Responses to Claims Made ABOUT Islam and Muslims in General

compiled by Sheila Musaji

Last updated 4/22/08

... 72 virgins in Paradise hadith and [2], and [3], and [4]
... aggressive claim that Muslims have historically been aggressive towards Christians and Jews, (Palestinian Archbishop Chakour)
... alien - American Muslims not part of this society
... Americans ‘Good Muslims Can’t Be Good Americans’ Email (Dr. Bahar Bastani), and 2 “Can Muslims be Good Americans?” (Abdulaziz Sachedina)
... All terrorists are Muslims Allegation that all terrorists and religious extremists are Muslims, 2 article collection, and [3] article collection, [4] James Ferguson
...  apostasy claim that killing an apostate is required by Islamic Law and 2, The right to religious conversion, A. Rashied Omar, Islam and the apostasy debate, Apostasy, Freedom and Da’wah:  Full Disclosure in a Business-like Manner, Mohammad Omar Farooq, Islam and Punishment for Apostasy, Asghar Ali Engineer, Are The Scholars The Same As God Himself?, Dr. Hesham A. Hassaballa, Leaving Islam Is Not a Capital Crime, by M. Cherif Bassiouni, Apostasy and Religious Freedom, Louay Safi, Toledo Imam Farooq Abo-Elzahab says no earthly penalty for conversion, Apostasy Laws – An Injury To Islam By Muslims, By Mirza A. Beg, Apostasy In Islam - Sharia Vs Islam, By Rehman Faiz, Intellectual Apostasy, the Real Issue, Ibrahim N. Abusharif, The Case of the Afghan Apostate, Hasan Zillur Rahim, Whatever happened to “no compulsion in religion”?, Irfan Yusuf, Islam and Religious Freedom, Asghar Ali Engineer, Australian Federation of Islamic Councils says Prosecution of convert ‘un-Islamic’, Is Killing An Apostate in the Islamic Law?, Dr. Ibrahim B. Syed, Afghan Convert Controversy: A Counter-Perspective on Apostasy in Islam, Yoginder Sikand, Affirmation of Freedom of Expression and Belief in the Quran, Haris Aziz, Moratorium on Death Penalty, Tariq Ramadan, U.S. Muslims Call for Release of Afghan Christian Convert, CAIR, Freedoms of Expression and Belief, Istiaq Ahmed, Islam and Freedom of Thought, Akbar Ahmed and Lawrence Rosen, Islam and Pluralism: A Contemporary Approach, Shah Abdul Halim, STATEMENT of freedom of faith in Islam
... Ashura festival (Shia) misrepresented
... backwardness Islam is responsible for backwardness in many Muslim countries today
... black stone that the Black Stone is an idol
... blasphemy (see also free speech) is not punishable by death, Blasphemy and the press, Ammar Alo
... Christmas allegation that Muslims responsible for ‘war on Christmas’ (Shahed Amanullah) and [2]
... contributions of Islam to “the West” forgotten (Richard Bulliett), 20 Muslim Inventions that Shaped Our World
... Clash of Civilizations is Unavoidable - collection of articles
... debate - Is Islam Good for London? [1]
... Demand that Muslims explain or apologize for any act of violence carried out by Muslims (Calvin White)
... dialogue claim that Muslims are not interested in dialogue, and 2 (Akbar S. ahmed), and 3 (Imam feisal Abdul Rauf), and 4 (Tarek Mitri), and 5 (Riffat Hassan), and 6 article collection
... enemy - Islam is the enemy of the West
... Eurabia allegation that Muslims are taking over Europe - The Eurabia Myth (Ralph Peters) and (2)
... evil that evil is central to Islam, and Proof of the Evil of Islam? (Hesham Hassaballa)
... Female circumcision, and [2]
... fifth column American Muslims are a ‘fifth column’ (Habib Siddiqui)
... forced marriages claimed to be “Islamic” - [1] Pakistani film against forced marriages
... Golden Rule, claim that it doesn’t exist in Islam [1]
... “green peril”
... Honor killings claimed to be “Islamic”, and [2] [3] The International Network for the rights of female victims in Pakistan, [4] Islam and Honor Killings by Imam Zaid Shakir
... humor Allegation that Muslims don’t have a sense of humor
... interfaith issues treatment of “infidels” (Hesham Hassaballa)
... inheritance laws unjust
... “Islam Gets Concessions"Article by Raymond Ibrahim (David Shasha)
... Islamophobia (Tariq Nelson) and Islamophobia 2 (Siraj Islam Mufti) and 2 (Karen Armstrong) and 3 (Sheila Musaji) and 4 (Ralph Peters) and 4 Islamophobia in the media, and 2 and 3 Hollywood has a lot to answer for, and 4 Reel Bad Arabs (Jack Shaheen), and 5 A Battle of Mirages (Imam Abu Laith Luqman Ahmad), and 6 100 years of anti-Muslim and anti-Arab stereotyping (Mazen Qumsiyeh), and 7 a collection of articles about media, [8] Muslims as “other”, “The Dark Mirror of Islam”, and [9] (James Brooks), [10] misconceptions about Islam (Ibrahim Kalin) 4 part series, and [11] Misrepresentation of Islam “Myths About Islam” (Asghar Ali Engineer), It Does Exist (Muslim Matters)
... Islamo-Fascism Awareness Week (MPAC), (Ali Eteraz), (Jim Lobe), (Matthew Yglesias), (Reggie Dylan) and [2], (East Bay blog), (Gabriele Marranci), (Islam Online), (Gary Leupp), and Sheila Musaji
... Islamic Fascism - (Alan Maass), (Dr. S. Khurshid), (Eric Margolis), (Dan Jennejohn), (Enver Masud), (Imraan Siddiqui), (Gary Younge)
... labels - ”Islamic terrorists” (Parvez Ahmed), ... “Islamic Fascism”” statement and 2 and 3 and 4 Demonizing terminology and 5 (Jason Margolis), 6 Christianity’s role in the rise of the Nazis, Islamic Fascists?, Sheila Musaji
... Muslims don’t speak up against extremism and terrorism “Selective Hearing of Muslim Voices” 5 parts (Sheila Musaji)
... polygamy -
... public schools Allegation that Muslims are promoting Islam in the Public Schools (Sheila Musaji)
... racism (Abdul Malik Mujahid)
... slavery claim that Islam allows slavery
... spread by the sword claim that Islam was spread by the sword (see also Misrepresentation of Qur’an 9:5), and [2] The Arab Conquests (Hugh Kennedy)
... Suicide bombings - claim that all suicide bombers are Muslims disproved with photos of Christian Arab suicide bombers
... threat to America (Shahed Amanullah) and House Intelligence Report making the same claim
... threat claim that Islamic Fundamentalism is the greatest danger to world peace (Enver Masud)
... violence claim that Islam is inherently violent
... women as leaders
... Worship of Muhammad
... “You worry me” anti-Muslim email [1] Bluejeans Place

SEE ALSO:
ISLAMOPHOBIA - RESPONSES (The responses section was divided into into five sections on 12/16/07)
- Responses to Claims Made ABOUT Islam and Muslims in General
- Responses to Claims Made ABOUT Qur’an Verses, Arabic Terms, Prophet Muhammad
- Responses to False Claims ABOUT Muslim Individuals & Organizations & Incidents Involving Muslims
- Responses to Actual Extremist Statements & Incidents of Extremism or violence BY Muslims
- Responses to Claims Made BY Specific Individuals and Organizations About Muslims

and our full Resource Collection which includes large collections of articles on many different topics.