Are All Religions Alike? By Parwez - Resurgent Islam

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Prolegomena
Since some time, a kind of tradition has popped up to hold
Inter Religions Conferences from time to time. The
representatives of various religions narrate the merits of
their religion in these conferences. The general aim of these
gatherings is to impart a body of knowledge of the various
religions amongst one another. And thereby remove the
misunderstandings that have found way for lack of
religions knowledge. The excellence of this aim and the
utility of these ceremonies can not be refuted. But
whenever I studied the proceedings of these ceremonies, I
felt that (at least) Islam, in the real sense, is little presented
properly in its true tone and tenor. It is an undeniable fact
that Islam is a harbinger of peace and a source of
nourishment for mankind. That is why it contains the
teachings of tolerance, virtuous dealings, and broadness of
visions for both the irreligious and the religious followers.
But this is also a stark fact that Islam is a strong supporter
of a peculiar excellence over the edge of other religions. It
proclaims that God's message, in its pristine purity, is
present in the Qur'lIn alone; it's the last message of God
and is a complete and perfect code of life. It contains all the
means of guidance for every branch of human life and
perpetuates to the last syllable of the recorded time on this
earth. Its broadness of vision, its openness, its tolerance,
and its virtuous dealings are publicly trumpeted. But its
excellence, completeness, supremacy, and exaltation over
and above the other religions are never talked of. It is
because it is usually understood that doing so would
tantamount to· gener.ate heart-breaking of the other
religionists; thus they would term the representative of
Islam as "prejudice and narrow-minded." Influenced with
this misconception of tolerance and broad-mindedness,
Islam's representatives find no courage to interpret Islam in
its true and pristine perspective. Thus, they attend these