"And had thy Lord willed, all those who are on the earth would have believed all together. Wouldst thou compel men till they become believers? It is not for a soul to believe, save by God's Leave."
Quran 10:99-100
And since we're talking about the concept of a forced conversion, and the popular perception that Islam is a religion that forces itself on others, here's another example from the Quran which emphasizes that there can be no compulsion in religion. I mean, if you ever attend an Iftar dinner at your local mosque you will be stuffed to the gills, and doubtless some sister or brother will invite you back and tell you about how amazing it is to be a Muslim, but that's not quite the same thing as being forced at sword point to become a Muslim. As I've shared, when I initially thought about converting our local Imam put me off, either because he knew I'd be a pain or because he thought I viewed it more as a scholarly exercise than a true journey of faith (and, who know, both may be true, especially the former). This particular passage, which is drawn from the 10th surah, Yunus, obviously rendered as Jonah (yes, that Jonah) is another reminder in the Quran that are decisions of faith must be based on free will. In this case the argument is an interesting one: everyone does or doesn't do anything because of God's will, and if you force someone to convert then you're essentially claiming one of God's prerogatives.
Quran 10:99-100
And since we're talking about the concept of a forced conversion, and the popular perception that Islam is a religion that forces itself on others, here's another example from the Quran which emphasizes that there can be no compulsion in religion. I mean, if you ever attend an Iftar dinner at your local mosque you will be stuffed to the gills, and doubtless some sister or brother will invite you back and tell you about how amazing it is to be a Muslim, but that's not quite the same thing as being forced at sword point to become a Muslim. As I've shared, when I initially thought about converting our local Imam put me off, either because he knew I'd be a pain or because he thought I viewed it more as a scholarly exercise than a true journey of faith (and, who know, both may be true, especially the former). This particular passage, which is drawn from the 10th surah, Yunus, obviously rendered as Jonah (yes, that Jonah) is another reminder in the Quran that are decisions of faith must be based on free will. In this case the argument is an interesting one: everyone does or doesn't do anything because of God's will, and if you force someone to convert then you're essentially claiming one of God's prerogatives.
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