Non-believers and Condescending Attitudes!

Where this guy sees “tolerance” in Islamic teachings I see patronizing arrogance and a condescending way to “let go” DESPITE the non-believers disbelief!

God declares: “There is no compulsion in religion…” (Quran, 2: 256) “But if they dispute with thee, say: I submit myself entirely to Allah and (so does) he who follows me. And say to those who have been given the Book and the Unlearned (people): Do you submit yourselves? If they submit, then indeed they follow the right way; and if they turn back, thy duty is only to deliver the message…” (Quran, 3: 19)

“And if thy lord had pleased, all those who are in the earth would have believed, all of them. Wilt thou then force men till they are believers?” (Quran, 10; 99) “And say: The Truth is from your Lord; so let him who please believe, and let him who please disbelieve…” (Quran, 18: 29) These verses clearly establish: (1) Islam denounces forced-conversion; and (2) Islam does not enjoin Muslims to wage war for the spread of faith.

Not only Muslims are prohibited from forcing Islam on non-Muslims, they have also been ordered to deal with them in a just and kind manner: “Allah forbids you not respecting those who fight you not for religion, nor drive you from your homes, that you show them kindness and deal with them justly. Surely Allah loves the doers of justice. Allah forbids you only respecting those who fight you for religion, and drive you forth from your homes and help (others) in your expulsion, that you make friends of them; and whoever makes friends of them, these are the wrongdoers.” (Quran, 60: 8,9)

Islam not only acknowledges all the previous prophets and messengers, like Abraham, Moses, David, Jesus, etc., and all the previous revelations, like the Torah, the Psalms, etc., but it goes a step further: Muslims have been strictly forbidden in the Quran from using any insulting remarks about any deity worshipped by any non-Muslim: “And abuse not those whom they call upon besides Allah…” (Quran, 6: 109) Can there be a more decisive proof of the marvelously tolerant nature of Islam?

The question that has often irked me is WHO ARE WE TO JUDGE OTHERS? Everybody worth a thought in his/her mind goes around pumping up their belief as the BEST and others as trash. Why can’t we just say that EVERYONE has a way to look at the question of origin – some call that search for God or salvation or whatever – and in their own ways they are right in what they do! If there is indeed a “God” it cannot be biased… to anyone.. so if X got any knowledge worthy of solving the initial question … it is inconceivable to me that Y and Z wouldn’t have gotten it!! So the moment anyone tries to show-case his/her monopoly on the “knowledge of God” I am CERTAIN that he/she has NO freaking idea as to what they are talking about!