Islam teaches that each person will be judged by Allah alone on the day of Judgement.
Not all muslims will be going to heaven. Not all non-Muslims will be going to straight to hell.
No where in the Quran does it say that Allah will bar non-Muslims from Heaven.
Islam teaches that there is no compulsion in religion (La Ikra fi Deen is what Allah says). Islam also teaches that Muslims must protect the religious freedom of others - even to the point of waging war against those who do wrong
C22v40
"...And if Allah had not repelled some people by means of others, cloisters and churches and synagogues and mosques, wherein the name of Allah is oft remembered, would surely have been destroyed. And Allah will, surely, help him who helps Him. Allah is, indeed, Powerful, Mighty"
Note the order in which the places of worship are mentioned - cloisters (i.e. monasteries and convents), churches and synagogues - then Muslim places of worship.
If one looks at the areas where Muslims were in power in the early days of Islam, you will find complete religious tolerance and no compulsion whatsoever. People were free to believe what they wanted to believe and discussions were respectful.
What Islam abhors though is idol worship, and even there Islam does not allow Muslims to ridicule the idols of idol worshippers (see quote in my previous submission).
I see absolutely no point in trying to ram one's own set of beliefs down another person's throat. It serves only to cause ill-will and does not change anyone's opinion. I personally don't enjoy hitting my head against a wall
Sleepless - your post was excellent and actually encapsulates what Islam teaches (that every soul is good - all are born pure and there are good and evil tendencies in everyone. Ultimately we are judged on what we do and there is only one judge.)
To the muslims, don't get me wrong - the Quran does say that Islam is the final religion and will be the only religion accepted by Allah - but it also specifies what following Islam actually means in practice. Islam is submission to the will of God to gain His pleasure (and therefore find peace). The first Muslim according to the Quran was Abraham, and one of the wife of Pharaoh is described as a very pious lady who was vouchsafed revelation from Allah.
Ask any Imam what the fate of a person who has never heard of Islam, but leads a pious and good life (there are many parts of the world or even this country, the UK, where the message of Islam hasn't really been preached). If a person, through no fault of their own, has not been given the chance to accept or reject Islam, but leads an exemplary life - will that person automatically go to Hell? If you say 'yes', then I humbly ask for a reference (or even an Imam who believes this).
Anyway, I will resist saying anything else in this thread now.
Wasalaam,
Shafique