665instr@kuhub.cc.ukans.edu (Ian) (06/20/91)
Dear Muslim friends,
In article <1991Jun17.133415.17232@wpi.WPI.EDU>, msa@zeus.unomaha.edu (MSA of
Nebraska U. @Omaha &Omaha Islamic Center) points out that Islam has a lot of
laws protecting the rights of non-Muslims in a Muslim state.
I am from Malaysia, which has Islam as the official religion, but I was brought
up by an Atheist father and Chinese-Buddhist mother. Later, I converted to
Christianity.
I have a house-mate from Pakistan, who is a devout Muslim. One day, we were
discussing the law in many states in Malaysia (Malaysia is a federal country
like the United States and Germany, so laws can vary from state to state) which
prescribes arrest and imprisonment to people who talk to Muslims about other
religions.
I asked my friend, does he think this is right? He said that he thought so,
because Islam teaches that way. I pointed out that here we were: he was putting
forth arguments hoping to persuade me to become a Muslim, and I was doing the
same hoping to persuade him to become a Christian. Under that law, he would be
fine, but I would be put in jail. Is this fair? He said, yes, it is right; I
would be correctly put in jail. (Well, he wasn't very happy with it, but he
nonetheless believed that's what Islam teaches.) This despite the fact that I
only use persuasion, and don't try to force him to convert. I also gave up pork
out of consideration for the fact we share the same kitchen.
In light of article <1991Jun17.133415.17232@wpi.WPI.EDU> by
msa@zeus.unomaha.edu (MSA ofNebraska U. @Omaha &Omaha Islamic Center), does
this mean that my friend, and the governments of the various Muslim-dominated
Malaysian states, are wrong in their interpretation of Islam?
Note: Under my current views, I think that it is right for my friend to try to
persuade me to become a Muslim by fair and reasonable arguments, because he
believes that this is the right way. In fact, if Islam *is* indeed the right
way and my current faith misguided, I *want* to be corrected, for I would be
then better off in my relationship to God.
--
Ian Chai Internet: chai@cs.ukans.edu Bitnet: 665instr@ukanvax
I don't believe in flaming. If I appear to be flaming, either (a) it's an
illusion due to the lack of nonverbal cues or (b) my sprinkler system has
suffered a momentary glitch, so just ignore me until it's fixed.aahsan@pyrhard2.pyramid.com (Agha Ahsan) (06/27/91)
Salam Ale Kum In refrence to the previous article stating: > prescribes arrest and imprisonment to people who talk to Muslims about other > religions. I am a muslim and was born in Pakistan. I don't believe Islam perscribes the above stated notion. I believe that the law as stated above is wrong. Islam invites logic and reasoning. -Agha Ibrahim Ahsan
665instr@kuhub.cc.ukans.edu (Ian) (06/28/91)
In article <1991Jun27.134128.17433@wpi.WPI.EDU>, aahsan@pyrhard2.pyramid.com (Agha Ahsan) writes: > In refrence to the previous article stating: > >> prescribes arrest and imprisonment to people who talk to Muslims about other >> religions. > > > I am a muslim and was born in Pakistan. > I don't believe Islam perscribes the above stated notion. I believe > that the law as stated above is wrong. Islam invites logic and > reasoning. Sorry, you misunderstand me: the person I was discussing this with is from Pakistan, but the law in question was in effect in certain Malaysian states. -- Ian Chai Internet: chai@cs.ukans.edu Bitnet: 665instr@ukanvax I don't believe in flaming. If I appear to be flaming, either (a) it's an illusion due to the lack of nonverbal cues or (b) my sprinkler system has suffered a momentary glitch, so just ignore me until it's fixed.
ekrem@vlsivie.tuwien.ac.at (Ekrem Saban) (06/28/91)
In article <1991Jun27.134128.17433@wpi.WPI.EDU> aahsan@pyrhard2.pyramid.com (Agha Ahsan) writes: Salam Ale Kum In refrence to the previous article stating: > prescribes arrest and imprisonment to people who talk to Muslims about other > religions. I am a muslim and was born in Pakistan. I don't believe Islam perscribes the above stated notion. I believe that the law as stated above is wrong. Islam invites logic and reasoning. -Agha Ibrahim Ahsan As far as I know, it is not prohibited. But missionary activities are not permitted, as they are not open to reasoning but try to convert people by other trics. They always avoid open discussion with people who have knowledge and are *not dependent* on them.