Freedom of religion is one of the fundamental rights of man.  Provided his religious practice does not harm society, man should be free to profess his beliefs and practice his religion without any hindrance. This is because religion is a matter between man and God.

World religions have never compelled their followers to either deny this right to anyone or to compel anyone to follow a different belief. This is only to be expected as religion originates from God and its object is to bring man closer to God. So those who follow religion must strive to reflect His attributes.

If God were intolerant of different beliefs then would He not have wiped out all but one religion? On the contrary He has left this to the choice of the individual, as God is patient and forbearing. So, if man were in any way religious then he would not depart from this principle in the slightest.

For Muslims there should be no doubt concerning the freedom of religion. In Islam God has made the choice of religion absolutely clear in the Holy Qur’an. If one looks at the life of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) — the model for mankind — then we can see that he exhibited not just religious tolerance but a determination to defend the rights of people to practice their religion without let or hindrance.

Yet it is unfortunate that despite these instructions one finds the Muslim world divided by religious differences  even to the extent that some are persecuted for their belief in God and His Prophets.

A.Abdul Aziz
Press and External Affairs  Secretary,
Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama’at,
Sri Lanka