Outrage, condemnation, candle light vigils and revenge talk is all
good, but the need is practical solutions beyond condemnations. Obviously the
burden squarely falls on Muslims; we have to grudgingly admit that almost all
acts of terror are committed by men claiming to be Muslims in the pretext of
defending Islam, Quran and the Prophet. It is our duty to build a better world
for all of us to live in peace, and that is all God wants, here is the first
step.
By Mike Ghouse
A bunch of terrorists rampaged into an office in Paris and killed 12
persons including four journalists; Charlie Hebdo magazine’s editor and
cartoonists, Stéphane Charbonnier, Cabu, Georges Wolinski and Bernard Verlhac.
Similarly a bunch of terrorists walked in to a school in Peshawar and massacred
131 innocent children and 17 adults.
What follows is outrage and condemnation
of these acts of terror along with candle light vigils and revenge talks. What
is grossly missing is solution beyond condemnations. Obviously the burden
squarely falls on Muslims; we have to grudgingly admit that almost all of the
acts of terror are committed by men claiming to be Muslims in the pretext of
defending Islam, Quran and the Prophet.
If you believe Charlie Hebdo should not have published the cartoons of the
prophet, you have a point, and that is how civilized people behave; respectful
of other’s sensibilities. However, that does not give a license to the
terrorists to kill another human being, in a civil society that we all cohabit,
they have a right to disagree and protest it in a civilized manner to bring
about respecting the otherness of others, but no one has a right to kill
other.
It is the duty of governments to keep law and order and faithfully
guard the safety of every citizen. Hate is one of the many sources of disrupting
the peace in a society and it is our responsibility to track down the source of
such hate and work on mitigating it. We have an obligation to maintain a balance
in the society. Those who violate the rights of others deserve all the
punishment prescribed in a civil society in a humane manner.
Freedom of
expression is the God-given right of every human, and is the foundation of civil
societies. Indeed, it is the freedom of speech that has allowed Islam to grow in
Europe and America. We should honor and respect that freedom with all our heart,
mind and spirit. We cannot betray the very ideals that gave us the freedom to be
who we are, and we cannot allow anyone to violate others freedom.
In behalf
of World Muslim Congress, I condemn these acts of terrorism and urge the French
police to spare no resources to get them, including those who knew about the
plan, but did not report to the police, that is outright treason. These guys are
dangerous to society at large and Muslims in particular.
What is our
responsibility as Muslims?
Islam stands for freedom of expression, there is
no compulsion in the matters of faith, and you simply cannot force anyone to
believe against his or her will. God insists the plurality of religion many
times in Quran – he says, weather you are a Jew, Christian or other, you need
not worry, I will take care of you, as long as you take care of my creation;
your fellow beings and environment. I gave you a well-balanced world for you to
live enjoy and manage, and if you subscribe to that, I will call you a
subscriber, follower, surrenderer and submitter to my will in preserving the
well balanced peaceful world. Don’t mess with me and my creation, and you are a
tiny insignificant speck in the scheme of things, and I am the most powerful,
say God is great (Allahu Akbar). Indeed, Allahu Akbar is a call for humility and
not killing.
Where did we go wrong?
Many things, but let’s start with
Blasphemy Laws. Yes, these laws go against what God want – freedom of
expression! The laws also blunt God’s warning – that he does not like the
oppressors. Ironically the word “Blasphemy Isn’t Even Mentioned In The Quran” as
Fareed Zakaria has pointed out in his article with the same
title.
Shamefully, there are books out there, (not the Quran), which proclaim
“Gustakh-e-Rasool” – (one who pokes fun at the prophet) deserves to be killed
“Wajib Qatal.” A Muslim in India has offered bounty to those who kill
blasphemers, and embarrassingly not all, but a significant number of Muslims in
Pakistan, Egypt, Iran and Saudi Arabia have been brain washed to believe in it.
They put these secondary books on par with Quran. Indeed, these men over a
period of time have unknowingly made some of the Muslim scholars equal to God, a
grave sin in Islam.
These men ignore God’s guidance to keep the cohesiveness
of the society – including “suicides” “Killing another human” “no compulsion”
and “God alone is the master of the day of judgment”.
Criticism of Islam and
Cartoons of Prophet
Criticism of Islam, Cartoons of the prophet or cursing at
the Quran will not make them disappear. Islam is not going anywhere and neither
the prophet. They are here for good and nothing will happen to them, and they
are not weaklings that seek the protection from ordinary humans. They are beyond
all that. Indeed, the acts of these terrorists, who falsely claim to defend the
name of the prophet, actually make God and the Prophet Look bad to the affected
individuals.
These men need to know, that Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was
criticized, attempts were made to kill him, and he was even harassed including
getting pelted with rocks that hurt him. What did he do in return? Retaliate?
Hurt them? None of it, instead he prayed for their well being. If you are a
follower of the Prophet, you need to be a mercy to fellow humans and not a
terrorist.
How do we restore Islam to its pristine place?
And how do
Muslims become builders of cohesive societies where no human has to live in fear
of the other?
We have to start back with “no compulsion” – if we force,
oppress or kill these believers, the battle will never end. It has to begin with
cooperation, conferences and education – with long term results on mind, and not
quick turnarounds. If things are to be sustained it has to come through free
will. Please note that I have not placed the blame on any one; I don’t intend
to, that is escaping from the responsibility. We have done the wrong and we have
to fix it.
Where do we start?
I would start with a Quran conference the
likes of which is at www.QuraanConference.com – We have to
develop a theme with specific goals – such as starting with “Understanding
Blasphemy” and inviting people with two opposite views. That would be the first
step.
God willing, I intend to write a series of articles and hope to
organize conferences to make an effort to restore Islam to its pristine purpose;
peace and harmony among people and what surrounds them.
It is our duty to
build a better world for all of us to live in peace.
To reprint or reproduce
the article, please feel free to do so, but kindly credit the publisher and the
author. The next article will be about Fixing Sharia Laws.
(Mike Ghouse is
committed to building cohesive societies and offers pluralistic solutions on
issues of the day. He is a Muslim pluralist)
Thank
you
mike
Mike Ghouse
(214)
325-1916
text/talk
...............................................................................................................................
Mike Ghouse is a public speaker, thinker, writer and a commentator on
Pluralism at work place, politics, religion, society, gender, race, culture,
ethnicity, food and foreign policy. He is a staunch defender of human rights and
his book standing up for others will be out soon, and a movie "Americans
together" is in the making. He is a frequent guest commentator on Fox News and
syndicated Talk Radio shows and a writer at major news papers including Dallas
Morning News and Huffington Post. All about him is listed in 63 links at www.MikeGhouse.net and his writings are at
www.TheGhousediary.com and 10 other
blogs. He is committed to building cohesive societies and offers pluralistic
solutions on issues of the day.
As Muslims, we are deeply offended and condemn this act of terrorism against innocent people; they have violated every societal norm as well as the rules laid by the very faith they claim to belong. This is not the act of a Muslim, but of rogues who claim to follow the faith. Quran 5:32 say, "If anyone slays a person, it would be as if he slew the whole people: and if any one saved a life, it would be as if he saved the life of the whole people."
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