A Message for Our Time — Page 61
61 Religious Tolerance And Freedom In Islam what we have learned from the Holy Quran, which is our Holy Book and the most authentic source of Islamic law and teach- ing. From cover to cover, the Holy Quran is a book of peace that enshrines universal human values and human rights. Its teachings seek to unite mankind under the banner of humanity and guar- antee the rights of every individual to live with freedom, equality, liberty and justice. It is written in the Holy Quran that Allah the Almighty sent Prophets to the world in order for them to instil basic human val- ues and to teach morality. They were sent to develop a relation- ship between God Almighty and His creation and to draw the attention of mankind towards fulfilling the rights of one another. As Muslims, we believe that in order to fulfil these great objec- tives, God Almighty sent His Messengers to all nations and the history of the major religions testifies to the fact that all the Prophets practised and preached the highest standards of moral- ity and virtue. Hence, Islam’s teachings unite mankind and foster a spirit of mutual love and respect between all people, irrespective of racial, religious or social backgrounds. It is a religion that breaks down barriers and encourages peaceful and tolerant dialogue. Thus, it is inconceivable for a true Muslim to persecute or oppose other religions or their followers. At no place, and at no time, has Islam ever promoted extremism or encouraged violence in any shape or form. Wherever and whenever a Muslim has conducted a terror- ist attack or exhibited any type of radicalism or fanatical behav- iour, it is only because he or she has deviated entirely from Islam’s teachings. Such people, and such acts, serve only to defame and