Islam is a devout religion, that focuses on 5 tenents(sp), the first one is allah is god and mohammad is his prophet. I do not know the other four, I do know they must make a trip to mecca and pray 5 times daily. I know they have to pray towards mecca, what ever direction that it is in. That is all that I remember, it has been many years since my undergrad days.

Do you know anything about Mohammed and how he spread Islam? Do you know anything about his personal life?

 

There's a difference between being created through violence and having violence in your history. So called Christians have been wrong many times in the past including the Crusades and the Inquisition. But that's not the origin of Christianity. Its just those place where it left the tracks.

 

 

Mohammed, from what i've learned, was a merchant in Mecca who around the age of 40 married a rich widow. This gave him free time and in this free time he started to have his revalations.

 

After a few years he was banished to Medina because Islam was becoming to popular. He eventually re-took Mecca and established it as the capital of Islam.

 

Mohammed didn't do too much more spreading of Islam because he died shortly after. Islam spread repidly after his death but people's of the conquered land were not forced to convert, Muslims were very tolerant of Christians and Jews, the only catch was that they had to pay double taxes.

 

From what i've learned there was relativley little violence in the founding of Islam.

 

Islam and Christianity are in fact very similar, essentially "branches" of the same religion. Muslims, like Christians and Jews, even consider themselves to be decendants of Abraham.

 

They share all of the same Old Testament prophets and figures and God, the only difference coming when it comes to Jesus who they see as an important prophet not a diety. Then ofcourse they have Mohammed who is their last prophet.

 

sort of a lengthy reply, but that is what i've learned so far.

Just missed the cutoff for the Children's Crusade?

 

:laugh:

What is the difference between being created in violence and having violence in the history?

Are you serious? Islam is violent at its roots. It's creator authorized the slaughter of all those who would not accept his new religion. Islam was founded at the edge of the sword.

 

Christianity on the other hand was founded by a sacrifice. Jesus healed, he didn't murder. You have to look at the original intent of a religion, not where it went wrong, before you judge it.

Mohammed, from what i've learned, was a merchant in Mecca who around the age of 40 married a rich widow. This gave him free time and in this free time he started to have his revalations.

 

After a few years he was banished to Medina because Islam was becoming to popular. He eventually re-took Mecca and established it as the capital of Islam.

 

Mohammed didn't do too much more spreading of Islam because he died shortly after. Islam spread repidly after his death but people's of the conquered land were not forced to convert, Muslims were very tolerant of Christians and Jews, the only catch was that they had to pay double taxes.

 

From what i've learned there was relativley little violence in the founding of Islam.

 

Islam and Christianity are in fact very similar, essentially "branches" of the same religion. Muslims, like Christians and Jews, even consider themselves to be decendants of Abraham.

 

They share all of the same Old Testament prophets and figures and God, the only difference coming when it comes to Jesus who they see as an important prophet not a diety. Then ofcourse they have Mohammed who is their last prophet.

 

sort of a lengthy reply, but that is what i've learned so far.

 

The violence is going to come well after Muhammad. Muhammad was considered a "prophet" of Islam but his successor took the title of "caliph". Caliph means "successor to the prophet". Eventually these caliph's would be killed, so another caliph could take over (like with kings in Europe). This happened until a group said enough of the violence & refused to accept the new caliph. This group became the first branch of Islam called Sunni Islam which said their leaders needed to be direct descendants of Muhammad, since caliph was already used, these religious figures are called "imams". Shi'ah Muslims recognized the current caliph as their leader & disregarded the violence that got him into power.

 

At this point, Sunni & Shi'ah Muslims had very similar religious beliefs but different leaders. At this point, it is similar to gang violence. When a Sunni is killed, a Shi'ah must pay and vice versa. So, for the last 1,200 years these groups have been feuding & their culture is use to violence. That's it in a nutshell.

From what i've learned Islam was relatively very peaceful in the beginning. They were very tolerant of "people of the book" what they called Christians and Jews, allowing them to stay in the lands the Muslims had conquered as long as they payed a tax.

 

It seems like, as Superfan said, the violence comes long after the death of Mohommed, and that alot of it was between two different sects of the religion.

 

To me that sounds just like the Protestants and Catholics who killed eah other in Europe.

From what i've learned Islam was relatively very peaceful in the beginning. They were very tolerant of "people of the book" what they called Christians and Jews, allowing them to stay in the lands the Muslims had conquered as long as they payed a tax.

 

It seems like, as Superfan said, the violence comes long after the death of Mohommed, and that alot of it was between two different sects of the religion.

 

To me that sounds just like the Protestants and Catholics who killed eah other in Europe.

 

This is my main argument with the Iraq War!! These groups have been fighting over religion/beliefs/faith for over 1,000 years so I find it hard to believe that they'll come together as one in the near future!!

 

This is similar to many Christians who were not & still not accepting of Mitt Romney for Presidnet b/c he was a Mormon.

As far as the Iraq war goes, I think that goes back to the British colonization of the area.

 

The British purposfully carved up the different ethnic groups when they drew the boundaries of the different countries. Those boundaries still exist today and the conflicts between the different ethnic groups still exist.

 

My opinion is that the boundaries of the countries need to be re-drawn giving the Kurds, the Shi'ites, and the Sunni's their own countries for them to rule.

 

There is no way in :fire: that will happen though, so my solution doesn't work.

 

Thats off-topic though.

I refuse to feel guilty about the crusades. I was only a very young child at the time and had nothing to do with it.

 

:laugh::laugh:

Are you serious? Islam is violent at its roots. It's creator authorized the slaughter of all those who would not accept his new religion. Islam was founded at the edge of the sword.

 

How was the blood spilled that was authorized by the creator of Islam any different than the blood spilled that was authorized by the creator of Christianity (the God of the OT)?

 

Christianity on the other hand was founded by a sacrifice. Jesus healed, he didn't murder. You have to look at the original intent of a religion, not where it went wrong, before you judge it.

 

The original intent of the religion? You’re acting like the central holding of Islam is to kill.

is your social security number 1? LOL

 

Wouldn't it be roman neumeral I, or something in arabic or something like that.:thumb:

Wouldn't it be roman neumeral I, or something in arabic or something like that.:thumb:

 

 

Only I get to make the old age jokes about myself. You guys are supposed to just sit there and snicker quietly to yourselves.

 

 

 

....BTW, it was XVI.

The violence is going to come well after Muhammad. Muhammad was considered a "prophet" of Islam but his successor took the title of "caliph". Caliph means "successor to the prophet". Eventually these caliph's would be killed, so another caliph could take over (like with kings in Europe). This happened until a group said enough of the violence & refused to accept the new caliph. This group became the first branch of Islam called Sunni Islam which said their leaders needed to be direct descendants of Muhammad, since caliph was already used, these religious figures are called "imams". Shi'ah Muslims recognized the current caliph as their leader & disregarded the violence that got him into power.

 

At this point, Sunni & Shi'ah Muslims had very similar religious beliefs but different leaders. At this point, it is similar to gang violence. When a Sunni is killed, a Shi'ah must pay and vice versa. So, for the last 1,200 years these groups have been feuding & their culture is use to violence. That's it in a nutshell.

 

 

Tahnks for the explanation pretty insightful, but what about the Kurds(spelling)?

The word Islam means "total submission of onesself to God". That is what is at the root of the religion.

 

Islam WAS NOT born of violence. Mohommed's re-capture of Mecca was nearly bloodless.

 

I guess I have a problem with people who claim that Islam is a violent religion, and try to differentiate the violence commited by Muslims from the violence commited by Christians in order to demonize Muslims. It just seems unfair to do that.

 

 

Looking at the histories of both religions, they have the exact same roots (Old Testament God, and prophets etc.. ) and it appears that they've followed a very similar path.

Only I get to make the old age jokes about myself. You guys are supposed to just sit there and snicker quietly to yourselves.

 

 

 

....BTW, it was XVI.

 

Ha alright, figured it was something around that.