Common Myths About Islam
Claims about Islam circulate widely online and in the media. Some are true, many are exaggerated, and some are simply false. Each entry below is checked against primary sources.
“All Muslims are Arabs, and all Arabs are Muslim.”
Most Muslims are not Arab — the largest Muslim populations are in Indonesia, Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh. Arabs, meanwhile, include significant Christian and other religious minority communities, and always have.
Myth“Allah is a separate, specifically Arab god.”
Allah is simply the Arabic word for 'God' — the same God referred to in Judaism and Christianity. Arabic-speaking Christians and Jews use the word 'Allah' too.
Myth“Female genital mutilation (FGM) is an Islamic practice.”
FGM has no basis in the Qur'an, and mainstream Islamic scholarship across the majority of the Muslim world condemns it as a harmful cultural practice, not a religious requirement. It predates Islam and is concentrated in specific regions, practiced by some non-Muslim communities there too.
Myth“Hijab is always forced on women.”
Most Muslim women who wear hijab, including in Western countries, describe it as a freely made personal choice. Forced hijab is real in some families and under some state laws — but it isn't the typical experience of women who wear it.
Myth“Muslims and Christians worship different gods.”
Both traditions worship the God of Abraham — the same figure central to Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. The real disagreement is theological: how that God's nature is described, not which God is being referred to.
Myth“Islam forbids all music and art.”
Islamic scholars have long debated the permissibility of specific forms of music, but this is genuinely contested rather than settled, and Islamic civilization has a long, rich tradition of calligraphy, architecture, and poetry. Blanket claims that 'Islam bans art' don't reflect this history or the range of scholarly opinion.
Myth“Islam hates Christians and Jews.”
The Qur'an describes Christians and Jews as 'People of the Book,' recipients of genuine earlier revelation, and instructs Muslims to treat non-Muslims with justice and kindness. Muslims are also required to believe in Jesus and Moses as prophets.
Myth“Islam is inherently designed to oppress women.”
The Qur'an grants women rights that were genuinely progressive for 7th-century Arabia — including property ownership, inheritance, and consent in marriage — while assigning some differing roles. Cultural practices in some Muslim societies that do oppress women often contradict, rather than follow, Islamic teaching.
Myth“Islam rejects science.”
The Qur'an repeatedly encourages observation and reflection on the natural world, and Islamic civilization made major historical contributions to mathematics, medicine, and astronomy for centuries.
Myth“Islam teaches racism.”
The Qur'an explicitly states human diversity of nations and tribes exists so people may know one another, not to establish racial hierarchy — and Muhammad's ﷺ farewell sermon directly declared no superiority of Arab over non-Arab, or of any race over another, except in righteousness.
Myth“Jihad means killing non-Muslims.”
Jihad primarily means 'struggle' or 'effort' — most centrally the personal struggle to live righteously. It has a narrower, legally bounded military meaning too, but that is not its primary or most common sense in Islamic teaching.
Myth“Muhammad ﷺ invented Islam purely to gain personal power and wealth.”
Muhammad ﷺ preached for 13 years under persecution, poverty, and personal danger before gaining any political power, and died with very modest personal possessions despite ruling over most of Arabia. This pattern is hard to reconcile with a purely power-seeking motive.
Myth“Muhammad ﷺ wrote the Qur'an himself.”
Muslims believe the Qur'an is the direct word of God, revealed to Muhammad ﷺ through the angel Gabriel, not authored by him. This is the central Islamic claim about the Qur'an's origin, and Muhammad ﷺ is described in Islamic tradition as unable to read or write.
Myth“Muslims cannot live loyally in a secular European country.”
Islamic scholarship on Muslim minority life generally holds that Muslims should honor the laws and agreements of the country they live in, and millions of Muslims across Europe, including several hundred thousand in Sweden, do so as ordinary, law-abiding citizens.
Myth“Muslims are forbidden from being friends with non-Muslims.”
The Qur'an instructs kindness and justice toward non-Muslims who are not hostile to Muslims, and Muhammad ﷺ himself maintained respectful relationships with non-Muslim neighbors, relatives, and business partners throughout his life.
Myth“Muslims don't believe in Jesus.”
Muslims believe in Jesus as the Messiah, born of the Virgin Mary through a miracle, and one of the greatest prophets and messengers of God — a required part of Islamic faith, not an optional or minor belief.
Myth“Muslims want to impose sharia law on entire non-Muslim countries.”
Mainstream Islamic scholarship on Muslim minority life holds that Muslims should follow the law of the country they live in. Survey data and everyday reality show the overwhelming majority of Muslims in Western countries, including Sweden, are not seeking to replace secular law.
Myth“Muslims worship Muhammad.”
Muslims worship God alone. Muhammad ﷺ is honored as the final prophet and messenger, but Islamic theology treats worshipping any human being — including Muhammad ﷺ — as one of the gravest possible errors.
Myth“Sharia means only harsh criminal punishments.”
Sharia covers the full range of Islamic ethical and legal guidance — prayer, charity, business ethics, family life — with criminal law (and its most severe punishments) forming only a small, narrow part of it.
Myth“Islam was spread entirely by the sword.”
Muhammad ﷺ preached peacefully under persecution for 13 years before any military conflict. Historically, the world's largest Muslim populations — including Indonesia — grew mainly through trade and gradual conversion, not conquest.
Heard a claim not listed here?
Ask us and we'll look into it.