Islam - The Religion Of Peace

1. Introduction.

Today, many non-Muslims regard Islam as a religion that promotes violence, terrorism and war. Unfortunately, they rely in their view of Islam on the general media, which is not always accurate in reporting the news. Many media outlets, such as TV, radio, newspapers and magazines, are influenced by their investors or owners who have certain agendas and who want to promote certain values and points of view. Other media outlets are simply after the "big story", in order to make more money and more profits. Others are simply "followers", who only gather news from other sources, re-package it and try to sell it again purely as a business.
In all these cases, the news reporting is not accurate, but is driven by ulterior motives or simply by profits. Only very few media organizations are committed to providing accurate and true information, regardless of financial gain. Therefore, people today should be very careful in what they take from the media.
Before blindly accepting what the TV, radio or newspaper is reporting, one should think critically about what is being reported. Is this being reported accurately, or is it being exaggerated or even completely fabricated? Who are these people reporting the news, and do they have vested interests to report the story in a certain way, or are they completely objective and fair? Critical thinking is very important in all aspects of life, especially when it comes to accepting the media reports about important and controversial issues.
Islam is in fact a religion that promotes peace and understanding among people of all faiths, and it strongly prohibits all forms of violence and aggression against all people regardless of their faith or race.

“Moderate” Muslim groups issue Fatwa against airport anti-terror measures saying they are un-Islamic

In a story almost too parodical to be true, it is being reported that Muslim groups in the United States (I repeat, “the United States”, not Europe), have issued a fatwa against body scanners now being introduced at airports to combat the threat from terrorism.
Cited by the Huffington Post, the Metro Detroit section of the freep.com website quotes The Fiqh Council of North America, a symposium comprising leading Islamic scholars, as saying:
“It is a violation of clear Islamic teachings that men or women be seen naked by other men and women…Islam highly emphasizes haya (modesty) and considers it part of faith. The Quran has commanded the believers, both men and women, to cover their private parts.”
The ruling has also been supported by The Council on American-Islamic Relations which said:

“We support the Fiqh Council’s statement on full-body scanners and believe that the religious and privacy rights of passengers can be respected while maintaining safety and security.”
Sorry, hold on a second. At which point did the Council on American-Islamic Relations become experts in counter-terrorism policy? No one likes airport security and few would be anything less then put out at the prospect of body scanners. But the reason we have such measures is that terrorism — almost exclusively inspired by militant Islam — is a threat that needs to be dealt with.
The decision to turn the question of airport security into a zero sum game between Muslims and non-Muslims is not merely a piece of obnoxious bigotry that will unnecessarily inflame intercommunal relations, it provides a stark and depressing reminder of just how committed even mainstream and “moderate” Muslim groups in the Western world really are in the fight against Islamist terror.