Does Islam really teach that Muslims must fight a jihad by weapons and arms to subdue all others on earth?
Does it really forbid freedom of religion to followers of other faiths and to Muslims themselves?
Does it really tell Muslims to attack and even kill anyone who, they think have insulted their religion and abused the Prophet Muhammad?
Does Islam really allow the killing of the general public by any kind of attack, suicide or otherwise?
No, Islam does not! It actually teaches the opposite.
This book proves from the Quran and the life of the Prophet Muhammad that the answer to each of these questions is a clear, emphatic and resounding: No!
On the contrary ---
Islam teaches Muslims to live in peace with all others in the world, tolerating religious differences.
It recognizes for everyone the freedom to believe in and practice whatever religion they wish.
It requires Muslims to show self-restraint and patience in the face of verbal abuse of their religion.
It deplores any kind of violent attack on the general public of any country, innocently going about their daily business.
The book Islam, Peace and Tolerance, written by your Editor, has been printed in the U.K. at the end of November. It is published by ‘Ahmadiyya Anjuman Lahore Publications, U.K.’, which was earlier registered as a publisher with its own set of ISBNs, after consultation with the central Ahmadiyya Anjuman Lahore. This 94-page book is now being presented by the U.K. Jama‘at [community] to public figures who have interest in or some involvement with Islamic matters, including relevant Government ministers, Members of Parliament, leaders of different religions, newspaper columnists and media writers and commentators.
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A question had been raised prior to our meeting, that as our organisation is not considered as being among mainstream Muslims, how could our views and teachings on tolerance in Islam possibly influence other Muslims? In response I presented the following four points to Dr Palmer in our discussion. Firstly, the literature of our Jama'at [community] has already been influencing Muslims for the past ninety years.
As we were the first Muslim organisation to produce literature on Islam in English, our books influenced the English literature subsequently produced by other Muslims, many of our ideas penetrating into it.
Secondly, in the U.K. we have been in the position of leadership of Muslims because the Woking Muslim Mission was recognised as the main centre of Islam in this country, supported by Muslims of various sects. To illustrate the work of the Woking Mission I showed Dr Palmer two copies of The Islamic Review, one from the first World War and one from the second World War. I also played before him one of the newsreel film clips made at Woking by the British Pathe company, this one covering the Id-ul-Fitr of 1954.
The above two points relate to the past. The other two points relate to the present and future. My third point was that those Muslims today who are seeking to find a peaceful, rational, non-fanatical picture of Islam need exactly the kind of material that we have produced, as in this book. They are unable to accept extremist interpretations and are searching for a picture of Islam that is both sensible and can be derived and justified from the original sources of their religion. The arguments and evidences that they need are none other than those which we have produced.
Fourthly and lastly, our literature helps to improve the image of Islam in the eyes of non-Muslims. If non-Muslims have before them only the image of Islam presented by the advocates of intolerance and violence, naturally they will feel revulsion against Islam. If our perspective is also made known to them, they will at the least realise that the opposite kind of interpretations also exist.
I should add that Dr Palmer insisted on paying for the two copies that I presented to him, and I was happy to accept his kind gesture.
