Is Islam really a religion of peace? If it is,why is killing important to them?

No ur wrong...Muhammad SALLALLAH-O-ALAIHISALAM...told to Muslims that if any non-Muslim do not converting so don't force just leave..if any thing goes wrong with any one sopit it and if any thing wrong so if u have power so stop it with ur hands..if u fearfull that if u'll stop and its harmfull for u so just stop it from ur tongue if u think its harmfull for u also so just think about that wrong thing in ur heart wrong..SALLALLAH-O-ALAIHISALAM was a great man he don't wanted to do wrong with any one..my Islam mean is really a peace..if u want to take more explaination about it so just go in Mosque without any fear and ask it to Imaam of Mosque but in viel u should go ..if u wud like to go.. Have a nice girl..Wish you good luck...ALLAH bless you..

For me Islam is a religion of peace. Definitely Muslims are not taught to kill non-Muslims if they do not convert. And of course no one would make "killing" an important thing to do specially Muslims. Why do I say this? Its because I've been living here in Mindanao for 20 years with a lot of Muslims. They didn't harm me nor kill me. For me, its not the Muslims but its just a human behavior. It just happens that when a Muslim like Osama Bin Laden killed a fellow human being, people will directly point out to the Muslim community. Osama bin Laden, his followers, the Abusayaf Group and other Muslim related bad guys do not represent the 1.7 billion population of Muslims. I think Pat Robertson statement was just his own opinion. Definitely not a fact. Please don't base on other people. This is the best topic I've seen since my first day here. Thank You Khrise for opening a discussion like this. I really appreciate it. I almost forgot, I am 100% Christian.

I think a religion is largely what its specific followers make it out to be. In other words, how people live a religion is how they choose to interpret it. As such, perhaps Islam is neutral in and of itself. The Quran is there as the source, but how it is interpreted can vary greatly. Some may interpret the Quran to give messages of peace, and as such they would say that Islam is peaceful. Others may interpret the Quran to give messages of violence and struggle, and would answer accordingly. I think both could be correct, for it is a follower's right to live their religion how they think it should be lived without people criticizing them.

As with all religions, they aim for peace, but are not able to lay hold on it because religion itself creates intolerance; when someone believes that GOD is telling them to do or enforce a certain set of rules, then naturally they bind those on all--even on those who don't believe. This is the recipe for tyranny and oppression! Most religions have liberalized and grown away from this tendency, but still it exists. Judaism is now safely exempt from it, but Christianity (in it's own way) remains militant by pushing creationism into public schools. In summation, it affects al religions except a very few. It strikes at the heart of human nature--humans are animals, and they will kill to do what they think preserves themselves, even if that is what actually ends up killing them!

the founder of Islam meant this reglion to be peaceful. but many of its followers misinterpret the original doctrine and resort to force when running into issues with people of other faiths or the original doctrine falls behind the times and needs to be updated.

its not abt islam its abt people

I'm a Muslim and I don't know who Pat Robertson are. As a Muslim we never been thought and never heard before that Muslim are to kill non-Muslim if they do not convert. It's true if you said that when Muslim conquer non-Muslim country like Spain for example, the non-Muslim were given option, either to convert or pay jizyah (please refer to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jizya), but what happened to the Muslim when the Christian come and invade Spain ? Please do some research on that. If Pat Robinson said that Osama bin Laden is true disciple of the teaching of the Koran, then I think he don't know much about Islam. Islam is not only about Koran, Islam also have Sunnah and Hadith (things that the prophet Mohammad PUH do and what he has said). Another thing khrise_24, please don't put "I have nothing against Islam" when your discussion seems to be like you have something against Islam except that you use Pat Robinson's name so you will not be blame for anything. Why not you just use the words like "Is it true Muslim kill non-Muslim if they do not convert. ?" I believe there will be hundreds if not thousand Muslim in Mylot community will reply and explain to you. Thanks for your question anyway. Have a good life.

never,islam is never a religion of violence.im a hindu and i have a lot of muslim friends and they are not violent and dont kill for islam.no religion preaches its followers to kill.it is the followers who to benefit themselves kill in the name of god.and mohammed never said such a thing.please do a little research may be on the net,read a few books before starting a discussion like this even when you are quoting someone.if all muslims were like that then India would have been a battlefield now as it has more muslims than pakistan and along with it so many religions.just because some terrorists are muslims it dosnt mean the whole religion is bad.

I am a christian but according to my knowledge, muslims are thought to respect other religions, They can have mix marriages with Christians and Jews for example. I guess fundamentalism exists not only in Islam but in other religions as well. In my opinion not a particular religion is wrong but distortion of that religion which makes it bad.

actually speaking Islam is a religion of peace and if you just follow about 10% of Islam , then you'll become a role model for the rest of the man kind. but the perception about muslims are not true as it is portrayed..this is my opinion and i'm saying this despite me being a non-muslim

If you don't know the meaning of what muhammed said then please don't start any discussions on such topic, Muhammed never said to kill people who don't follow Islam, but his words are spread Islam and always be polite to people never mind if they don't follow islam, and people who think bad for Islam or use wrong words for Islam and muhammed only those people are killed and who treat islam as a backward religion they are punished so never say anything bad for Islam.

look black sheeps r in every community if i say: christians love killing just by saying hitler killed 6 million jews does it make any sense think like an literate person. Dont say Muslim love killing: muslims r the second largest group on earth after christians, if every muslim love killing then would you have exist? In UAE 9 million non-muslim exist but UAE is a muslim country y dont they killed them? Indonesia is another example. lemme show u some thing what quran says about killing:::: If you killed a person unless it be for murder or for spreading mischief in the land is would be as if he killed the whole humanity:and if anyone saved a life it would be as if he saved the life of the whole humanity.(Holy Qur'an 5:32 )

Yes i believe that, I dont know really but I think people in Iraq are pressed to the wall by the soldiers and they are fighting for the petrol, they are protecting their treasure. It's normal thing.

lady who ever this pat robertson is he is doing no good for the society..... islam is a religion of peace,there is no such thing as submission for islam else to kill the other person..i live in a country with 1 billion ppl...and i am a muslim i dont kill ppl around me... no one around here is forcing the ppl to convert...and talking abt osama..he is going to hell for sure

I don't think a religion may teach and preach for killing. I am a hindu by birth and NONRELIGIOUS by CHOICE . So I am neutral so far religions are concerned . I have never gone through kur-aan . Yet I find it difficult to believe what Pat Robertson said . Some latter versions might have been mis-published or mis-interpreted for some narrow interest of some religious leaders among the muslims .

I really don't see why you should expect to get any proper guidance by asking other people questions like this. You're asking a bunch of strangers whom you know nothing at all about, to advise you their opinions on matters of religion. If you want to know why religious extremists think and act like they do, then go and ask them - not a bunch of strangers who you know nothing at all about! If you want to know what the TRUE tenets of a particular religion happen to be, then take the trouble to DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH and study the matter YOURSELF - not just consign the matter to the opinions of a bunch of strangers whom you know nothing at all about. The Muslim issue is a current media topic - has been for years now - because that's part of the current global geopolitical and strategic environment. Strings are being pulled, fringe groups are being agitated and Empires are being expanded. But this has NOTHING to do with the truth of a particular religious belief system. Do your OWN research if you actually want anything more than the flippant opinions of a bunch of strangers.

khrise..if you have much time,could you read this book please?it's a novel.maybe you will find the answer.i don't know its tittle in english, but in indonesia the tittle is AYAT-AYAT CINTA.. :)

Yep it is and i think islam never takes so interest in killing.. it think you are totally wrong for what you have said.. i think its false to spread all foolish things about other religions..I am sorry to say but its really silly!!

wow,khrise_24, what a discussion! I heard what Pat Robertson said, and i read it on his website. And just as there are people misterpreting what you are saying, there are people who misinterpret the Koran, the Bible and every other religious book. This is why there are so many religions. So many different sects to one religion. I understand what you are asking. And I believe Islam is a religion of Peace that has been perhaps misinterpreted. I have an aunt who married a muslim, He seems to be a peaceful person, I also have a cousin who is married to a guy from Pakistan, who is also muslim. Both have converted and seem to be extremely happy. I am noone to judge.

i also think of Islam as a religion of war. There are a lot of proves for that: Iraq, Iran, Bosnia, WTC.... (all Islamic people)