'All Faith Traditions And Their Various Denominations Can Lead One To The Same Ultimate Reality," Assert Islamic Theologians In Hamdard Seminar

By Ghulam Rasool Dehlvi, New Age Islam 23 January 2022 Pluralism Is A Spiritual Path Which Shows That There Is Not Only One Way To Eternal Salvation Main Points: 1. Proponents of pluralism believe that all faith traditions and their various denominations can lead one to the same Ultimate Reality…. 2. Viewed from an Indian perspective, pluralism is a spiritual path which shows that there is not only one way to eternal salvation…. 3. The question emerges: Is Islamic theology in India ready for religious pluralism? 4. The department of Islamic Studies in Jamia Hamdrad organized an international seminar to address key questions on pluralism in Islam from the Indian perspective. 5. Several HoDs of the Islamic Studies departments in various Indian universities have expressed their determination to hold more seminars on such important topics. ---- The Pluralism Project of Harvard University defines pluralism as “dialogue-based and focused on the energetic engagement with diversity, an active seeking of understanding across lines of difference, and the encounter of commitments”. The proponents of pluralism believe that all faith traditions and their various denominations can lead one to the same Ultimate Reality—which is Unity of the Divine and Oneness of Mankind—which is interpreted differently by diverse religions and theological traditions, and that no single religion is the sole proprietor of the Divine Truth. In other words, the “Truth is One, and the Wise call it by many names”, as a famous shloka goes in Rig Veda Samhita (1.164. 46). Viewed from an Indian perspective, pluralism is a spiritual path which shows that there is not only one way to eternal salvation. But rather, various religions have been revealed in various times and geographical locations as different paths to the same Ultimate Reality. According to this definition of pluralism, Islam in India came as one of the many, and not just one, ways to achieve eternal salvation. It came as a spiritual path to develop close personal relationship with the Divine, rather than an ideology of political dominion. This rendition of pluralism also calls for an interreligious scriptural dialogue based on the shared values, theological cooperation, and spiritual symbiosis by not just tolerating but also respecting and accepting the ‘otherness’ of others. Thus, religious pluralism, going by this definition, would imply an intellectual project to bring about not just integration but also assimilation of various faith traditions in India. It appears to be not only a matter of peaceful coexistence and toleration but more of an amalgamation and accommodation of each other’s traditions. Now, the question emerges: Is Islamic theology in India ready for religious pluralism in this sense? Are the Indian Islamic theologians open to accept and accentuate the theological pluralism which eliminates the possibility of a specific, historical divine revelation being the only supreme source of guidance? More fundamental question is: If pluralism is the right way to live in the 21st century, then why can Islam not reconcile with the primal doctrines of the major world religions—especially the Indian-origin faith traditions? These questions become more relevant in the context of the composite culture in India where Islam and Hinduism—the two apparently irreconcilable religions— have lived together for almost 14 centuries, with an increasingly strained relations recently due to a volatile political atmosphere. In a first of its kind academic endeavor, the department of Islamic Studies in Jamia Hamdrad, a deemed university in Delhi, organized an international seminar/webinar seeking to address these key questions on pluralism in Islam from the prism of India. Two-day international seminar titled as, "Islam and Pluralism: An Indian Perspective" organized by the Department of Islamic Studies, Jamia Hamdard concluded with a stimulating valedictory session on 20th January, 2022. Around five technical sessions of the seminar were aimed at highlighting the common grounds between Islam and other Indian religions in particular, and the Semitic and non-Semitic faith traditions in general. In the opening ceremony, the chief guest of the seminar, Dr Ahmad Abdur Rahman Al Banna (Ambassador of UAE to India) greatly appreciated the initiative by the department of Islamic studies of Jamia Hamdard and its venture to foster interfaith harmony and understanding in the academic arena. After he extended his congratulations to the organizers of the Seminar and his best wishes and compliments for its future efforts towards interreligious dialogue, Dr Al Banna shed light on the ambitions and efforts of UAE to promote pluralism and progressive values in the Gulf countries, which he said, are setting an example to emulate for other Muslim nations. Other important speakers in the inaugural session included prominent Indian Islamic scholars like Prof. Abdul Ali (former HoD of the Islamic studies department of Aligarh Muslim University), Maulana Khalid Saifullah Rahmani (General Secretary, All India Muslim Personal Law Board) and Dr. Arshad Hussain (HoD of the department of Islamic studies, Jamia Hamdard) along with Prof. Syed Mehartaj Begum, Dean, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Jamia Hamdard and Prof. M. Afshar Alam, Vice Chancellor of Jamia Hamdard who delivered the Special Address and Presidential Address respectively. Around sixty papers were presented in different technical sessions running on parallel for two days in which different aspects of the subject were concisely covered. The papers presented in the seminar will be published by the department of Islamic studies of Jamia Hamdard, according to the seminar convenor, Dr Waris Mateen Mazhari, Assistant Professor of Islamic studies, Jamia Hamdard. Apart from a considerable number of distinguished paper presenters from within the country, a gamut of scholars and ulema from abroad also took part in the various sessions of the seminar. These included Dr. Omair Anas (Turkey) on "Islam and Plural Societies", Dr. SherAli Tareen (USA) on "Political sovereignty and interreligious relations", Shaykh Dr. Fakhruddin Owaisi (South Africa) on "Islamic Pluralism in India: Motivations and Background", Mr. Mohammad Afzal (London) on "Relations between Muslims and Non-Muslims in the Prophetic Era and the Rightly Guided Caliphate Period", Mr. Mohammad Seraj Ahsan (Turkey) on "Significance of MultiCulturalism in Peace Building and Conflict Resolution in Globalized World: An Analytical Study of Islamic Perspective", Dr.Talha Rehman (UAE) on "Democracy, Pluralism and the Role of Islam in India". A set of selected papers in this international seminar which were presented in Urdu and English in five parallel sessions, were titled as follows: "Pluralism in Islam and the Philosophy of Coexistence" by Dr. Sumaiyah Ahmed (Jamia Hamdard), Maulana Qasim Nanautavi and Inter-religious Dialogue: A Critical Study" by Dr. Mohamamd Ajmal (JNU), "The Concept of Islamic Pluralism from the Indian Perspective" by Dr. Waris Matin Mazhari (Jamia Hamdard), Half-widows: Shifting Identities of Kashmiri women “Islamic Pluralism in context of the principles of Jurisprudence for minorities” by Miss. Nida Fatima (Jamia Hamdard), "Hindu-Muslim Religious Commonalities: A Study of Gilani’s Treatise Islam aur Hindumat ki b‘az Mushtarika T‘alimāt" by Mr. Abdussalam Nadir (AMU), "The role of Muslim scholars and intellectuals in strengthening multi-religious society" by Maulana Manzar Imam (JMI), "Democratic Pluralism in India: Past and Present" by Ms. Quratul Aein (Kashmir University), "Security and Peace in Multicultural Society: The Islamic Perspective" by Dr. Abdur Rahman (JNU), "Plural Society of Mecca: A Study of the Biography of the Prophet of Islam" by Mr. Mohd. Abdul Bari (AMU), "Safeguarding Human Dignity & Rights in Indian Pluralistic Society: An Islamic Perspective" by Mr. Mohammad Furqan (JMI), "A Comparative Study of Sufism and Bhakti Movement with Special Reference to Moinuddin Chishti and Kabir Das" by Ms. Rukhshanda Shaheen (AMU), "An Analytical Study of Jalaluddin Akbar’s Policy of Pluralism" by Ms. Darakhshan (Jamia Hamdard), "The possibility and impossibility of religious pluralism in Islam: A Study of Nizamuddin Auliya and Ahmad Raza Khan" by Mr. Mohammad Ali (Jamia Millia Islamia), The Millet System: Pluralistic Approach of the Ottoman Caliphate" by Dr. Saifudheen Kunjus (Univ.of Madras), "Islam and United Nations on Universal Declaration on Human Dignity: A Comparative Study" by Dr. Tanjeel Ahmed (AMU), “Muslim Understanding of Indian Religions—Academic Approaches!” by Prof. Hamidullah Marazi (Kashmir University), “Migration to Abyssinia: A Role Model for Muslims in the Multi-religious Societies” by Dr. Mohd Arshad (Jamia Millia Islamia) and “The Theological Pluralism in India: A Perspective of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad” by Mr. Ghulam Rasool (Jamia Millia Islamia University). A few of the above paper presenters have also expressed their views and reflections on the conclusion of the seminar, as follows: Dr. SherAli Tareen (Associate Professor, Religious Studies, Franklin and Marshall College) who recently authored "Defending Muḥammad in Modernity", sent across his feedback in these words: "Many congratulations to all organizers and presenters for a wonderful conference on an urgently important topic......" Another scholar and participant in the seminar, Dr. Ziauddin Falahi (Aligarh Muslim University) who presented his paper on "Relevance of Interfaith Dialogue: A Study of Tabeenul Kalam" appreciated the initiative as below: "Congratulations to all the Islamic Studies fraternity. The Department of Islamic Studies Jamia Hamdard, Delhi deserves our special thanks that led our attention to a very timely foundation of the thought process of Pluralism. As sincere citizens, we should perspire ourselves to save the country on research grounds....." Many participants and paper presenters like Dr. Sumaiyah Ahmed (Jamia Hamdard) stressed the need to compile all the presidential addresses along with the observations and comments on the seminar. According to Dr. Najmus Sahar, the seminar coordinator, the papers of the seminar will be published in a book at the earliest possible. The valedictory session was addressed by Prof. Iqtdar Muhammad Khan (Jamia Millia Islamia) and Prof. Fahim Akhtar Nadvi (Maulana Azad Urdu University, Hyderabad). Prof. Iqtdar Mohammad Khan termed this initiative as the urgent need of the time and discussed various aspects of the subject. He lauded the Seminar as the glorious beginning of healthy debates and discourses on the theme, and laid greater emphasis on the need for an intra-faith dialogue for ‘pluralism within Islam’ which he said, is more crucial at the moment. Prof. Faheem Akhtar, while giving a very comprehensive analytical commentary on the papers presented in the seminar, pointed out the areas which need to be the focus of attention for the Islamic scholars. He said that this seminar is an important model for other seminars organized by the departments of Islamic Studies. Dr. Muhammad Ahmad Naeemi (Jamia Hamdrad) whose paper was presented in Urdu under the title, “An Analysis of the Common Grounds and Values between Islam and Hinduism” presented the report of the seminar. Prof. Mehrtaj Begum, Dean, School of Humanities and Social Sciences and Dr. Arshad Hussain, Head of the Department, expressed their determination to hold more seminars on such important intellectual topics. ------ A regular columnist with NewAgeIslam.com Ghulam Rasool Dehlvi is an Alim and Fazil (a classical Islamic scholar). Having graduated from a leading Islamic seminary of India, Jamia Amjadia Rizvia (Mau, U.P.), he is now pursuing his PhD from Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi. URL: https://www.newageislam.com/interfaith-dialogue/faith-traditions-islamic-theologians-hamdard-seminar/d/126221 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism

What Happened To Hilm (Forbearance) In Public Discourse?

By Junaid Jahangir, New Age Islam 23 January 2022 Consider For Instance How The Topic Of Ahmadis Riles Conservative Pakistanis, And The Issue Of Male Circumcision Rankles Progressive Muslims Main Points: 1. With the advent of social media there is no dearth of spaces where individuals can engage in conversations on myriad topics 2. Social media elicits caustic attitudes. 3. People don’t show the same grace that they expect of others. ----- With the advent of social media there is no dearth of spaces where individuals can engage in conversations on myriad topics. While this allows people to share ideas, it also elicits caustic attitudes. This happens across the left-right, socialist-capitalist, and atheist-religious spectrums of worldviews. Social media users spend less time understanding others and more time preaching soundbites, trolling others, feeling offended, or labelling others if they refuse to acquiesce to their worldview. Often people don’t show the same grace that they expect of others. And this happens in both the conservative and progressive circles of Muslims. In both spaces there is a stark absence of Hilm (forbearance), which refers to a disposition based on patience and the control of one’s anger. Consider for instance how the topic of Ahmadis riles conservative Pakistanis, and the issue of male circumcision rankles progressive Muslims. Conservative Pakistanis In response to my recent article on the institutionalized prejudice against Ahmadis, some Pakistanis left laughing emojis, others questioned highlighting “irrelevant issues”, and the moderators of a Pakistani platform blocked the article to keep their community “safe”. To laugh or mock and then to reject any thoughtful discussion on the persecution of a vulnerable minority is their prerogative. But it is also the hallmark of a people who wish to remain ignorant of uncomfortable truths or who wreak oppression on others but claim perpetual victimhood for themselves. Come to think of it, the Ahmadi issue is much ado about nothing. Based on their sources, Ahmadis believe in the return of the promised Messiah and justify it based on their reading of the Qur’anic verses and Hadith texts. In contrast, mainstream Muslims read the Qur’anic texts differently and reject the Hadith texts and the corpus of Sufi beliefs that substantiate Ahmadi beliefs. The faith of both mainstream Muslims and Ahmadis is missionary and they take the rejection of their doctrine or promised Messiah seriously. What should have been a simple difference of opinion, has instigated insecure conservative Pakistanis to rationalize their discrimination. However, even if conservative Pakistanis reject Ahmadi beliefs as heretical, there is enough scope in Islamic literature for radical inclusion. For instance, verse 4:94 of the Qur’an admonishes that “do not say to one who gives you [a greeting of] peace 'You are not a believer”. There is the Hadith that admonishes calling someone who recites the Kalima (Muslim testimonial) a Kafir. In a similar vein, Abu Hanifa (d. 767) taught that a statement comprising of 99% of disbelief but only 1% of belief would still not amount to Kufr (apostasy). Likewise, Khawaja Mir Dard’s (d. 1785) opined that someone cannot be called a Kafir even if he follows novel beliefs in most matters. Focusing exclusively on personalities revered in Pakistan, Iqbal argued that Turkey remained Muslim despite rejecting many Islamic practices, based only on allegiance to the Kalima (Muslim testimonial), and expressed a radical narrative that just confessing the unity of God was sufficient to be Muslim. Similarly, Jinnah, accepted Ahmadis as part of the Muslim League, and when pressed upon their Muslim identity, firmly stated that, “what right have I to declare a person non-Muslim when he claims to be a Muslim”? In short, instead of showing Hilm, conservative Pakistanis aggressively lash out at opposing viewpoints. Progressive Muslims The same holds true for progressive Muslims, whose primary affiliation is to western framework of rights than to Islamic principles and worldview. I observed this in a recent discussion by some progressive Muslims who were offended by the idea of male circumcision as it went against the consent of the child. In their group, they lashed out against mainstream Muslim commenters, mocked them, and rode their “moral” high horse in contempt. The same dynamics that one observes in judgmental conservative spaces were at play here. Apart from consent, the concerns in such spaces usually revolve around the perceived diminished pleasure from lack of foreskin. Such viewpoints abound in western spaces where sometimes naked men walk in Pride Parades to assert their rights against male circumcision. Of course, some progressive Muslims are inspired by activism that chiefly rests on issues of rights and consent. However, Islam is clear that male circumcision is one of the sunnah practices on tatheer (cleanliness). It is a practice that rests on tawatur (broad authentication) from Abrahamic times and like the prohibition of pork, has been upheld through general Muslim practice. It is also a practice like dietary restriction that binds a community through stigma or sacrifice. The western understanding of “consent” here is as limited as it is to tribal customs and practices on piercings, anointments, and rites of passage. Just as foisting western values on such tribes would be viewed through the lens of cultural colonialism, the same would apply for general Muslim and Jewish practices. Apart from cleanliness, some allude to the benefits of reduced probability of STIs. This does not mean that circumcision completely eradicates the probability of acquiring an infection, but it diminishes the odds. Indeed, in their popular book Super Freakonomics, the authors indicate how circumcision helped reduce HIV transmission as other policy changes reached their limits. One can understand this in the age of COVID, as vaccines do not reduce the likelihood of contracting the virus to zero but substantially reduce the odds of acquiring severe disease. However, several progressive Muslims do not buy such medical claims on the benefits of circumcision as “proofs”, even as scientific advancement rests less on proofs and more on preponderance of evidence. Generally, such individuals argue that people can spend extra time for cleanliness instead of circumcision. However, behavioural change is quite difficult, which is noted through observing how people don’t change their habits on being environmentally conscious despite policy incentives. Consider the many people who do not wash their hands as they leave the washroom. As documented in Super Freakonomics, this has included medical doctors in the U.S., who of all people should know better. To conclude, like conservative Pakistanis, progressive Muslims do not hold space for opposing ideas with Hilm. Just as conservatives are confined by their worldview where any opposing doctrinal view is heresy, progressives are shaped by their worldview where Islamic practices are rejected based on current popular worldviews. I have found individuals from both groups to be scathingly judgmental. There is neither religious grace nor humility here. Maulana Wahiduddin Khan captures it well: “There are only two types of men who can keep their balance when under critical fire. The first is the one who fears God … If the criticism is meant to belittle him, it does not matter to him, as he has already accepted his humble position. The other type of man who does not react to criticism is the one with a scientific temperament. … His attention becomes focused on the truth of the matter and not on hurtful comments. A strong reaction to criticism only proves that a man is devoid of piety and has no true academic leanings. If such a man is criticized, he presumably deserves it.” ------ Junaid Jahangir is an Assistant Professor of Economics at MacEwan University. He is the co-author of Islamic Law and Muslim Same-Sex Unions. With Dr. Hussein Abdullatif, a paediatric endocrinologist in Alabama, he has co-authored several academic papers on the issue of same-sex unions in Islam. He contributed this article to NewAgeIslam.com. URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islam-tolerance/hilm-forbearance-public-discourse/d/126218 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism

Texas Synagogue: Malik Faisal Akram Is Another Frustrated Muslim Who Thinks He Can Destroy All The Jews And Americans Alone

New Age Islam Staff Writer 22 January 2022 Be it Faisal Shahzad of Pakistan or Malik Faisal Akram of Britain, the Muslim youth from East to West are becoming more and more indoctrinated in extremist ideology blaming the Jews and Americans for all their plight realizing little that a community of only 1% population cannot do damage to a community spread in more than 55 countries with wealth, man force and mineral resources. Malik Faisal Akram, it seems, had been taught that the Jews had captured power not only in America but wielded influence in the most part of the world. And the way he could finish them, he might have been told, was enter a synagogue in his country and kill the rabbi and some Jews. He did not realize that his action would only tarnish the image of Islam and Muslims. He seems to be indoctrinated by the Al Qaida or other extremist organizations who brainwash Muslim youth in conducting lone wolf operations against the Jews and the Americans. He would have done Islam a great service if he had preached the youth of his age the true messages of the Quran, the message of brotherhood, compassion and peaceful co-existence. He died a miserable death without contributing anything good to the society. Malik Faisal Akram’s act is the result of extremist sermons delivered in mosques in the US and other European countries where the Christians, the Jews and the government are presented as the enemies of the Muslims. ------ How Anti-Semitic Conspiracy Theories Contributed To The Recent Hostage-Taking At The Texas Synagogue Main Points: 1. The terrorist believed that Jews had captured power in the US, 2. He thought by killing a rabbi, he could do a lot of damage to the Jews. 3. He had been fed with the propaganda that one percent Jew population was at the root of all the ills faced by the Muslims of the world ----- By Jonathan D. Sarna January 20, 2022 The man who took a rabbi and three congregants hostage in Colleyville, Texas, on Jan. 15, 2022, believed that Jews control the United States of America. He told his hostages, as one revealed in a media interview, that Jews “control the world” and that they could use their perceived power to free Aafia Siddiqui, a Pakistani convicted in 2010 for trying to kill American soldiers and plotting to blow up the Statue of Liberty. The hostage-taker also demanded to speak to New York’s Central Synagogue rabbi, Angela Buchdahl, so that she would use her “influence” to help get Siddiqui released. Law enforcement officials outside Congregation Beth Israel synagogue on Jan. 15, 2022, in Colleyville, Texas. AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez ------ By invoking Jewish “power,” the gunman, later identified as Malik Faisal Akram, a 44-year-old British national, seemed to echo Siddiqui’s antisemitic views that Jews were responsible for the 9/11 terrorist attacks and had infiltrated American political and nongovernmental organizations. During her 2010 trial in New York, Siddiqui demanded Jews be excluded from serving on her jury. As a scholar of Jewish history, I know that myths concerning “Jewish power,” “control” and “conspiracy” have circulated in America since before the Civil War and continue until today. They provide a simple, albeit imaginary, explanation for bewildering social changes that people find hard to explain and confront. Anti-Semitic Literature As immigration brought Jews in larger numbers to America’s shores, particularly from Russia, one of the first overtly anti-Semitic books ever published in the United States, Telemachus Thomas Timayenis’ 1888 book, “The American Jew: An Exposé of His Career” warned darkly that Jews had “acquired a hold on this country such as they never secured on any nation in Europe.” Actually, Jews comprised much less than 1% of the population at that time. Still, Timayenis, seen as the “the father of anti-Semitic publishing in America,” claimed that they controlled Wall Street, the clothing and tobacco trades, politics, journalism and more. Timayenis and his anti-Semitic books were largely forgotten for almost a century. Now, however, they are readily available through the internet. A republication of one of his books carries a preface by J.B. Stoner, a neo-Nazi convicted of the 1958 bombing of Bethel Church in Birmingham, Alabama. “The Jews are embarked upon a plan to conquer the world and to rule over all other races and nations,” it says. “By understanding the evil and aggressive nature of the Jew, we White Christians can better protect ourselves … It is our duty to publish this book for the benefit of the White Aryan Race in America and throughout the world,” it continues. Protocols And Conspiracy Theories The Rothschild family has long been the target of conspiracy theorists. Baron Guy de Rothschild (center) with his son David (left) and lawyer M.E. Izard at the Palace of Justice in Paris on May 24, 1969. AP Photo/Cardenas ----- In the 20th century, the publication that did the most to disseminate the myth of a Jewish conspiracy to control the world was the forgery known as The Protocols of the Elders the Zion.” Described by the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum as “the most notorious and widely distributed antisemitic publication of modern times,” the work first appeared in Russia as part of a disinformation propaganda campaign by Russian monarchists to prop up the embattled Tsar Nicholas II. Subsequently, the forgery went through numerous translations and adaptations reaching every corner of the globe. Its explosive allegations influence people to this day. The Protocols purport to be the minutes of late 19th-century meetings attended by world Jewish leaders, the “Elders of Zion,” keen to take over the world. They set forth different stages of the supposed behind-the-scenes Jewish plan for global conquest: everything from manipulating the economy and controlling the press to promoting liberalism and pornography. They even articulate an ultimate goal: to reestablish the line of King David and anoint “the King of the Jews.” The Protocols form a classic conspiracy theory. The work provides a compelling, easy-to-understand explanation that connects a wide range of disparate phenomena roiling society. Nothing happens by accident, the Protocols and all conspiracy theories insist, and things seldom are what they seem. Conspiracy theorists believe that powerful controlling forces – in this case, the Jews – shape and manipulate events behind the scenes. Believing Imaginary Conspiracies Precisely because they offer a simple explanation – “the Jews are responsible” – and flatter believers into thinking they possess secret knowledge others lack, conspiracy theories like the Protocols are notoriously difficult to disprove. After all, individual Jews, much like their non-Jewish counterparts, may well have engaged in some of the activities the Protocols and similar conspiracy theories describe. And the phenomena recounted – social, economic, political and cultural changes transforming the world – are certainly real enough. For many conspiracy-minded folks, that is usually validation enough. Beyond the Protocols, a wide range of other conspiracy theories involving Jews have circulated over the past century. The great automaker Henry Ford, influenced in part by the “Protocols of the Elders of Zion,” devoted extensive resources in the 1920s to proving that the “international Jew” was the “world’s foremost problem,” responsible for perceived ills that ranged, in his view, from urbanization to the modern music and dance that he hated. Under intense economic and legal pressure, Ford publicly apologized in 1927 “for resurrecting exploded fictions, for giving currency to … gross forgeries, and for contending that the Jews have been engaged in a conspiracy.” Yet Ford’s “The International Jew” ” remains available for purchase around the world, and many still download it from the internet and take it seriously. Conspiracy theorists targeted the Rothschilds, famed European Jewish bankers, as well. Niles Weekly Register, perhaps the most widely circulated magazine of its time, reported in 1835 that “the descendants of Judah” held Europe “in the hollow of their hands.” It ascribed particular power to the Rothschild banking family which, it claimed, “govern a Christian world – not a cabinet moves without their advice.” Almost 200 years later, echoes of the “Rothschild myth” live on in Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene’s infamous 2018 post alleging that Rothschild-owned Jewish space lasers set California’s forest fires in order to clear out land for a lucrative high-speed rail line. In recent years, George Soros, a Hungarian-born American billionaire investor and philanthropist of Jewish origin, has been blamed like the Rothschilds for a host of what the extreme far right perceive to be society’s ills. These conspiracy theories falsely attribute to Soros the anti-Trump protests, refugee problems in Europe and the Black Lives Matter movement, among other trends. Believing Imaginary Conspiracies Anti-Catholic, anti-Masonic, anti-Mormon and anti-Muslim conspiracy theories have likewise attracted legions of followers worldwide. In the Islamist circles from which Aafia Siddiqui and the gunman who took hostages in Colleyville sprang, however, the favourite conspiratorial target remains the Jews. Attacks on “Jews,” “Jewish power” and the supposed Zionist control of America are commonplace. The reason has almost nothing to do with real Jews and a great deal to do with a phenomenon that historian David Brion Davis noticed some 60 years ago: : In environments shaken by “bewildering social change,” people find “unity and meaning by conspiring against imaginary conspiracies.” Source: How Anti-Semitic Conspiracy Theories Contributed To The Recent Hostage-Taking At The Texas Synagogue URL: https://www.newageislam.com/radical-islamism-jihad/texas-synagogue-malik-faisal-akram-jews-americans/d/126215 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism

A Major Paradigm Shift In Madrasa Education Policy Needed

Maulana Arshad Madani Should First Modernize Madrasas Affiliated Under Darul Uloom Main Points: 1. Maulana Arshad Madani stressed the need to teach Muslims modern sciences. 2. Madrasas have not benefitted from government’s madrasa modernization schemes. 3. Madrasas have always opposed any modernization move. 4. Jamiat-e-Ulema Hind grants scholarships to minority students for technical education. 5. Maulana Madani says successive governments prevented Muslims from education. 6. Successive governments did not stop Muslims from establishing madrasas. ---- By New Age Islam Staff Writer 22 January 2022 Jamiat-e-Ulema Hind has announced scholarships worth crores of rupees for needy minority students taking up professional courses. Students applying for engineering, medical, journalism or any other technical professional courses would be eligible for these scholarships provided they have acquired 70 per cent marks in the previous year’s examination. The Jamiat headed by Maulana Arshad Madani had granted scholarships to minority students previous year as well. Giving the details about the scholarships, Maulana Arshad Madani also stressed the need for promoting modern education among the minority especially among the Muslims. He said that the kind of ideological battle that has been waged in the country can only be fought not with any weapon or technology but with modern education. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Also Read: Madrasa Education is a Clear Violation of the Human Rights of Children: Sultan Shahin asks UNHRC to make Muslim Countries Stick to their Pious Declarations ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Putting all the blame for the educational backwardness of Muslims since the independence on the successive governments, Maulana Arshad Madani said that all the governments after the independence kept Muslims deprived of education according to a predetermined policy and Sachar Committee put a seal on this truth. The report says that Muslims lag behind even Dalits in education. He asked, This happened automatically or did the Muslims commit suicide?” He said that the governments had realized that if Muslims had progressed in educational field they would capture power. Therefore, the governments kept Muslims away from education. He stressed the need to establish such schools and colleges that produce doctors and engineers and where Muslim students can also acquire religious education. He advised Muslims to establish more and more schools and colleges for providing modern education to Muslims. Maulana Arshad Madani said that the community needs both hafiz and Ulema and doctors and engineers. He gave the information that for that purpose his organization had established B.Ed. college, Degree College and schools for Muslim boys and girls and ITI’s in different states. It is to be noted that the scholarships are being granted by Maulana Hussain Ahmad Madani Charitable Trust (M.H.A. Madani Charitable Trust) and not by the Darul Uloom Deoband of whom Maulana Arshad Madani is an important part. Darul Uloom Deoband was established by the elders Maulana Qasim Nanautawi and his aides in the late 19th century (30 May 1866) for providing only religious education to the Muslims of undivided India. Sir Syed Ahmad Khan had established Aligarh Muslim University in 1875 only because Darul Uloom Deoband had excluded science subjects from its curriculum. Even now, despite realising the importance of sciences, the Madrasas in India have not agreed to modernize. They have not implemented the governments schemed SPQEM and SPEMM for introducing modern subjects in madrasas. Under this scheme, the governments will pay the salary of Rs 6000 to 12000 to the teachers of modern subjects teaching in madrasas but for that the madrasas would need to register with the Educational Boards of the state and the salary of teachers would be paid through banks. Many few madrasas registered under this scheme as the scheme was voluntary. Madrasa authorities opposed government’s madrasa modernization schemes on the pretext that it would lead to unnecessary interference of the government in the minority institutions. If that was the fear, then the Madrasas would have taken up their own modernization programme and introduced modern subjects in madrasa education curriculum. Nobody stopped them from doing that. But here the real obstacle was ideological and not political. A large section of madrasa scholars are of the view that introducing modern subjects into madrasa curriculum would wean away madrasas from their true spirit and so modern sciences should not be added to the madrasa curriculum. They believed and circulated this belief that Duniyawi Uloom (worldly sciences) are not part of an Islamic education system and so they should not be included in madrasa educational curriculum. Only Deeni Uloom( religious sciences) should be taught in madrasas. During the initial period of Islam there was not demarcation of religious sciences and modern sciences or worldly sciences and so madrasas would teach both Quran and hadith and jurisprudence along with physics, chemistry, biology and mathematics and as a result great Muslim scientists were produced by these madrasas. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Also Read: Evolution of Hadith Sciences and Need for Major Paradigm Shift in Role of Hadith Corpus and Scope of Madrasa Education ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ But after the spread of British Empire, somehow the wrong belief that the English education will corrupt the faith of the Muslims strengthened among the Muslims and so the modern sciences believed to be akin to the British or Christian education was opposed. This happened in India when Darul Uloom Deoband was established with the sole purpose of saving Indian Muslims from the modern education that the British government was promoting. After the establishment of Darul Uloom, Sir Syed establish Anglo Mohammadan Oriental College which later became Aligarh Muslim University with the sole purpose of providing modern education to the Muslims to enable them to compete in the modern world. The ulema of his time even issued fatwas of kufr against him for promoting modern education among the Muslims. And this perception has not changed among the Madrasa educationists yet who do not want to include modern sciences in madrasa curriculum. While stressing the need to equip Muslims with modern education, Maulana Arshad Madani skipped the issue of madrasa modernization. He asked Muslims to establish colleges and schools for Muslims where both religious and modern education would be provided to students, he did not say whether Darul Uloom Deoband was going to modernize itself. Therefore, the views expressed by Maulana Arshad Madani were of the head of M.H.A. Madani Charitable Trust and not of the spokesman of Darul Uloom Deoband. If the Darul Uloom Deoband had included modern sciences in its curriculum soon after the independence, the madrasas in India would have been the centres of quality education as millions of Muslim students studied in madrasas. They came out with the knowledge of hifz, jurisprudence but did not have knowledge of modern sciences. The Quran enjoins on Muslims to study sciences and do research in scientific fields but these scholars of the Quran and Islam circulated the belief that Islam discourages worldly sciences or modern sciences. This promoted an anti-science mentality among the Muslims. Since, Maulana Arshad Madani has realized, though belatedly, the need to equip Muslims with modern education; he may make a move for the modernization of madrasas affiliated under Darul Uloom Deoband. Many modern and liberal educationists of India have already established modern Islamic educations where both Islamic and modern education is provided to the Muslim students. But as leaders of the Muslim community, Darul Uloom lagged in this field of knowledge. And even though Maulana Arshad Madani makes a progressive statement, he makes it not from the platform of Darul Uloom but from the platform of an NGO. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Also Read: RESTRUCTURING MADRASA EDUCATION: Muslim Opponents of India’s 'Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act' are Enemies of Indian Muslims ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ This is time instead of blaming the governments for the educational backwardness of Muslims in India, the Muslims understood that the governments did not stop them from establishing modern schools in every town and village. The successive governments did not stop Muslims from establishing madrasas and producing hafiz, qari and jurisprudents. This is only an alibi to hide the prejudice of Muslim scholars that cost Muslims of independent India dearly. URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islamic-society/madrasa-education-policy-darul-uloom/d/126214 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism

Karnataka Veil Issue: Should Muslims Choose the Veil Over Education?

By Arshad Alam, New Age Islam 21 January 2022 Quran And Hadis Mandate The Veiling Of Women, Linking It To Women’s Modesty Main Points: 1. The debarred Muslim girls continue to sit outside the classes as a mark of protest. 2. This demand is not coming from all Muslim girls but only from a tiny minority bringing out the contested nature of the veil within Muslim society. 3. If the veil is banned, what about Hindu religious symbols? Why such secularizing zeal is seen with regard to symbols of Islamic faith only? ------ Students in Government PU Women College for Girls in Udupi sitting outside their classroom. | @SalmanNizami_via Twitter ----- Trouble is brewing in a government college in Udupi, Karnataka over the issue of headscarf. Few Muslim students of the college decided to don the veil arguing that it was a manifestation of their Islamic faith and that such an expression of religiosity was protected by the Indian constitution. The college authorities, on the other hand, have a different set of understanding. They have debarred these students from attending classes. The college argues that the veil is against the ‘dress code’ of the institution. As an institution which can frame laws for the benefit of the students, they are well within their rights to debar these students from attending classes. But there are other parties to this polarized debate within the college campus. It was the Hindu right wing affiliated student body which at first objected to the usage of the veil in classrooms. Of late, Karnataka has been in the news for all the wrong reasons including passage of laws which explicitly target religious minorities like Muslims and Christians. The ruling BJP government has got bad press for wanton attacks in the state which targeted churches and other places of worship of the minority community. Hindu right-wing forces have become emboldened after the ruling dispensation came to power in the state. This seems to have been playing its part in the college too as the veil was certainly not an issue before the Hindu right wing student body protested against it. The impasse has not been broken till now. Girls with veils continue to sit outside the classes as a mark of protest while the college seems to be determined on its position. But why has the veil become so important that Muslim girls are willing to forgo their education for this piece of head covering? Should education become the casualty over the question of religious identity of Muslims? It is important to understand what the veil stands for. One of the many arguments that one comes across is that veils are a matter of choice. This argument lacks merit for the simple reason that in Islam it is not a question of choice but of an express commandment. The Quran and Hadis mandate the veiling of women, linking it to women’s modesty. So, these girls in Udupi are basically following what the religious scriptures demand of them. The other argument is that the law of the land does upholds right to religious belief and practice as akin to a fundamental right and therefore these girls should be allowed to wear what is deemed as an Islamic outfit. Certainly, the Indian courts have upheld the right to religion but have time and again pointed out that they will only protect the ‘essential attributes of religion’. Now it is debatable whether veils pass this test of essential feature in the court of law. There is certainly no consensus within the Muslim community whether veils are an essential feature of Islam. Some Muslims regard it as obligatory while others think that it can be dispensed with in contemporary times. Six Muslim girls were barred from attending class because of wearing a hijab. Credit: Twitter/Salman Nizami ----- Even within the college in question, there is no consensus within Muslim students. There are around 70 Muslim students in the college but the veil is an issue only for 12 students. Clearly then, not all Muslim students are in favour of the veil. The very fact that majority of Muslim girls in the college do not identify Islam with the veil brings out the contested nature of this head covering within Muslim society. At one level therefore, this is not a question of Islamic faith versus the college administration but of a few Muslims students insisting that their expression of Islamic religiosity be considered as the standard norm. Moreover, there are different kinds of face coverings which Muslim women wear depending on religious interpretation and the culture in which they are located. Thus, the Afghan face covering completely invisibilizes women making direct communication impossible. Within a classroom situation, it will be exceedingly difficult for any teacher to understand the facial expression of students with Afghan veils. This breakdown of dialogic communication will in turn lead to very poor pedagogic results. The girls in Karnataka, however, are not donning the full-face veil. One can see their faces and hence effective pedagogy is not being hampered. So, for the college, the only reason for barring these students is because of their religious attire. India is a land of immense religious diversity. Religion seeps into educational spaces even without people expressly acknowledging it. There are a number of government schools, for example, in which one would find a temple dedicated to Saraswati, the goddess of learning. Clearly it is a Hindu symbol but then most schools, parents and teachers do not have any problem with it. One can see religious symbols in colleges and universities too. The headgear of the Sikhs is a religious symbol but there is no debate whether it should be worn within spaces of higher education. There are married Hindu women who access colleges and universities wearing their mangalsutra. Should they be similarly asked to take it off before entering their classrooms? Why is it that this secularizing zeal is witnessed only with regard to Muslim religious symbols? Despite the rising Islamophobia, it needs to be underlined that in this case, Muslim girls have got their priorities wrong. Muslims are one of the recognized educational backward minorities in the country. When it comes to the education of Muslim women, the data is simply underwhelming. Girls like the ones in Udupi, who are fortunate enough to get to college, should think of those millions of their co-religionists who never get such a chance due to a number of circumstances. Should they be agitating for the right to wear the veil or should they be focusing on their studies and becoming role models for Muslim girls all over the country. Ideally one should not have to choose between the two but just in case one has to, what choice should one make? Making the veil as the first choice is an insult to all those Muslim girls who are forced to reside in their homes because Muslim men think that they should not step out. Making the veil the first choice is an insult to millions of Muslim women worldwide who are fighting against this censorship on their body and mobility. This insistence that they will enter the college classroom with their veils comes from a position of privilege. It is equally important to understand that those supporting these college students belong to organizations that are Islamists in their agenda. The first organization to come in support was the Campus Front of India which is a student wing of the Popular Front of India (PFI). The PFI is not exactly known for upholding values of secularism and democracy as it has been named in a number of violent attacks including the one on a college teacher in Kerala for allegedly blaspheming Prophet Muhammad. The second organization in support is the Fraternity Movement, a student and youth collective having close ties with the Welfare Party of India, which is a political platform floated by the Indian Jamat e Islami. For both organizations, the careers of these students come secondary; what is more important is the battle of positioning in which they want to foist Islamic symbolism in the public sphere. Amidst the intransience of the college administration and political Islam, one can only hope that the education of Muslim girls does not become a casualty. ----- A regular columnist with NewAgeIslam.com, Arshad Alam is a writer and researcher on Islam and Muslims in South Asia. URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/karnataka-veil-muslims-veil-education/d/126200 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism

Opposing View Points From Islamic Perspective

By Ibrahim B. Syed, New Age Islam 21 January 2022 Freedom Of Expression, Free Thinking, Free Inquiry Rights Are Denied To The Muslims Residing In Certain Countries Main Points: 1. Freedom of expression, free thinking, Free Inquiry, etc., are guaranteed by the Noble Qur'an to the Muslims. 2. Western countries have adopted these Qur'anic rights in their national Constitution. 3. Censoring somebody because they have a different point of view on something-religion, politics, war strategies, etc. is wrong! ------ Freedom of expression, free thinking, Free Inquiry, etc., are guaranteed by the Noble Qur'an to the Muslims. But unfortunately, these rights are denied to the Muslims who live in certain countries. However, many Muslims are unaware of this fundamental right. On the other hand, Western countries have adopted these Qur'anic rights in their national Constitution. For example, the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution states, Congress shall make no law abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press." One of the reasons for the stagnation of intellectual growth in the Muslim World is the oppression of these rights and also the right to disagree with others' point of view. About 200 years ago, a Western scholar Joseph Joubert said, "It is better to debate a question without settling it than to settle a question without debating it." No one can deny that one should consider every variety of opinion in an attempt to determine the TRUTH. Opinions of authorities in the field should be examined, as well as of those that are considered radical, reactionary, minority and of others that are stigmatized by some other uncomplimentary label. History teaches that what were considered as unpopular, and even despised opinions eventually got accepted. Some good examples in this category are the ideas expressed by Ibn Sina, Al-Biruni, Al-Razi, Ibn Nafis, Ibn Haytham, Socrates, Galileo, Newton, Einstein, etc. David L. Bender, publisher of Opposing Viewpoints Series, San Diego, California, says, “To have a good grasp of one's own viewpoint, it is necessary to understand the arguments of those with whom one disagrees. It can be said that those who do not completely understand their adversary's point of view do not fully understand their own." We always think that our views are most rational and those of others are wrong. It may turn out that others views are correct and our own views are in error. One should remember to keep an open mind to the views and ideas expressed by others with whom we disagree. Wisdom lies in listening than in speaking, for more can be learned by listening than speaking. We become emotional and angry at those with whom we disagree and we treat them as our enemies. Instead we should treat their opinions objectively and treat them as different paths to a common goal. We need to develop a number of basic skills of reading and critical thinking such as: Evaluating Sources of Information; Separating Fact from Opinion; Identifying Stereotypes and Recognizing Ethnocentrism. These skills are details in "Science and Religion" Edited by Rohr and Szumski, Greenhaven Press, Inc., San Diego, California, 1988. Censoring somebody because they have a different point of view on something-religion, politics, war strategies, etc. is wrong! Rules about profanity, personal attacks-perfectly understandable; we can disagree on certain topics without things turning nasty. Now on occasion, some situations have turned ugly-and probably will again, once in a while; It is doubted if that can be avoided completely; it's because we are human- and feelings & emotions will sometimes get rubbed the wrong way. It happens! If people want to debate politics, what harm is it doing? What? There is NO REASON whatsoever, to exclude someone off the discussion just because one's political views are different from somebody else's; it is unfair censorship and it is wrong!! If one does not agree with someone else's point of view, so what? The world won't come to an end because of that, right? One should BE FLEXIBLE! Islamic Perspective There were many instances of judicial disagreement between the early fuqaha; differences that were not allowed to go beyond the academic or to cause hard feelings among the debaters and dissenters alike. Certainly, the differences between those early scholars never led them to lose sight of the higher purposes of the Shari`ah or their responsibilities. Muslims must be aware of the polemics to the subject of disagreement in general. Contemporary Muslims should follow many commendable examples of forbearance and understanding on the part of some of the greatest personalities and scholars in Muslim history. Differences of opinion are inevitable wherever people have both intellect and honesty. Complete consensus on every issue is possible only when everyone is dumb, so they cannot think of a different idea, or they are dishonest so they willingly agree with a position that they consider wrong. After all religious interpretations are not personal rights that can be sacrificed away. The problem occurs when we overstate these differences. There were differences of opinion in Fiqh among the Companions, their followers, and great Mujahideen. But they did not turn these into fights. They disagreed but they maintained respect and love for each other. The brotherhood remained intact. They had tolerance for the other view. How can we have tolerance for something we know is wrong? Of course, we cannot have any tolerance for anything clearly established as wrong by Qur'an or Hadith. We can never show accommodation for apostasy. We can never agree on changing the Shariah's established definitions of halal and haram. But beyond this there are issues about which Qur'an and Sunnah are silent or are subject to more than one interpretation. Here the mujahideen deduce the intent of Qur'an and Sunnah based on their best ability. Here disagreements are possible. As long as those involved are qualified mujahideen (like the four respected imams), their differing views have to be respected. We can follow only one opinion, and we should try and determine the one closest to the intent of the Shariah, but we cannot declare opposing views as evil. We exaggerate when we deal with people holding valid opposing views as if they were outside the bounds of Islam. Overstatement (Ghuloo) is the main cause of most fights involving our religious groups. It also happens with Islamic organizations. Most are doing useful work in the areas they chose based on their abilities and inclinations. Had they developed a spirit of cooperation and considered their differences as just a natural division of labor, together they could have become a formidable force. Unfortunately, each one of them considers their work and methodology as the only methodology for Islamic work. If a person leaves one of these organizations to join another, he is treated as if he had recanted his faith. This is ghuloo. It produces the tribalism of Jahiliya (the pre-Islamic period of ignorance) among religious workers. Pious people are not extinct today. What we sorely need is the reformers who can rise above their narrow perspectives and heed the universal and unifying call of Islam. Sunnis vs. Shias The major difference between the Sunnis and the Shi'a has to do with the issue of succession after the Prophet (S). That is to say, who had the prerogative to lead the Muslim community in temporal and religious affairs after the demise of the Prophet. The Shia view is that the Prophet (S) explicitly appointed (Nass-Ul-Jali) Imam Ali (RA) as his successor in accordance with the divine instruction. The Shias envision the Imam as someone who is endowed with grace and benevolence (Lutf), who can guide the community in all spheres without committing any mistake or error because he is infallible (Ma'soom) [Shaykhs Mufid and Saduq were of the opinion that the Imams are prone to committing small errors]. The doctrine of Imamate is at the heart of the issue which divides the Sunnis and the Shi'a. Of course, there are many other differences between these two main branches of Muslims but they are derived from the basic disagreement on the question of succession to the Prophet (S). In contrast, the Sunnis view the seat of the caliph as a political function that can be entrusted to a competent and trustworthy individual without any explicit appointment from the Prophet (S). To underline this salient feature, many works were composed in the classical and medieval times on the doctrine of Imamate. See the works of Hisham b. Hakam, Nu'man, Saduq, Mufid, Tusi, etc. The latest extensive work on Imamate is by Allamah Amini titled "Al-Ghadir." It is a monumental work and very much worth reading. Also, a good portion of "Al-Kaafi" is devoted to the issue of Imamate [Kitab-ul-Hujjah]. Some controversial topics in Islam are the following: Muta (Temporary Marriage) Hijab Halal Food Products Beard Rights Of Muslim Women Talaq (Divorce) Tolerance In Islam Jihad Islam Spread By Sword Women Attending The Masjid Women Praying Behind Barriers In Masjid Women Shaking Hands With Men Celebrating Birthdays Celebrating Prophet’s Birthday ------ Dr. Ibrahim B. Syed is Immediate Past President, Islamic Research Foundation International, Inc. 7102 W. Shefford Lane, Louisville, KY 40242, USA Phone: +1 502 423 1988 URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islamic-society/opposing-view-islamic-perspective/d/126201 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism

The Verses Of Jihad In Quran: Meaning, Reason Of Revelation, Context, And Background - Part 12

By Badruddoja Razvi Misbahi, New Age Islam (Translated from Urdu by Newageislam.com) 20 January 2022 Explaining Verses 41:27 And 41:28 Out Of 26 Verses Presented By Wasim Rizvi In Supreme Court Main Points Discussed In Part 12 1. The critics have offered just verses 27 and 28 for their malicious objective, neglecting verse 26, which discloses the criminals' culpability. 2. The Quran is in fact the book of Allah in which He Almighty has compiled all the realities of the world. 3. According to the great scholars, “There is nothing in the universe that Allah's Book does not mention”. 4. Despite their exceptional eloquence and rhetoric, the eloquent Arabs failed to respond to the Holy Quran. …… فَلَنُذِیْقَنَّ الَّذِیْنَ كَفَرُوْا عَذَابًا شَدِیْدًاۙ-وَّ لَنَجْزِیَنَّهُمْ اَسْوَاَ الَّذِیْ كَانُوْا یَعْمَلُوْنَ(۲۷)ذٰلِكَ جَزَآءُ اَعْدَآءِ اللّٰهِ النَّارُۚ-لَهُمْ فِیْهَا دَارُ الْخُلْدِؕ-جَزَآءًۢ بِمَا كَانُوْا بِاٰیٰتِنَا یَجْحَدُوْنَ (28( Allah Almighty says, “But We will surely cause those who disbelieve to taste a severe punishment, and We will surely recompense them for the worst of what they had been doing. That is the recompense of the enemies of Allah - the Fire. For them therein is the home of eternity as recompense for what they, of Our verses, were rejecting.” (41:27-28) In verses 26, 27, and 28 of Surah Fussilat (41), Allah Almighty has revealed both crime and punishment; yet, the critics have offered just verses 27 and 28 for their malicious objective, neglecting verse 26, which discloses the criminals' culpability. The Quran is in fact the book of Allah in which He Almighty has compiled all the realities of the world, as Ibn Suraqah relates from Abu Bakr ibn Mujahid in Kitab Ul I'jaaz, who says, “There is nothing in the universe that Allah's Book does not mention." (Al-Itqan, Volume II, p. 160) And it is narrated by Ibn Burhan that the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “There is nothing except it is in the Quran, or the origin of everything is mentioned in the Quran, whether it is near or far.” (Al-Itqan, p.160) This hadith implies that the Qur'an contains knowledge of everything. Now, if Allah has provided the seeker the ability of comprehension and understanding, he can extract knowledge of everything from the Qur'an according to his understanding. “Whatever you ask me about, I will tell you that it is in the Qur'an, that is, I will answer it from the Qur'an,” Hazrat Imam Shaafi’i (may Allah have mercy on him) once remarked in Makkah. (Al-Itqan, p.60) More evidence of this type can be found in Al-Itqan. The Quran is a miraculous book of Allah Almighty in terms of language and expression. Despite their exceptional eloquence and rhetoric, the eloquent Arabs were unable to respond to this holy Book. In various places, Allah Almighty challenged them, saying that if they are committed to their pledge that the Quran is not a divine book, then they should bring forth a speech like this. Allah says, “Then let them produce a statement like it if they should be truthful” (52:34) Then Allah Almighty challenged them to answer any ten Surahs of the Quran if they couldn't answer the entire Quran. Allah says, “Or do they say, "He invented it"? Say, "Then bring ten Surahs like it that have been invented and call upon [for assistance] whomever you can besides Allah, if you should be truthful.” (11:13) Then Allah Almighty challenged them, saying that answering ten Surahs is a big deal, so they should just answer one of them!! Allah says, “Or do they say [about the Prophet], "He invented it?" Say, "Then bring forth a Surah like it and call upon [for assistance] whomever you can besides Allah, if you should be truthful.” (10:38) In this way, the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) continued to challenge the Makkans in several dialects, but they were unable to respond to even a single verse of a single Surah. This challenge continues to this day. If Wasim Rizvi or anti-Islamic groups claim that the Quran is not a divine book or that some of its verses are a combination of human and divine language, they must not respond to the entire Quran, but simply to the verses about which they have expressed doubt. Despite their zeal to reject the Quran and extinguish its light, the erudite Arabs were unable to respond to any verse of the Quran. They would have responded to the Quran if they had the power to do so. The fact is that they were secretly impacted by Quranic influences, as Ibn Abbas related when Waleed ibn Mughirah came to the Prophet's house and he read Qur'anic verses that caused Waleed ibn Mughira to feel sympathy. This news was communicated to Abu Jahl. He approached Waleed bin Mughira and said, “O uncle! Your people want to amass some wealth for you.’ Why Waleed inquired? Abu Jahl explained, “they want to give it to you because you go to Muhammad (peace be upon him).” He [Waleed] remarked, “The people of Quraysh are well aware that I am the wealthiest of them”. Abu Jahl said, “Then, say something about Muhammad that indicates how much you despise him”. “By Allah, you know perfectly well that there is not a man among you who is more knowledgeable about poetry and its composition than me,” Waleed added, expressing the truth. I am well-versed in the many forms of rhymes and poems, as well as in the poems about the Jins. By Allah, what he [the Prophet] says does not resemble any poetry. By Allah, the speech which he utters is sweet and graceful, and, indeed, the upper half of his speech is full of tasty fruits, while the lower part is devoid of dry leaves and branches. The words of God Almighty are about to rise. They can't be lowered by anyone. Anyone who steps on them will be trampled to pieces. (Al-Itqan, Part II, pp. 140, 150). When the Quraysh of Makkah were unable to respond to the Quran and realized that the Quranic influence was growing and the Quraysh and nobles of Makkah were also embracing Islam, they grew obstinate and began insulting the Quran, claiming it was a work of magic. They would refer to it as a poem at times and claim that these are the stories of people from the past at other times. They even prepared for war, torturing and killing the Muslims. They began to persecute and imprison the poor Companions, legitimizing the shedding of their lives and plundering of their property. As they were still unsatisfied with that, they began to persuade their people that they should not be silent when Muhammad [peace be upon him] recited the Qur'an. Instead, they should make a loud noise, clap, and whistle so that the words of the Quran do not reach their ears. Verse 26 of Surah Fussilat refers to this situation, and it is this verse that the critics have ignored during their objections. In this verse, Allah says, “And those who disbelieve say, "Do not listen to this Qur'an and speak noisily during [the recitation of] it that perhaps you will overcome.” (41:26) It was their ignorance and delusion that they would be able to defeat the founder of Islam and wipe out Islam in this manner. Since Allah Almighty is the Helper of His beloved Prophet, all obstructions would be eliminated. Allah Almighty outlines the punishment for their most heinous crime and repulsive behaviour in verses 27 and 28 of this Surah. All of this means to say, “O, ignorant!" You will know what you did after your result comes, and you are severely punished. The divine law of kama tudin tudan, which means "Just as one condemns, one will be condemned" or "What goes around comes around," was in effect, and governments around the world are following the same path. ----- Maulana Badruddoja Razvi Misbahi, Principal of Madrasa Arabia Ashrafia Zia-ul-Uloom Khairabad, District Mau, UP (India) is a Sufi-minded, well-mannered, classical Islamic scholar, an expert teacher, an excellent writer, a good poet and orator. He has authored numerous books, some of which are as follows: 1) Fazilat-e-Ramazan, 2) Zad-ul-Haramain, 3) Mukhzin-e-Tib, 4) Tauzeehat-e-Ahsan, the commentary on the well-known logical book “Mulla Hasan” 5) Muhazarat fi Halle Qutbi Tasawwurat, 6) Tahzib al-Faraid commentary on “Sharh al-Aqaid”, 7) Atayib al-Tahani fi Halle Mukhtasar al-Ma’ani, 8) Commentary on Sahih Muslim Other Parts Of The Articles: The Verses of Jihad: Meaning, Denotation, Reason of Revelation and Background- Part 1 The Verses of Jihad: Meaning, Denotation, Reason of Revelation and Background- Part 2 The Verses of Jihad: Meaning, Denotation, Reason of Revelation and Background- Part 3 The Verses of Jihad- Meaning, Denotation, Reason of Revelation and Background- Part 4 The Verses of Jihad in The Quran - Meaning, Denotation, Reason of Revelation and Background - Part 5 The Verses of Jihad in The Quran - Meaning, Denotation, Reason of Revelation and Background - Part 6 The Verses of Jihad in Quran: Meaning, Reason of Revelation, Context and Background - Part 7 The Verses of Jihad in Quran: Meaning, Reason of Revelation, Context and Background - Part 8 The Verses of Jihad in Quran: Meaning, Reason of Revelation, Context and Background - Part 9 The Verses of Jihad in Quran: Meaning, Reason of Revelation, Context and Background - Part 10 The Verses of Jihad in Quran: Meaning, Reason of Revelation, Context and Background - Part 11 ------ URL: https://www.newageislam.com/debating-islam/verses-jihad-quran-revelation/d/126192 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism

Rampant Violation of Human Freedoms in Islamic Societies

By Dr. Mohammad Ghitreef, New Age Islam 20 January 2022 Muslim Societies Are Still Being Governed By The Troika, Which Iqbal The Philosopher-Poet, Complained About Main Points: 1. Religion is not something to be policing on. 2. Without rethinking some relevant aspects of Islamic Fiqh we can not hope for a true Islamic Renaissance. 3. Muslims normally bitch about the West that there is exaggerated individualism. 4. Why impose on citizens or on foreigners a dress code approved by mullahs, ayatollahs, and clergy? --- During the first lockdown in 2020, I read several fiction and nonfiction books in English and Urdu. One of them was, "Among the Believers" by reputed English writer, the Trinidad based novelist of Indian origin, Nobel laureate V.S Naipaul. Naipaul in his rendering sounds a bit Islamophobic and unfriendly to Islamic societies. In this sense reading him may be an unpleasant experience, yet his writings reveal some facts too. This is important for us to know as facts on the ground have hardly changed from early 1980s. Naipaul had travelled to these Islamic countries following the Islamic revolution of Iran in 1978-1979. Naipaul's narration is spun around his journeys into some Muslim lands such as Pakistan, Iran, etc., and the personal experiences of meeting dealing, and conversing with officials, mullahs, gentlemen, and general people. He writes about insights and meanings he derived from these encounters. One of his derivations is that Muslim societies lack basic human freedoms and are still being governed by the troika, which Iqbal the philosopher-poet, complained about. Iqbal described it in his Persian poem as Muslim personality ‘’crushed by the trio, the kingship, the clergy and the priesthood” اي كشته سلطاني وملائئ و پیری) I myself had occasion to travel to Iran, Pakistan etc. Reading Naipaul reminds me of my journey to Iran. I recall when we were still airborne, our airplane bound to Tehran was nearing its destination, and when it was announced that we are approaching Tehran soon, I noticed a flurry of movements especially among the female travellers, a few amongst them were Muslim women, some non-Muslim and some westerners. All were resetting their dresses, sporting headscarves. When we finally landed, I understood the reason, the strict dress code for women prescribed by the Iranian regime. It was President Ahmadinejad’s reign. The question is that our mullahs are very vocal that Islam is all for individual freedom, human rights, women’s dignity, etc, then why impose on citizens or on foreigners a dress code approved by mullahs, ayatollahs, and clergy? Iran is supposedly referred to as a successful model for Islamists of all hues and colours in the world but the factual position is telling another story. Recently I have read an autobiographical book by Iranian Nobel laureate and noted human rights activist Sheren Ebadi's "Until We are Free.” She has been a human rights activist throughout her life. When ‘’Islamic Revolution” came into the country she welcomed the move because she was working against the ruthless “shah” and his cruel police state. She was a judge at that time. Now Islamic regime sacked her from her portfolio, for she, as a woman, doesn't fit to the post, as a rule, judge, or any big public office in the views of mullahs, no matter how much highly meritorious she was. After that, she continued her human rights work voluntarily and raised her loud voice against the flagrant violation of human rights by the regime. First, the revolutionaries tried in vain to buy her, invoking her loyalties to the nation and Islam, premising that human rights activism is a western creature to defame the Islamic revolution. When she received the Noble prize, her voice became much louder and she is heard around the world, posing a threat to them. They shut her office for human rights and prevented her from providing any legal help to the victims of the regime. In coming times, she would be compelled to flee the country saving herself and her two daughters' lives. Notwithstanding that, the Iranian intelligence agents did not stop here. They continued her harassment, mental torture, intimidation, threats to kill, ban on her entry into Iran and arrest warrant against her, and vicious propaganda by state television that she was a traitor playing in the hands of the West. The most obnoxious and vicious tool to torture her mentally they contrived was that they forced her faithful husband to utter this bizarre blame against his beloved wife in front of TV cameras which would be duly aired at the vantage point. Then they would manage a forced divorce from her husband after 32 years of loving and intimate relations. The hidden hands of the regime chase her even in London, while at home the establishment had confiscated her house, family property even her Iranian passport, and so on. Now anyone can see if this is what a model Islamist regime might do with a Nobel laureate as a punishment for the "crime" of taking up human rights of citizens, imagine what punishment they may give to ordinary citizens. This is the story of a model state for many Islamists around the world. I wonder what would happen if they one day would come to power in more countries? Possibly they will repeat the heinous examples of the dreadful ISIS caliphate as it is seen in Afghanistan under the Taliban today to an extent. The world is afraid because in their first innings the Taliban not only closed all schools and girls’ schools, in particular, but also destroyed the monumental Buddha statues at Bamiyan. They executed at random harsh Islamic punishments without fulfilling due processes of law, for they do not believe in the modern judicial system; they only believe in prompt and instant justice. Which ironically turned out in many cases that sodomy addict mullahs and their protégés had been executing punishments of adultery by stoning the culprits to death! One such incidents was described also in ‘’The Kite Runner” by Afghan novelist Khalid Husseini. Saudi Arabia houses the two holiest shrines of Islam; the Kaaba and Madina mosque, which is why it is very near and dear to every Muslim heart. It is unfortunate that it also witnesses the worst kind of religious imposition in the form Mutawwah institution and also in persecution and curbing of dissent, torture, and killing in cold blood of political adversaries. Now crown prince M.B wrongly is thinking that by holding open concerts, building new cities like Dubai and opening new open markets for tourists he will be successful in presenting a good and humane image of his kingdom before the world. Never, the world has seen the true and dreadful face of his despotic autocracy in the clandestine, brutal and inhuman killing of the US-based Saudi Journo Jamal Khashoggi by Saudi secret agents in the premises of the Saudi embassy in Ankara. Coming back to Pakistan, it is quite clear what is happening there in the name of blasphemy laws, as extrajudicial mob killing is every day happening there. Religion is not something to be policing on. Because in its core religion is a matter of heart, it purifies inner self first of all, then pervades all the aspects of human life. So you cannot purify heart by punishing, intimidating, and bullying. It could be done only with love and selfless service, as done by the holy prophet and his companions and the great Sufis around the world. Rumi and other great Sufis' teaching is that religion in its core is the love of God, love of his beloved messenger, and love of all fellow human beings. Love arose from the heart voluntarily and from within, you cannot impose love on somebody from without. If you impose your creed, your faith, and your religion on others by force you will end up wreaking havoc on a human being and imbibe duality in his personality, creating hypocrisy and double standards in human behaviour, demonstrating by their deed what they do not believe in their heart. Surely hypocrisy is the worst kind of human qualities as Quran call it. The hypocrites will be in the lowest depths of the fire. (4:145) I have no problem if you keep a very long beard, or sport headscarf to cover your body from head to toe voluntarily, though I may not agree with that ideologically. Because it is your free choice, yet the moment you try to impose your choice on me I must be alarmed. To me, it is a brazen violation of Quranic injection لكم دينكم ولي دين (To you be your way, and to me mine,109:6) and لست عليهم بمسيطر (Thou are not one to manage (men’s) affairs, 88:22)in which the basic human freedoms enshrined for everyone. Muslims normally bitch about the West that there is exaggerated individualism and collectivity has no room there. The equal complaint I have concerning Muslim societies that there is normally no freedom for a man and individuality is of no importance. The end result is that the man or woman does no longer evolve at all. The potentials are strangled. Geniuses have to flee to the West due to lack of suitable environment. Therefore, Muslim nations are suffering from a brain drain now. Without delving deep into our grim situation and without rethinking some relevant aspects of Islamic Fiqh we can not hope for a true Islamic Renaissance. ----- Dr. Mohammad Ghitreef is a Research Associate with the Centre for Promotion of Educational and Cultural Advancement of Muslims of India, AMU Aligarh. URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islamic-society/human-freedoms-islamic-societies/d/126199 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism

Leniency Towards TTP Will Cost Pakistan Dearly

Growing Influence Of TTP Has Become An Existential Threat To Pakistan Main Points: 1. Increasing influence of TTP and religious extremists had led Pakistan to the edge of a civil war. 2. Successive Pakistani governments have compromised with the religious organizations at the cost of the countries already shaky democratic values 3. Extremist outfits, from ISIS to Al Qaida and then the TTP may wage a protracted war against the ‘Kafir’ Pakistani secular government ---- New Age Islam Edit Desk 19 January 2022 Chaman Border Gate between Afghanistan and Pakistan (file photo) | Commons ----- The increasing influence of TTP and religious extremists had led Pakistan to the edge of a civil war. For the last few decades, the successive Pakistani governments have compromised with the religious organizations at the cost of the countries already shaky democratic values. The current Imran Khan government had made many concessions to the extremist organizations especially the TTP giving them an upper hand in political matters. The rise of the TTP in Pakistan and its increased strength post the ascent of Taliban in Afghan has become the cause of increased extremist violence in Pakistan as there were about 300 terrorist attacks in Pakistan in 2021 killing about 400 hundred people half of them being security personnel. Though the Afghan Taliban has officially denied any links with TTP, in practice, the TTP has gained strength only after the rise of Taliban in Afghanistan. In 2014, the army crackdown on the TTP had driven it to Afghanistan but after last year’s victory of Taliban, the TTP have come back in Pakistan and have been calling the shots since then. The situation has come to this passé because the Pakistani government and the military have always banked upon these extremist forces for political benefits especially in elections to defeat their political opponents. As a result, these extremist outfits demand their pound of flesh to further their religious agenda. In 2018 elections, TTP drove out ANP from the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by assassinating key political leaders. Gradually Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has become a hotbed of religious extremism. Last year, the state government had issued an order asking all educational institutions to make it Abayas mandatory for girls causing strong criticism from secular and liberal quarters. The government had to withdraw its order for the time being. Now it is learnt that the TTP is demanding the imposing Shariah in the state. Once it happens, the state will go the Taliban way where women will be harassed and persecuted and kept from social and political arena. Moreover, the state may become a safe haven for extremist outfits, from ISIS to Al Qaida and then the TTP may wage a protracted war against the ‘Kafir’ Pakistani secular government. Praveen Swami’s article gives a deep insight into Pakistan’s speedy advance towards a civil war, a war that could push Pakistan in a situation similar to that of the Iraq-Syria situation in 2014. The choice is with the Pakistani political leadership and the army generals who have been ensconced in their comfort zones. Hobnobbing with religious extremists will cost Pakistan and the entire region dear. ------ Pakistani State Won’t Collapse. Choice Is Between Civil War And Short-Term Rise In Violence Islamabad's new national security doctrine, calling for peace and trade, is good news for neighbours like India. But it doesn't address a critical question By Praveen Swami 16 January, 2022 “For fourteen years, they raised every part of Afghanistan against me,” lamented the country’s Emir, Abdur Rahman Khan, in an 1897 letter to the imperial commissioner in Peshawar, about the network of the mullah of Hadda village, Najmuddin Akhundzada, “both in the plains country and in the hills, till thousands of men perished on both sides.” “What calamities are there that they have not suffered, and what blood have they not shed, by his senseless commands?” Khan asked. Two centuries on, the sentiment may seem familiar to the generals in Islamabad who are grappling with their own ‘Hadda Mullah’ — Noor Wali Mehsud, the charismatic cleric who has rebuilt the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) jihadi group from the ashes of defeat into a resurgent force that has shown the resolve to take on the Pakistan Army. Even as the generals were still gloating about installing a proxy regime in Kabul, expert Daud Khattak reported that the TTP had brought about a sharp increase in jihadi violence in Pakistan. Last year, there were 294 attacks, up 56 per cent from 2020, of which 45 were in December alone. Three hundred and ninety-five people, half of them security force personnel, were killed — numbers much higher than Kashmir. The ‘forever war’ that America has extricated itself from is, clearly, far from done. This week, Islamabad released a new, measured national security doctrine, calling for, among other things, peace and trade with neighbours. This is good news for countries like India, but offers little guidance on the real national security question: should Pakistan go to war against its Jihadis, as it did in 2014, or buy peace, as it tried in 2018? A Gathering Storm Like an onion, the answer to the question of Pakistan’s next move has many layers. The first of these is proximate. In the build-up to the Taliban’s victory, the scholar Antonio Guistozzi had written that Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) tried, ineffectually, to rein in its jihadist clients in Afghanistan. “The Pakistani military severely curtailed support — both in funding and supplies — to the Haqqanis, who resisted the United States-Taliban agreement and were widely seen as trying to sabotage it,” he wrote. Estimated to make millions of dollars from trafficking narcotics and protection rackets targeting everything from mining to trucking, the Haqqanis simply deepened their relationship with Al-Qaeda to make good their military skills-set. Late last year, in an extraordinary closed-door briefing, Pakistan Army chief Qamar Javed Bajwa and former ISI chief Lieutenant-General Faiz Hameed warned the political leadership of the gathering storm. As victory neared, they said, the Taliban just wasn’t listening to the Pakistan Army; worse, the TTP was growing in force and influence. From experience, the generals knew what would come next. In 2004, as the CIA had begun drone strikes against Al-Qaeda leaders hiding in Pakistan, retaliatory terrorism escalated. The Army responded by making deals with the TTP, ceding de-facto control of territory. In April 2004, Noor Wali Mehsud’s predecessor, Nek Muhammad Wazir had even shared the stage with XI Corps commander Lieutenant-General Syed Safdar Husain, promising that in a war with India, he would be “Pakistan’s atomic bomb”. In 2014, the Pakistan Army finally gave up on deal-making and went to war. Thousands of civilians were killed in the bitter fighting that followed before the Army finally succeeded in driving the TTP into Afghanistan. Friends With Benefits Soon after, though, the ISI again began reaching out to the Jihadis, in a bid designed to wean them away from the Islamic State, thus becoming a perpetual terrorist threat to the Pakistani State. Through the Haqqanis, ISI agents succeeded in securing several deals with TTP commanders like Aslam Farooqi — who returned the favour by staging suicide attacks against Indian interests in the region. The TTP also proved to be a ‘friend-with-benefits’ to the Pakistani generals for their domestic agenda. In the summer of 2018, it coerced the secular-nationalist Awami National Party (ANP) out of the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province’s political landscape, assassinating key leaders Haroon Bilour and Ikramullah Gandapur. Like military ruler General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq in the 1970s, the generals believed in shutting down politicians striving for democratisation and federal autonomy. The Islamists were a logical ally in that cause — even if there was a ‘bill’ for their services. Yet, things haven’t gone according to the generals’ battle-plan. A much-hyped ceasefire with the TTP, respected mainly in the breach by the Jihadis, collapsed in December last year. The Taliban, moreover, flatly refused to rein in the TTP. Negotiations between the government and Noor Wali Mehsud, announced soon after the fall of Kabul to the Taliban, have gone nowhere and violence has steadily inched upwards. Inside The ‘Onion’ The core answer to why the TTP has again turned on its patrons, and why the Taliban isn’t willing to bail the generals out, is embedded deep in history. From the 1820s, what is now Khyber Pakhtunkhwa witnessed an extraordinary clerical revival, which led, among other things, to Sayyid Ahmed Barelvi’s famous, if failed, war against the Sikh Empire — the work of the eminent historian Sana Haroon teaches us. Sayyid Ahmed’s last stand was at Balakote — an inspiration to the Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar Alvi, and many other South Asian Jihadis. Expansion of clerical power was enabled by generous cash subsidies from the regimes of Emir Dost Mohammad Khan and Emir Abdur Rahman Khan, as well as the British, all of whom competed to cajole compliance, purchase tactical leverage, or split adversaries. In the absence of competitive politics, the clerics also emerged as the sole mode of opposition to the often tyrannical rule of the maliks, or tribal chieftains. Imperial Britain was in a state of almost constant war with the border tribes, as it sought to secure its northern flank against Russian expansion. Independent Pakistan inherited its desire to subject the Pashtun to a central authority; indeed, the mess at the headquarters of the Waziristan Scouts in Wana still displays a portrait of its founder, Lieutenant-Colonel R.H. Harman, who was killed by a Mehsud tribesman in 1905. The lesson for clerical networks in the borderlands has been simple: War-making is a means of extracting concessions and revenue from both Islamabad and Kabul. The TTP and Taliban have now shown they understand this dynamic well. The TTP is, moreover, driven not just by ideology, but the products of three generations of conflict: Young men with little traditional tribal status but some limited education and, most importantly, a gun. For the generals, the moment of decision is fast approaching. Noor Wali Khan is now seeking a Shari’a-governed mini-State in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, a demand that could be granted — but only at the risk of providing safe-havens for future existential threats to the country. The Pakistani State is unlikely to collapse, but a protracted civil war could lie ahead. The other option is to crack down on the jihadists and open the way to democratic political forces, like the ANP or Pashtun Tahafuz Movement. This decision, though, could lead to a sharp, short-term escalation in violence. Either way, the decision will guide Pakistan’s destiny. Source: Pakistani State Won’t Collapse. Choice Is Between Civil War And Short-Term Rise In Violence URL: https://www.newageislam.com/radical-islamism-jihad/existential-threat-pakistan-ttp/d/126186 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism

Universal Verses Of The Quran Not The Contextual War Verses Form The Basis Of Islamic Behaviour

By S. Arshad, New Age Islam 17 January 2022 Contextual War Verses Were Revealed To Guide Muslims During The Initial Crisis Main Points: 1. The Quran preaches good treatment of neighbors, travelers and needy without mentioning their religion. 2. Contextual war verses were meant only for the time of war and confrontation. 3. Quran tells Muslims to treat their non-Muslim parents with respect and compassion. 4. Mixing the contextual war verses with the universal verses led to the confusion. 5. Some scholars interpreted contextual war verses as universal giving way to terrorist ideology. ----- The holy Quran is the fountainhead of Islamic Shariah. It is a book of guidance for Muslims on social, political and personal life of Muslims. But the Quran has two categories of verses. One, contextual verses that were revealed to guide the Muslims on how to deal with the enemies and what to do in case of aggression by the enemies during the life of the prophet pbuh. These war verses were meant for wartime. In the verses Muslims were allowed to fight the enemies to protect them and their interests. Two, there are universal verses that form the basis of Islamic Shariah. These verses advise Muslims to be considerate, compassionate while dealing with the Muslims and non-Muslims. These verses guide the Muslims in the time of peace and when we study these verses closely and keenly, we find that the holy Quran preaches peaceful co-existence with non-Muslims. Indeed, the Quran envisages a society where every individual will be concerned by the evils of the society and will continue to work to remove the social and religious ills. He will also continually work for the emancipation of the downtrodden and the oppressed and at the same time work to spread the message of unity of God. But he will never resort to pressure or violence or coercion to spread the message of God. God says in the Quran that he has endowed man with wisdom and intelligence and so he is himself responsible for what he does and for his beliefs. He has left food for thought in his creations and in his own body. So, the work of the Muslims is only to draw man’s attention towards the mastery in the creation in the universe and advise man to do good and abstain from evil. “We sent them˺ with clear proofs and divine Books. And We have sent down to you ˹O Prophet˺ the Reminder, so that you may explain to people what has been revealed for them, and perhaps they will reflect.” (Al Nahl:44) In no verse, does the Quran advise or instruct Muslims to be violent to the non-believers because the Quran time and again says that not all of the people on earth will believe in truth because of the disease in their heart. God does not bless wicked people with wisdom. In fact God says that He seals the hearts and ears of those who are wicked and do not want to hear the word of God and do mischief on earth. “And who does more wrong than those who, when reminded of their Lord’s revelations, turn away from them and forget what their own hands have done? We have certainly cast veils over their hearts—leaving them unable to comprehend this ˹Quran˺—and deafness in their ears. And if you ˹O Prophet˺ invite them to ˹true˺ guidance, they will never be ˹rightly˺ guided”.(Al Kahf:57) “This is how Allah seals the hearts of those unwilling to know ˹the truth˺”.(Rum:59) Allah has sealed their hearts and their hearing, and their sight is covered. They will suffer a tremendous punishment” (Baqarah:7) “In the above quoted verses, God clearly says that He has sealed their hearts because of their mischief and so the even the messenger cannot guide them to the right path. Therefore, Muslims wont be able to bring them to the right path and so it will be imprudent to use violence against them as it will only cause collateral damage and cause anarchy in the society instead of establishing peace on earth. God also tells the prophet pbuh not to be distressed by their mischief and their disbelief because if they do not believe and do not listen to his words, it is because God has sealed their hearts. It is only the people with good sense who will listen to the word of wisdom and truth. “Now, perhaps you ˹O Prophet˺ will grieve yourself to death over their denial, if they ˹continue to˺ disbelieve in this message.”(Al Kahf:6) The Quran makes it very clear that the messengers were sent only as deliverers of the message of God and warners against the hellfire. Therefore, the Muslims should also not use violence against the disbelievers of wicked people. God says that whoever comes to the right path it is in his own interests and whoever does not listen to the message of truth it is to his own loss. No Muslim is responsible for the misdeeds of others. “We do not send the messengers except as deliverers of good news and warners”.(Al Kahf:56) “˹This is˺ the truth from your Lord. Whoever wills let them believe, and whoever wills let them disbelieve.” Surely We have prepared for the wrongdoers a Fire whose walls will ˹completely˺ surround them.(Al Kahf:29) Nor can you lead the blind out of their misguidance. You can make none hear ˹the truth˺ except those who believe in Our revelations, ˹fully˺ submitting ˹to Allah˺.(Al Naml:81) ” Then whoever chooses to be guided, it is only for their own good. But whoever chooses to stray, say, ˹O Prophet,˺ “I am only a warner.”(Al Naml:92) You surely cannot guide whoever you like ˹O Prophet˺, but it is Allah Who guides whoever He wills, and He knows best who are ˹fit to be˺ guided.(Qasas:56) Nor can you lead the blind out of their misguidance. You can make none hear ˹the truth˺ except those who believe in Our revelations, ˹fully˺ submitting ˹to Allah˺.(Rum:53) The Quran wants Muslims to become an example for the world and so preaches them to act with justice with all the people whether they are Muslims or non-Muslims. He is expected to behave with courtesy and decency in all the matters of society. The holy prophet pbuh was very compassionate with the Jews and Christians and the polytheists and would help them in need. He did not support unjustified violence against any body. “Indeed, Allah commands justice, grace, as well as courtesy to close relatives. He forbids indecency, wickedness, and aggression. He instructs you so perhaps you will be mindful.”(Al Nahl:90) The Quran envisages a society where the Muslims will live in peace with the non-Muslims and grant them their social, religious and political rights. At the same time, they will fulfill their duty of enjoining good and forbidding evil in a peaceful manner. It was because of taking the contextual war verses as the universal teachings of the Quran that the ideology of violence became popular among the extremist sections of the Muslims. They ignored the fact that war is only a temporary phase in the life of any community or nation. Muslims also passed through that temporary phase during the initial stage of Islam when it faced existential threat. After that period was over, the universal verses of the Quran preaching peace and peaceful co-existence came into effect. But the extremist interpretations of the war verses of the Quran considering them the universal message of Islam gave way to extremist and then to terrorist ideology. It gave birth to terrorist outfit that fed on this wrong interpretation of contextual war verses. The fact is that the Quran enjoins on Muslims to treat their neighbors, travelers, feed the hungry, help the needy without mentioning their religious background. Humanism is the core of the Quranic message. It also asks Muslims to treat their non-Muslim parents with respect because humanistic values are more important to the Quran. The sanctity of human life is paramount before the Quran. This is why the Quran says that killing one innocent person is akin to killing the whole humanity and saving one innocent life is akin to saving the entire humanity. URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islamic-ideology/quran-cotextual-war-verses-islamic-behaviour/d/126175 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism

Forgiveness, A Divine Attribute And Merciful Practice Followed By The True Men

By Kaniz Fatma, New Age Islam 17 January 2022 Forgiving Someone Is A Quality That Not Everyone Possesses, But Only Those Who Are Sincere And Pious Highlights 1. Since we are the caliphs of God Almighty, we should beautify our character with the divine attribute which is forgiveness. 2. Historically forgiveness has been crucial in the expansion of Islam. 3. Islam does not preach any sort of forgiveness or pardon that encourages the opposing person or makes him more likely to commit sins. 4. The importance of forgiveness can be shown in the fact that "forgiveness" and "mercy" are referenced roughly 100 and 200 times in the noble Qur'an, respectively. -------- Forgiveness is a divine attribute and merciful practice. Since we are the caliphs of God Almighty, we should beautify our character with this holy character. One of many beautiful names of Allah is Al-'Afuw, which is an Arabic word and means "The Forgiver," "The Most Forgiving," "The Effacing," and "The Sin Eliminator,". Al-'Afuw, according to Islamic scholars, is more common than Ghafoor (the Forgiving). Since Ghafoor means to cover up sins while the sin remains in the sinner's book of deeds. But Al-'Afuw translates to erase the punishment as well as the natural effects of sins from the soul. It is better to forgive and erase the effects of sins than to forgive and cover up the sins. Furthermore, when Allah forgives the sins of His slaves, He does not simply eliminate their misdeeds; if the slave enlightens his faith after repenting and asking for pardon, and makes a positive change in his character, Allah forgives him and replaces his sins with good acts. Accepting apologies from sinners and perpetrators is a mark of a humble and honourable person, and persevering in the face of opposition and foes is the bedrock of a good and ethical community. Forgiveness is very essential in Islamic morality. This characteristic has been important in the expansion of Islam. This is the beloved attribute of Allah and has been repeatedly stated in the Holy Quran. The presence of life in the sky and on Earth is due to this trait. The system of the universe will be in disarray if forgiveness is removed from the planet. If forgiveness is not maintained, small offences will be detected, peace and tranquilly will be lost, life will become indigestible, an endless loop of retaliation will begin, and the world will become a hotbed of riots and mischief. Errors and omissions are common in human behaviour. If his flaws are overlooked because of his inherent frailty, he will feel guilt, embarrassment, and respect for the forgiver. He will become capable of doing nice actions. This instruction is not only for Muslims. Non-Muslims will also be impressed and love Islam if they are treated with forgiveness, as has happened on numerous occasions. Non-Muslims, according to the Quran, should be treated in this manner: “Who spend [in the cause of Allah] during ease and hardship and who restrain anger and who pardon the people - and Allah loves the doers of good” (3:134) The word 'Naas,' which means 'people,' is used in this passage to refer to all people, Muslims and non-Muslims. Islam does not preach any sort of forgiveness or pardon that encourages the opposing person or makes him more likely to commit sins. Forgiveness cannot restore lost rights, but it does eliminate bitterness, resentment, and malice from the heart, calm the spirit of vengeance, facilitate self-correction, and strengthen the social link, which is essential for people's togetherness. Forgiveness can be used as a corrective and training tool in this situation. That is why forgiving is a very praiseworthy act before Allah Almighty. Allah Almighty, through His Beloved Holy Prophet (peace be upon him), encourages all Muslims to work for forgiveness by instilling moral values in them. In Qur’an, Allah Almighty says: “Indeed, Allah loves those who are constantly repentant and loves those who purify themselves.” (2:222) We can deduce from this Qur'anic verse that if someone asks forgiveness with repentance, Allah would love him/her and will certainly forgive him/her, but there is one condition: he/she must not do the same error or mistake again. If someone wrongs another human being, the wrong must be made right with the wronged person or human being, who must be requested for forgiveness before seeking Allah for pardon. Human beings are taught to be forgiving in Islam, and if someone asks for forgiveness truly, the wronged person should forgive him. To encourage forgiveness, Islam says that you should not be harsh on other people's shortcomings, just as you would want Allah to forgive you for your misdeeds. This means that if we want Almighty Allah's forgiveness, we must be able to forgive others as well. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said, “Whoever suffers an injury and forgives (the offender), Allah will raise his rank and remove his sins” (Hadith reported by Al-Tirmidhi). We will be rid of the Shaytan (Satan) and its bad energy if we can sincerely forgive those who harm us, both internally and outside. Ignoring baseless comments is crucial since it is the first step toward tolerance. The importance of forgiveness can be shown in the fact that "forgiveness" and "mercy" are referenced roughly 100 and 200 times in the noble Qur'an, respectively. The Qur'an dedicates an entire chapter to the quality of kindness in the name of Surah Rahman. It is also necessary to prioritise forgiveness because, as the Qur'an has repeatedly stated, when a person goes beyond the limits of punishing the guilty, he frequently joins the ranks of the oppressor. As a result, forgiveness is valued in Islam. Forgiveness builds love, whilst chastising everyone for everything breeds hatred. We must remember that as the lamp of our lives goes out, so does our strength, power, and leadership position and we will be held accountable before our Lord. We will be given the opportunity to seek forgiveness from Allah Almighty, and despite His infinite strength, Allah Almighty will forgive wrongdoers and criminals. Rather than being enraged, this concept instructs us to forgive our subordinates with sincerity. The Sunnah of the Holy Prophet is to pardon the guilty. The Prophet (peace be upon him) is believed to have advised his Companions to show kindness to the captives of the Battle of Badr and to be hungry but to feed them. It is said that if you forgive the servants of God in this world, Allah will forgive you when there is no one else to forgive but Him. There is a tradition that a person who meets the people and is patient in the face of adversity is likewise thought to be superior to the one who worships in solitude. This tradition makes it clear that if a person wrongs someone, and he shows patience despite his strength and power, and forgives him, then he is in a better position than one who worships in solitude. Forgiving someone is a quality that not everyone possesses, but only those who are sincere and pious. The weak people are constantly willing to exact vengeance. Revenge is likewise inappropriate for a Muslim, as the Prophet (peace be upon him) encouraged Muslims to treat the people with kindness and forgiveness. Whoever, despite his strength and influence, forgives the excesses and atrocities of the people, Allah bestows a higher recompense on him. ... Kaniz Fatma is a classic Islamic scholar and a regular columnist for New Age Islam. 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