WHAT IS JIHAD? UNDER WHAT CONDITIONS DOES ISLAM SANCTION THE USE OF VIOLENCE? WHAT WOULD YOU TELL SUICIDE BOMBERS WHO INVOKE ISLAM TO JUSTIFY THEIR ACTIONS?

The word Jihad means ‘struggle’. It is mentioned in the Islamic scripts to mean a number of things; all refer to ‘moral struggles’ rather than anything else. These include: struggle against one’s evil desire, struggle with words of good against words of mischief, struggle against greed by giving charity, and struggle against the enemy in the context of war. However, the Qur'an mentioned the latest kind of struggle in the sense of ‘defending people against injustice’, and without violent aggression. In fact, the Qur'anic commandment clearly states: ‘Do not make aggression. God does not love those who are aggressive’. Prophet Mohammad’s commandment is also clear in that: ‘peacefulness is always beautiful and violence is always ugly’. However, Islam does sanction violence to defend one’s life, family, or country. Yet, this defense should never cause injustice or chaos. What the suicide bombers do is an un-Islamic forbidden injustice against themselves and others.

HOW DOES ISLAM DEFINE APOSTASY? IS IT PERMISSIBLE FOR A MUSLIM TO CONVERT TO ANOTHER FAITH? HOW CAN LAWS AGAINST APOSTASY AND BLASPHEMY BE RECONCILED WITH THE KORANIC INJUNCTION OF "NO COMPULSION IN RELIGION"?

It is permissible for a Muslim to convert to another religion, and this is what the verse ‘no compulsion in religion’ means. What is not permissible is for this person, who chooses another religion, to insult or defame Muslim’s belief in God or any of His prophets. What is not permissible is defamation and hate, not choosing to convert to another religion per se. However, for me, the best Islamic reaction to this kind of hate is civil protest and continuous dialogue, rather than violence of any kind.

WHAT ARE THE RIGHTS OF WOMEN IN ISLAM? HOW DOES ISLAM'S VIEW OF MALE-FEMALE EQUALITY DIFFER FROM THE WESTERN VIEW?

In Islam, women are equal to men in all senses, in front of God and the law. It was Prophet Muhammad who taught the world, fourteen centuries ago, that ‘all people are equal like the tooth of the comb’. The difference between the ‘Islamic’ and ‘western’ male-female equality is a difference of culture, even though it is often misunderstood to be a difference in principles and rights. One example: Muslim women view modesty and respect in terms of a certain style of dress. This specific style is not a sort of discrimination against Muslim women, but rather a view of a common human and universal value, which is modesty, in their own way.