Yes, Mr. Kabir, it does surely mean that "God is within everyone, even those whose religious views differ totally from us?"

And you are also right in questioning rhetorically: “If so, how can we hate them?"

No, we shouldn't hate them. We should just accept their right to co-exist, have a different religion or a different interpretation of our religion and extend our love to them. Difference is normal, part of the divine scheme of things. It makes the world beautiful, gives us food for thought, helps us understand our own thoughts better. But if they are peddling views harmful to humanity, if they are promoting or waging war on the basis of their ideology, we should disassociate ourselves from them, if they belong to our religion, argue with them, tell them why we believe they are wrong, and if need be fight with them, in a way suitable to the situation.

The most important, to my mind is discussion and debate, of course, with a view to learning and not scoring points. Ignorance is evil. No wonder, Islam termed evil Jahiliya, Ignorance. However, one man's Jahiliya is also another man's Enlightenment. That's why we need to talk, discuss, dialogue, debate, intra-faith, interfaith, in all formats and platforms available to us.

Islamic Ideology ( 25 May 2013, NewAgeIslam.Com)

The Place of Martyrdom in Islam

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