I must also thank Col. G.B. Singh for his stimulus of this discussion. Yet, alas, I must say that he resorts to the same tactics as the countless others who have maligned Islam throughout the centuries: misquote, mistranslate, or quote verses of the Quran out of context. You see, scripture can not be studied outside of its context. Yet, Mr. Singh does just that: quote out of context.

What's more, I am afraid, the good Colonel mistranslated verses 4:88-89. The verses were not talking about apostates (kafirun in Arabic). The Arabic text contains the word munafiqeen, which means "hypocrites". These "hypocrites" were Muslims on the outside, but were hateful enemies of the Prophet and Islam on the inside. They lived in Medina among the Prophet (peace be upon him) and his companions and were bent on destroying the Muslims from the inside. There is not one instance in which the Prophet executed any of the hypocrites, despite them betraying the Prophet during a most crucial battle. But, of course, we Muslims "concocted" this history to "rescue" the Prophet...

Which brings me to another perplexing point. G.B. Singh time and time again mentions that Muslims "made up" Islamic history to "rescue" the Prophet. This is a lie, plain and simple. I have read numerous renditions of the biography of the Prophet, both in English and Arabic, by both Muslim and non-Muslim scholars. They are all consistent with each other. I wonder, did Karen Armstrong, a noted non-Muslim scholar on Islam, help "concoct" this "sacred lie" of ours? Or was she similarly "deluded" by our "concocted" history? This charge is completely false and is a pretty feeble attempt at discrediting sincere Muslim scholarship.

In addition, Col. Singh asks you to pay no mind to the hundreds of veritable and reputable Muslim and non-Muslim scholars of Islam, who contradict everything he says about Islam, and learn about Islam from the notorious Islam-bashers Anwar Shaikh and Ibn Warraq. What he is doing is exactly akin to telling me to learn about Sikhi from the likes of Khushwant Singh. Is this fair? Absolutely not. What is even more interesting is this: Anwar Shaikh uses the authentic Hadith collections, Bukhari and Muslim, and quotes Hadiths (sayings of the Prophet) out of context to "prove" his lies. A good deal of the Islamic history that I cited comes from these two sources. So when I use them, it is a "sacred lie." When Anwar Shaikh uses them, it is "true documentation" of Islam's evil. See the contradiction?

I looked through those seven sources (all except one are written by the "scholars" Ibn Warraq and Anwar Shaikh). They are packed full of mistruths, quotes out of context, and plain lies. These two are deliberately trying to smear Islam for some reason unbeknownst to be. Their agenda is to mislead others about Islam. Pay them no mind. Below are excellent sources for my dear readers to learn about the true Islam of 1.2 billion believers worldwide:

1. Toward Understanding Islam by Maududi (An excellently written, concise book on Islam)

2. http://www.soundvision.com (An excellent website for you to browse through)

3. Muhammad: His life based on the earliest sources by Martin Lings. (My personal favorite)

4. Islam: A short history by Karen Armstrong. (A noted non-Muslim scholar on Islam)

Alas, my dear Sikh friends, it is time for me to go. I have truly enjoyed spending some time discussing my faith with you all. I pray that you all are in the best of health and spirits during this blessed Ramadan season.

Assalamu-alaikum (Peace be unto you all) and Guru Fateh. (I hope that is right)

Hesham A. Hassaballa is a syndicated columnist with the Independent Writers Syndicate. He is a physician and resides in Chicago.