Through Force or Faith? — Page 25
Refutation of the Allegations Made Against Islam 25 Then John Davenport writes: So much so that it may be affirmed with certain truth that if the Western princes had been lords of Asia instead of the Saracens and Turks they would not have tolerated Mohammedanism as Mohammedans have tolerated Christianity since they persecuted with the most relent- less cruelty those of their own faith whom they deemed heterodox. ( An Apology for Mohammad and the Koran, by John Davenport, p. 82, published in 1882 by Dryden Press, London) The Promised Messiah as states: One objection put forward by the presenter of the trea- tise is that the Holy Quran contains the commandment to forcibly convert people to Islam. It appears that this person does not have any sense or knowledge of his own. He only toes the line of the priests. Because the priest have written, in their extreme cunning and prejudice as is their wont, in their books by way of fabrication that Islam has the commandment to make people Muslims by coercion, therefore he and his ilk have presented the same spurious allegation of the priests without any research or investiga- tion. The Holy Quran clearly has this verse: ۤاَل َهاَرْكِا يِف ِنْيِّدلا ْدَق َنَّيَبَّت ُدْشُّرلا َنِم ِّيَغْلا Meaning that, There should be no compulsion in religion. ( S u rah al-Baqarah, 2:257)