Prophets and Messengers of God meet with opposition from people who seek to spread confusion and disorder. In the past, Prophets were sent by God for specific periods of time, therefore, opposition to them lasted only so long as the age of their prophethood. However, the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was sent for all peoples and all ages. Thus, from the time of his advent until the present day he has faced a consistent storm of antagonism. The most recent manifestation of this has been the film “Innocence of Muslims”. Taking guidance from the Holy Quran and the teachings of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and the Promised Messiah, the Head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, has numerously addressed this issue in his Friday sermons some of which are presented in this booklet. The reaction of the media following his sermon of 21st September, 2012 has been included towards the end of the booklet.

This book advances an Islamic political philosophy based on the concept of Ihsan, which means to do beautiful things. The author moves beyond the dominant model of Islamic governance advanced by modern day Islamists. The political philosophy of Ihsan privileges process over structure, deeds over identity, love over law and mercy and forgiveness over retribution. The work invites Muslims to move away from thinking about the form of Islamic government and to strive to create a self-critical society that defends national virtue and generates institutions and practices that provide good governance.

Since at least the attacks of September 11, 2001, one of the most pressing political questions of the age has been whether Islam is hostile to religious freedom. Daniel Philpott examines conditions on the ground in forty-seven Muslim-majority countries today and offers an honest, clear-eyed answer to this urgent question. It is not, however, a simple answer. From a satellite view, the Muslim world looks unfree. But, Philpott shows, the truth is much more complex. Some one-fourth of Muslim-majority countries are in fact religiously free. Of the other countries, about forty percent are governed not by Islamists but by a hostile secularism imported from the West, while the other sixty percent are Islamist. The picture that emerges is both honest and hopeful. Yes, most Muslim-majority countries are lacking in religious freedom. But, Philpott argues, the Islamic tradition carries within it "seeds of freedom," and he offers guidance for how to cultivate those seeds in order to expand religious freedom in the Muslim world and the world at large. It is an urgent project. Religious freedom promotes goods like democracy and the advancement of women that are lacking in the Muslim-majority world and reduces ills like civil war, terrorism, and violence. Further, religious freedom is simply a matter of justice--not an exclusively Western value, but rather a universal right rooted in human nature. Its realization is critical to the aspirations of religious minorities and dissenters in Muslim countries, to Muslims living in non-Muslim countries or under secular dictatorships, and to relations between the West and the Muslim world. In this thoughtful book, Philpott seeks to establish a constructive middle ground in a fiery and long-lasting debate over Islam.

As the geographical diversity of the Muslim world stretches from Europe to Africa, through the Middle East and into Asia, this region mirrors a central finding of this study - that predominantly Muslim countries include an array of constitutional measures addressing the role of Islam and the scope of the right to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion or belief, and other related human rights.THE RIGHT TO FREEDOM OF RELIGION & BELIEF analyzes these constitutional measures currently in place related to the relationship between religion and the state in addition to freedom of religion or belief in predominantly Muslim countries.Issued in March 2005 as The Religion-State Relationship and the Right to Freedom of Religion or Belief: A Comparative Textual Analysis of the Constitutions of Predominantly Muslim Countries, this report was originally prepared by Tad Stahnke, J.D., Deputy Director for Policy; and Robert C. Blitt, M.A., J.D., LL.M., Legal Policy Analyst of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF).USCIRF is an independent federal commission created the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 to monitor the status of freedom of thought, conscience, and relation or belief abroad and to give independent recommendations to the Secretary of State and Congress. For additional information about the Commission, please visit www.uscirf.gov.

Islam and religious freedom: are they compatible or on a collision course? Abdullah Saeed examines Islamic teachings in the Quran and in the Hadith regarding the status of religious minorities living in Muslim-majority societies and he surveys the perspectives of major Muslim scholars around the world today on whether or not Islam and religious freedom can coexist. In addition he considers whether Muslim societies stand to benefit or face a threat from religious freedom, not least of all the freedom to explore and debate their own faith. Saeed finds that "[d]espite the many restrictions that have emerged for both Muslims and non-Muslims in the course of the development of Muslim theology and law in the post-prophetic period, the realities of the modern world are forcing Muslim thinkers and scholars to rethink such restrictions and argue for religious freedom for all. In doing so, these Muslims are coming closer to the teachings of the Quran and the actual practice of Prophet Muhammad."

The landscape of Europe has changed drastically over the last few years. That which was a source of division in history is beginning to revisit the continent, threatening to jeopardise peace. Immigration is creating a stir amongst all classes as Europe questions the repercussions, both social and economic, that emerge as a result. EU nations are ever more pondering over their own identity, as many try to hold on to their cultures in the face of an ever-diversifying society, ultimately leading to a rise in nationalism. In this book His Holiness Mirza Masroor Ahmad – Khalifatul-Masih V(aba) addresses the major concerns that have arisen in Europe – over the last few years – in four keynote speeches delivered in Holland, France and Germany. In great detail he presents practical solutions to the issues faced by European society including the roles and responsibilities of both the state and immigrants. Most importantly he explains why Islam is indeed compatible with not just Europe but any society in the world.