Islam & Religious Freedom (Edexcel GCSE Religious Studies B)

The Nature and Importance of Religious Freedom

• Religious freedom is the right of every person to follow any religion they choose, change their religion, or to follow none at all

• This fundamental human right is protected by Article 18 of the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights, which is a statement of the rights to which every global citizen should be entitled

  • It states: All humans have the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion’

• The UK is a multi-faith society, which means that religious freedom is permitted. People of all religions and none are free to live and worship freely as they choose

  • This means that Muslims are able to live alongside Christians, Hindus, Sikhs, Jews, and Buddhists, as well as people who have no religious affiliation at all, and everyone should respect each other’s right to practice their faith

  • This leads to a diverse community, which has many benefits, although not everyone sees it that way

Muslim Teachings Regarding Religious Freedom

• There are several teachings in the Qur’an, Hadith and Sunnah that refer to religious freedom 

• The Qur’an teaches that nobody can be forced to follow a religion

• It also explains that the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was not sent by Allah to force people to follow the faith

• Islam incorporates the teachings of earlier revelations given to leaders of other world faiths such as the Prophets Musa (Moses) and Isa (Jesus)

• Because Muslims believe in the importance of the Risalah and the holy books, they must respect these other religions and their followers

  • Muslims are taught to be sensitive to other religions and never to do anything that would disturb the peace

  • The Qur’an teaches them that they are forbidden from insulting the idols of other world religions (Qur’an 6:108)

• In the early days of Islam, followers fought to defend their own religious freedom when they were being persecuted, but this meant fighting to preserve religious freedom for all

• In the ‘Charter of Privileges’ the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) promised Christians that Muslims would protect their churches until the Day of Judgement

Divergent Responses of Muslims to a Multi-Faith Society

• Although Islam has clear teachings about religious freedom, Muslims hold differing views about other faiths

• The exact nature of Sabians and what they believed is debated by scholars, but the main focus of this passage is about the fates of those who believe in different religions

  • Many Muslims have interpreted this as meaning that all who do good and believe in God, from whatever religious tradition, would be rewarded in Paradise

  • Others have said that only Muslims will be rewarded

• Some Muslims believe that Islam is the only true faith and God’s chosen religion

• Some Muslims believe that while other religions contain some truth, they also have errors that are corrected by the perfect message of Islam  

• Other Muslims believe that other religions engage in idol worship, which is shirk to Muslims. Therefore they should be condemned

  • One example is Christianity, as Christians see Isa (Jesus) as God and worship him. Islam shows the error of these incorrect ways practised by other religions

• Many Muslims believe that they have a mission to lead non-Muslims to Allah ‘...call people to the way of your Lord with wisdom and good teaching’ (Qur’an 16:125)

• However, this does not mean denying those people the right to practise their own beliefs

  • There have been cases when, in Muslim countries, those who do not follow the faith or those who leave it (apostates) have been persecuted. This has been condemned by Muslims who feel this goes against the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and the guidance of the Qur’an

• Many accept that everyone who lives a righteous life will be rewarded by Allah, whichever religion they belong to, and so it doesn’t matter which religion a person is

Benefits and Challenges for Muslims of a Multi-Faith Society

Benefit for Muslims of a multi-faith society

• Living in a multi-faith society has several benefits for Muslims:

  • It brings a greater tolerance of the beliefs of others

  • It brings a greater understanding of different viewpoints

  • It promotes community cohesion as different communities work together to make a better society for everyone

  • It makes everyone more comfortable to practise their religion without the fear of discrimination

  • It makes life more varied and diverse for everyone

Challenges for Muslims of a multi-faith society

• Although there are many benefits to Muslims from a multi-faith society, there are also challenges to be faced:

  • Religious tension still exists between different faith groups, which can lead to disharmony

  • There is still discrimination and examples of hatred against some faiths, such as Muslims

  • Some people do not find it easy to be open-minded and are intolerant towards others with different views

  • Some religious people may lose their faith or change it as a result of their experiences in a multi-faith society

Muslim Responses to Non-Religious Arguments About Religious Freedom

• Most people support the idea of religious freedom, including some non-religious people such as atheists and humanists

• However, some elements of religious freedom cause issues for others because of the impact it can have on other people’s lives

  • For example, some people do not agree with the Islamic practice of halal meat because of the methods used to kill the animals

  • The British Humanist Association does not agree with faith schools of any type, because they think this interferes with the freedom of people to choose their religion

  • The Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain also speaks out about the negative impact of Islamic belief on modern society

• Muslims would respond by saying that Islam means ‘peace’ and so they must act in a peaceful way to be true followers of Islam

• They would argue that they have a legal right to promote their faith in the UK, but not to force people to follow it. In a multi-faith society, everyone has the freedom to believe whatever they choose