Can Muslims be friends with Jews and Christians?

[Muslimwoman]

Originally Posted by Dogbrain

Tell that to the Baha'i who have been murdered by the ISLAMIC republic of Iran.

Next time I pop in for tea with Ahmadinejad I will be sure to mention it.

I am not denying that compulsion in religion is practiced but what I am saying is it is not ordained by our faith. Here in Egypt Baha'i followers cannot get their religion stated on their id cards or passports .... to my mind if someone wants to be a satan worshipper that is their choice as long as they accept the punishments they will receive in the next life and don't hurt other humans in the process.

Please also note that Iran is Shi'a and not the majority Sunni Muslims, the beliefs and practices are really quite different in many ways.

[17th Angel]

Originally Posted by Muslimwoman

Here in Egypt Baha'i followers cannot get their religion stated on their id cards or passports .... to my mind if someone wants to be a satan worshipper that is their choice as long as they accept the punishments they will receive in the next life and don't hurt other humans in the process.

Will the Baha'i receive punishments in the next life?

[Amica]

Peace/Shalom/Salaam,

It is very hard for Muslims to help people understand what Islaam is and that certain evil deeds commited by Muslims are not ordained by Islaam. At the same time, it is also hard for non-Muslims (who do not know much about Islaam) to understand that Islaam does not teach evil behaviors because those who do things that are not commanded by God/Allah Almighty in Islaam claim to do the acts in the Name of God SWT!

According to the teachings of the Holy Qur'an, Muslims are not to fight others (monotheists or not) unless they are attacked first and their freedom to practice Islaam is taken away by force. Obviously, in certain Muslim communities this is not abided by (such as Saudi Arabia, Iran, etc.) because non-Muslims do not have much freedoms.

One of Prophet's savs uncles was a pagan and died a pagan. The Prophet Muhammad savs did not attack his uncle, nor did he stop their relationship, simply because the uncle never converted to Islaam/any of the monotheistic faiths. This alone speaks that Muslims are to be tolerant.

There is one hadith that tells a story of a Christian neighbor that Prophet Muhammad savs had. According to the hadiths, the neighbor was always throwing trash near the Prophet's pbuh house. Prophet pbuh never got into an argument about it, just maintained his politeness. One day, there was no trash next to his house so he sent someone from his household to check on the neighbor. The neighbor was not feeling well, but upon hearing that the Prophet Muhammad savs sent someone to inquire if the neighbor was doing ok/well, the neighbor stopped throwing the trash.