How to Project Islam and break negative Mental Constructs against it

How to Project Islam?

Mental Construct

Mental construct is a variable that has no physical being. For example, “personality” or “job satisfaction” salary satisfaction, religious satisfaction, life satisfaction, intelligence or “organizational commitment” doesn’t physically exist. They are more like concepts. Mental constructs are applied as tools used to facilitate understanding of human behavior. They are perception about human beings, places and other things not physically existed.

How mental constructs are created?

People develop internal models of reality, called constructs in order to understand and explain the world around them in the same way that scientists develop theories. Like scientists, they develop these constructs based on observation and experimentation. When constructs are challenged or incomplete the result is emotional states such as anxiety, confusion, anger and fear.

In a sense of mental constructs, it is like a label or concrete evidence that carries behavior, For instance, if a student looks at another sitting in a classroom before starting an examination biting her nails, fidgeting, lightly perspiring, and looking somewhat alarmed, the perception might be that he is encountering exam anxiety. In that case, test anxiety is a label or mental construct that is created after observing behavior of a student. A construct is a hypothesized cause for the observed behavioral. A construct derives its name from the fact that it is  a mental construction, derived from the general scientific process: observing natural phenomena, inferring the common features of those observations, and constructing a label for the observed commonality or the underlying cause of the commonality.  In this way mental constructs are created and they became common gradually, additionally, people take into account things in a similar way. They act according to their created mental constructs.

How to Remove Mental Constructs?

Although mental constructs are good for reasoning, but they are not always correct if anyone regards them correct.

Example

I look at a teenager and consider him uncouth, arrogant and thoughtless. All of these are constructs that I have created or learned in order to explain the behavior of teenagers I have met. I created a mental construct, but it does not that all teenager are uncut, arrogant and thoughtless. If I apply my constructs on all teen agers, it will be considered as negative constructs because all teenagers are not uncouth, arrogant and thoughtless.

So what?

How can negative mental constructs be rooted out?

Listen to people. Hear the constructs they use. Then talk to them using their constructs. They will be amazed at how much you understand them. You can also lead them in building new constructs. To destabilize the other person, attack their constructs. When you are building new ideas, consider where these have come from. Was there a conversation with an influential other person involved?

There are some negative mental consider against Muslims and as well Islam. There are some anti-Islamic lobbies who are creating propaganda against Muslims and as well Islam. They are attacking the spirit of Islam. We, Muslims can remove these negative mental constructs by citing through Holly Quran and Hadith. These negative mental constructs are very common in European counties like America, England, New Zeeland and France as well in Asian countries like India where Muslims are taken into account as terrorist and Islam as religion of terrorism. Unfortunately, some Muslims are also involved in creating propaganda against Muslims and damaging the spirit of Islam.

What does mean Islam?

Islam is derived from the Arabic root word ‘Salema’ means peace, purity, submission and obedience. In the religious sense, Islam means submission to the will of God and obedience to His law. Islam is primarily a religion of peace. Its name “Islam” comes from “silm” which means two things: one is “submitting to God” and the second is “peace”. 

What does Holly Quran says about murder or killing of innocent people?

The Holly Quran considers the killing of one innocent soul (person) except any crime is like killing of entire Humanity as cited bellow.

Chapter (5) sūrat l-māidah (The Table spread with Food)

Sahih International: Because of that, We decreed upon the Children of Israel that whoever kills a soul unless for a soul or for corruption [done] 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. And our messengers had certainly come to them with clear proofs. Then indeed many of them, [even] after that, throughout the land, were transgressors.

Pickthall: For that cause We decreed for the Children of Israel that whosoever killeth a human being for other than manslaughter or corruption in the earth, it shall be as if he had killed all mankind, and whoso saveth the life of one, it shall be as if he had saved the life of all mankind. Our messengers came unto them of old with clear proofs (of Allah's Sovereignty), but afterwards lo! many of them became prodigals in the earth.

ABUL ALA MAUDUDI(WITH TAFSIR)

(5:32) Therefore We ordained for the Children of Israel³ that he who slays a soul unless it be (in punishment) for murder or for spreading mischief on earth shall be as if he had slain all mankind; and he who saves a life shall be as if he had given life to all mankind.⁴ And indeed again and again did Our Messengers come to them with clear directives; yet many of them continued to commit excesses on earth.

Yusuf Ali: On that account: We ordained for the Children of Israel that if any one slew a person - unless it be for murder or for spreading mischief in the land - it would be as if he slew the whole people: and if any one saved a life, it would be as if he saved the life of the whole people. Then although there came to them Our messengers with clear signs, yet, even after that, many of them continued to commit excesses in the land.

Shakir: For this reason did We prescribe to the children of Israel that whoever slays a soul, unless it be for manslaughter or for mischief in the land, it is as though he slew all men; and whoever keeps it alive, it is as though he kept alive all men; and certainly Our messengers came to them with clear arguments, but even after that many of them certainly act extravagantly in the land.

Muhammad Sarwar: For this reason, We made it a law for the children of Israel that the killing of a person for reasons other than legal retaliation or for stopping corruption in the land is as great a sin as murdering all of mankind. However, to save a life would be as great a virtue as to save all of mankind. Our Messengers had come to them with clear authoritative evidence but many of them (Israelites) thereafter started doing wrong in the land.

Below are Quranic verses that affirm tolerance towards non-Muslims. 
5 - “[w]hoever kills a soul unless for a soul or for corruption [done] 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.” 
(5:32 – Saheeh International translation) 

6 - “And do not kill the soul which Allah has forbidden [to be killed] except by [legal] right. This has He instructed you that you may use reason." 
(6:151 - Saheeh International translation) 

7 – “There shall be no compulsion in [acceptance of] the religion. The right course has become clear from the wrong.” 
(2:256 - Saheeh International translation) 

8 – “And if they incline to peace, then incline to it [also] and rely upon Allah. Indeed, it is He who is the Hearing, the Knowing.” 
(8:61- Saheeh International translation)

Hadith of Holly Prophet Muhammad [S.A.W) about protection of non Muslims

The following are hadiths (sayings) by Prophet Mohamed on the subject, even one about Egyptian Christians in particular. 

1 – “You would soon conquer Egypt and that is a land which is known (as the land of al-qirat). So when you conquer it, treat its inhabitants well. For there lies upon you the responsibility because of blood-tie or relationship of marriage (with them).” 
Sahih Muslim Book 31, Hadith 6174 – Sunnah.com 

The blood-tie refers to Hajar, the Egyptian wife of Prophet Abraham, who gave birth to Ismail. The marriage, as argued by many scholars, refers to Mariah the Copt, who was gifted to Prophet Mohamed by Muqawqis, the Christian ruler of Egypt at the time. 

2 - "Whoever killed a Mu'ahid (a person who is granted the pledge of protection by the Muslims) shall not smell the fragrance of Paradise though its fragrance can be smelt at a distance of forty years (of traveling).” 
Source: Sahih Bukhari Vol. 9, Book 83, Hadith 49 – Sunnah.com 

3 - "The protection granted by Muslims is one and must be respected by the humblest of them. And he who broke the covenant made by a Muslim, there is a curse of Allah, of his angels, and of the whole people upon him, and neither an obligatory act nor a supererogatory act would be accepted from him as recompense on the Day of Resurrection." 
Sahih Muslim, Book 7, Hadith 3167 - Sunnah.com 

Conclusion

Islam is religion of peace and does not allow anyone to kill any innocent person without any crime as indicated in Chapter (5) sūrat l-māidah of Nobile Quran and in many hadith of Holly prophet Muhammad peace be upon him. It discourages violence and use force against any innocent person. People use name of Islam to create propaganda against Islam and Muslims to achieve personal goals. They are creating negative constructs regarding Muslims and Islam. These negative constructs can be rooted out by showing real picture of Islam. We, Muslims must organize the seminars, conferences and television programs on Islamic teaching teachings across world so that we make aware non- Muslims about Islamic ways of life and weaken the propaganda against Islam.