Interfaith Dialogue in Islam

Interfaith Dialogue in Islam Should we not encourage Muslims to open communication with other communities? Yes, this is definitely required. When the Prophet went to Madinah, half of the population comprised of Jews. The direction of prayer for the Jews was not the Kabah, rather it was facing Jerusalem. The Prophet adopted the Jewish qiblah for the Muslim prayer as well. Today, education is secular and the state too is administered along secular principles. Why do Muslims not accept this? If you do not change now, you shall have to pay the price of being called backward. Does Islam allow Muslims to wish non-Muslims on their festivals? Absolutely! Opportunities for engaging in interaction should never be lost. Greeting others is a part of social ethics, and not a part of belief system. One must strive to live peacefully and humbly in society. A society is the sub-unit of a nation, which is diverse yet interconnected. When the members of a society acknowledge their diversity despite having different beliefs, they nurture a healthy atmosphere of open interaction, mutual learning and peaceful coexistence. Can a Muslim be secular? Yes. First, let us understand that secularism is not an anti-religious idea. There is a book in 20 volumes called Religion and Ethics. It is a compendium of the writings of some great scholars and is considered to be a very authentic and authoritative compilation. There is an article on secularism in this book which runs into twenty