It is true that in the Middle East there is very little religious tolerance, especially when it comes to converting. Despite specific instruction in the Quran that a man`s choice of religion is his own and only his own (see Quran 2:256, 39:41, and many more) extremists like Hamas do not accept tolerance.
As for the Prophet`s tradition, the vast majority of his life was spent peacefully co-existing with not only Jews and Christians, but also Buddhists and Zoroastrians anmong others. The one exception to this was concerning a Jewish tribe called the Banu Qurayza. This box is too small to share the story, but the resulting execution of the men of this tribe for treason was clearly political and not some fabricated Islamic directive to "kill Jews" as many Islamophobes will have you believe.
I, like many other Muslims look forward to a Middle East (including Israel) where religion ceases to be fuel for conflict but instead a force for joy and purpose to people`s lives. |
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