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Criticizing In Islam - Page 2

Finding fault with the Quran contradicts the faith of muslims in it as a infallible book hence in this sense Criticism for a muslim would be impossible. Nevertheless questioning the Quran is allowed.

As for Mohammad according to some Sunni muslim opinion he wasn't an infallible man and therefore certain actions can be criticised. I belong to Shi'ite sect which holds the belief he was infallible and free from fault. Hence again for me criticising the Prophet would be out of the question.

As far as muslims go there is no room for criticising the Quran or Mohammad. However non-muslims perhaps are given more license to criticise as is obvious throughout the world. However this does have its limits since it makes no sense to hurt the sensibilities of muslims.

Islam Criticizing

Karbala:

This seems to contradict what you said earlier:

I know the difference between criticizing and insulting but in your last statement you are saying there is no room at all for critics towards the Quran or Mohammad. Do you mind to expand? Thanks.

Criticizing In Islam Islam Studies

Yes LDS_forever it seems I have contradicted myself. This was because of the new definition Vincenso added to the word "Critisize". If "Critisise" means finding fault, condemning or entails a belief that the Quran is not perfect then this is not allowed for a muslim.

If critisise is taken in the context of appraisal, evaluation or assess then it is allowed. Again it is a semantical game I hope you understand what I am getting at.

Page 2 Islam Criticizing

Yes, I understand. Let's say a Muslim have a lot of problems with certain verses of the Quran and bring it up openly in the Mosque and sounds critic of the book and its teachings finding faults and relying in his own knowledge and wisdom...What can we expect will happen to this person? I would be interested to know what would happen if the person was a Muslim living in the US or the UK as well as a person living in Saudi Arabia.

Islam Criticizing

In Saudi Arabia as I experienced myself such behaviour would not be tolerated. Infact when I visited Saudi for the annual pilgrimage I had a book called "Mafatih al-Jinan" a Shiite book of supplication which is banned in Saudi Arabia. They confiscated this book off us at the airport. There is no freedom of expression there.

In mosques in the UK (Ive never been to the US so I'm not sure what happens there) questioning is infact a regular occurence and is widely tolerated and even encouraged. Questioning ones faith is seen as healthy and even necessary.

Finding fault with the Quran does happen in mosques here in the UK and the reaction depends on the context. If the critisizing was done in a manner that was public and deliberately insulting it would not go down too well. However it was done on a more discrete level (whcih happens all the time) this is tolerated.

Criticizing In Islam

Okay but what is the "punishment" (if any) in finding fault with the Quran publicly in those same countries I mentioned?

Criticizing Islam - Page 2

The definition was not mine but rather a dictionary definition. Many times criticizing means finding fault with a subject and expressing it. There is also critiquing something, which can be purely a literary exploration into meaning and intent of the author in a less judgemental way. I sensed this is how Karbala took the world criticize. However, criticism normally carries a negative connotation in the western world. Basically, I can understand Karbala's initial statements if he was looking at it as a literary exploration of the author's intent. However, since most people see criticizing as a negative or fault finding effort, I wanted to make sure I was clear on Karbala's statement.

I think we have already seen what the punishment can be for those that criticize (find fault and verbalize or write about it) can be...death. There can be a fatwah called upon you if the disagreement is severe enough. If you are in a western country, I would expect there to be a possibility of violence of some sort if the disagreement was big enough.

Edited: Vincenzo on 27th Jul, 2007 - 3:01am

Criticizing Islam Studies Islam - Page 2

Vincenzo:

This is just beyond me. As much as I try to understand it, analyze it...I just don't get it. Death we are talking about for disagreeing or finding fault with a sacred book! The maximum penalty I can think of in any Religion is Excommunication and if the person wishes to return a Repentance process must be taking into consideration but death? Wow, that's just beyond me.