Islam fastest Growing?

Dr. Javed Jamil

There is little doubt that Islam is either the fastest growing major or one of the fastest growing religions of the world. There have been many arguments to the contrary though, obviously mostly those of Islam-bashers. Some of them have tried to prove that the growth of Islam is mainly due to their population growth due to their “reproducing like rabbits” or in Western countries mainly due to migration. The balance of the facts is that:

1.      Islam is surely the fastest or according to some independent sources one of the fastest growing religions of the world in terms of absolute numbers;

2.      In terms of more and more Muslims becoming believing and practicing Muslims. (A significantly large number of Christians particularly in Europe are non0believing or non0practicing Christians)

3.      In terms of the mosques and Islamic institutions appearing and in terms of the number of people attending them;

4.      In terms of people studying Islam;

5.      In terms of people converting to Islam;

6.      In terms of women especially white women converting to Islam;

7.      In terms of women adopting Islamic measures like Hijab and attending mosques.

The truth however is also that other religions are also showing increase in their popularity. These include Buddhism and Christianity, and Hindus are also returning to active practice.

The increasing number of Muslims is due to

1.      Muslims shunning abortions and also other population control measures (relative);

2.      Higher level of conversion. (There is a considerably long list of conversions of big celebrities to Islam.)

3.      In Western countries also due to migration.

Below are some of the excerpts that support the above:

World Christian Database

The World Christian Database (WCD) and its predecessor the World Christian Encyclopedia contains large amounts of data on numbers and growths of religions. It is used as a source for many web and newspaper articles. The following is a tabulation of their results: (Note: The annual growth in the world population over the same period is 1.41%.)

The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace using the 2000-2005 edition of the World Christian Database, concluded that high birth rates were the reason for the growth in all six; however, the growth of Christianity was also attributed to conversions.^[6] Although the World Christian Database does not cite sources, a review examining the reliability and bias of the WCD found it "highly correlated with other sources of data" but "consistently gave a higher estimate for percent Christian." The Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion said that "on the whole we find that the WCD is reliable.^[28]

Encyclopædia Britannica

The following table has been quoted as taken from the 2005 Encyclopædia Britannica.^[29] Its figures for percentage growth are identical to that of the 1990 to 2000 version of the World Christian Database given above.

Fast-growing Islam winning converts in Western world

April 14, 1997
Web posted at: 11:41 p.m. EDT (0341 GMT)

From Correspondent Gayle Young

CAIRO (CNN) -- In the port city of Suez -- and across the Islamic world -- they are celebrating the Hajj, the pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca .

"This is a joyous day and the best day in the life of a man," said pilgrim Hussein Suleiman Hussein. "It is as if I am being born anew."

Millions of Muslims across the world will trek to Mecca this week for the annual religious event. They circle the Kaaba, a shrine that contains a black stone sacred to the Prophet Mohammed.

Mohammed decreed that every Muslim who can afford it make the Hajj at least once. It is one of five holy duties required in Islam.

A Muslim's first duty is to proclaim that there is only one God and that Mohammed is his prophet. Muslims also must pray five times a day, give charity to the poor and fast during the daylight hours of the holy month of Ramadan.

When a cannon signals that the sun has set during Ramadan, Muslims in Cairo break their fast with friends and family, often inviting the poor to share their meals.

Fastest-growing religion

The second-largest religion in the world after Christianity, Islam is also the fastest-growing religion. In the United States , for example, nearly 80 percent of the more than 1,200 mosques have been built in the past 12 years.

Some scholars see an emerging Muslim renaissance as Islam takes root in many traditionally Christian communities.

Islam has drawn converts from all walks of life, most notably African-Americans. Former NAACP President Benjamin Chavis, who joined the Nation of Islam recently, personifies the trend.

"In societies where you have minorities that are discriminated against, I think they may find an appeal in Islam," said Waleed Kazziha of American University in Cairo .

Many moderate Islamic countries such as Turkey and Egypt are becoming more conservative.

Two decades ago, few middle-class Egyptian women wore scarves or veils on their heads. Now they crowd into special emporiums that advertise Islamic clothing.

The shift toward Islamic fundamentalism worries many in the secular world, a fear underscored when splinter groups target Westerners with violent attacks.

Islam vs. the West

But most scholars argue that the extremists are a very small minority and that most Muslims adhere to principles in the Koran that teach peace and tolerance.

"The Islamic world is like any other society we have known in history," said Kazziha. "You might say it has the good, the bad and the ugly."

Founded in 622 A.D., Islam is among the newer major religions. But to the non-Muslim world, it sometimes appears inflexible. Clashes between Islamic tradition and Western influence are sweeping the globe.

In Islam, contrary to Western beliefs, the rights of the community are considered more important than the rights of the individual. Women are seen primarily as caretakers of the home, and religion strongly influences schools, government and courts.

Many Muslims today are trying to find a balance between being members of a global society and maintaining ties to a religion that calls for strict adherence to the Koran.

A case in point is 35-year-old Hisham Hussein, a wealthy playboy who turned to religion and swore off alcohol after an automobile accident.

He is going to Mecca this spring. "The most important thing is to maintain the purity of the Hajj, to lead a pure life," he said.

http://edition.cnn.com/WORLD/9704/14/egypt.islam/

Islam is Fastest Growing

Religion in United States

By Jim Garamone / American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Oct. 4, 2001 -- Muslims, those who believe in Islam, are everywhere in the United States. They may be your doctor or drive your taxi. They may serve you in restaurants or advise you in law. And if you’re in the military, they increasingly may be in the same foxhole, manning the same position or working on the same aircraft as you.

Islam is the second-largest religion in the world, with more than 1.3 billion believers. In the United States, it is the fastest growing religion, a trend fueled mostly by immigration. There are 5 million to 7 million Muslims in the U.S., including between 10,000 and 20,000 members of the American military. One of them is Army Chaplain (Capt.) Abdul-Rasheed Muhammad, a Muslim Imam stationed at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington. In his chaplaincy, he ministers to all faiths.

Imam Muhammad said that all Muslims believe in the Five Pillars of the Faith. "The foundation of the faith, or Shahada, is the testimony in the belief in one God and that Muhammad is the messenger of God," he said.

Another of the pillars is prayer. Muslims pray to Allah five times a day, at dawn, midday, afternoon, evening and night. Wherever they are, they bow in the direction of Mecca, the Saudi Arabian city where Muhammad was born, for their prayers.

Charity is another pillar, Imam Muhammad said. "One gives a minimum of 2.5 percent of their wealth to the Islamic community yearly," he said.

Another requirement is fasting during the month of Ramadan each year. Ramadan begins Nov. 18 this year.

Finally, Muslims are expected, if possible, to make a pilgrimage to Mecca once in a lifetime. This is the Hajj to the Grand Mosque.

In addition to prayer, a requirement of Islam is to not eat pork and not consume alcohol. Muslims gather at mosques for religious services, called Jumah, on Fridays just after mid-noon. Like many other religions, men typically do not mix with women during worship.

Muslim women wear the headscarf, or hijab, and all Muslims must dress modestly. Men may wear a head covering called a kufi, but it is not a requirement of the faith. The chaplain said one of the obstacles for Muslim women serving in the U.S. military is that commanders may authorize them to wear the hijab or not. "Some do, some don't," he said.

Muslims accept vast portions of the Bible and accept many Judeo-Christian teachings. Although many Americans believe that all Muslims are Arabs and all Arabs are Muslims, in fact less than 20 percent of the Muslims in the world are Arab. Even the most Islamic Arab countries have citizens who believe in other religions. In Indonesia, for example, which has the world's largest Islamic population, 88 percent of its 280 million people are Muslims.

Islam regards Jesus Christ as a very holy man, but not as the Son of God. Muslims believe that the Prophet Muhammad received the revealed word of God -- and that is Islam's holy book, the Koran.

Like the Bible, the Koran is open to interpretation, up to a point. "Those terrorists must be reading a completely different Koran than the rest of us," said Marine Corps Capt. Aisha Bakkar-Poe. Bakkar-Poe is from Kentucky. Her father comes from Syria and her mother is American-born. She said her co-workers have been asking her about Islam since the attacks in New York and Washington. "The question I get most often is, 'Who is this Allah guy?'" she said. "And how could these fanatics make these attacks?”

http://www.defendamerica.mil/articles/a100501b.html

 Submitted by Jason Chayest (Canada), Feb 12, 2003 at 18:24

I would just like to comment on the false information given by Moses Gbenu on how Islam is the fastest growing religion because of the birth rate in the middle east or asia, etc... This is not true, Islam is the fastest growing religion in the United States because of CONVERSION, not immigration. It is said that the new mosques being built in the United States over the last 2 years have 30% of people going to it as converts. In fact, according to Brittanica, Islam has the highest conversion rate in the world, so please get the facts straight friend.

http://www.danielpipes.org/comments/6597

Neutral non-Muslim Sources confirming Islam to be the fastest growing religion:

“Islam is the world’s fastest-growing religion. In 1990, 935 million people were Muslims and this figure had escalated to around 1.2 billion by 2000, meaning that around one in five people follow Islam. Although the religion began in Arabia, by 2002 80% of all believers in Islam lived outside the Arab world. In the period 1990-2000, approximately 12.5 million MORE people CONVERTED to Islam than to Christianity” (Guinness World Records 2003, pg 102)

People raised another pathetic argument INCLUDING HERE IN YAHOO ANSWER. They claims that Islam is the fastest growing religion because of high birth rate in third world countries. This is the point that Islamophobists really raise to “prove” that Islam is not the fastest growing religion. Much to their misfortune, Guinness World Records debunks this lie. As I quoted above. I’ll quote the last part of it.

“In the period 1990-2000, approximately 12.5 million MORE people CONVERTED to Islam than to Christianity” (Guinness World Records 2003, pg 102)

What does this mean in your language? Does it mean that 12.5 million MORE Muslims in third world countries were BORN in this time period?!

According to Reader’s digest Almanic year book Islam grew by 235% in 50 years between 1934-1984

According to CNN:

“The second-largest religion in the world after Christianity, Islam is also the fastest-growing religion. In the United States, for example, nearly 80 percent of the more than 1,200 mosques have been built in the past 12 years.

Some scholars see an emerging Muslim renaissance as Islam takes root in many traditionally Christian communities.

Islam has drawn converts from all walks of life, most notably African-Americans. Former NAACP President Benjamin Chavis, who joined the Nation of Islam recently, personifies the trend.

“Today Islam is the fastest growing religion” (Is Organized religion a Sham by Ed Sepernik, pg 166)

“Islam is the fastest growing religion all over the world” (Allah and Elohim - Are they the Same God? , Preface)

There are over a billion Muslims in the world today, including 3 to 5 million in the U.S., making it the second most populous religion on earth after Christianity. According to some estimates, Islam is the fastest-growing religion in the world. (The Joy of Sects, Peter Occhigrosso, 1996, p394-397)

Now you may start crying, “No, No, They are unreliable” Whether you agree or not, is irrelevant here.

Islam is indeed the fastest growing religion. It will continue to grow and will spread in the full world.

If You are still not convinced, then just go to youtube and type "Convert". See the results for yourself.

http://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20100527031133AAHEUDY

Listen What the World says about the Fastest Growing Religion

"Islam is the fastest-growing religion in America, a guide and pillar of stability for many of our people..." [HILLARY RODMAN CLINTON, Los Angeles Times, May 31, 1996, p.3]

Already more than a billion-people strong, Islam is the world’s fastest-growing religion. [ABCNEWS, Abcnews.com]

"Islam is the fastest-growing religion in the country." [NEWSDAY, March 7, 1989, p.4]

"Islam is the fastest-growing religion in the United States..." [NEW YORK TIMES, Feb 21, 1989, p.1]


Moslems are the world's fastest-growing group..."  [USA TODAY, The Population Reference bureau, Feb. 17,
1989, p.4A ]

"Muhummed is the most successful of all Prophets and religious personalities. " [Encyclopedia Britannica]

"There are more Muslims in North America then Jews Now." [Dan Rathers, CBSNEWS]

"Islam is the fastest growing religion in North America." [TIMES MAGAZINE]

"Islam continues to grow in America, and no one can doubt that!" [CNN, December 15, 1995]

"The Religion of Islam is growing faster than any other religion in the world."  [MIKE WALLACE, 60 MINUTES]

"Five to 6 million strong, Muslims in America already outnumber Presbyterians, Episcopalians, and Mormons, and they are more numerous than Quakers, Unitarians, Seventh-day Adventists, Mennonites, Jehovah's Witnesses, and Christian Scientists, combined. Many demographers say Islam has overtaken Judaism as the country's second-most commonly practiced religion; others say it is in the passing lane." [JOHAN BLANK,
US NEWS (7/20/98)]

"In fact, Religion experts say Islam is the second-largest religion in the United States... Islam has 5 million to 6 million members, followed by Judaism, with approximately 4.5 million..... And Islam is believed to be fastest-growing religion in the country, with half its expansion coming from new immigrants and the other half from conversions." [By ELSA C. ARNETT Knight-Ridder News Service]

It has been a great pleasure for me to help clarify statements in the Qur'ân about human development. It is clear to me that these statements must have come to Muhammad from Allah, or Allah, because almost all of this knowledge was not discovered
until many centuries later. This proves to me that Muhammad must have been a messenger of Allah. [Professor Keith Moore, one of the world’s prominent scientists of anatomy and embryology. University of Toronto, Canada]

"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." [H.A.R. Gibb, WHITHER ISLAM, London, 1932, P. 379.]


"It (Islam) replaced monkishness by manliness. It gives hope to the slave, brotherhood to mankind, and recognition of the fundamental facts of human nature."  [Canon Taylor, Paper read before the Church Congress at Walverhamton, Oct. 7, 1887; Quoted by Arnoud in THE PREACHING OF ISLAM, pp. 71-72.]

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? " [Lamartine, Historie de la Turquie, Paris 1854, Vol. 11 pp. 276-2727]

"If a man like Muhammed were to assume the dictatorship of the modern world, he would succeed in solving its problems that
would bring it the much needed peace and happiness." [George Bernard Shaw]

"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." [S. S. Leeder, VEILED MYSTERIES OF EGYPT]

I think it seems to me very, very mysterious, almost unbelievable. I really think if what you have said is true, [Professor Siaveda , He is also one of the most famous scientists in the world.]

Professor William W. Hay is one of the best known marine scientists in the United States. satellite photography and emote-sensing techniques. Professor Hay replied: I find it very interesting that this sort of information is in the ancient scripture of the Holy Qur'ân, and I have no way of knowing where they would come from, but I think it is extremely interesting that they are there and that this work is going on to discover it, the meaning of some of the passages. Professor Hay: Well, I would think it must be the divine being!

[Professor Yushudi Kusan: Director of the Tokyo Observatory] I can say, I am very mush impressed by finding true astronomical facts in the Qur'ân.

[Professor Alfred Kroner who is one of the world’s most famous geologists] "Thinking about many of these questions and thinking where Muhammad came from, he was after all a bedouin. I think it is almost impossible that he could have known about things like the common origin of the universe,
because scientists have only found out within the last few years with very complicated and advanced technological methods that this is the case.

[Dr. T.V.N. Persaud is a Professor of Anatomy and Head of the Department of Anatomy, and a professor of Pediatrics and Child Health, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. He is the author or editor of 25 books, and has published over 181 scientific papers. In 1991, he received the most distinguished award presented in the field of anatomy in Canada.] "It seems to me that Muhammad was a very ordinary man. He could not read or write. In fact, he was illiterate. We are talking about 1400 years ago. You have someone who was illiterate making profound pronouncement
and statements and are amazingly accurate about scientific nature. I personally cannot see how this could be mere chance. There are too many accuracy’s and, like Dr. Moore, I have no difficulty in my mind in concerning that this is a divine inspiration or revelation which led him to these statements."

Joe Leigh Simpson, Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the North Western University in Chicago in the United States of America. Professor Simpson said: It follows, I think, that not only is there no conflict between genetics and religion, but in fact religion can guide science by adding revelation to some traditional scientific approaches. That there exists statements in the Qur'ân shown by science to be valid, which supports knowledge in the Qur'ân having been derived from Allah. 

[Professor Palmer a scientist from the U.S.] We need research into the history of early Middle Eastern oral traditions to know whether in fact such historical events have been reported. If there is no such record, it strengthens the belief that Allah transmitted through Muhammad bits of his knowledge that we have only discovered for ourselves in recent times. We look forward to a continuing dialogue on the topic of science in the Qur'ân in the context of geology. Thank you very much.

[Professor Tagata Tagasone, formerly Head of the Department of Anatomy and Embryology at the University of Shiang Mai in Thailand. He is now the Dean of the College of the Medicine at the University.] From my studies and from what I have learned throughout this conference, I believe that everything that has been recorded in the Qur'ân 1400 years ago must be the truth, that can be proved by the scientific means. Since the Prophet Muhammad could neither read nor write, Muhammad must be a messenger who relayed this truth which was revealed to him as an enlightenment by the One Who is an Eligible Creator. This Creator must
be Allah, or Allah. Therefore, I think this is the time to say ‘Laa ilaaha illallah’, that there is no Allah to worship except Allah, ‘Muhammad Rasool Allah’, Muhammad is messenger of Allah...

[Professor Armstrong, Scientist works at NASA] I am impressed that how remarkably some of the ancient writings seem to correspond to modern and recent Astronomy. There may well have to be something beyond what we understand as ordinary human experience to account for the writings that we have seen.

[Professor Durga Rao] It is difficult to imagine that this type of knowledge was existing at that time, around 1400 years back. May be some of the things they have simple idea about, but do describe those things in great detail is very difficult. So, this is definitely not a simple human knowledge.

"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." [Michael H. Hart, THE 100: A RANKING OF THE MOST INFLUENTIAL PERSONS IN HISTORY, New York: Hart Publishing Company, Inc., 1978, p. 33.]

"No other society has such a record of success in uniting in an equality of status, of opportunity and Endeavour so many and so varied races of mankind. The great Muslim communities of Africa , India and Indonesia , perhaps also the small community in
Japan , show that Islam has still the power to reconcile apparently irreconcilable elements of race and tradition. If
ever the opposition of the great societies of the East and west is to be replaced by cooperation, the mediation of Islam is
an indispensable condition." [H.A.R. Gibb, WHITHER ISLAM, p. 379]

The nation's claim to be a Christian country is about to meet its first challenge: the number of practising Muslims is set to overtake Anglican Christians.... There has also been a number of high-profile conversions to Islam from Christianity. These include Mike Tyson, the former world champion boxer; Chris Eubank, the British middleweight boxing champion, who has changed his name to Hamdan; and Cat Stevens, the pop musician, who calls himself Yusuf Islam.... Prince Charles courted controversy earlier this year when he reaffirmed his
claim that when he succeeds the throne, he does not wish to be the defender of only the Christian faith. [Rajeev Syal and Christopher Morgan Sunday Times (London, U.K.)]

"I have studied him - the wonderful man - and in my opinion far from being an anti-Christ he must be called the saviour of
humanity. " [George Bernard Shaw in "The Genuine Islam"]

"Muhammad, the inspired man who founded Islam, was born about A.D. 570 into an Arabian tribe that worshipped idols. Orphaned at birth, he was always particularly solicitous of the poor and needy, the widow and the orphan, the slave and the downtrodden. At twenty, he was already a successful businessman, and soon became director of camel caravans for a wealthy widow. When he reached twenty-five, his employer, recognizing his merit, proposed marriage. Even though she was fifteen years older, he married her, and as long as she lived, remained a devoted husband. "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 rumours 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 worshipped Muhammad, he is dead. But if it is God you worshipped, He lives forever." [James A. Michener, "Islam: The Misunderstood Religion," in READER'S DIGEST (American edition), May 1955, pp. 68-70.]

"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." [John Austin, "Muhammad the Prophet of Allah," in T.P. 's and Cassel's Weekly for 24th September 1927.]

"Everything made so much sense. This is the beauty of the Qur'an; it asks you to reflect and reason....When I read the Qur'an further, it talked about prayer, kindness and charity. I was not a Muslim yet, but I felt the only answer for me was the Qur'an and God had sent it to me." [Cat Stevens (Now Yusuf Islam), former British pop star.]

"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 . . . " [John William Draper, M.D., L.L.D., A History of the Intellectual Development of Europe, London 1875, Vol.1, pp.329-330]

"Muhammad was the soul of kindness, and his influence was felt and never forgotten by those around him." [Diwan Chand Sharma, The Prophets of the East, Calcutta 1935, p. l 22.]

"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." [Professor Jules Masserman]

[Ahmed Versi, editor of the weekly Muslim News,] said the growth of Islam has been constant: "The younger generation of Muslims that I have encountered is becoming more aware of its Muslim identity and is therefore practising its faith with vigour."

"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.J. Toynbee,
CIVILIZATION ON TRIAL, New York, p. 205]

"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;" see SPEECHES AND WRITINGS OF SAROJINI NAIDU, Madras, 1918, p. 167.]

"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." [De Lacy O'Leary, ISLAM AT THE CROSSROADS, London, 1923, p. 8.]

"The Muslim community is much more aware of its religion and the use that religion plays within its community." [Dr Peter Brierley, Executive Director of the Christian Research Association, a London-based charity]

"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 for from being an anti-Christ, he must be called the Saviour 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." [G.B. Shaw, THE GENUINE ISLAM, Vol. 1, No. 81936.]

"A growing number of Muslims in America, more than 40 percent are African-American," [Charles Bierbauer, from the Senior Washington Correspondent]

"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.J. Toynbee, CIVILIZATION ON TRIAL, New York, 1948, p. 205.]

"The rise of Islam is perhaps the most amazing event in human history. Springing from a land and a people like previously negligible, Islam spread within a century over half the earth, shattering great empires, overthrowing long established religions, remoulding 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 ." [A.M.L. Stoddard, quoted in ISLAM - THE RELIGION OF ALL PROPHETS, Begum Bawani Waqf, Karachi, Pakistan, p. 56.]

"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 Qur'ân 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.'" [W. Montgomery Watt, ISLAM AND CHRISTIANITY TODAY, London, 1983, p. ix.]

'I believe in One God and Mahomet 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." [Edward Gibbon and Simon Ocklay, HISTORY OF
THE SARACEN EMPIRE, London, 1870, p. 54.]

"He was Caesar and Pope in one; but he was Pope without Pope's pretensions, Caesar without the legions of Caesar without a standing army, without a bodyguard, without a palace, without a fixed revenue; if ever any man had the right to say that he ruled by the right divine, it was Mohammed, for he had all the power without its instruments and without its supports." [Bosworth Smith, MOHAMMAD AND MOHAMMADANISM, London, 1874, p. 92.]

"His readiness to undergo persecutions for his beliefs, the high moral character of the men who believed in him and looked up to him as leader, and the greatness of his ultimate achievement - all argue his fundamental integrity. To suppose Muhammad an impostor raises more problems than it solves. Moreover, none of the great figures of history is so poorly appreciated in the West as Muhammad." [W. Montgomery Watt, MOHAMMAD AT MECCA, Oxford, 1953, p. 52.]

"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." [Mr. R. L. Mellema, Holland, Anthropologist, Writer and Scholar.]

"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." [Annie Besant, THE LIFE AND TEACHINGS OF MUHAMMAD, Madras, 1932, p.4.]

"The essential and definite element of my conversion to Islam was the Qur'an. I began to study it before my conversion with the critical spirit of a Western intellectual .... There are certain verses of this book, the Qur'an, revealed more than thirteen centuries ago, which teach exactly the same notions as the most modern scientific researches do. This definitely converted me." [Ali Selman Benoist, France, Doctor of Medicine.]

"I have read the Sacred Scriptures of every religion; nowhere have I found what I encountered in Islam: perfection. The Holy Qur'an, compared to any other scripture I have read, is like the Sun compared to that of a match. I firmly believe that anybody who reads the Word of Allah with a mind that is not completely closed to Truth, will become a Muslim." [Saifuddin Dirk Walter Mosig, U.S.A.]

"The universal brotherhood of Islam, regardless of race, politics, color or country, has been brought home to me most keenly many times in my life -- and this is another feature which drew me towards the Faith." [Col. Donald S. Rockwell, U.S.A. Poet, Critic and Author.]

"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." [(pg 253) Jared Diamond a world renowned UCLA sociologist, and physiologist won the Pulitzer Prize for his book: "Guns, Germs, and Steel."] http://www.allaahuakbar.net/womens/islam.htm

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In the end I will like to add that though the truth remains that Islam is a rapidly growing religion, even if it was not, it would still be the best for its believers and its popularity can increase further if Muslims are able to confront, ideologically, socially, politically, economically and scientifically, the forces that rule today.  There is absolutely no reason why Muslims must not work hard in the field of science and technology at the same time repudiating the New World Order (Westernism) at the ideological and social front. Islam lost its dominant status in the world because of political decline of Islam, created by as well as creating an ideological vacuum among Muslim scholars who got more involved in theological debates rather than studying and researching the needs of the current world, inability to make scientific and technological progress  and inability to confront the upcoming forces where they should have been confronted. If Muslims recognize the real needs of the mankind and learn to apply Islam, there is no reason why Islam will not be a major force again. But a reminder here. The coming of Qiyamat is an indication that ultimately the forces of evil will conquer the earth, and Allah will then recreate a better universe. 

Dr Javed Jamil