What Do Muslims Believe

Canada Muslims Dispel Ramadan Fears

"But it is not cause for Muslims to worry."

Last week, the Council for American-Islamic Relations Canada warned mosques across the country of possible hate attacks during Ramadan, which started on Monday.

The non-profit organization has sent a "Muslim Community Safety Kit" to mosques to take precautions, examine their security, and report suspicious activity to police.

The warning came after 76 people were killed in twin attacks by a right-wing Christian fundamentalist in .

The attacker, Anders Behring Breivik, said that the assault was a self-styled mission to save European "Christendom" from Islam.

In a manifesto published online, Breivik cited a row about a multi-faith room at a Canadian university in which Muslims were involved.

He cited a report by a campus newspaper alleging that Muslims were using a multi-faith room on campus for prayers.

The report has sparked worries among Canadian Muslims, who fear that their places of worship could be targeted by similar right-wing extremists.

Dialogue

Canadian Muslims believe that developing good relations with non-Muslims is the best way to combat discrimination and clear misconceptions and stereotypes.

"I don't think that individuals would walk in and try to do anything because our community has such good relations with the area," said Dr. Zijad Delic, imam of the South Nepean Muslim Community.

Delic opines that while the guidelines are helpful, extra precautions are not needed for his congregation.

"I know that some mosques in really need them because those mosques have been vandalized on several occasions," he said.

"There will always be lone wolves who do damage to the community,” Delic said, adding that the best way to combat anti-Islam ideology is through education and openness.

Canadian Muslims find Ramadan as a golden opportunity to show the true face of Islam.

Do Muslims believe in the Virgin Birth? - Busted Halo

Many Christians are surprised to learn that the Qur’an contains numerous references to Mary. In fact, there is a sura (chapter) entitled “Maryam” (Arabic for Mary) — the only sura in the Qur’an that bears the name of a specific woman. This chapter includes a scene where Mary is told she will be the mother of Jesus. In this scene, just as in the Gospel of Luke, Mary questions how this birth could take place, given that she is a virgin: “‘How can I have a son,’ she said, ‘when no man has touched me, nor am I sinful?’” (Sura 19, verse 20)

Obviously, the Qur’an’s portrayal of Mary diverges from the Gospels in other key areas (among other things, Muslims believe that Mary’s son was a prophet, not God, as Christians believe). But it’s striking to see that the virginal conception of Jesus is a point of common ground between Christianity and Islam. In fact, the very positive portrayal of Mary in the Qur’an has been seen by some scholars as a potentially powerful bridge between Muslims and Christians. Whatever their differences, both faiths portray Mary as someone worthy of respect.

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