Muslims are commanded to live in peace with themselves and their neighbors. Neighbors includes everyone, Muslim and non-Muslim alike.

We believe in the One God who created the heavens and the earth and everything in between. He created mankind and therefore all people are brothers and sisters. In the Qur'an it states that : "O Mankind, surely we have created you from a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes so that yo may know one another (49:13). Thus we are commanded to respect one another. It is the duty of each Muslim to explain Islam to our non-Muslim neighbors. The Qur'an states that only God makes Muslims. That is it is our duty as Muslims to explain Islam and it is up to God who will believe it and who will not. It is NOT the duty of any Muslim to covert anyone. We are only to explain what Islam is. The Qur'an states in 109:2-6 "I worship not that which you worship. Nor will you worship that which I worship. And I shall not be worshipping that which you are worshipping. Nor will you worship that which I worship. To you be your religion, and to me be my religion." We are taught to repent of all our sins. In a recent sermon we were taught that any Muslim who says that his non-Muslim neighbor is going to hell that he (the Muslim) must repent for this statement. That it is our duty to be neighborly to our non-Muslim neighbors. How else can the non-Muslim neighbors learn about Islam. They learn as much from our behavior as by what we say. It is only by being good neighbors to our non-Muslim neighbors can the non-Muslim learn what Islam truly teaches.

Islam teaches that God sent one message to all mankind beginning with Adam and ending with Muhammad. That each prophet came with the same message which is to worship the one God and to live in peace with our fellow human beings. The Qur'an speaks specifically about the people of the book (Christians and Jews) and says that there are many believers among them.

Jesus is mentions by name in the Qur'an more times that is Muhammad. As Muslims we believe that Jesus was the son of Mary who was a righteous woman. Jesus was created in Mary's womb by the word of God. God said be and it was. Thus Jesus had no earthly father. We do not refer to Jesus as a son of God because God does not procreate. Procreation is for God's creatures. God creates by saying BE and it is.

Muslims are taught to respect all of God's creation. We are to be kind to all of God's creatures. This includes the was an animal is killed for food. He must be killed in a kind humane way. He must be kept calm and then his throat is slit with a very sharp knife so as to not cause the animal pain. The slaughter may not be done within sight of another animal of the same kind. Tis is done so that the animal does not see his relative being killed. In all things we are to be kind and gentle. This is the peaceful Muslim way of life.

Martha Scott

founding member of The Concerned Muslims of Annapolis, Inc.