Page 148 - Seekers Guide Book

Islam and the Quran
spirit of Islam, we need to identify the right reformers
from the wrong ones.

71 What is the full scope of religious
freedom in Islam?

slam has total freedom. Only one thing is taboo in
IIslam, that is, violence. Once the Prophet was sitting
in the mosque and an Arab who had not accepted Islam
came to him. He said to the Prophet:

You are a condemned person. I deny you.
(Musnad Abu Yala, hadith no. 53)

The Prophet simply smiled at these words. Why did he
do so? Because the Prophet knew that this man has the
freedom to say whatever he chooses. He was not hitting
the Prophet with stones, but only expressing his ideas. If
a person is peaceful, he has the right to say anything. If
he does violence, then that will be considered a criminal
act. Peaceful expression of thought is totally allowed in
Islam. In Islam, whenever there is a negative statement,
it must be made a point of discussion. Muslims often
get irate on the concept of freedom of expression. But
freedom is a bilateral concept, it is not unilateral—the
other party enjoys as much freedom as we do. This is
a very conducive concept of freedom as it allows for as
much right to freedom to us as it does to the other party.

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