What are the most common myths about Islam?

In a Nutshell: Islam is one of the most widely discussed yet most frequently misunderstood religions in the world. With approximately two billion adherents spanning every continent, the gap between what Islam actually teaches and what many non-Muslims (and indeed some Muslims) believe it teaches is remarkably wide. Common myths include the claims that Islam was spread by the sword, that it inherently oppresses women, that jihad means holy war, that Muslims worship a different God, and that Islam is incompatible with science. Each of these myths collapses under scrutiny when examined against the Quran, the Prophetic tradition, the historical record, and the views of mainstream Islamic scholarship across all major schools of thought. This article examines ten of the most persistent myths about Islam, presenting the evidences, scholarly analysis, and historical context that dismantle them. Introduction Misconceptions about Islam are not new. They have existed since the earliest encounters between the Muslim world and its neighbours. Medieval European literature portrayed the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) in wildly inaccurate terms, and Crusade-era propaganda established narratives that have, in modified form, persisted into the modern period. What has changed is the scale and speed at which these myths now circulate. The 24-hour news cycle, social media algorithms that reward sensationalism, and a well-documented Islamophobia industry - which multiple academic studies have shown receives hundreds of millions of dollars in funding annually - have created an environment in which myths about Islam reach billions of people while corrections struggle to gain traction. For Islamiqate, addressing these myths is not a peripheral concern; it is central to the platform's mission. Crowdsourced knowledge is at its most powerful when it meets people at their point of misunderstanding and provides clear, evidence-based, multi-perspective answers. This article serves as a comprehensive reference point for the ten most common myths about Islam, each addressed with Quranic evidence, hadith, the views of the companions and classical scholars, and relevant historical context. Where scholarly disagreement exists, it is acknowledged rather than concealed - because intellectual honesty is itself a refutation of the caricature that Islam discourages critical thinking. Evidences Quranic Verses "There shall be no compulsion in religion. The right course has become distinct from the wrong." (Quran 2:256) "O mankind, indeed We have created you from male and female and made you peoples and tribes that you may know one another. Indeed, the most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you." (Quran 49:13) "And We have not sent you, [O Muhammad], except as a mercy to the worlds." (Quran 21:107) "Whoever kills a soul unless for a soul or for corruption in the land - it is as if he had slain mankind entirely. And whoever saves one - it is as if he had saved mankind entirely." (Quran 5:32) "Read in the name of your Lord who created." (Quran 96:1) "And consult them in the matter." (Quran 3:159) "And their affair is [determined by] consultation among themselves." (Quran 42:38) "And for women are rights over men similar to those of men over women." (Quran 2:228) Hadiths The Prophet (pbuh) said: "Seeking knowledge is an obligation upon every Muslim." (Sunan Ibn Majah) The Prophet (pbuh) said: "The best of you are those who are best to their women." (Sunan al-Tirmidhi) The Prophet (pbuh) said: "He who believes in Allah and the Last Day, let him be kind to his neighbour." (Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim) The Prophet (pbuh) said: "There is no superiority of an Arab over a non-Arab, or of a non-Arab over an Arab, and no superiority of a white person over a black person or of a black person over a white person, except on the basis of personal piety and righteousness." (Musnad Ahmad) The Prophet (pbuh) said in his farewell sermon: "All mankind is from Adam and Eve. An Arab has no superiority over a non-Arab, nor does a non-Arab have any superiority over an Arab." (Musnad Ahmad) Companions' Opinions Umar ibn al-Khattab (ra), the second caliph, famously stated when he saw a man beating his slave: "Since when have you enslaved people when their mothers bore them free?" This statement has been widely cited by scholars as evidence of Islam's trajectory toward the abolition of unjust subjugation. Aisha (ra), the wife of the Prophet (pbuh), was one of the foremost scholars of early Islam. She is credited with narrating over 2,200 hadiths, and companions including senior male scholars would consult her on matters of jurisprudence. Her role demolishes the claim that Islam silences women's intellectual contributions. Abu Bakr al-Siddiq (ra), upon becoming caliph, explicitly told the Muslim community: "I have been given authority over you, and I am not the best of you. If I do well, help me; and if I do wrong, set me right." This statement established a principle of accountable governance that scholars have cited as foundational to Islamic political thought. Traditional Scholars' Quotes Ibn Rushd (Averroes, 12th century): In his "Bidayat al-Mujtahid," Ibn Rushd argued that women may serve as judges in all matters, a position he derived from a broader reading of Islamic legal principles. His philosophical works also championed the compatibility of reason and revelation, influencing both Islamic and European intellectual traditions. Ibn Khaldun (14th century): In his "Muqaddimah," considered the foundational text of sociology and historiography, Ibn Khaldun applied empirical, rational methodology to the study of human civilisation - demonstrating that the Islamic scholarly tradition was never opposed to systematic, evidence-based inquiry. Al-Qaradawi (20th–21st century): In "The Lawful and the Prohibited in Islam," Yusuf al-Qaradawi noted that compulsion in religion is antithetical to the very concept of faith in Islam, since belief by its nature must be voluntary to be meaningful. Analysis: The Ten Most Common Myths about Islam Myth 1: Islam was spread by the sword This is perhaps the most enduring myth about Islam, yet it is contradicted by both the Quran and the historical record. The Quran states unequivocally that "there shall be no compulsion in religion" (2:256). Historically, the rapid expansion of the early Islamic state was primarily political and military - as was the expansion of every major empire in human history - but conversion to Islam within those territories was typically gradual and voluntary. The historian Richard Bulliet's research on conversion rates in Iran demonstrated that the majority of the population did not become Muslim until two to three centuries after the initial conquest. Indonesia and Malaysia, the two most populous Muslim-majority countries in the world, were never conquered by Muslim armies at all; Islam arrived through trade, Sufi missionaries, and cultural exchange. Similarly, Islam spread across sub-Saharan Africa largely through commerce and scholarly networks rather than military conquest. The conflation of political expansion with forced conversion reflects a misunderstanding of how religions actually spread in the pre-modern world - a process that was, for all major religions including Christianity, far more complex than military conquest alone. Myth 2: Islam oppresses women This myth is addressed in depth in a separate Islamiqate article. In summary: the Quran explicitly declares that women have rights over men just as men have rights over women (2:228), and the Prophet (pbuh) stated that the best men are those who are best to their women (Sunan al-Tirmidhi). Islam granted women the right to own property, conduct business, inherit wealth, choose their spouse, and seek divorce fourteen centuries ago - rights that women in many Western countries did not obtain until the 19th or 20th century. Aisha (ra) was one of the most prolific hadith narrators and a leading scholar consulted by male companions. Khadijah (ra) was a successful businesswoman who employed the Prophet (pbuh) before their marriage and proposed to him. The confusion arises from conflating the cultural practices of specific Muslim-majority societies with the teachings of Islam itself. Patriarchal practices exist in many Muslim (and non-Muslim) societies, but Islam's foundational texts consistently affirm female dignity, agency, and rights. Myth 3: Jihad means holy war The word jihad derives from the Arabic root j-h-d, meaning to strive or to exert effort. In Islamic theology, the concept encompasses any sincere effort in the path of God. The Prophet (pbuh), returning from a military expedition, told his companions: "We are returning from the lesser jihad to the greater jihad" - the greater jihad being the internal struggle against one's own ego and shortcomings (reported by al-Bayhaqi). Classical scholars consistently distinguished between the jihad of the self (jihad al-nafs), the jihad of knowledge (jihad al-ilm), the jihad of wealth (spending in charitable causes), and the jihad of the battlefield, which is governed by strict rules prohibiting the killing of non-combatants, the destruction of crops and trees, and the targeting of places of worship. The reduction of jihad to "holy war" is a translation problem that entered European languages during the Crusades and has persisted ever since, despite being rejected by mainstream Islamic scholarship. Myth 4: Muslims worship a different God from Christians and Jews Allah is simply the Arabic word for God. Arab Christians use the word Allah in their prayers, their Bibles, and their liturgy, as they have done for centuries before Islam. The Quran explicitly states that the God of Islam is the same God worshipped by Abraham, Moses, and Jesus: "Say, 'We have believed in Allah and what has been revealed to us and what has been revealed to Abraham and Ishmael and Isaac and Jacob and the descendants, and what was given to Moses and Jesus and what was given to the prophets from their Lord. We make no distinction between any of them, and we are Muslims [in submission] to Him'" (Quran 2:136). Islam, Christianity, and Judaism are all Abrahamic monotheistic faiths worshipping the same God, though they differ in their theological understanding of God's nature and in their acceptance of different prophets and scriptures. Myth 5: Islam is inherently violent The Quran equates the unjust killing of a single person with the killing of all humanity (5:32). The Prophet (pbuh) established rules of engagement centuries before the Geneva Conventions, prohibiting the killing of women, children, the elderly, monks in their places of worship, and the destruction of agricultural land. The Charter of Medina, drawn up by the Prophet (pbuh), is widely regarded by historians as one of the earliest constitutional documents in history, establishing a multi-faith polity with protections for Jewish and other non-Muslim communities. Violent acts committed by individuals or groups claiming Islamic motivation are overwhelmingly condemned by mainstream Islamic scholars and institutions worldwide. The Amman Message, endorsed by over 500 leading scholars from across the Muslim world, explicitly repudiates the ideology of extremist groups. Attributing the violence of extremists to Islam as a whole is as unjustified as attributing the Crusades, the Inquisition, or modern white supremacist terrorism to Christianity as a whole. Myth 6: Islam is anti-science The Quran's first revealed word was "Read" (96:1), and its text repeatedly exhorts believers to observe, reflect upon, and study the natural world. The Islamic civilisation produced an extraordinary scientific legacy: al-Khwarizmi laid the foundations of algebra (the word itself derives from his treatise "al-Kitab al-Mukhtasar fi Hisab al-Jabr wa al-Muqabala"); Ibn al-Haytham pioneered the scientific method and made groundbreaking contributions to optics; Ibn Sina's "Canon of Medicine" was a standard medical textbook in European universities for over 500 years; al-Zahrawi is considered the father of modern surgery. The Islamic Golden Age (roughly 8th to 14th centuries) saw the establishment of major research institutions, including the Bayt al-Hikmah (House of Wisdom) in Baghdad, where scholars of all faiths translated, preserved, and built upon Greek, Persian, and Indian knowledge. The claim that Islam is anti-science is not merely false; it is historically illiterate. Myth 7: Muslims do not believe in Jesus Muslims revere Jesus (Isa, peace be upon him) as one of the greatest prophets of God. He is mentioned by name in the Quran more times than the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). The Quran affirms his virgin birth (Quran 19:20–22), his miracles (including healing the sick and raising the dead, Quran 5:110), and his role as the Messiah. An entire chapter of the Quran (Surah Maryam, Chapter 19) is named after his mother Mary, who is the only woman mentioned by name in the Quran and is described as chosen above all the women of the worlds (Quran 3:42). Where Islam differs from mainstream Christianity is in its rejection of the Trinity and the divinity of Jesus, maintaining instead that he was a human prophet and messenger of God. But the claim that Muslims do not believe in or respect Jesus is entirely unfounded. Myth 8: Islam forbids free thinking The Quran instructs the Prophet (pbuh) himself to consult the community in their affairs (3:159) and praises those "whose affair is [determined by] consultation among themselves" (42:38). The principle of shura (consultation) is foundational to Islamic governance. The early caliphs were selected through community consultation rather than hereditary succession, and Abu Bakr's inaugural address explicitly established the principle that the ruler is accountable to the governed and may be corrected by them. Scholars such as Rashid Rida, Muhammad Asad, and Yusuf al-Qaradawi have argued extensively that principles - including popular sovereignty, accountable governance and protection of minority rights - are not merely compatible with Islam but are demanded by it. The historical record shows enormous diversity in Islamic political thought, from the consultative model of the early caliphate to the philosophical reflections of al-Farabi's "The Virtuous City" to contemporary movements for democratic reform in Muslim-majority countries. Myth 9: Islam is a monolithic religion with no internal diversity Islam encompasses over two billion people across virtually every culture, language, and ethnicity on earth. It includes Sunni, Shia, Ibadi, and Sufi traditions, four major schools of Sunni jurisprudence (Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi'i, and Hanbali), multiple Shia schools, and a vast range of theological, philosophical, and mystical traditions. A Muslim in Indonesia may practise Islam very differently from a Muslim in Senegal, Morocco, Turkey, or the United Kingdom, while all sharing core beliefs in the oneness of God, the prophethood of Muhammad (pbuh), and the authority of the Quran. The Islamic scholarly tradition has always embraced respectful disagreement (ikhtilaf) as a sign of intellectual vitality - the famous statement attributed to early scholars that "difference of opinion among my ummah is a mercy" reflects a tradition that values plurality within a shared framework of faith. Treating Islam as a monolith is not merely inaccurate; it prevents meaningful engagement with the actual diversity of Muslim thought and practice. Myth 10: Sharia law is a barbaric medieval legal code The word sharia literally means "path to water" - a metaphor for the path to wellbeing and salvation. In Islamic thought, sharia encompasses the totality of God's guidance for human life, including personal ethics, worship, family law, commercial transactions, and social relations. It is not a fixed legal code but a dynamic system of jurisprudential reasoning (fiqh) that has evolved over fourteen centuries and continues to evolve. The five objectives of sharia (maqasid al-shariah), as articulated by Imam al-Shatibi and other scholars, are the preservation of life, intellect, lineage, property, and religion - objectives that align closely with modern conceptions of human rights. The reduction of sharia to a handful of criminal punishments (hudud) - which themselves are subject to such stringent evidentiary requirements that classical scholars noted they were almost impossible to apply - is a fundamental misrepresentation of a rich and sophisticated legal tradition. 5 Misconceptions about Myths about Islam These myths are only believed by uneducated people. Misconceptions about Islam are held across all educational levels. Academic research has shown that media framing is a more significant predictor of anti-Muslim attitudes than educational attainment. Highly educated individuals are not immune to bias, particularly when their information sources are themselves biased. Muslims are partly to blame for these myths because they do not explain Islam well enough. While Muslim communities can always improve their communication, this framing places the burden of proof on the misrepresented rather than the misrepresenters. The Islamophobia industry is well-funded and deliberate. No amount of community explanation can fully counteract a systematic campaign of misinformation without broader societal commitment to accuracy and fairness. These myths have no real-world consequences; they are just opinions. Research consistently demonstrates that anti-Muslim stereotypes correlate directly with support for discriminatory policies, hate crimes, and social exclusion. A 2023 report by the Bridge Initiative at Georgetown University documented the tangible policy consequences of widely held myths about Islam. Correcting these myths requires watering down Islam to make it palatable to Western audiences. Addressing myths does not require apologetics or dilution. It requires presenting Islam's actual teachings accurately and in context. The Quran, the Sunnah, and fourteen centuries of scholarship speak for themselves when presented clearly. If Islam is so peaceful, why are there so many conflicts in Muslim-majority countries? The majority of conflicts in Muslim-majority countries have political, economic, and colonial-legacy causes rather than religious ones. The same question could be asked of any region that has experienced colonialism, resource exploitation, and geopolitical interference. Correlation is not causation, and attributing complex geopolitical dynamics to a single religious variable is analytically unsound. 5 Objections Addressed But the Quran does contain verses about fighting. How can you say Islam is peaceful? The Quran's verses about fighting (qital) are contextual - they were revealed in response to specific historical situations in which the early Muslim community was under existential military threat. Classical scholars developed the discipline of asbab al-nuzul (circumstances of revelation) precisely to prevent these verses being read out of context. When read in full rather than selectively, these verses consistently include qualifications such as "fight those who fight you, but do not transgress" (Quran 2:190). Selective quotation of any scripture - including the Bible or the Torah - without context can produce misleading conclusions. What about the treatment of religious minorities under Islamic rule? The historical record of religious minorities under Islamic governance is complex and varied, but it compares favourably by the standards of the pre-modern world. The dhimmi system provided non-Muslims with legal protections, religious freedom, and communal autonomy at a time when religious tolerance was virtually unknown in Europe. The Ottoman millet system, the Convivencia in Andalusia, and the flourishing of Jewish communities in the medieval Islamic world all attest to a tradition of pluralism - imperfect by modern standards, but notably progressive by the standards of their time. If Islam promotes women's rights, why do some Muslim-majority countries restrict women's freedoms? The restrictions on women in certain Muslim-majority countries reflect cultural, political, and historical factors rather than Islamic teachings. Saudi Arabia's guardianship laws, for example, have been criticised by numerous Islamic scholars as having no basis in the Quran or Sunnah. It is essential to distinguish between what Islam teaches and what specific political regimes enforce in Islam's name - just as it would be unjust to judge Christianity by the practices of every nominally Christian government in history. Isn't the concept of apostasy law evidence that Islam does not support freedom of belief? The question of apostasy (riddah) in Islamic law is far more nuanced than commonly presented. Classical scholars distinguished between private disbelief and public sedition against the Muslim state. Many contemporary scholars, including Tariq Ramadan, Abdullah Saeed, and Hassan al-Turabi, argue that the Quran does not prescribe any worldly punishment for apostasy, pointing to verses such as "Whoever wills, let him believe; and whoever wills, let him disbelieve" (Quran 18:29) and the repeated insistence that "there is no compulsion in religion" (2:256). The debate within Islamic scholarship is genuine and ongoing, but the caricature of Islam as mandating death for leaving the faith misrepresents the diversity of scholarly opinion on this question. How do you explain terrorist groups that claim to act in the name of Islam? Extremist groups such as ISIS have been unanimously condemned by mainstream Islamic scholars worldwide. The Open Letter to al-Baghdadi, signed by over 120 leading scholars from across the Muslim world, systematically refuted ISIS's theological claims point by point using classical Islamic sources. These groups represent a tiny fraction of the global Muslim population and their ideology is rejected by the overwhelming consensus of Islamic scholarship. To define Islam by its extremist fringe is as unjust as defining any religion, political ideology, or national identity by its worst representatives. FAQs: Common Myths about Islam Is Islam the fastest-growing religion in the world? Yes. Demographic research by the Pew Research Center projects that Islam will nearly equal Christianity in the number of adherents by 2050, driven primarily by higher birth rates in Muslim-majority populations and a younger median age. Conversion is also a factor, but demographic growth is the primary driver. Do Muslims and Christians worship the same God? Islam, Christianity, and Judaism all trace their origins to Abraham and worship the God of Abraham. The Arabic word "Allah" simply means "God" and is used by Arab Christians and Jews. Theological differences exist - particularly regarding the Trinity and the divinity of Jesus - but the shared Abrahamic monotheistic heritage is well established in the scholarship of all three traditions. Where can I find reliable information about Islam? Reliable sources include peer-reviewed scholarship from publishers such as Oxford University Press, Cambridge University Press, and Brill; established Islamic institutions such as Yaqeen Institute, SeekersGuidance, and Islamiqate; and academic departments of Islamic Studies at recognised universities. Avoid sources that lack named, credentialled authors or that present a single opinion as representative of all Islam. Why do media portrayals of Islam tend to be negative? Multiple studies, including research by the Media Portrayals of Minorities Project at Middlebury College and analysis by the Pew Research Center, have documented that media coverage of Islam and Muslims is disproportionately associated with violence, conflict, and extremism compared to coverage of other religious groups. This framing reflects editorial choices and structural biases within the media industry rather than the reality of Muslim life. What is the difference between Islam, Islamism, and Islamic extremism? Islam is a religion with approximately two billion adherents worldwide, encompassing a vast diversity of beliefs, practices, and traditions. Islamism refers to political ideologies that seek to implement Islamic principles in governance - itself a broad category ranging from democratic participation to authoritarian models. Islamic extremism refers to the tiny minority who advocate or use violence in pursuit of their goals. These are distinct categories, and conflating them is both analytically inaccurate and ethically irresponsible. Conclusion The myths examined in this article are not merely innocent misunderstandings. They shape public policy, influence social attitudes, fuel discrimination, and cause real harm to real people. They also prevent meaningful engagement between Muslim and non-Muslim communities, replacing dialogue with caricature and understanding with suspicion. What the evidence consistently demonstrates - from the Quran, the Prophetic tradition, the historical record, and the scholarly consensus - is that Islam is a religion of extraordinary breadth, depth, and internal diversity. It has a rich intellectual tradition that values knowledge, upholds justice, affirms human dignity, and embraces respectful disagreement. Its foundational texts demand compassion, consultation, and the protection of the vulnerable. Its scholars, across fourteen centuries and every conceivable cultural context, have produced some of the most sophisticated legal, philosophical, and scientific thought in human history. None of this means that Muslim individuals, communities, or governments are beyond criticism. Every tradition, including Islam, must be held to account by its own highest principles. But that criticism must be grounded in what Islam actually teaches - not in myths that have been circulating, in one form or another, since the medieval period. The purpose of this article is not to convince anyone that Islam is true. It is to ensure that whatever conclusions people reach about Islam, they reach them on the basis of accurate information rather than persistent, demonstrable falsehoods. That is the very least that intellectual honesty demands. References: Quran (translations referenced from Sahih International). Sahih al-Bukhari. Sahih Muslim. Sunan al-Tirmidhi. Sunan Ibn Majah. Musnad Ahmad. Richard Bulliet, "Conversion to Islam in the Medieval Period" (Harvard University Press, 1979). John Esposito, "What Everyone Needs to Know About Islam" (Oxford University Press, 2011). The Amman Message (2004). Open Letter to al-Baghdadi (2014). Pew Research Center, "The Future of World Religions: Population Growth Projections, 2010–2050." Bridge Initiative, Georgetown University, Islamophobia research reports (2019–2024). Ibn Rushd, "Bidayat al-Mujtahid." Ibn Khaldun, "Muqaddimah." Al-Shatibi, "Al-Muwafaqat."