Principles and Policies of "Answering Islam"

Correction of Errors

We are human beings, and as such we are prone to error of oversight and to error of ignorance. As stated at the bottom of the Answering Islam Home Page, we want to correct factual errors of any kind, and ask that they be brought to our attention, whether they be misprints, links that do not work, or misquotations, misrepresentations of arguments or teachings. If you can show where we are wrong, we will correct it if possible or remove the incorrect part altogether. On a factual level, this should be very clear and easy to decide. If we have the facts correct but you don't like our interpretation of these facts, we would like to hear yours, but we might not agree with you and still think our view on the facts are valid. So, we are not offering to change an article just because somebody does not like the view expressed in it, but we are eager to correct anything that is factually wrong in our pages.

This promise refers unreservedly to all of our own material. We have also made available online some classical books and articles which we think are valuable and which - as a matter of integrity - need to remain as they were originally published. We will, however, add footnotes to correct the occasional statement which was later found out to be wrong; e.g., bottom of page 10 in this example.

Answering Islam is not the work of one person alone, but many people contributed and continue to contribute to the content of this web site. Not all authors hold the same opinion on every detail under discussion. As with the interaction between Muslim and Christian arguments the reader is invited to ponder the differing opinions of Christians on these matters and then decide for himself or herself which reasoning is more convincing.

Linking to Opposing Views

Our readers will find that some parts of our site have many links to Muslim pages and others are nearly free of them.

In a true dialog, every party should have the opportunity for an undisrupted presentation of their own faith. We feel that in those pages where we present genuinely Christian teachings it would divert from the focussed attention necessary for developing true understanding were we to constantly interrupt the presentation with links to opposing arguments. Understanding any religion needs a concentrated effort and it is not helpful to jump back and forth between pro and contra. Let the reader read in a concentrated way about the Christian view and come to a good understanding. Then he may go to the Muslim views on the issue which he will have no problem locating from the links refered to below.

Just as Muslim sites will not disrupt their presentation why the Qur'an is the word of God with links to Christian pages questioning this belief (and we would never expect them to do so), in the same way we want to present our faith as we see it. Nevertheless we have collected one of the largest and most balanced pages with Islamic links to a great variety of different Muslim groups and movements where the readers can explore the Muslim view and arguments on basically all topics discussed here as well. In particular, we have collected links to all Muslim sites containing material on Christianity that we have found. There you will find the counter arguments and are invited to compare the validity of our presentation with the Muslim view.

In those parts of our site, where we critically evaluate the Qur'an, the prophethood of Muhammad, or other issues of Islamic theology, law, history, practice, etc. we feel it is a matter of integrity to link to the Muslim presentation of the critiqued issue (as far as we are aware of such pages) so that the reader can immediately compare for himself whether our critique is fair and we are not distorting the actual Muslim belief. In those pages where we critique Islam, we will always give the right to reply and will link to any Muslim response on other web sites that is requested of us. In particular, when we examine a Muslim document that is already on the web, we will include a reference to it.

We hope that Muslims could introduce similar policies and allow Christians a response where they present articles critical of the Bible or Christian doctrine, but obviously, this is a decision each maintainer of an individual web site has to make for himself.

Frequently Asked Questions

... What are the most common questions? ...

  • Why do you not link more prominently to the Bible Critique of the Internet Infidels?

    Our interest is the dialog and discussion with Muslims and the interaction with Islamic arguments on the basis of our common belief in God, the Creator and Sustainer of the Universe. There are enough other Christian sites on apologetics answering to the atheist critique of Christianity. Muslims are starting to use more and more of the atheist material as a weapon against the Christians, and in the case when we have the impression that it is necessary, we will provide answers to it. But our focus is the dialog with Muslims, not with atheists. We need to focus our limited time and not be diverted into every possible direction. Please also see the article Why do you take them as protectors?

    The above is about questions in regard to how we want to run and structure this site. A selection of questions on the Christian faith can be found on our Question and Answer Panel.


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