Islamic concepts misunderstood by Westerners.

jonmc

Freedom

The Western viewpoint.

In the West “freedom” is used to describe a whole range of things encompassed in civil, political and individual rights.

Perhaps the most succinct definition of “freedom” is that of Thomas Jefferson: “Rightful liberty is unobstructed action according to our will within limits drawn around us by the equal rights of others.”

He went on to say: “I do not add ‘within the limits of the law’ because law is often [nothing] but the tyrant’s will, and always so when it violates the rights of the individual.”

Quite explicit in Jefferson’s definition is that all people have equal rights and that all (non-tyrannical) laws must apply equally to all people without exception. (This idea was put in British law as the law acting indifferently -as in ”without difference” – towards all people.)

read more: http://www.faithfreedom.org/articles/op-ed/islamic-concepts-misunderstood-by-westerners/