Qasim Rashid, Esq.

The below email was in response to my recent USA Today Op Ed–which condemned the persecution Christians face in some Muslim majority nations. Ironically, rather than recognize that a Muslim is condemning the persecution, this emailer attacked the idea that the persecution is contrary to Prophet Muhammad’s (sa) teachings. See below for the email.

Mr. ViolentSubjugation

Where the hell are you getting all these peaceful quotes attributed to Mohammed? The Quran also has dozens of other quotes instructing Muslims to kill non-Muslims. It is written explicitly in the Quran that the violent quotes take precedence over the peaceful quotes. So I guess all the quotes you are alluding to are exists purely for “academic” purpose. I guess you are following the quote which commands Muslims to deceive the non-believers until they have been defeated, either converted or subjugated.

Lying sack of —-.

Response #1:

Dear Mr. ViolentSubjugation

Peace be with you.

Thank you for your email. You can find the letter Prophet Muhammad wrote to all Christians with the appropriate references here: http://www.examiner.com/islam-in-national/letter-to-all-christians-from-prophet-muhammad

I understand you have quite a different view of the Qur’an than I do. You will appreciate, however, that I cannot actually answer your concerns if you simply claim the Qur’an has violent verses, without providing any actual examples of what your concerns are. I’d be happy to answer your questions; let’s take it one verse at a time.

Please send me a verse you feel is violent, and take me to task to answer it logically. Once we resolve your concerns on that verse, we can move on to the next one. This is my open invitation to you. I assure you that if we work together, we can rectify our misunderstandings. Hope to hear from you soon.

God bless you,

Qasim

——-

I have not received a response yet, but it has only been ~ 1 week. If I receive a response, I will update this section.

Lesson Learned:

For non-Muslims: The Qur’an and life of Prophet Muhammad (sa) are transparent and open to study. Send us your questions and we will happily engage in collegial dialogue.

For Muslims: We must continue to work together to demonstrate through our actions that the Prophet Muhammad (sa) is the perfect role model for mankind–one full of compassion, truthfulness, and one lost in the love of God.