10 and ½ COMMON MYTHS ABOUT MUSLIMS (in no particular order)

Probably an old-ish myth, but someone out there may still believe it.

This belief is probably what resulted in the early non-Muslims referring to the followers of Islam as Mohammedans, in the same style as Christian is derived from Christ.

The emphasis on the shift from Mohammedan to Muslim has been noted and now the phrase is little used. I have only come across it in old encyclopaedias or texts.

Now, most people know that for Muslims, Muhammad (pbuh) is the Last Prophet sent down by God. That he was a human being, but of the highest calibre, thus accepted as being infallible. However, this in no way suggests he is divine.

He is considered a Servant of God as all of us are, and a leader.

This is the ½ myth that gives me my catchy (to my mind!) title.

The reason I refer to it as half a myth is because Islam is not only a misunderstood faith, but also a mis-communicated faith. It is not fair to lay the blame on the listeners, while we Muslims are responsible for some of the false ideas floating around out there.

There just hasn’t been enough protest and debate on the part of Muslims when fanatics do something wrong. We have barely spread the fundamentals of our faith.

It worries me that while any Muslim child can tell you the salient facts about the Trinity, the Crucifixion and even quote common verses of the Bible when needed, few Christians can return the favour regarding Islam.

Again, this is through no fault of non-Muslims. Religious doctrines are usually learned by those interested in comparative religious studies or when followers of that faith spread the word.