Dan’s Course on Islam

Department of State: “Terrorism is not a principle of any major religion, including Islam.” The department’s coordinator for counterterrorism, Philip Wilcox, Jr., went still further: “Islam, like Christianity and Judiasm, preaches peace and non-violence.”
Dr. Daniel Pipes, Militant Islam Reaches America, p. 95.
33.2

Positive Quotes About Islam from Famous People

James Addison

"Despite the growth of antagonism, Moslem (Muslim) rulers seldom made their Christian subjects suffer for the Crusades. When the Saracens finally resumed the full control of Palestine the Christians were given their former status as dhimmis. The Coptic Church, too had little cause for complaint under Saladin's (Salahuddin) strong government, and during the time of the earlier Mameluke sultans who succeeded him the Copts experienced more enlightened justice than they had hitherto known. The only effect of the Crusaders upon Egyptian Christians was to keep them for a while from pilgrimage to Jerusalem, for as long as the Frank were in charge heretics were forbidden access to the shrines. Not until the Moslem victories could they enjoy their rights as Christians."

'The Christian Approach to the Moslem,' p. 35:

Moustapha Akkad Beside all this I think there was something personal, being Muslim myself who lived in the west I felt that it was my obligation my duty to tell the truth about Islam. It is a religion that has a 700 million following, yet it's so little known about it which surprised me. Ahmed Ali All people hope Islam helps everything in life. Islam will make jobs. Islam will make freedom. Islam will make everything. Muhammad Ali  “I believe in the religion of Islam. I believe in Allah and peace.”
(American Boxer and Activist, b.1942) Karen Armstrong Every fundamentalist movement I've studied in Judaism, Christianity and Islam is convinced at some gut, visceral level that secular liberal society wants to wipe out religion. “the September 11 hijackers “had Muhammad in mind, when they boarded the doomed aircraft. ‘Be optimistic,’ they were told in the documents that they allegedly found in their luggage, ‘the prophet was always optimistic.” However, Armstrong continues, “the very idea that Muhammad would have found anything to be optimistic about in the carnage committed in his name on September 11 is an obscenity, because as I try to show in these pages, Muhammad spent most of his life trying to stop that kind of indiscriminate slaughter... Muhammad eventually abjured violence and pursued a daring, inspired policy of non-violence that was worthy of Gandhi.” (A Biography of the Prophet, p. 5; Robert Spencer, The Truth About Muhammad. p. 6) John Austin "In little more than a year he was actually the spiritual, nominal and temporal rule of Medina, with his hands on the lever that was to shake the world."  MUHAMMAD THE PROPHET OF ALLAH in T.P.'s and Cassel's Weekly for 24th September 1927. Abu Bakar Bashir Because Islam in its original form was tough and hard, not weak and pliable.
But the West is trying to weaken Islam from outside and inside. They attack our people and invade our countries from outside, and they weaken us from within with ideas like secularism, liberalism and democracy. This is all designed to contaminate our pure Islam. Annie Besant "It is impossible for anyone who studies the life and character of the great Prophet of Arabia, who knows how he taught and how he lived, to feel anything but reverence for that mighty Prophet, one of the great messengers of the Supreme.  And although in what I put to you I shall say many things which may be familiar to many, yet I myself feel whenever I re-read them, a new way of admiration, a new sense of reverence for that mighty Arabian teacher." , THE LIFE AND TEACHINGS OF MUHAMMAD, Madras, 1932, p. 4. Lawrence E. Browne Incidentally these well-established facts dispose of the idea so widely fostered in Christian writings that the Muslims, wherever they went, forced people to accept Islam at the point of the sword. ‘The Prospects of Islam,’ 1944: George Bush “The face of terror is not the true faith of Islam. That’s not what Islam is all about. Islam is peace. These terrorists don’t represent peace. The represent evil and war. “When we think of Islam, we think of a faith that brings comfort and solace and peace. And that’s made brothers and sisters out of every race. “America counts millions of Muslims among our citizens, and Muslims make an incredibly valuable contribution to our country. Muslims are doctors, lawyers, law professors, members of the military, entrepreneurs, shopkeepers, mom and dads. And they need to be treated with respect. In our anger and emotion, our fellow Americans must treat one another with respect.” President George W. Bush, September 17, 2001, whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2001/09/20010917-11.html. Dr. George Braswell, Islam and America, p. 121. “I think that it is vital for our future that we encourage liberty, and in this case, the Middle East. And as you said, it doesn’t necessarily run contrary to what the Prophet Muhammad said.” (“President Bush Discusses Global War on Terror,” White House press release, April 10, 2006; quoted by Robert Spencer, in The Truth About Muhammad”). (In his speech to Congress) “The terrorists practice a fringe form of Islamic extremism that has been rejected by Muslim scholars and the vast majority of Muslim clerics; a fringe movement that perverts the peaceful teachings of Islam... (Islam’s) teachings are good and peaceful, and those who commit evin in the name of Allah blaspheme the name of Allah... The terrorists are traitors to their own faith, trying, in effect, to hijack Islam itself.” Dr. Daniel Pipes, Militant Islam Reaches America, p. 96. (speech in his visit to the Islamic Center in Washington) “These acts of violence against innocents violate the fundamental tenets of the Islamic fatih... The face of terror is not the true face of Islam. That is not what Islam is all about.” Dr. Daniel Pipes, Militant Islam Reaches America, p. 96. Angelea Carter “The kind of power mothers have is enormous. Take the skyline of Istanbul - enormous breasts, pathetic little willies, a final revenge on Islam. I was so scared I had to crouch in the bottom of the boat when I saw it.”
Bill Clinton “There is nothing in the religion of American Muslims, that would divide us, that would promote terrorism, that would be destructive of our values.” Dr. Daniel Pipes, Militant Islam Reaches America, p. 97. Hillary Rodham Clinton found yet other reasons to praise Islam: for its “universal values – love of family and community, mutual respect, education, and the deepest yearning of all – to live in peace... values that can strengthen us as a people and strengthen the United States as a nation.” Ann Coulter “"Liberals hate America, they hate "flag-wavers," they hate abortion opponents, they hate all religions except Islam (post 9/11). Even Islamic terrorists don't hate America like liberals do. They don't have the energy. If they had that much energy, they'd have indoor plumbing by now."”
pikeofhearts
“There are only two modes of repelling the sin of apostasy, namely, destruction (death) or Islam (returning to Islam), and Islam is preferable to destruction”
Kamal ud Din ad Damiri Wrote in a respected Muslim classic the following reverential description of Muhammad: Muhammad is the most favored of mankind, the most honored of all apostles, the prophet of mercy, the head or Imam of the faithful, the bearer of banner of praise, the intercessor, the holder of high position, the possessor of the River of Paradise, under whose banner the sons of Adam will be on the Day of Judgement. He is the best of prophets, and his nation is the best of nations... and his creed the noblest of creeds... He was perfect in intellect, and was of noble origin. He had an absolutely graceful form, complete generosity, perfect bravery, excessive humility, useful knowledge... perfect fear of God and sublime piety. He was the most eloquent and the most perfect of mankind in every variety of perfection. Dr. Abraham Sarker, Understand My Muslim People, p. 35. Jared Diamond "Medieval Islam was technologically advanced and open to innovation. It achieved far higher literacy rates than in contemporary Europe;it assimilated the legacy of classical Greek civilization to such a degree that many classical books are now known to us only through Arabic copies.  It invented windmills ,trigonometry, lateen sails and made major advances in metallurgy, mechanical and chemical engineering and irrigation methods. In the middle-ages the flow of technology was overwhelmingly from Islam to Europe rather from Europe to Islam. Only after the 1500's did the net direction of flow begin to reverse." UCLA sociologist, and physiologist who won the Pulitzer Prize for his book: "Guns, Germs, and Steel." John William Draper "Four years after the death of Justinian, A.D. 569, was born at Mecca, in Arabia the man who, of all men exercised the greatest influence upon the human race... Mohammed"  M.D., L.L.D., A History of the Intellectual Development of Europe, London 1875, Vol.1, pp.329-330

Steve Earle
Actually, in its purest form, Islam is incredibly tolerant. That makes what's going on in the world really bizarre.
Oriana Fallaci

Europe is no longer Europe, it is Eurabia, a colony of Islam, where the Islamic invasion does not proceed only in a physical sense, but also in a mental and cultural sense.

Louis Farrakhan

As a result of that, America desires a moderate Islam; an Islam that America can control; an Islam that America can give direction to and give orders to its leaders.

But when I reintroduced the Nation of Islam, and began to host meetings in cities and thousands and thousands of people come out.
However, those who have used those words use half the sentence to fit their purpose, which, of course, I believe is to discredit me and the new Nation of Islam that has come up around me.
Mahatma Gandhi

I  wanted to know the best of the life of one who holds today an undisputed sway over the hearts of millions of mankind.... I became more than ever convinced that it was not the sword that won a place for Islam in those days in the scheme of life. It was the rigid simplicity, the utter self-effacement of the Prophet the scrupulous regard for pledges, his intense devotion to his friends and followers, his intrepidity, his fearlessness, his absolute trust in God and in his own mission. These and not the sword carried everything before them and surmounted  every obstacle. When I closed the second volume (of the Prophet's biography), I was sorry there was not more for me to read of that great life.

statement published in 'Young India,'1924:

H. A. R. Gibb

"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 uniting in an equality of status, of opportunity, and of endeavours 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." 

WHITHER ISLAM, London, 1932, p. 379.

Edward Gibbon and Simon Ocklay

'I believe in One God and Mohammed the Apostle of God,' is the simple and invariable profession of Islam.  The intellectual image of the Deity has never been degraded by any visible idol; the honours of the prophet have never transgressed the measure of human virtue, and his living precepts have restrained the gratitude of his disciples within the bounds of reason and religion." 

HISTORY OF THE SARACEN EMPIRE, London, 1870, p. 54.

Michael H. Hart

"My choice of Muhammad to lead the list of the world's most influential persons may surprise some readers and may be questioned by others, but he was the only man in history who was supremely successful on both the religious and secular level."  THE 100: A RANKING OF THE MOST INFLUENTIAL PERSONS IN HISTORY, New York: Hart Publishing Company, Inc., 1978, p. 33.

Phillip Hitti

"During all the first part of the Middle Ages, no other people made as

important a contribution to human progress as did the Arabs, if we take this term to mean all those whose mother-tongue was Arabic, and not merely those living in the Arabian peninsula. For centuries, Arabic was the language of learning, culture and intellectual progress for the whole of the civilized world with the exception of the Far East. From the IXth to the XIIth century there were more philosophical, medical, historical, religiuos, astronomical and geographical works written in Arabic than in any other human tongue."

'Short History of the Arabs:

Roger Hooker

If we are to make any progress in dialogue with Muslims we must first of all get inside the world of Islam and make ourselves welcome as guest and friends... There is a need for some of us to get inside the Muslim world and meet Muslims on their own territory where they are most at home, and, perhaps, most truly themselves.

Colin Chapman, Cross and Crescent, p. 19.
King Hussein I

I am totally against the idea that a Muslim woman should not have the same opportunities as a Muslim man to learn, to open up, to work, help shape the future. To close Islam down to a sexist approach is totally intolerable and ridiculous. It's not Islam.

Washington Irving

His military triumphs awakened no pride nor vain glory as they would have done had they been effected by selfish purposes. In the time of his greatest power he maintained the same simplicity of manner and appearance as in the days of his adversity. So far from affecting regal state, he was displeased if, on entering a room, any unusual testimonial of respect was shown to him.

in 'Life of Muhammad,' New York, 1920:

Jermaine Jackson

Having embraced Islam, I felt as if I were born again. I found in Islam the answers to those queries which I had failed to find in Christianity.

Muhammad Ali Jinnah

Come forward as servants of Islam, organise the people economically, socially, educationally and politically and I am sure that you will be a power that will be accepted by everybody.

Aly Khan

Fortunately, historians are now beginning to recognise the historic role of Islam as a liberating force for peoples oppressed by the burdens of unjust social systems.

Lamartine

"The founder of twenty terrestrial empires and of one spiritual empire, that is Muhammed. As regards all standards by which human greatness may be measured, we may well ask, is there any man greater than  he?" Historie de la Turquie, Paris 1854, Vol. 11 pp. 276-277

S. S. Leeder

"How, for instance, can any other appeal stand against that of the Moslem who, in approaching the pagan, says to him, however obscure or degraded he may be 'Embrace the faith, and you are at once equal and a brother.' Islam knows no color line." 

VEILED MYSTERIES OF EGYPT

Professor Jules Masserman

"People like Pasteur and Salk are leaders in the first sense. People like Gandhi and Confucius, on one hand, and Alexander, Caesar and Hitler on the other, are leaders in the second and perhaps the third sense. Jesus and Buddha belong in the third category alone. Perhaps the greatest leader of all times was Mohammed, who combined all three functions. To a lesser degree, Moses did the same." 

William H. McNeill

“The rise of Islam offers perhaps the most impressive example in world history of the power of words to alter human behavior in sudden, surprising ways.”

R. L. Mellema

"The doctrine of brotherhood of Islam extends to all human beings, no matter what color, race or creed. Islam is the only religion which has been able to realize this doctrine in practice. Muslims wherever on the world they are will recognize each other as brothers."  Holland, Anthropologist, Writer and Scholar.

James Michener

“Like almost every major prophet before him, Muhammad fought shy of serving as the transmitter of God’s word sensing his own inadequacy. But the Angel commanded ‘Read’. So far as we know, Muhammad was unable to read or write, but he began to dictate those inspired words which would soon revolutionize a large segment of the earth: "There is one God"." “In all things Muhammad was profoundly practical. When his beloved son Ibrahim died, an eclipse occurred and rumors of God 's personal condolence quickly arose. Whereupon Muhammad is said to have announced, ‘An eclipse is a phenomenon of nature. It is foolish to attribute such things to the death or birth of a human being'."

“At Muhammad's own death an attempt was made to deify him, but the man who was to become his administrative successor killed the hysteria with one of the noblest speeches in religious history: ‘If there are any among you who worshiped Muhammad, he is dead. But if it is God you Worshiped, He lives for ever'.”

‘Islam: The Misunderstood Religion,’ Reader’s Digest, May 1955, pp. 68-70:

Sarojini Naidu

"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."  Lectures on "The Ideals of Islam;"  SPEECHES AND WRITINGS OF SAROJINI NAIDU, Madras, 1918, p. 167.

Barack Obama America and Islam are not exclusive and need not be in competition. Instead, they overlap, and share common principles of justice and progress, tolerance and the dignity of all human beings. I consider it part of my responsibility as President of the United States to fight against negative stereotypes of Islam wherever they appear. De Lacy  O'Leary "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."  ISLAM AT THE CROSSROADS, London, 1923, p. 8. Mohammed Omar I am ready to sacrifice everything in completing the unfinished agenda of our noble jihad... until there is no bloodshed in Afghanistan and Islam becomes a way of life for our people. Muhammad Marmaduke Pickthall

“If Europe had known as much of Islam, as Muslims knew of Christendom, in those days, those mad, adventurous, occasionally chivalrous and heroic, but utterly fanatical outbreak known as the Crusades could not have taken place, for they were based on a” “The tolerance within the body of Islam was, and is, something without parallel in history; class and race and color ceasing altogether to be barriers”