DAR AL HARB - U.S.A. - VIRGINIA: IGNORANT INFIDELS STILL DON'T UNDERSTAND ISLAM

Muslims say there is a lack of understanding of their faith

As the war rages on, mounting civilian death tolls in Baghdad have increasingly been blamed on sectarian violence.

The fighting between Sunnis and Shiites has not only left military commanders grappling with how to handle the political and tactical implications of a civil war, but also has brought the Islamic faith greater attention from non-Muslims.

Has that attention been felt by the more than 3,000 Muslims living and worshipping in the Hampton Roads community?

Ahmed Noor, who helped found the Mosque and Islamic Center of Hampton Roads 20 years ago, said there is still a lack of understanding about the faith. People often fear what they don't know.

Sunni and Shiite Muslims do exist peacefully together, he said. At the Hampton mosque, they worship together.

Their differences are not sectarian, per se, Noor explained. To put it simply, they merely come from different schools of thought on who should have led the Islamic state following the death of the Prophet Muhammad.

"Peace is vital to Islam," Noor said. "Religious toleration, respect for human rights, the sanctity of human life and justice and fairness to all are our core values and principles."

Violence does not mix with the practice of Islam.

"In Islamic theology, war is never holy."



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1) Muslims say there is a lack of understanding of their faith