Misconceptions about Islam
1- The word Jihad scares so many people because it makes them think of Muslims killing infidels in the name of Allah. Jihad does not imply war. Jihad means to strive or make an effort, usually in Islamic context, so that anything which requires an effort to be made is Jihad and the person doing it is a Mujahid.<br /><br />2- Like all scriptures, Islamic sacred texts must be read within the social and political contexts in which they were revealed.<br /><br />3- Its not surprising that the holy Quran, like the Hebrew Scriptures or the Old Testament, has verses that address fighting and the conduct of war, yet people take verses of the Quran that were revealed hundreds of years ago and apply them to todays world and say that Islam teaches hate and terrorism.<br /><br />4- O mankind, we have created you from single pair of male and female, and made you into nations and tribes so that you may recognize one another; the most honored of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you. (Al Hujurat 49:13)