the City council Ayaan Hirsi Ali ( Ayaan Xirsi Cali; born Ayaan Hirsi Magan 13 November 1969 in Mogadishu, Somalia) is a Dutch Most international human rights organizations, such as Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, condemn Islamic laws that make homosexual relations between consenting adults a crime. Human Rights Watch is a United States -based international Non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on Human rights. Amnesty International (commonly known as Amnesty or AI) is a Western based international Non-governmental organization which defines its mission as "to Since 1994 the United Nations Human Rights Committee has also ruled that such laws violated the right to privacy guaranteed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights ( UDHR) is a declaration adopted by the United Nations General Assembly ( 10 December 1948 at Palais The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights is a United Nations Treaty based on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, created in However (except for nations such as Turkey that were required to change their laws to be eligible to join the European Union) most Muslim nations insist that such laws are neccesary to preserve Islamic morality and virtue. Turkey (Türkiye known officially as the Republic of Turkey ( is a Eurasian Country that stretches The European Union ( EU) is a political and economic union of twenty-seven member states, located primarily in ^[140]

Violence towards critics of Islam

Marchers hold signs expressing extremist sentiments outside Danish Embassy in London in 2006

Despite the claims that Islam is a "religion of peace", it has been criticised as being intolerant and violent towards its critics. See also Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy, Timeline of the Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy On Friday 3 The Religion of peace (sometimes abbreviated as ROP or RoP) is a Political neologism used to describe Islam.

• Ibn Warraq has collected and published stories of the reported mistreatment of Muslim apostates at the hands of Islamic authorities. Ibn Warraq (born 1946 is the Pen name of a Secularist author of Pakistani origin and founder of the Institute for the Secularisation of Islamic Society ^[6]
• German professor Christoph Luxenberg feels compelled to work under a pseudonym to protect himself because of fears that a new book on the origins of the Qur'an may make him a target for violence. Christoph Luxenberg is a German scholar and professor of ancient Semitic and Arabic languages. ^[141]
• Hashem Aghajari, an Iranian university professor, was initially sentenced to death because of a speech that criticized some of the present Islamic practices in Iran being in contradiction with the original practices and ideology of Islam, and particularly for stating that Muslims were not "monkeys" and "should not blindly follow" the clerics. Hashem Aghajari (هاشم آغاجری also Seyyed Hashem Aghajari (born ~1957 is an Iranian historian university professor and The sentence was later commuted to three years in jail, and he was released in 2004 after serving two years of that sentence. ^{[142][143][144]}
• In recent times fatwas calling for execution have been issued against author Salman Rushdie and activist Taslima Nasreen. A fatwā (فتوى plural fatāwā فتاوى in the Islamic faith is a religious opinion on Islamic law issued by an Sir Ahmed Salman Rushdie Kt (born 19 June 1947 is an Indian - British novelist and essayist Born Nasrin Jahan Taslima to Rajab Ali and Idul Ara Taslima Nasrin (তসিলমা নাসরিন also spelled Taslima Nasreen and popularly referred to as 'Taslima' ^[145]
• On November 2, 2004, Dutch Filmmaker Theo van Gogh was assassinated by Dutch born Mohammed Bouyeri for producing the 10 minute film Submission critical of the abusive treatment of women within Islam. Events 1570 - A Tidal wave in the North Sea devastates the coast from Holland to Jutland, killing more than 1000 "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " Theo van Gogh (ˈteːjoː vɑnˈxɔx ( July 23, 1957 – November 2, 2004) was a Dutch Film director, Television producer Mohammed Bouyeri (محمد بويري (born March 8 1978 in Amsterdam) a Dutch – Moroccan, is currently serving a Life sentence Submission is a 10-minute film in English directed by Theo van Gogh and written by Ayaan Hirsi Ali (a former Tweede Kamer member A letter threatening the author of the screenplay, Ayaan Hirsi Ali, was pinned to his body by a knife. Ayaan Hirsi Ali ( Ayaan Xirsi Cali; born Ayaan Hirsi Magan 13 November 1969 in Mogadishu, Somalia) is a Dutch Hirsi Ali entered into hiding immediately following the assassination. ^[146]
• On September 30, 2005, the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten published editorial cartoons, many of which depicted the Islamic prophet Mohammed. Events 1399 - Henry IV is proclaimed King of England. 1744 - France and Spain defeat the Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The publication was intended to contribute to the debate regarding criticism of Islam and self-censorship - objectives which manifested themselves in the public outcry from Muslim communities within Denmark and the subsequent apology by the paper. However, the controversy deepened when further examples of the cartoons were reprinted in newspapers in more than fifty other countries. This led to protests across the Muslim world, some of which escalated into violence, including setting fire to the Norwegian and Danish Embassies in Syria, and the storming of European buildings and desecration of the Danish and German flags in Gaza City. ^[147]
• On September 19, 2006 French writer and philosophy teacher Robert Redeker wrote an editorial for Le Figaro, a French conservative newspaper, in which he attacked Islam and Muhammad, writing: "Pitiless war leader, pillager, butcher of Jews and polygamous, this is how Mohammed is revealed by the Qur'an"; he received death threats and went into hiding. Events 335 - Dalmatius is raised to the rank of Caesar by his uncle Constantine I. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Philosophy is the study of general problems concerning matters such as existence knowledge truth beauty justice validity mind and language Robert Redeker is a French writer and Philosophy teacher He was teaching at the Pierre-Paul-Riquet high school in Saint-Orens-de-Gameville, and at the Le Figaro is one of the leading French morning daily Newspapers Its editorial line is conservative and has generally been supportive of ^[148]
• On 4 August 2007, Ehsan Jami was attacked in his hometown Voorburg, in The Netherlands, by three men. Events 70 - The Destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem by the Romans. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Ehsan Jami (born April 20, 1985) is a Dutch Politician. From March 7 2006 until November 6 2007 he was member of the City council Voorburg is a Dutch town and former municipality of approximately 39000 inhabitants in the western part of the province of South Holland, the Netherlands The Netherlands ( Dutch:, ˈnedərlɑnt is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands the Netherlands The attack is widely believed to be linked to his activities for the Central Committee for Ex-Muslims. The Central Committee for Ex-Muslims ( Centraal Comité voor Ex-moslims) is a Dutch committee that aims to aid Muslims who wish to leave Islam through the constitutional The national anti-terrorism coordinator's office, the public prosecution department and the police decided during a meeting on 6 August that "additional measures" were necessary for the protection of Jami who has subsequently received extra security. Events 1538 - Bogotá, Colombia, is founded by Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada. ^[149]

Islam's influence on the ability of Muslim immigrants in the West to assimilate

The immigration of Muslims to European countries has increased greatly in recent decades, and frictions have developed between these new neighbours. Conservative Muslim social attitudes on modern issues have caused much controversy in Europe and elsewhere, and scholars argue about how much of these attitudes are a result of Islamic beliefs. ^[150] The 24-year-rule was introduced in Denmark, whereby a person must be over 24 years old to marry a foreign born individual. This law came into place to prevent arranged marriages, not uncommon among Muslim immigrants to Denmark.

Some critics say that Islam is incompatible with secular society,^[12] and their criticism has been influenced by a stance against multiculturalism advocated by recent philosophers, closely linked to the heritage of New Philosophers. The term multiculturalism generally refers to a state of racial, cultural and ethnic diversity within the Demographics of a specified The New Philosophers (French nouveaux philosophes) is a term referring to French philosophers who broke with Marxism and the Left in general Fiery polemic on the subject by proponents like Pascal Bruckner,^[151] and Paul Cliteur has kindled international debate. ^[152] They hold multiculturalism to be an invention of an enlightened elite who deny the benefits of democratic rights to the rest of humanity by chaining people to their roots. They claim this allows Islam free rein to propagate abuses such as the mistreatment of women and homosexuals, and in some countries slavery. Islamic views on homosexuality have always been influenced by the rulings prescribed by the Qur'an and the teachings of the Islamic prophet Muhammed. The major juristic schools of Islam traditionally accepted the institution of Slavery. They also claim multiculturalism allows freedom of religion^[153] to exceed the realms of personal religious experience^[154] and to organize towards mundane ambitions seeking moral and political influence that opposes European secular or Christian values. This tendency to focus criticism of Islam on politics and the non-European identity of its traditions triggered a new debate on Islamophobia. Islamophobia is a Neologism that refers to Prejudice or Discrimination against Islam or Muslims The term itself dates back to the ^[150]

See also

Topics regarding Islam and controversy

Criticism of other beliefs

• Anti-Catholicism
• Anti-clericalism
• Anti-Judaism
• Anti-Mormonism
• Anti-Protestantism

External links

Notes

References

• Cohen, Mark R. (1995). Mark Cohen may refer to Mark Cohen (''Rent'', fictional character Mark Cohen (cricketer Mark Cohen (comedian Under Crescent and Cross. Princeton University Press; Reissue edition. ISBN 978-0691010823.  
• Lockman, Zachary (2004). Contending Visions of the Middle East: The History and Politics of Orientalism. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0521629379.  
• Rippin, Andrew (2001). Andrew Rippin, FRSC is Professor of History and Dean of the Faculty of Humanities at the University of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada Muslims: Their Religious Beliefs and Practices, 2nd, Routledge. ISBN 978-0415217811.  
• Westerlund, David (2003). "Ahmed Deedat's Theology of Religion: Apologetics through Polemics". Journal of Religion in Africa 33 (3).  >

Further reading

• Is Terrorism a Muslim Monopoly by Dr.Zakir Naik
• The miracle and challenge of the Qur'an
• The Truth About Muhammad: Founder of the World's Most Intolerant Religion by Robert Spencer
• The Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam (And the Crusades) by Robert Spencer
• What they say about Muhammed and Islam by Dr. Zakir Abdul Karim Naik (born October 18, 1965) is an Indian Public speaker, and Writer on the subject of Islam and The Truth About Muhammad Founder of the World's Most Intolerant Religion (2006 is a book by Robert Spencer, the director of Jihad Watch and Dhimmi Robert Bruce Spencer (born 1962 is an American author who writes articles and books relating to Islam and Islamic terrorism. The Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam (And the Crusades is a book by best-selling author Robert Spencer, the director of Jihad Watch Robert Bruce Spencer (born 1962 is an American author who writes articles and books relating to Islam and Islamic terrorism. A. Zahoor and Dr. Z. Haq
• Ar-Raheeq Al-Makhtum - (THE SEALED NECTAR) Memoirs of the Noble Prophet [pbuh] by Saifur Rahman al-Mubarakpuri.
• Onward Muslim Soldiers by Robert Spencer
• The Legacy of Jihad by Andrew G. Bostom
• Medical Science according to the Quran
• Who Wrote the Qur'an?
• Islam and Dhimmitude: Where Civilizations Collide by Bat Ye'or
• Decline of Eastern Christianity: From Jihad to Dhimmitude by Bat Ye'or
• The Al Qaeda Connection: International Terrorism, Organized Crime, And the Coming Apocalypse by Paul L. Williams
• http://www.themodernreligion.com/basic/quran/quran-amazing.html The Amazing Qur'an by Gary Miller
• An Autumn of War: What America Learned from September 11 and the War on Terrorism by Victor Davis Hanson
• Arabs and Israel - Conflict or Conciliation? by Sheikh Ahmed Hoosen Deedat
• Jihad: The Trail of Political Islam by Gilles Kepel
• The War for Muslim Minds by Gilles Kepel
• J. Onward Muslim Soldiers How Jihad Still Threatens America and the West (ISBN 0-89526-100-6 published in October 2003 is a topical Nonfiction book by popular Robert Bruce Spencer (born 1962 is an American author who writes articles and books relating to Islam and Islamic terrorism. The Legacy of Jihad is a book by Andrew Bostom. The foreword was written by ex-Muslim author and Islam critic Ibn Warraq. Andrew G Bostom, MD MS is an American scholar and Associate Professor of Medicine at Brown University Medical School Islam and Dhimmitude Where Civilizations Collide is a book by Bat Ye'or. Bat Ye'or (בת יאור meaning "daughter of the Nile " a Pseudonym of Gisèle Littman, The Decline of Eastern Christianity under Islam From Jihad to Dhimmitude is a book by Historian and expert on Islamic culture Bat Ye'or Bat Ye'or (בת יאור meaning "daughter of the Nile " a Pseudonym of Gisèle Littman, Paul L Williams is an American Author, Journalist, and Consultant. Gary Gene Miller (born October 16, 1948) American politician has been a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives Victor Davis Hanson (born 1953 in Fowler California) is a Military historian, Columnist, political essayist and former Classics professor notable Sheikh Ahmed Hussein Deedat ( July 1, 1918 – August 8, 2005) was a Muslim Author, Lecturer, and Orator Jihad The Trail of Political Islam (French Jihad Expansion et Déclin de l"Islamisme) is a book by French author and scholar Gilles Kepel. Gilles Kepel (born 30 June 1955) is a prominent French scholar and analyst of the Islamic and the Arab world The War for Muslim Minds is a 2004 Gilles Kepel (born 30 June 1955) is a prominent French scholar and analyst of the Islamic and the Arab world Tolan, Saracens; Islam in the Medieval European Imagination (2002)
• Esposito, John L. (1995). The Islamic Threat: Myth or Reality?. Oxford University Press, USA. ISBN 0-19-510298-3.  
• Halliday, Fred (2003). Islam and the Myth of Confrontation: Religion and Politics of the Middle East. I. B. Tauris, New York. ISBN 1-86064-868-1.  
• Esposito, John L. (2003). Unholy War: Terror in the Name of Islam. Oxford University Press, USA. ISBN 0-19-516886-0.  

• Geisler, Norman L. (2002). Answering Islam: The Crescent in Light of the Cross. Baker Books. ISBN 0-8010-6430-9.  
• Ibn Warraq, Why I Am Not a Muslim (1995)
• —, Leaving Islam: Apostates Speak Out
• The Institute for the Study of Civil Society report - The ‘West’, Islam and Islamism
• Zwemer Islam, a Challenge to Faith (New York, 1907)
• Shoja-e-din Shafa, Rebirth (1995) (Persian Title: تولدى ديگر)
• Shoja-e-din Shafa, After 1400 Years (2000) (Persian Title: پس از 1400 سال)
• Category:Books critical of Islam