- Canon Taylor, Paper read
before the Church Congress at Walverhamton, Oct. 7, 1887, Quoted by Arnond in
The Preaching of Islam, pp. 71-72:
"It (Islam) replaced
monkishness by manliness. It gives hope to the slave, brotherhood to mankind,
and recognition of the fundamental facts of human nature."
- Sarojini Naidu, Lectures
on "The Ideals of Islam", see Speeches and Writings of Sarojini Naidu, Madras,
1918, p. 167:
"Sense of justice is one
of the most wonderful ideals of Islam, because as I read in the Qur'an I find
those dynamic principles of life, not mystic but practical ethics for the daily
conduct of life suited to the whole world."
- De Lacy O'Leary, Islam
at the Crossroads, London, 1923, p.8:
"History makes it clear
however, that the legend of fanatical Muslims sweeping through the world and
forcing Islam at the point of the sword upon conquered races is one of the most
fantastically absurd myths that historians have ever repeated."
- H.A.R. Gibb, Whither
Islam, London, 1932, p. 379:
"But Islam has a
still further service to render to the cause of humanity. It stands after all
nearer to the real East than Europe does, and it possesses a magnificent
tradition of inter-racial understanding and cooperation. No other society has
such a record of success in uniting in an equality of status, of opportunity,
and of endeavors so many and so various races of mankind... Islam has still the
power to reconcile apparently irreconcilable elements of race and tradition. If
ever the opposition of the great societies of East and West is to be replaced by
cooperation, the mediation of Islam is an indispensable condition. In its hands
lies very largely the solution of the problem with which Europe is faced in its
relation with East. If they unite, the hope of a peaceful issue is immeasurably
enhanced. But if Europe, by rejecting the cooperation of Islam, throws it into
the arms of its rivals, the issue can only be disastrous for both."
- G.B. Shaw, The Genuine
Islam, Vol. 1, No. 81936:
"I have always held the
religion of Muhammad in high estimation because of its wonderful vitality. it is
the only religion which appears to me to possess that assimilating capacity to
the changing phase of existence which can make itself appeal to every age. I
have studied him – the wonderful man and in my opinion far from being an
anti-Christ, he must be called the Savior of Humanity. I believe that if a man
like him were to assume the dictatorship of the modern world, he would succeed
in solving its problems in a way that would bring it the much needed peace and
happiness: I have prophesied about the faith of Muhammad that it would be
acceptable to the Europe of tomorrow as it is beginning to be acceptable to the
Europe of today."
- A.J. Toynbee, Civilization
on Trial, New York, 1948, p. 205:
"The extinction of race
consciousness as between Muslims is one of the outstanding achievements of Islam
and in the contemporary world. There is, as it happens, a crying need for the
propagation of this Islamic virtue."
- A.M.L. Stoddard, quoted in
Islam – The Religion of All Prophets, Begum Bawani Waqf, Karachi, Pakistan, p.
56:
"The rise of Islam is
perhaps the most amazing event in human history. Springing from a land and a
people alike previously negligible, Islam spread within a century over half the
earth, shattering great empires, overthrowing long established religions,
remolding the souls of races, and building up a whole new world – world of
Islam.”
"The closer we examine this
development the more extraordinary does it appear. The other great religions won
their way slowly, by painful struggle and finally triumphed with the aid of
powerful monarchs converted to the new faith. Christianity had its Constantine,
Buddhism its Asoka, and Zoroastrianism its Cyrus, each lending to his chosen
cult the mighty force of secular authority.
“Not so Islam. Arising in
a desert land sparsely inhabited by a nomad race previously undistinguished in
human annals, Islam sallied forth on its great adventure with the slenderest
human backing and against the heaviest material odds. Yet Islam triumphed with
seemingly miraculous ease, and a couple of generations saw the Fiery Crescent
borne victorious from the Pyrenees to the Himalayas and from the desert of
Central Asia to the deserts of Central Africa."
- Edward Montet, "La
Propaganda Chretienne it Adversaries Musulmans", Paris, 1890, quoted by T.W.
Arnold in The Preaching of Islam, London, 1913, pp. 413-414:
"Islam is a religion that
is essentially rationalistic in the widest sense of this term considered
etymologically and historically. The definition of rationalism as a system that
bases religious belief on principles furnished by the reason applies to it
exactly... It cannot be denied that many doctrines and systems of theology and
also many superstitions, from the worship of saints to the use of rosaries and
amulets, have become grafted on the main trunk of Muslim creed. But in spite of
the rich development, in every sense of the term, of the teachings of the
prophet, the Quran has invariably kept its place as the fundamental starting
point, and the dogma of unity of God has always been proclaimed therein with a
grandeur, a majesty, an invariable purity and with a note of sure conviction,
which it is hard to find surpassed outside the pale of Islam. This fidelity to
the fundamental dogma of the religion, the elemental simplicity of the formula
in which it is enunciated, the proof that it gains from the fervid conviction of
the missionaries who propagate it, are so many causes to explain the success of
Mohammedan missionary efforts. A creed so precise, so stripped of all
theological complexities and consequently so accessible to the ordinary
understanding might be expected to possess and does indeed possess a marvelous
power of winning its way into the consciences of men."
- W. Montgomery Watt,
Islam and Christianity Today, London, 1983, p.IX:
"I am not a Muslim in the
usual sense, though I hope I am a "Muslim" as "one surrendered to God", but I
believe that embedded in the Quran and other expressions of the Islamic vision
are vast stores of divine truth from which I and other occidentals have still
much to learn, and 'Islam is certainly a strong contender for the supplying of
the basic framework of the one religion of the future.'"
- Paul Varo Martinson
(editor), ISLAM, An Introduction for Christians, Augsburg, Minneapolis,
1994, p. 205:
"Islam is an authentic
faith that shapes our Muslim neighbors' innermost being and determines their
attitude in life. And the Islamic faith is generally more tradition oriented
than the recent Western shape of Christian faith, which has experienced
considerable secularization. Yet we are only fair to the Islamic population when
we understand them from their religious core and respect them as a faith
community. Muslims have become important partners in faith conversation."
- John Alden Williams
(editor), ISLAM, George Braziller, New York, 1962, inside dust cover:
"Islam is much more than
a formal religion: it is an integral way of life. In many ways it is a more
determining factor in the experience of its followers than any other world
religion. The Muslim ("One who submits") lives face to face with Allah at all
times and will introduce no separation between his life and his religion, his
politics and his faith. With its strong emphasis on the brotherhood of men
cooperating to fulfill the will of Allah, Islam has become one of the most
influential religions in the world today."
- John L. Esposito,
ISLAM, The Straight Path, Oxford University, New York, 1988, pp. 3-4:
"Islam stands in a long
line of Semitic, prophetic religious traditions that share an uncompromising
monotheism, and belief in God's revelation, His prophets, ethical responsibility
and accountability, and the Day of Judgment. Indeed, Muslims, like Christians
and Jews, are the Children of Abraham, since all trace their communities back to
him. Islam's historic religious and political relationship to Christendom and
Judaism has remained strong throughout history. This interaction has been the
source of mutual benefit and borrowing as well as misunderstanding and
conflict."
