Some people who say they are acting in the name of religion may
misunderstand their religion or practice it wrongly. For this reason,
it is a mistake to form any idea of that religion from the activities
of these people. The best way to understand Islam is through its holy
source.

The holy source of Islam is the Qur'an; and the model of morality in
the Qur'an is completely different from the image of it formed in the
minds of some westerners. The Qur'an is based on the concepts of
morality, love, compassion, mercy, modesty, self-sacrifice, tolerance
and peace, and a Muslim who truly lives according to these moral
precepts is highly refined, thoughtful, tolerant, trustworthy and
accommodating. To those around him he gives love, respect, peace of
mind and a sense of the joy of life.


Islam Is A Religion Of Peace And Well-Being

The word Islam has the same meaning as "peace" in Arabic. Islam is a
religion that came down to offer humanity a life filled with the peace
and well-being in which God's eternal mercy and compassion is
manifested in the world. God invites all people to accept the moral
teachings of the Qur'an as a model whereby mercy, compassion,
tolerance and peace may be experienced in the world. In Surat al-
Baqara verse 208, this command is given:


You who believe! Enter absolutely into peace (Islam). Do not follow in
the footsteps of Satan. He is an outright enemy to you.

As we see in this verse, people will experience well-being and
happiness by living according to the moral teaching of the Qur'an.


God Condemns Mischief

God has commanded humanity to avoid evil; he has forbidden immorality,
rebellion, cruelty, aggressiveness, murder and bloodshed. Those who do
not obey this command of God are walking in the steps of Satan, as it
says in the verse above, and have adopted an attitude that God has
clearly declared unlawful. Of the many verses that bear on this
subject, here are only two:


But as for those who break God's contract after it has been agreed and
sever what God has commanded to be joined, and cause corruption in the
earth, the curse will be upon them. They will have the Evil Abode.
(Surat ar-Ra'd: 25)
Seek the abode of the hereafter with what God has given you, without
forgetting your portion of the world. And do good as God has been good
to you. And do not seek to cause mischief on earth. God does not love
mischief makers.' (Surat al-Qasas: 77)

As we can see, God has forbidden every kind of mischievous acts in the
religion of Islam including terrorism and violence, and condemned
those who commit such deeds. A Muslim lends beauty to the world and
improves it.


Islam Defends Tolerance And Freedom Of Speech

[COLOR="rgb(255, 0, 255)"]Islam is a religion which fosters freedom of
life, ideas and thought. It has forbidden tension and conflict among
people, calumny, suspicion and even having negative thoughts about
another individual.


Islam has not only forbidden terror and violence, but also even the
slightest imposition of any idea on another human being.


There is no compulsion in religion. Right guidance has become clearly
distinct from error. Anyone who rejects false gods and believes in God
has grasped the Firmest Handhold, which will never give way. God is
All-Hearing, All-Knowing. (Surat al-Baqara: 256)
So remind, you need only to remind. You cannot compel them to believe.
(Surat al-Ghashiyah: 22)

To force anyone to believe in a religion or to practice it, is against
the spirit and essence of Islam. Because it is necessary that faith be
accepted with free will and conscience. Of course, Muslims may urge
one another to keep the moral precepts taught in the Qur'an, but they
never use compulsion. In any case, an individual cannot be induced to
the practice of religion by either threat or offering him a worldly
privilege.

Let us imagine a completely opposite model of society. For example, a
world in which people are forced by law to practice religion. Such a
model of society is completely contrary to Islam because faith and
worship have value only when they are directed toward God. If there
were a system that forced people to believe and worship, people would
be religious only out of fear of the system. What is acceptable from
the point of view of religion is that religion be practiced in an
environment where freedom of conscience is permitted, and that it be
practiced only for the approval of God.


God Has Made The Killing Of Innocent People Unlawful

According to the Qur'an, one of the greatest sins is to kill a human
being who has committed no fault:


....If someone kills another person - unless it is in retaliation for
someone else or for causing corruption in the earth - it is as if he
had murdered all mankind. And if anyone gives life to another person,
it is as if he had given life to all mankind. Our Messengers came to
them with Clear Signs but even after that many of them committed
outrages in the earth. (Surat al-Ma'ida: 32)
Those who do not call on any other deity together with God and do not
kill anyone God has made inviolate, except with the right to do so,
and do not fornicate; anyone who does that will receive an evil
punishment. (Surat al-Furqan: 68)

As we can see in the verses above, those who kill innocent human
beings without a cause are threatened with evil punishment. God has
revealed that killing one person is as great a sin as killing all
mankind. Anyone who respected the prerogatives of God would not do
harm to even one individual, let alone murdering thousands of innocent
people. Those who think that they will escape justice and punishment
in this world will never escape the account they must give in the
Presence of God on the Last Day. So, those believers who know they
will give an account to God after their death, will be very careful
about respecting the limits God has established.


God Commands Believers To Be Compassionate And Merciful

In this verse, Muslim morality is explained:


....To be one of those who believe and urge each other to steadfastness
and urge each other to compassion. Those are the Companions of the
Right. (Surat al-Balad: 17-18)

As we see in this verse, one of the most important moral precepts that
God has sent down to His servants so that they may receive salvation
and mercy and attain Paradise, is to "urge each other to compassion".

Islam as described in the Qur'an is a modern, enlightened, progressive
religion. A Muslim is above all a person of peace; he is tolerant with
a democratic spirit, cultured, enlightened, honest, knowledgable about
art and science and civilized.

A Muslim educated in the fine moral teaching of the Qur'an, approaches
everyone with the love that Islam expects. He shows respect for every
idea and he values art and aesthetics. He is conciliatory in the face
of every event, diminishing tension and restoring amity. In societies
composed of individuals such as this, there will be a higher
civilization, a higher social morality, more joy, happiness, justice,
security, abundance and blessings than in the most modern nations of
the world today.


God Has Commanded Tolerance And Forgiveness

Surat al-A'raf, verse 199, which says "practice forgiveness",
expresses the concept of forgiveness and tolerance which is one of the
basic principles of the religion of Islam.

When we look at Islamic history, we can see clearly how Muslims
established this important precept of the moral teaching of the Qur'an
in their social life. At every point in their advance, Muslims
destroyed unlawful practices and created a free and tolerant
environment. In the areas of religion, language and culture, they made
it possible for people totally opposite to each other to live under
the same roof in freedom and peace, thereby giving to those subject to
them the advantages of knowledge, wealth and position.

Likewise, one of the most important reasons that the large and
widespread Ottoman Empire was able to sustain its existence for so
many centuries was that its way of life was directed by the tolerance
and understanding brought by Islam. For centuries Muslims have been
characterized by their tolerance and compassion. In every period of
time they have been the most just and merciful of people. All ethnic
groups within this multi-national community freely practiced the
religions they have followed for years and enjoyed every opportunity
to live in their own cultures and worship in their own way.

Indeed, the particular tolerance of Muslims, when practiced as
commanded in the Qur'an, can alone bring peace and well-being to the
whole world. The Qur'an refers to this particular kind of tolerance:


A good action and a bad action are not the same. Repel the bad with
something better and, if there is enmity between you and someone else,
he will be like a bosom friend. (Surat al-Fussilat: 34)
Conclusion

All this shows that the moral teaching offered to humanity by Islam is
one that will bring peace, happiness and justice to the world. The
barbarism that is happening in the world today under the name of
"Islamic Terrorism" is completely removed from the moral teachings of
the Qur'an; it is the work of ignorant, bigoted people, criminals who
have nothing to do with religion. The solution which will applied
against these individuals and groups who are trying to commit their
deeds of savagery under the guise of Islam, will be the instruction of
people in the true moral teaching of Islam.

In other words, the religion of Islam and the moral teaching of the
Qur'an are not the supporters of terrorism and the terrorists, but the
remedy by which the world can be saved from the scourge of terrorism.