Question: Does Islam Permit Muslims to Cheat Non-Muslims?

Recently, an American friend sent me this question by email. I decided it was an important enough issue to do a blog post on.

No, Islam does NOT encourage or condone cheating people who are of another religion. Yet this is often given for a rationale when it happens. How is this so?

What this is all about is that the person in question (doing the cheating) is already WANTING to cheat, is a dishonest person. He is looking for an excuse. This isn’t about religion; it’s about who’s in the IN group, and who’s in the OUT group. The person is essentially looking for a reason to rip someone off, and is rationalizing it by saying to himself, “This person is not one of us, so it’s OK.”

In Muslim countries, the easiest criteria by which to say that is religion, and the second most common excuse is being a foreigner (he’s not one of us). Now let’s suppose for a moment that you have a shopkeeper in Luxor, Egypt (just picking an example city and country I have spent considerable time in). When presented with another Egyptian Muslim (same religion, same country), he will have no problem saying, “He”s a ‘city-slicker’ from CAIRO; he’s NOT one of US!”) So the person from another city will get ripped off, too.

Now suppose a Luxor man goes to Cairo, and takes a taxi. The taxi driver will have no problem saying to himself, “He’s from out-of-town, a ‘hick’ from Luxor; he’s NOT one of US.” The taxi driver will drive him all around and take the long way!

In just about every country in the world (and I’ve traveled to about 90), I’ve found that the taxi driver’s first question, seemingly to make conversation, is, “Oh, where are you from?” It’s to establish if you are a “local,” or know the local ways as a frequent visitor (your first visit here, Sir?), and if they think they can get away with setting the meter on the higher night price, starting it at a higher price than they should, not using it at all, claiming “it’s broken,” or just driving by very long routes to your destination.

It’s NOT the Muslim religion that says this; it’s INDIVIDUAL DISHONEST PEOPLE who are looking for an excuse. With a foreigner, religion is the first “difference” that comes to their mind where they can put the person in an “out” group. It might be similar to how a group of blacks might treat a white who was in the wrong neighborhood in the United States, or vice-versa.

Islam emphasizes honesty and forthrightness, just as does Christianity. But some people follow a “cafeteria” Islam, just as some people follow a “cafeteria” Chistianity. Sometimes Muslims go to the mosque, yet cheat people in business during the week. (And some “Christians”do the same!) Sometimes Muslims put more emphasis on PRACTICE (saying prayers five times daily), yet don’t follow through in their daily actions.

Islam does NOT say it is OK to lie; but SOME Muslims have the idea that saying your prayers washes out all your sins (kind of like “confession” in Catholicism). We had a maid who used to pilfer constantly, yet she was always praying! My fifteen-year-old Muslim daughter pointed out to me, “Mom, if she wants it, she takes it. That’s all. She just thinks that if she prays, it takes away all her sins!”

Don’t forget there are MANY, MANY honest Muslims. Unfortunately, tourists most often encounter those out to make an easy buck. When I became a teacher in the Muslim world (instead of working in tourism) I began to meet the DECENT people. It’s often hard to meet the right people as a tourist, however (in ANY country).

Eileen

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