Islamophobia – Responded

The 911 terrorist attack on Twin Towers in which many innocent people including Muslims lost their lives, has been condemned by every sane person including Muslims all over the world. In the aftermath unfortunately thousands of innocent people in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq have lost their lives in the riposte lead by USA and NATO forces. The terrorists with little loss, using the name of Islam to justify their un-Islamic activities are killing the innocent Muslim with impunity through suicide bombing and other sabotage activities. The few thousands terrorists have hijacked Islam, the universal faith of peace. Every wrong they commit, Islam is blamed. The terrorists have no religion, if IRA was not labeled with Christianity; Tamil Tigers of Sri Lanka were not called Hindu terrorists, why the term ‘Muslim Terrorists’? This is no secret that the Jihadis in Afghanistan were creation of USA to defeat the communist Russians in eighties; they were trained, equipped, financed and organized by American CIA involving Pakistan and some other Muslim countries. The concept of Jihad like many mediaeval rulers was also misused by American to get cheap cannon fodder against communist Russians. Once abandoned after Russian defeat, this semi literate Jihadis chalked out their own agenda [or being used by anti Islamic forces as a tool?]. They have been declared as heretics, out of folds of Islam by councils of eminent Islamic Scholars of Pakistan and Muslim world including Saudi Arabia. The critics of Islam pick up their doctrines to critics Islam, because they can not counter the Islamic ideology followed by majority Muslims. Killing innocent people [Muslims or non Muslims] is a cardinal sin and crime against humanity (Qur’aan;5:32). Who is the biggest victim and sufferer? The innocent Muslims in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq are the main victims of Americans drone attacks on one side and suicide bombing by terrorists on the other side. Only few Americans have been killed by terrorists. The self evident results of this ‘War of Terror’ so far point towards existence of a covert plan working against the interest of Muslims and Islam to deprive them of even marginal independence by keeping them embroiled in covert wars. I wish this perception to be wrong, but there is nothing to support such an assumption.

In the post 9/11 scenario there has been mushroom growth of pseudo intellectuals to blame and criticize Islam, Qur’an the Holy Scripture and Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) for all the troubles on this planet especially the menace of terrorism. Amazingly they appear to be lacking in the basic knowledge of their own faith [Christianity] and scripture [Bible]. Their crude little knowledge about Islam is based upon anti Islamic biased sources which add fuel to the fire. Intellectually they are at the same level as extremists of Afghanistan or elsewhere. They try to make their writings authentic by quoting isolated verses from Qur’an mostly out of context to extract meanings satisfying their preconceived notions. These Islamophobes engage in “mental reservation” when they mention half-truths about Islam. The methodology is to mix half-truths with references and outright lies, either without references or irrelevant references. Such people claim: “A non-racist, unbigoted inquiry into the core teachings of Islam and what it all means (if anything) for non-Muslims”. Sounds good! But the dichotomy is self evident form word ‘(if anything)”. The claims of non religiousness is self contradictory, as such sites are full of hate material against Islam, Muslims, their beliefs, practices and Holy Scripture. One is made to believe as if no good can be found in Islam, even a Muslims marrying a widow as a social welfare service is projected as a scheme to produce more warriors.

Such websites claim to educate the non Muslims about real face of Islam through novel idea to read book on Qur’an written by some non Muslim. Fearful of rapid growth and popularity of Islam all over the world especially among the pragmatic Europeans and American, these critics of Islam try to censure it by bringing up key components of the package of ideas (or bundle of beliefs) known as Islam as per his perceptions. For example the practice of Taqiyah is one of the fundamental doctrines of Shi’a, [the minority sect of Islam,15-20%], criticizing Taqiyah by projecting it be the doctrine practiced by All the Muslims, is nothing but deceit, indicating malicious designs, false propaganda. Most of Muslims may not be aware of terms like Taqiyah, once I discussed it with one of my friends, a devout practicing Muslim, he showed his total ignorance, in fact he heard this term very first time from me! Hence critics embroiled the Muslims to respond to some thing which they don’t follow. Similarly why should we be discussing the doctrines of extremists, while majority rejects them. How if some one criticize the institution of Pope, and expect a Protestant Christian to defend it. Apart form deceiving the simple reader, such subjective criticism divert the time and energies of Muslims form real issues. Such is the nature of general objections raised against Islam, which can be found all over the web.

The twenty eight points of subjective criticism have been taken as a base for objective analysis and rebuttal. Since Islam is the faith followed by all the prophets, a legacy of Prophet Abraham [pbuh], references form Bible are also quoted where ever required, this is especially for the satisfaction of followers of earlier scriptures.

A standardized version of the idea-collection is written down.
The Qur’an includes instructions for its own spread, implement Islamic law all over the world.
Qur’an includes instructions for its own preservation, protection, no modernization.
Islam commands its followers to create a government to bring all people on earth under the rule of Islamic law.
Permission to spread the religion by war.
Lands must be conquered.
Allowing polygamy to produce new soldiers.
It is a punishable offense to criticize Islam.
You can’t leave Islam once you’re in.
Islam must be your first allegiance.
Dying in fighting for Islam, the ONLY guaranteed way to Paradise.
You must read the Qur’an in Arabic.
You must pray five times a day.
The prayers involve moving together in time.
A woman is in a thoroughly subordinate position.
The only way a woman can guarantee her passage into Paradise is if her husband is happy with her when she dies.
Allah gives Himself permission to edit his own work
The Qur’an uses the carrot and stick to reinforce behavior.
Islam provides a huge and inspiring goal.
Non-Muslims must pay a large tax.
A Muslim is forbidden to make friends with a non-Muslim.
The Qur’an counsels the use of deceit when dealing with non-Muslims.
Islam must always be defended
Islamic writings teach the use of pretext to initiate hostilities.
The explicit use of double standards.
It is forbidden to kill a Muslim
If Muslims drift away from Islam, Allah will end the world.
The message in a standard Qur’an is difficult to decipher.

The response can be downloaded as PDF or keep reading here.

Islam – A Short Introduction:

Before analyzing each point one by one, it is important to briefly refresh our knowledge of Islam and its basic doctrines followed by majority Muslims.

Islam is an Arabic word, meaning for the attainment of ‘peace’ through total surrender to the ‘Will and Commandments of God’. It is the faith preached by all the prophets from Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus Christ and lastly by Muhammad (peace be upon them all). “Abraham was not a Jew nor yet a Christian; but He was true In Faith, and bowed His will to God (in Islam), and He joined not gods with God. Without doubt, among men, the nearest of kin to Abraham, are those who follow him, As are also This Messenger (Muhammad) and those who believe and God is the Protector of those who have Faith.”(Qur’an;3:67-68).” “Jesus said unto them, If you were Abraham’s children, you would do the (deeds) works of Abraham”(John;8:39). Prophet Jesus Christ (peace be upon him) aslo said; “I can of myself do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is righteous; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of Him that sent me.”(John;5:30); “Thy will be done”.(Mathew; 6:10,26:42).“Not every one who says to me, Master, Master, shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven (Islam: Surrender to will of GOD). On that day many will say to me, Master, Master, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you evildoers’.” (Methew;7:21-23). One word for ‘Doing the will of Father in heavens’ in Arabic is ‘Islam’.

“Abraham was not a Jew nor yet a Christian; but He was true In Faith, and bowed His will to God, and He joined not gods with God. Without doubt, among men, the nearest of kin to Abraham, are those who follow him, As are also This Messenger (Muhammad) and those who believe and God is the Protector of those who have Faith.”(Qur’an;3:67-68), “Jesus said unto them, If you were Abraham’s children, you would do the (deeds) works of Abraham”(John;8:39). “Why don’t you judge for yourselves what is right?”(Jesus Christ, Luke;12:57).

Fundamental Principles of Islam:

Anyone wishing to embrace Islam has to accept its intellectual principles with total conviction right from the start. This means he will have developed the faith within himself. The principles he has to accept are outlined briefly as follows:

1) This material world is not the ‘all’ and ‘end of all’ of existence and life in this world is only a part of the eternal life.

2) Man existed even before he was born and will continue to exist after death; he did not create himself but had been created before he was conscious of his human existence.

3) The inanimate objects around him couldn’t have created him, as he is a rational being and they are not; * everything in this universe has been created from nothingness by the one God, God the Almighty.

4) God is the only one who grants life and causes death. It is He who created everything, and if He wishes. He will destroy and obliterate it.

5) Almighty God does not resemble His creation in any way. He existed before this creation and He is eternal and has unlimited knowledge.

6) He is completely just in a way that cannot be assessed in human terms; it is He who has laid down what we call the laws of nature.

7) He has created everything according to a well-defined measure before all creation, thus all the phenomena of activity, inactivity, consistency and inconsistency that we can observe in both animate and inanimate beings have been clearly defined and distinct boundaries have been set.

8) Man has been bestowed with the power of intellect to deal with whatever matters he is presented with and he has been given the power of reasoning with which he can make his own choice and will power to enable him to achieve what he wants.

9) God has created an eternal life beyond this temporary life, where the doer of good will be rewarded with a life in paradise and the wrong doer will be punished and exist in hell. This God is One. No one else may be worshipped but Him; no one can take us nearer to Him to plead on our behalf without His permission. Thus we should worship God alone, in all sincerity and purity.

10) All the material beings that we can see and feel which have been created by Him. He has also created unseen beings, some animate and others inanimate, which we cannot see. Among the unseen beings are the angels, who have been created for absolute good; and then there are the Satans, who have been created as dark and negative forces.

11) Apart from these there is a third category of unseen beings, the jinn, who are divided into Satans and ‘good’ or ‘obedient’ jinn and from amongst human beings.

12) God selects certain people to whom the Shari’ a (Divine Law) is revealed, so that they can guide humanity towards it, these people are the prophets. [i.e. The Law of Moses and Shari’a of Muhammad (pbut)]

13) This divine law is contained in all the books revealed from the God. God takes us through progressive “steps” in each book until the final book, the Holy Qur’an. Books that preceded it were either distorted or got lost and forgotten. The Holy Qur’an, however, has remained intact. The last of these prophets is Muhammad bin Abdullah, an Arab of the Quraysh tribe. With him there was an end to all the previous divine messages and religions. There has been no other prophet since his time. The Holy Qur’an is the constitution of Islam. Whoever endorses the fact that it has been revealed by God and believes in it completely, is a Mu’min (believer). Iman (faith) in this sense can only be seen by God because human beings cannot penetrate into human hearts and know what is in them. Therefore it is essential, in order to be accepted in the fold of Islam, that a man declare his faith.

The Articles of Islamic Faith:

The root of affirmation of ‘Islamic Faith’ is based on the conviction upon unity of Allah (Tawheed-monotheism). In order to be a Muslim one has to believe in the Six Articles of Faith, which has been repeatedly mentioned in Qur’an at;24:62, 2:136,177,285, 4:136, 3:114, 4:78, 54:3, 17:99, 29:20, 64:67 and many other places.

The six ‘Articles of Faith’ and 5 pillars of Islam are adhered to by the majority Muslims. They are orally confessed by the Muslims (believers), which should also be deep rooted, in the heart:

1) To affirm his/her belief in Allah (Single God).

2) To believe in His messengers (from Adam to Noah, Abraham to Moses and Jesus Christ peace be upon them all, twenty five mentioned by name in Qur’an), and Muhammad (peace be upon him) to be His Last Messenger.

3) His books, Qur’an and all scriptures revealed to His Messengers which also include the original Torah, Psalms (Zabur) and original Gospel (Injeel) to Jesus Christ (pbuh).

4) To believe in Al Ghaib [metaphysical creatures like the angels, Jinns, etc].

5) Resurrection after death on the Day of Judgment, accounting and the scales, hell and paradise.

6) The good and evil of destiny are in the power of Allah, the Most High.

The Day of Judgment is one of the cardinal beliefs in Islam. Allah says: “That Day will every soul be requited for what it earned; no injustice will there be that Day for Allah is Swift in taking account.”(Qur’an;40:16-17). The time of occurrence of Day of Judgment is not known to any one except God (Qur’an;31:34). Paradise is the abode of enjoyment which Allah, the Exalted, prepared for the righteous. No eye has ever seen, no ear has ever heard of, and no human being has ever thought of the blessings that they will enjoy there (Qur’an;32:17). The Hell is the abode of punishment that Allah has prepared for the sinners and unbelievers: “(Qur’an;18:29).

The Islamic creed of confession (Shahada) is the verbal commitment and pledge to testify: “La ilaha Illallah , Muhammad-ur- Rasul-Allah” [None has the right to be worshipped but Allah and Muhammad (peace be upon him) is the Messenger of Allah].

The ‘Five Pillars of Faith’ are the physical manifestation of combination of faith and practices, which are also the forms of worship (Qur’an;2:21, 43:64, 69:52); the first two; Shahada & Salah (prayer 5 times a day) are daily, next two Zakat (Charity, Alms) ) & Saum (fasting, during month of Ramadan) are annual and the last Hajj (Pilgrimage to Makkah) is once in life if one can afford.

Some More Aspects of Islamic Faith and Beliefs:

Oneness of God: The God (Allah) is One and the Only One. He is not two in one or three in one. This means that Islam rejects the idea of trinity or such a unity of God which implies more than one God in one.

Oneness of mankind: People are created equal in front of the Law of God. There is no superiority for one race over another. God made us of different colors, nationalities, languages and beliefs so as to test who is going to be better than others. No one can claim that he is better than others. It is only God Who knows who is better. It depends on piety and righteousness.

Innocence of Man at Birth: Muslim believes that people are born free of sin. It is only after they reach the age of puberty and it is only after they commit sins that they are to be charged for their mistakes. No one is responsible for or can take the responsibility for the sins of others. However, the door of forgiveness through true repentance is always open.

State and Religion: Muslims believe that Islam is a total and a complete way of life. It encompasses all aspects of life. As such, the teachings of Islam do not separate religion from politics. As a matter of fact, state and religion are under the obedience of Allah through the teachings of Islam. Hence, economic and social transactions, as well as educational and political systems are also part of the teachings of Islam.

Jihad- Important Element of Faith (Ayman): Strenuous Efforts (Jihad) made sincerely for advancement of the cause of Allah, though not included among five pillars of Islam; but it is an important element of the Faith (ayman, Belief).(Qur’an;49:15). The aim of making Strenuous Efforts (Jihad) is three fold: The first and foremost is to; ‘Strive Against Selfish Desires’ (Nafs ammarah), to purify the heart, so that the faith (ayman) of Islam is deeply rooted in the heart, to become fully subservient to the commands of God and His Apostle Secondly, making strenuous efforts (Jihad) to convey the Last message of God (Islam) to the humanity(Dawah) called Bigger Jihad (Jihad Kabira)(Qur’an;25:52). Thirdly Jihad (warfare) is to be conducted by Islamic State to provide protection to Muslims and non Muslims against oppression. The specific word used exclusively for warfare is Qitaal (Qur’an;2:216-217) or Qatelu, wa-Qatalu (Qar’an;4 89-91). The warfare is to be conducted with in laid down Islamic principles. Killing of innocent people and creating mischief on earth (fisad fil ardh) for power and glory is not Jihad.

Muslims love the Prophet, his household; (Qur’an;33:6) and the Pious Companions of the Prophet (pbuh). It may not be appropriate for any believer to criticize them rather they deserve of beautiful praise. (Qur’an;7:42-43, 57:10, 9:100 & 59:10).

A Sinner Muslim: If a Muslim fails to perform some of his obligations and is remiss in practice or commits some such actions as are forbidden, yet he believes in the liability of all obligations and the impropriety of all unlawful deeds, he will continue to be a Muslim though he will be a sinner. [The concept of Takfeer i.e declaring a non-practicing Muslim, to be ‘apostate’ and liable to be killed; by some extremist groups, calling themselves as ‘True Muslims only’, is rejected by mainstream Islam.]

Qur’an:

More over the Muslims believe in what is stated in the Holy Qur’an regarding the creation of the paradise, earth and man. His behaviour and conduct in everyday life should reflect such a belief. A Muslim will therefore accept and abide by the Holy Qur’an, the authenticity of which he has no doubt. it is a book of codes with which a Muslim can govern his daily life. He accepts what is declared to be lawful and refrains from what is forbidden. He acts on what it instructs, and abstains from what is not permitted. Other religions may be confined to their respective places of worship. Islam however is not confined to s the mosque. In fact its impact and influence pervades all places— the mosque, the home, the streets and government offices. It is a religion to be observed at times of war as well as peace. Islam is an unalienable factor in the life of every Muslim. He is guided by its teachings on every aspect of life. It informs him of what is lawful and what is forbidden.

All actions of a Muslim can be classified under one of the following five categories: Lawful, Recommended, Obligatory, Forbidden and Reprehensible. Whereas other religions may only include forms of worship and may not include politics and acquisition of knowledge that is not the case with Islam. Besides being a religion of worship, Islam also contains a set of civil and criminal codes of law; it includes international law, rules and regulations of administration, principles of ethics and the science of politics. You can open any book on Islamic Jurisprudence and you will find these topics discussed.

Worship in some religions may only take the form of prayer. But Islam includes every action done for the good of the people, with the intention of dedication to God in addition to prayer and fasting. If religion is thought to be separate from the realm of knowledge, then Islam can be described as a religion of learning – because the very first word of Divine Revelation was “Read” (Recite). It did not say, “Fight” nor did it say, “Accumulate money and possessions” or, “Renounce the world”. “Read” was the first word revealed in the Holy Qur’an, followed by a discourse on knowledge. The biggest gift God has granted to mankind is the gift of knowledge, knowledge of what man did not know. No other blessing can match it – be it in the form of wealth, physical strength or fame and glory.

It is necessary for every member of an Islamic society, with in his capability to acquire every area of knowledge needed. No other religion on earth except Islam considers the acquisition of knowledge as a religious duty. It therefore exhorts its followers to learn the sciences of chemistry, medicine, aviation, etc. Islam is also the religion of’ ‘riches’. God has described wealth as khair – ‘good’. But man’s attachment to wealth is described as follows: “And violent is he in his love of wealth.”(Qur’an;100:7). Muslims should therefore seek to be rich, but they should acquire their wealth lawfully, and this wealth should not become an obsession.

Every Muslim should be aware of another duty he should perform: to convey the Message of Islam to others, and to call others to the path of God with wisdom and beautiful preaching. He should not compel or force anyone to accept Islam: “Let there be no compulsion in religion.”(Qur’an;2:256). He should present the salient features of Islam in a way that appeals to both the head and the heart. Muslims should be living examples of the glorious principles of Islam. They SHOULD NOT present a perverted and distorted picture of Islam.

It must be kept in mind that Islam is not afraid of debate on any issue and it does not avoid discussions on intellectual plane. Islam has arguments and proofs for all matters. It also demands proof and argument form its opponents: “Say, “Bring forth your argument if you are telling the truth.”(Qur’an;2:111); “Whoever invokes another god besides Allah – about whose divinity he has no proof thereof..”(Qur’an;23:117). It is impossible to give proof against the Oneness of God. If such Muslim missionaries take up the task, the whole world will accept the religion of God [by choice not coercion]. For God has revealed this religion and He will preserve it: “We have without doubt, sent down the message; and We will assuredly guard it (from corruption).”(Qur’an;15:9). Islam will continue to exist, the future is for Islam (presently Islam is the fastest growing religion in Europe and North America, women are leading the men).

What Islam Expects From The Muslims?

1) To inhere in their best civilization and matchless culture in a manner that they surpass all the civilized nations of the world. They should be the most prosperous of all as far as the different branches of knowledge are concerned.

2) Invite the humanity towards Islam, by conveying the message with wisdom, peacefully, in a logical and convincing way. They should argue with them in ways that are best and most gracious.

3) Not to kill the innocent people of any faith (including own self, through suicide) except by law, they don’t have to create mischief on earth by creating anarchy or disturbing the peaceful coexistence.

4) Warfare against injustice and oppression and self defence is permissible, to be declared by the Islamic State but the rules lay down for its conduct by Shari’a (Islamic Law) be strictly adhered to. Those who surrender or do not fight or remain neutral are not to be disturbed. The prisoners are to protected and provided peace and security.

5) To use the right of retaliation to any injustice or oppression with equality, not exceeding the limits forgiveness and patience is however preferable.

6) To fulfill all bilateral and international accords (like UN Charter) for peace and stability of humanity. To treat all members of society with equality fairness and justice.

7) Non Muslims in the Islamic society enjoy complete protections and freedom to practice their faith. The places of worship of other religions are to be protected.