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Among the many e-mails doing internet rounds these days, one struck a
strong chord. This is from an American who asks , "why should I be
the target audience of what 'true' Islam is? I don't need to
know ...tell the Muslims who have their Qur'an and Sunnah all backwards
.....I don't want to hear the history of the Crusades or U.S. foreign
policy and the CIA....why is there no overt and highly visible attempt
to re-educate error-laden believers to the 'true' message of Islam
and Prophet Mohammed? I'm confused."
She's not the only
one. Some Muslims are confused too - specially those who understand that
it's no longer an issue of 'blame the-victim" or devious political
conspiracies. The message is clear that the problem is not the
faith but in the practice of the faith, so we have to find a solution
within Islam. But having said this till we are blue in the face,
we can't stop just there. We have to go a few steps further and actually
implement solutions. Those countries or individuals who acquiesce to
acts of terror, or worst still, give tacit approval to violence or
murderous acts in the name of God, have to be strongly criticized and
condemned.
This is not an
easy task when fanatics and extremists have already hijacked our faith
and when moderate voices are not heard over the babble of
hate-mongering. Granted, the Muslim majority is not prone to
violence and fanaticism, but many of them are to blame for remaining
quiet and allowing extremists to practice various forms of terrorism
within Muslim societies without fear of punishment or retaliation.
Take the example
of Pakistan which is prominent as an ally right now. Pakistan has
harbored domestic terrorism for the past two decades. In Pakistan,
anyone with a weapon has the freedom to kill another human being and the
value of human life is so low, that no one gets caught let alone, punished.
There has been sectarian violence in which Muslims have killed Muslims
of other sects -all in the name of God, simply for a difference in
belief. These acts of domestic terrorism have been supported and
in some cases, promoted by governments and leaders without fear of
reprisal.
As a result of
laws like the ghastly Blasphemy law, which has no basis in Islam,
minorities have been persecuted and attacked time and again. The recent
massacre of eighteen Christian worshippers in Bahawalpur, Pakistan is
only one example of ongoing genocide.
Ironically,
Pakistan was built on the foundation of Islam - the true face of Islam
that allows freedom and protection to minorities. So where did all
this bigotry come from?
Intolerance and
persecution of minorities came about due to a culture of hate and
violence which was allowed to permeate places of worship. Sadly,
few speak out against these atrocities and if they do, they are quickly
silenced.
So what should be
done? The solution, I believe lies with the silent majority in
Islam who need to speak up and ensure that the hateful rhetoric and
actions of people like Osama bin Laden and his supporters, dies before
it even takes root. They need to ensure that the pulpit of a
mosque is not used to spew hate and most of all, they need to empower other Muslims
to take action against injustice, intolerance and violence
wherever it's happening. Whether this is done through the
law, state or a group of individuals, the acts of removing such
criminals should be swift and supported by all Muslims if they want to
ensure the sanctity of Islam the way it was taught by the Prophet. Let's
reiterate that Islam was and should remain a message of peace and love.
We will face
resistance and criticism, even revolt. But maybe what we need right now
is a renaissance or revival in Islam to clean out the filthy elements
that have muddied our clean image. For this to happen, we have to first
accept that the enemy is not outside, it's within us. Islam has a
history of those who have harmed the faith from within. These people are
called "munafiq" or hypocrites and a message was sent to the
Prophet Mohammad, warning him against the munafiq who cause more
harm to the faith than anyone from the outside could ever do.
Osama bin Laden
and those who propagate a culture of hate and violence are perfect
examples of the hypocrites and need to be exposed, condemned and
eradicated. This will not happen with weapons and missiles - it has to
happen through political strength and the might of the Muslim world
which can wield a strong influence on those who have the know-it-all to
find and finish the terrorists.
It's about time
Muslims stopped living in denial, woke up and smelled the coffee and
started publicly and privately taking action against those who blatantly
and brazenly misuse our faith. Simultaneously, Muslims have to
empower foreign governments who support and finance countries like
Pakistan, to ensure the aid is contingent upon restoration of
human rights and eradication of domestic terrorism.
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