By  Sobhy Mujahid

CAIRO — Jihad, Muslims’ view of other religions and Islamic punishments are only few of a long list of misunderstood subjects about Islam that the LibForAll Foundation aims to address through a TV series that will be broadcast worldwide.

“I want to project the true image of tolerant Islam I grew up to see in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Indonesia and Turkey,” Holland Taylor, and American Christian and chairman of the LibForAll, told IslamOnline.net in Cairo.

The Indonesia and US-based organization, whose mission is to generate a better understanding of Islam in the world, is producing a 26-episode TV series on Islam.

“The aim is to promote the message of our foundation on combating religious intolerance, rejecting violence, promoting tolerance and clarifying the truth about Islam.”

The project is done in tandem with many governmental and non-governmental bodies around the world.

“We also have an agreement with the European Union to fund the series production,” said Taylor.

He vehemently refuses any cooperation with the US administration because “it has yet to understand how to reform this world and prevent the spread of hatred.”

LibForAll was founded in the 1990s by Taylor, an American telecommunications magnate, and former Indonesian president Abdurrahman Wahid.

Its goal is to help promote a vision of Islam that is both peaceful and tolerant and establish a network of enlightened Muslim leaders from around the world.

Dispelling Myths

Taylor says the main theme of the series will be tackling widely-misunderstood issues and ill-defined terminologies.

“We explain concepts such as jihad and the relation with people of other faiths,” he elaborates.

“We also offer true and accurate explanation for some verses from the Qur’an that is usually misinterpreted in the West.”

In each of the 26 episodes, seven of them already done, the guest is a scholar or a high-profile Muslim leader.

The seventh episode, shot in Cairo this week, featured Sheikh Mohammad Sayyed Tantawi, Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, the highest seat of religious learning in the Sunni world.

Tantawi discussed the Western notion that Islam calls for converting people by the sword.

He cited Qur’an verses that encourage good relations with people of other faiths and spreading Islam through peaceful means.

Sheikh Tantawi also explained the meaning of the word “Jihad”.

Frequently used by al-Qaeda, counter-terrorism specialists and the media to mean “holy war,” the word actually signifies for most Muslims a spiritual struggle.

“Suggesting that jihad only means holy war is utterly wrong,” Tantawi stressed.

“The word actually means endeavoring to do good deeds and remove injustice, oppression and evil from society.”

Once the episodes are finished and translated into different languages, the series will be broadcast on Western TV channels, many of them have already applied for broadcast permits.

Taylor notes that Germany wants to be one of the first countries to broadcast the series, which will also be available on LibForAll’s website.

“I have always wanted to show Islam for what it truly is.”

Source: http://www.islamonline.net/servlet/Satellite?c=Article_C&cid=1209357978634&pagename=Zone-English-News/NWELayout