Qaradawi: Islam is a religion of tolerance, patience, forbearance and peace.

Qaradawi: Islam is a religion of tolerance, patience, forbearance and peace.


 Prominent Islamic scholar Sheikh Yousuf al-Qaradawi denounced the recent violent attacks against Christians in Muslim countries, claiming that most of these attacks were mainly due to “ignorance rather than intolerance” on the part of Muslims.

In his Friday sermon, Sheikh Qaradawi emphasized that Muslims should show respect to followers of other faiths since the “different religions” of the world were part of God’s will.

Qaradawi, who is the head of the International Union for Muslim Scholars (IUMS), also lamented some Muslims’ ignorance of Islam asserting that it is forbidden to have any prejudice against followers of other religions.

 

“According to the Qur’an, Muslims should not depart from justice even with those who hate them or to whom Muslims have aversion, no Muslim has the right to decide the result of the differences between the world’s religions. The scholar, who is also the president of the European Fatwa Council, urged Muslims to help promote a culture of tolerance in the world, saying that the Qur’an on all humans irrespective of their religious affiliations bestowed dignity.

Giving an example of the tolerance of Islam, he referred to a Hadith, which tells of Prophet Muhammad standing up during a funeral procession of a Jew to show respect.


Referring to the recent killing of six Coptic Christians in Upper Egypt, Qaradawi branded the accused as a “thug”.

 

Qaradawi also criticized the arson attacks by Muslims on churches in Malaysia, which were prompted by a controversy over the use of the Arabic word Allah by Christians. 
“Allah is the God of all people on earth.