July-August 2006 
Year 12    No.117

Readers Forum


Misunderstanding Islam

Why is Islam put in the dock for what a few of its misguided followers do?

BY JABEEN GAIHLOT CHOUDHARY

To kill one human life is to kill entire humanity,
To save one human life is to save entire humanity.

(Holy Koran, 5:32)

Why is it that every time a beard or a scarf wields a gun, the book that raises the sanctity of life to such unparalleled heights is ironically and sadly misperceived (misled either by sheer ignorance or prejudice) as the instruction manual of terrorism? Bombs replace the turban on the prophet’s head and Islam, the religion hailed as the middle path by Allah himself in the holy Koran, is misconstrued as the most bloodthirsty expression of religious fanaticism.

What aids and reinforces this is the age-old accusation that Islam was spread by the sword and the misconception that espousal of violence is inherent in the nature of Islam. The root of the word ‘Islam’ in Arabic is ‘salama’ which is the origin of the words peace and/or submission, a submission to god and peace to all humanity. The salutation in Islam is thus: "Assalamu alaikum" or "Peace on you".

There is nothing Muslim about bombs and suicide missions. Isn’t it unfair to target a religion for the imperfections inherent in the nature of man?

Before associating terrorism with Prophet Muhammad, the man who himself, along with his followers, was relentlessly and mercilessly persecuted for 13 years, it would be handy to peep into the pages of history that are smeared with blood. One would be confronted with the most glaring and radiant bloodless revolution in human history brought about by sheer moral force. Muhammad was neither an imperialist nor a colonialist. All wars fought by him were defensive except for the bloodless conquest of Mecca, regarding which orientalist Stanley Lane-Poole observes, "Through all the annals of conquest there is no triumphant entry comparable to this one."

Never did he wage wars to avert attention from sexual misdemeanours or plunder natural resources. His concept of wars puts the Hitlers, the Napoleons and the Alexanders to shame. All his wars together claimed the lives of 255 Muslims and 759 non-Muslims. (World War II alone claimed roughly 62 million people.) No Guantánamo Bay was created for his adversaries who had committed all manner of inhuman excesses. The number of prisoners taken in all wars fought by him was 6,564, of whom only two were executed for proven crimes; 6,347 were released while the fate of the rest is unknown.

After establishing the Islamic state, Prophet Muhammad declared in no uncertain terms: "Whoever hurts a non-Muslim citizen of a Muslim state hurts me, and he who hurts me annoys god. I am his adversary, and I shall be his adversary on the day of judgement."

The accusation that Islam was spread by the sword and couldn’t have commanded a following of 1.2 billion people but for this is totally unfounded. Why is it that despite 1,400 years of Muslim rule in Arabia almost 14 million Arabs are Coptic Christians? Islam is a minority in India which was under Muslim rule for centuries. No Muslim army invaded Indonesia yet it has the largest number of Muslims in the world. Similarly, Muslims are a majority in Malaysia which did not suffer any Muslim attack. The east coast of Africa was not invaded either but Islam spread rapidly here. Moreover, in the 20th century, when Muslims shouldered the heaviest servitude, Islam’s following (from 1934-84) increased by 235 per cent as against 47 per cent of Christianity (Reader’s Digest). Islam is the fastest growing religion today despite anti-Muslim propaganda and, clearly, swords rusting in their scabbards cannot drive people in flocks to the fold of Islam!

I am not disputing the fact that certain misguided rulers in gross violation of the spirit of Islam may have effected forced conversions. Why shift the blame to Islam when the Koran explicitly states "Let there be no compulsion in religion. Truth stands out clear from error" (The Koran, 2:256).

As for the horrendous tragedy of 11/7, we condemn it in no uncertain terms. The perpetrators of this heinous crime should be punished whatever their faith. We do not unjustly hold Christianity responsible for what Oklahoma bomber Timothy McVeigh did, or Hinduism responsible for what the shameless rioters did in Gujarat. Why is Islam put in the dock for what a few of its misguided followers do?

We owe are origins to the same creator, to whom we shall ultimately return. As members of human civilisation we need to conduct ourselves in the manner most pleasing to god and most beneficial to mankind. Unsheathing and brandishing swords will only let loose rivers of blood that will find their tributaries in every corner of human society.

Brothers and sisters, I invite all of you to shed your misconceptions and prejudice, and approach Islam with a clear conscience. You will be confronted not with violence but a complete way of life founded on peace, love and justice. You will discover that Islam is a threat not to human civilisation but to inhumanity and that’s what makes it contagious. Is anyone listening?

[email protected]


[ Subscribe | Contact Us | Archives | Khoj | Aman ]
[ Letter to editor  ]

Copyrights © 2002, Sabrang Communications & Publishing Pvt. Ltd.