WHILE on one front Islam is being wrongfully linked with militancy, which we discussed yesterday, on another front Islam as a religion and Muslims as a community are under a direct attack. Exploiting the world's anger towards so-called “Islamic” terrorism, Islamophobes, under the guise of ‘experts' and ‘analysts', have been spreading blatant lies about this great religion. Misquoting verses, misusing legislative principles and mixing falsehood with elements of truth, they have managed to publish books, articles and websites that give a blatantly false image of Islam. For example, while Michael Savage, the popular radio host, tells his listeners, “When I see a woman walking around with a burqa I see a Nazi… a hateful Nazi who would like to cut your throat and kill your children,” Robert Spencer of Jihad Watch writes, “...Osama's use of these and other passages (of Qur'an to justify terrorism – ed.) in his messages is consistent (as we shall see) with traditional understanding of the Qur'an.” In April, Mary Kate Cary, former White House speechwriter for President George H. W. Bush, wrote in US News that she can't “think of any major Muslim leaders” who said Islam was a religion of peace; in fact, she doesn't think “most Americans can name a mainstream Muslim leader, certainly not one calling for an end to violence.” A couple of small facts will be sufficient to prove the contrary. Osama Bin Laden's ideology has been completely refuted by Islamic scholars, including the senior scholars of Saudi Arabia, and literature on those topics is abundantly available in several languages. Researchers have rightly noted that ideological roots of Osama Bin Laden and Al-Qaeda is European totalitarianism. Before the world had heard of Al-Qaeda or Osama Bin Laden, the then Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia, Sheikh Bin Baz, issued a Fatwa against him and called on people to reject his violent and deviant ideology. That happened as early as 1994. The number of articles, rulings and statements clarifying the issue of jihad and condemning terrorism by the present Ulema are uncountable. If Muslims in general were really as these Islamophobes describe them to be, then those who personally know Muslims will harbor greater hatred than those who don't know any. However, according to the Pew's survey quoted in the piece yesterday, majority of Americans who held a negative view of Islam didn't know any Muslim, while majority of those who held a positive view of Islam knew some Muslims! Islamic Law Shariah Law has been defamed as a barbaric and anti-human rights system. The whole idea of respecting other views has fallen flat and a one-dimensional view of right and wrong is being forced on societies and countries that may not agree to it. When Nigeria decided to introduce Shariah Law in 2000 as a parallel system to the existing secular one, we know of the initial conflicts that shook the country, as the media widely reported it. What we don't know is how effective it has been. BBC's documentary “This World inside a Shariah court” (2007) found that Shariah had reduced violence, prostitution, alcoholism, and drug abuse in Nigeria. Muslims aside, Christian women are on record praising the impact Shariah Law has had on their lives and societies. Another example of distortion of Islamic law is how Robert Spencer and his team propagate the Islamic principle of Al-Nasikh wal-Mansukh (the principle of abrogation). They claim that whatever was revealed in Makkah in the early stages of Islam was cancelled out by later verses revealed in Madina. And so they say all verses that advocate peace stand nullified. This is an absolute lie and they quote no evidence for it, because they won't find one. While Al-Nasikh wal-Mansukh is a true principle, the claim is false. A good example of this principle is how alcohol was prohibited in stages. The first ruling prohibited the drinking of alcohol before prayer; the next made it completely forbidden, canceling out the previous ruling. Imam Al-Suyuti mentions in his book Al-Itqaan that there are about 21 such cases in the Qur'an. If one were to check, all abrogations deal with Fiqh (jurisprudence) and not faith. The issues of faith and belief have never changed. Believing in peace and mercy for all creations are matters of faith, not jurisprudence, that are not abrogated. Furthermore, in Islamic Fiqh, a ruling is not abrogated unless there is explicit evidence stating to that effect in the Qur'an and Sunnah. The verses that advocate jihad and fighting were revealed during times of war and are specific to those who fight and wage war against Muslims. The Qur'an made this clear in the following verse: “God does not forbid you to deal justly and kindly with those who fought not against you on account of religion and did not drive you out of your homes. Verily, God loves those who deal with equity.” (Qur'an, 60:8) As a result of Islamic teachings, history has overflowing examples of exemplary Muslim conduct with non-Muslims, even when Muslims were a superpower. Tribes and nations accepted Islam on an account of Muslims' noble conduct, not because of their swords. Indonesia was never treaded upon by a Muslim soldier, yet the country today has the world's largest Muslim population. When Jews were expelled from Spain, they were accepted with open arms in Muslim countries. Today, no Muslim armies are brandishing their swords, yet Islam is the fastest growing religion in the world! That itself speaks volumes for the religion and its followers. Solution to the phobia Islamophobia is not new. Islamophobes have not suddenly appeared. The Prophet (peace be upon him) was himself a victim of Islamophobia. Indeed, pagan Arabs would wait in the outskirts of Makkah to warn every traveler and visitor about Muhammad (peace be upon him). They called him a sorcerer and a magician who should not be listened to. So much so that Tufail Bin ‘Amr Ad-Dausi, the chief of Ad-Daus tribe, stuffed cotton in his ears to avoid listening to the Prophet (peace be upon him). He came to the Ka'ba for Tawaf while the Prophet (peace be upon him) was absorbed in prayer. The man felt compelled to hear what the Prophet was reciting. He pulled out one ear's cotton and then the next one came out. Listening to the beautiful verses of the Qur'an and its message, he embraced Islam. The examples are too many to list, but the point is: though it may never be possible to change media's attitude towards Islam and Muslims, what is possible is that every Muslim male and female turns into a walking-talking mobile advertisement for Islam! Imagine the impact on the world if majority of Muslims practiced the teachings of Islam – worshipped God alone, obeyed the Prophet, were truthful in their words and deeds, and were merciful to the creation. The sad reality is every Muslim wants to change the world, but no one wants to change himself. And that will not happen unless we relearn our values and relearn our faith from the grassroots, which means going back to the basics and becoming Muslims in actuality.
