TOLERANCE AND COERCION
For some, Islam is a "religion of peace and love" that teaches tolerance and acceptance of non-Muslims. For others, it is, on the contrary, an intolerant religion that openly appeals to violence and coercion against those who do not adhere to its precepts. What do Islamic texts (Qur'an, Hadiths, and Muslim legal works) actually say? Is Islam more "violent" than the religions that preceded it? These are delicate questions we will try to answer here. To gain clearer insight, we will discuss the subject of Jihad, its origins, its true meaning, and its interpretations by scholars. We will also see how religious minorities have lived in Muslim lands, and we will particularly focus on the status assigned to them, that of dhimmi.
