Bharat Mata Ki Jai – Does it have religious connotation?

On the controversy surrounding Asaduddin Owaisi’s refusal to chant ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’, Bharka Dutt of NDTV asks Owaisi, ‘Why would you say NO to a slogan which does not have a religious connotation - that simply describes the country to be a motherland?’

When I Google Searched ‘Bharath Mata’ in Images, this is what I get.  These are the first few results.

Why I won’t say ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’?

Another controversy is now brewing across the country.  Asaduddin Owaisi, MP from Hyderabad, said that he won’t say ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’. He insisted that he won’t chant this slogan even if someone puts a sword on his neck.  

Owaisi says he is a patriot, but not a nationalist (the way RSS defines).  Mr. Rakesh Sinha, the other commentator, says that a person who doesn’t say, ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’ cannot love his country.  Whereas Owaisi asks, do you have a problem if we say, ‘Hindustan Zindabad'? [He later said, 'Jai Hind' on TV]

This raises fundamental questions about how we view our country.  What is India to each of us?

Afzal Guru Hanged II: Issues

[This follows from Should we celebrate, and Court ruling.]

Some people have asked me why I am bothered by the hanging of Afzal Guru.   In fact, was it not long overdue, they ask? Because it has been nearly seven years since the Supreme Court verdict gave the death sentence.  Why should there be an objection when the law of the land is actually enforced?

Afzal Guru was convicted for his involvement in the attack on Indian Parliament that took place in 2001 which was widely telecasted by all TV channels in India.  He was sentenced to death by Supreme Court in 2006, and he was hanged on 09 February 2013.  When the news came out that he was hanged in a ‘secret’ operation, many Indians celebrated the event, the way they had earlier celebrated the hanging of Ajmal Kasab, the sole surviving Pakistani terrorist who attacked the city of Mumbai killing many innocent people, an attack which was also widely telecasted by all TV channels, including many international channels. 

Afzal Guru hanged: Should we celebrate?

Throughout human history, capital punishment was used as a tool to punish the criminals, and as a deterrent, for crimes ranging from treason to murder, from religious crimes to rape, adultery, etc.  

Various methods were used to kill the convicted.  Some of these methods are:  decapitation (removing the head with an axe or sword), disembowelment (cutting the abdomen to remove the intestine), impalement (piercing a person using pole through length of the body), execution by burning (tying the person to a stake and burning till death), dismemberment (killing a person by pulling out legs and hands), crushing (by placing stones or using elephants), sawing (hanging the person upside down and then sawing the person starting at the groin), crucifixion (person is nailed to a wooden cross and left to die), boiling to death (by immersing in boiling oil or water), flaying (death by removing the skin of the body), slow slicing (removing parts of the body slowly with a knife), or blowing from a gun (a head blown from cannon).

Segregation in India 2: Indian Muslims are not Khans or Kalams

India constantly refers to many Muslim Presidents they have had to showcase its tolerance and equal treatment of Muslims.  Nowadays many Indian Hindus repeatedly take the example of our erstwhile President, Abdul Kalam.  They say, ‘Look! We have had a Muslim as our President.  And he was selected by a Hindu Party!’ By saying this, they want to showcase India as a tolerant and magnanimous country that allows anyone to become the President of India, even a Muslim.  These Hindus also refer to the three Khans who dominate Indian Hindi Cinema – Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan and Amir Khan.  And they point out the cricketers like Yusuf Pathan and musician like AR Rahman.  They use these examples to say that Muslims are not discriminated in India, that they are not marginalized, that they get the same access to education and opportunity, that they are not unequal, that they are not second-class citizens. 

According to these Hindus, the Muslims are in fact ‘appeased’, they are given certain sops unnecessarily, like subsidies on Haj, and they are given special treatment unnecessarily, like special personal laws.  These people think that these ‘appeasing’ measures have a definite purpose - only to win votes.  They believe that Muslims are so naïve, so innocent that they could be beguiled by such silly sops, like Haj subsidy, to form a single vote bank.

Segregation in India: Plight of Muslims

After winning the American Civil War for Northern States, Abraham Lincoln went about abolishing slavery in United States of America.  The Congress and Senate passed three landmark amendments attempting to change the fate of African Americans in that country.  The 13th Amendment outlawed slavery, the 14th Amendment made blacks equal citizens, and 15th Amendment gave them right to vote.  In the next ten years of Reconstruction, many black leaders emerged to occupy positions in Senate and Congress.  It almost looked, for a while, that this new nation would correct the mistakes of its past and reverse the effects of slavery it imposed on black people.  However, the whites of America were not ready to give blacks an equal status in their country.  They started to dilute these amendments by creating a notion called ‘separate but equal’.  They imposed segregation in the country through a series of measures called Jim Crow laws. 

It started with disenfranchising many blacks, then creating separate schools, separate seating in travel and restaurants, thereby institutionalizing discrimination.  They created two Americas, one for the privileged which was mostly white, and the other was for the underprivileged which was mostly black.  The Jim Crow laws completely negated the three amendments passed during Lincoln’s times.

Bad Parenting: Creating Terrorists I

International terrorist from India

Suddenly we have seen a terrorist on international arena from India. We always had home-grown terrorists operating at home, but an international terrorist? Yes, it was a surprise. But is it a surprise that he happens to be Muslim? If there was a poll conducted in India a year ago, asking the respondents- ‘If there is an international terrorist involved in suicide bomb attack in London, and if that terrorist is an Indian, which religion would he be from?’ I think, more than 70% would vote for ‘Muslim’. While Hindus would overwhelmingly vote for ‘Muslim’, I think even some Muslims would have voted for ‘Muslim’. It almost goes without saying that if there is an Indian who wants to do something like that in place like Glasgow or London, it has to be a Muslim. (Its like believing that a mugger in a US city is always Black.)

Why is it like that? Is it the religion or is it something else?

Should we blame Islam?

You might have known by now that I don’t like to blame the religious books and its prophets to solve the immediate problems. All religions have its idiosyncrasies, some more than others. To blame one religion for all evils is like acquitting others. The other reason I don’t like to blame the religion itself for such terrorism is because such blaming doesn’t solve the issue of terrorism. Solving religion and its ills is a long-term problem and solving terrorism is a short-term problem.

When you blame the religion such as Islam and say that its sacred texts actually produce suicide killers, then I should see such suicide killers all through the history of Islam, which is not the case. If it is so unique to Islam, how come we had Japanese kamikazes in WWII?

Also, if indeed we were to actually prove using some long-drawn logic that it is Koran that incites people to blow themselves up for a cause, then what is the solution? It is like saying Science creates destruction through creation of atom bombs. Should we eradicate Science then? Should the people of other religion come together to eradicate Islam and its holy text? Or should we force Islam to shun its holy text because we discovered something dangerous in their texts? Would we do the same to our texts if some ‘other’ religion pointed out sinister interpretations in our texts?

All the solutions which include blaming a single religion for terrorism are untenable and unpractical and hence I do not take much fun in blaming the texts. Instead, I try to look for the practical solutions if there are any.

Now how do you explain this International terrorist coming from a well-educated middle class Indian Muslim family?

I was thinking about it since this incident happened in Glasgow where one Indian Muslim blew himself up in an attempt to blow certain section of the airport there. Everyday newspapers devote copious pages of verbiage on this single incident. But the thought in me remains - what’s happening to Indian Muslims, especially those from well-to-do families who send their kids to mainstream schools just like the rest of us? Here, I try to answer some of my own questions.

Religious Training

Many Indian Muslim parents, including those who are holding normal jobs, and have good education, tend to send their kids to some kind of religious training once the kids reach a certain age. This could be out of peer pressure since everyone around them is doing it or because they want to ascertain their identity in a country where they are a minority (usually many minorities go overboard in expressing their cultural and religious identities – like Indian Hindus in US or UK). Whatever may be the reason these parents do send their kids to a nearby school or mosque that imparts Islam into these young minds. Some well-to-do parents bring home a teacher to impart this training. Note that this is very different with Hindu kids who seem to get their learning indirectly from parents and family around them.

The teacher who is entitled with the task of teaching these young Indian Muslim kids is a maulvi or a mullah working in a nearby mosque or madrassa. Most of these mullahs or maulvis are illiterate. Most of them happen to be rejects of the society whose only claim to something glorious is their ability to rote the Koran. This is not very different from sadhus and other godmen of Hinduism who seem to prey on the naïve devotees to get their livelihood. The difference however is that not many Indian Hindu parents would give such men the responsibility to impart religious teachings to their kids. So, what we have here is a maulvi or mullah who has no formal education, that of science or mathematics, and has little experience of traveling or exposure to other cultures, spending hours teaching your precious little kid with his own version of Islam.

While these Indian Muslim parents take extreme care to choose the best schools for their kids for their mainstream education they seem to settle for almost anything when it comes their religious training. Nobody bothers to check the reputation or credentials of such religious teachers. All questions and doubts are shunned when it comes to the matters of religion and its teachings. In fact, this is not unique to Muslims alone; many Hindus, even the educated engineers and professors seem to abandon rational thinking when it comes to matters of religion – they consult an astrologer to start or begin an important event, and refuse to get their son married at an 'inauspicious' time. While such abandonment of reason is usually harmless, there are times when it is quite harmful. I shall deal with those times when it is indeed harmful.

Organized religious training

There is a big problem with any kind of ‘organized’ religious training. An organized religious training starts with suppression of critical thinking, where questioning is discouraged, and blind belief is encouraged. It is done as an organized tool where indoctrination happens without allowing a debate. A kid who goes through such training is bound to set aside all attributes of critical thinking and logical reasoning that he might have been endowed with through genetic inheritance. He becomes a puppet in the hands of interpreters of religion. These kids learn to be selectively credulous and all-believing in matters of religion, while operating with common skepticism and average reasoning in all other spheres of life. They go to normal schools, attend colleges, do well, become professors, engineers, scientists and doctors, but continue to harbor that selective abandoning of reason when it comes to matters of religion. We see such people everywhere. Scientists doing puja before launching of a rocket; top engineer looking for auspicious time to marry off his daughter; businessman waiting for the star alignment to sign up an agreement, etc.

The first step towards indoctrination

This religious teaching of Islam first starts with complete abandonment of logic and reason. It’s like teaching a kid that Santa Claus visits every home on Christmas night to give presents. How a single person can go to so many homes on a single night traveling on a sled is not something that a kid doubts. Even if he doubts, a reason that Santa is all-powerful, all-knowing, all-present would clear up all those doubts. The same happens to organized religious teachings. All questions that a sane and rational man would ask are trounced down using the ‘logic’ of faith, where every question is answered using magic, miracles, omnipotence, omniscience, etc. The kids are compelled to abandon reason and just accept the word of God, as it is, verbatim, in literal translation, without raising a doubt. Raising a doubt is equivalent to being a kafir (infidel – non-believer)- that abominable creature whom God has condemned to be fried and burned in Hell forever.

In such organized religious indoctrination, the fairies become real, parting of ocean becomes real, the magic which any ordinary magician can conjure up becomes ‘real’, blotting out sun becomes real, and creation of Universe in seven days becomes real. The human brain gets wired in a way to become selectively credulous towards topics of religion.

Normally, the kids eventually grow up to become adults abandoning the belief in Santa Claus and Tooth Fairy, but the religion has this capacity to make sure these kids never become adults. They remain credulous forever. To achieve this, the puppet masters resort to all kinds of tricks – catching them young and indoctrinating them is a very famous trick- used by all fanatic movements- including Hitler, Mussolini and Stalin. The very elements of man - creativity, the ingenuity, the quest for knowledge, the curiosity, which are the hallmarks of human evolution to make him an intelligent being, are all thrown out of the door in few years of such religious training. This process arrests all the mental faculties, stops all critical thinking and now these pupils are ready to believe almost anything without asking questions - when it comes to religion.

Second step

What happens next in these teachings is introduction of a fiery and radical version of Islam. Whether the Indian Muslim parents choose to know about it or not, some of these maulvis or mullahs, armed with a very fiery version of Islam, incite violence and hatred, teach these innocent kids a very radical interpretation of Islam. To the already credulous kid, this goes into his head easy since he is ready to accept any version or any interpretation, as long as it is coming from the same source- the authority who will interpret the word of God for him.

This version of Islam includes selective interpretation of Islam using selected texts of Koran, accompanied by selected stories from human histories, added with contemporary injustices to make a dangerous potion- where jihad is the fight against all kafir (infidel) – and those infidels could be anybody- including those Muslims who do NOT subscribe to your version of Islam, where martyrdom through suicide killing is the biggest achievement giving you a direct ticket to jannat (heaven) wherein you get access to 72 virgins. Hatred is the word to describe this entire teaching- Hatred of others. And those others can be anybody- it could be a Hindu or a Christian, or even other kind of Muslim. That’s why you see the same hatred and ferociousness in the attack between Sunnis and Shias – they hate each other with same zeal and fervor.

Such radical indoctrinations are easy to come if the first step is already accomplished. What is there to stop you from committing a heinous crime if the God has already mandated it? While most rational people tend to bring in personal morality to question the motives of the interpreters (who ask them to become suicide bombers), some of the believers who truly and really believe in the stories as interpreted to them, would go ahead and commit crimes believing that they are doing it in the name of this invisible but revenge-seeking God.

Note

Indian Muslim parents need to know and understand what version of Islam their kids are being taught. Not giving enough attention can sometimes lead to seeing your son in an international event in a less desirable way!

[To be continued...]

Islam vs. Rest of the World IV: Steps to Embrace

In the preceding article, I proposed the six steps the Rest of the World should take up to reconcile with the Islamic World. In this article, I shall elaborate on how these steps can actually bring in major changes to alter the dynamics between these two colliding worlds.

Before starting off, I would like to clear one misconception. Conceding to these demands, which also happen to be the demands of terrorists outfits like Al Qaida, is not tantamount to conceding to the coercion tactics of terrorists. Just because Noam Chomsky asks for statehood to Palestine and Osama Bin Laden also asks for the same does not equate these two individuals.

1. Give Palestine its nationhood.

Most of the Islamic terrorist groups in the world, including Al Qaida, and the nations which house these terrorist groups demand for an independent Palestine. The rallying cry for these nations and terrorist groups and the unifying factor amongst various Islamic sects has been this demand. By conceding to this demand, which is actually a very valid demand, even supported by many UN resolutions, the Rest of the World will send the first signal towards reconciliation towards the Islamic World. This is a step which is not only demanded by Islamic World but is also welcomed by some of the West nations and countries from developing and under-developed world.

What does one make of other demands of some of these terrorist groups and nations which call for complete annihilation of Israel? I reason that this demand is only an exaggerated claim that comes out of frustration and utter despair. A person with no hope can demand annihilation of his enemies, but a person with something to hold onto- like his freedom and land, will be able to tolerate his enemy’s existence. Once statehood to Palestine is achieved, there will not be the same kind of fervor among different sections of Islamic World which currently support and fund these terrorist groups. Without the support of the state and people, these terrorist groups will have to wither away or find a new haven. And even some nations do not till recognize Israel, does that change anything from what it is right now? Would Israel compromise its position vis-à-vis those nations just because it has accepted statehood to Palestine?

2. Give Kashmir its independence.

Indian Islamic terrorism is strongly linked with Partition of Indian sub-continent which gave birth to unresolved conflict of Kashmir. Pakistan has gone to war with India three times overtly and once covertly, all in the name of Kashmir. Since its inception, most of the domestic politics and foreign policy of Pakistan is dictated by politics of Kashmir. The problem of Kashmir has remained a sore issue between these two countries since time of Independence. It has contributed to most of the Islamic terror activities in India. [Though, of late, the growing Hindu nationalism is also spawning another set of Islamic terrorism which is independent of Kashmir issue.] Most Kashmiri would like to be either independent of India or join Pakistan. This is a freedom movement whose roots are in the Partition of India.

Freedom for Kashmir also happens to be the key demand for major outfits, like LeT, Harkut, Al Qaida and every Pakistan regime. Though the Kashmir rebellion is nationalistic in nature, it involves many foreigners fighting together under Islamic banner. There are many terrorist groups housed in Pakistan which get active or passive support from its government and intelligence agencies. Even when these outfits are blacklisted (say, by US), they change their name and thrive with connivance from the authorities. Some of them are involved in charity and social work and receive praise from people and its leaders. Many of these outfits openly seek donations to kill Indian soldiers in Kashmir. Pakistan actively supports these terrorists and when pushed turns a blind eye to feign ignorance, all in the name of fight for freedom for Kashmiri Muslim in India.

Creation of an independent or autonomous Kashmir is something that India should do to do something right to the people of Kashmir. It will also make most of the terrorist outfits in Pakistan and Kashmir to lose wind out of their cause. By giving independence to Kashmir, India will see less of Islamic terrorism in India. Pakistan and its people won’t have a noble cause that will allow them to fund and tolerate these outfits within their countries. With no state support and no people support, these forces will wither away. Pakistan will then be open to discuss other economic tie-ups with India. Such bonhomie between these two nuclear nations is vital for this region, and it can come only after solving Kashmir. Without Pakistan supporting these groups most of the Islamic outfits in India will not get the necessary funding and support. This will eventually lead to curbing most of the Islamic terrorist activities in India. [Of course, Indian also has to leash its Hindutva forces from further exacerbating the relations between Muslims and Hindus. It is a topic of another discussion.]

3. Give Chechnya its independence.

Occupation of Afghanistan and its control has actually started a new breed of Islamic militants in the world- people from different nations coming under one flag of Islamic radicalism. Though such groups are not uncommon, Afghanistan took it a different level altogether. Complicity of Russia in the affairs of Islamic World is notable. Now, Chechnya is the crux of Islamic terrorism as far Russia is concerned. Its obstinacy to work with Muslim leaders of Russia has resulted in creating another haven for Islamic terrorists. Once Chechnya becomes independent, it will have similar status like Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, etc, which are predominantly Muslim but quite inactive in harboring Islamic Terrorism. Independence for Chechnya also happens to be the key demands for most Islamic outfits, including Al Qaida.

Conceding to the above three demands should not be equated with giving into the demands of terrorist groups. The reason why many terrorist groups survive is because the nations which harbor them also share the dream of these terrorist groups. The people of that nation gleefully support such terrorist groups and tolerate them in their midst, and even contribute funds. A huge chunk of population on this planet seeks an independent and autonomous Palestine. Once that is achieved, many nations and its people will do not see a need to support these terrorist activities. No nation, including Islamic, do not want to harbor terrorist elements if given choice. They have own set of troubles when they house terrorists, as experienced before, like in Syria having problems with PLO, Pakistan harboring Afghan militants, and now Iraq seeing sectarian terrorism.

Conceding to these demands doesn’t mean one has to satisfy other demands of terrorists- like when they hijack a plane, or a kidnap an official or bomb a boat, etc. Criminal activities have to be dealt with according to the law of the land. These demands are not exclusively of terrorist groups but of almost entire Islamic World and even some of the non-Islamic nations and should be treated as such.

It is extremely important to stop these breeding spots from producing more of these radical youth. The youth of these countries are their future leaders. Unless immediate action is taken, these countries and people will continue to encourage, support and fund these radical thoughts on the name of a cause.

4. Stop meddling in Middle East and other Muslim nations. Allow their forms of governments. Don't topple their governments.

While the above three steps require specific nations like Israel, India and Russia, to give up their lands to the local populations, this step involves whole of West and other developed and developing nations, which comprise Rest of the World. Since the fall of Ottoman Empire, the West has practiced a policy on continued involvement in the affairs of Muslim World, especially Middle East and nearby regions. This has not gone well with the people of Islamic World. Showing defiance to the Western World is a sure shot success for any hero in this world. Many people on this planet adore and idolize Osama, not because he blew up World Trade Center, but because he stood up to the might of the West. In a world of no examples, even a bad example is good enough. In a world of gutless and coward leaders who suck up to the West, Osama stands out as a saint who renounced all riches to embrace the great cause of taking on the West.

Continued mastery of the West over every regime in the Muslim World doesn’t go well with the people. The ruling class of Saudi enjoys great friendship and patronage from the West. King of Jordan and his family had close ties with European powers. Saddam himself was a puppet of West before he turned against them. Shah of Iran was another puppet which the people of Iran dethroned only to have back by CIA. Many leaders in Pakistan were stooges of US. Many regimes were installed by the West when the previous one buckled or previous one became stronger.

A conscious effort by the West to stop meddling with the affairs of Muslim World will allow these people to form their own governments, choose their own leaders, and set their own rules and laws. Imposing our institutions hasn’t worked. It only resulted in disenchanted and disillusioned youth which feed Islamic terrorist groups. Democracy and its institutions cannot be imposed. They have to be embraced by its people willingly.

Once the hatred for West is gone, the people will look inward at their own leaders. There might be periods of strife, but they will form their own systems which work for them.

5. Don't use Muslim nations as your battleground to wage your ideological wars.

When you use their lands and people to wage your wars, and then leave them unassisted and unaided with loads of weapons in their hands and landmines in their towns, what you get is a huge population which is ready to die to kill the one who imposed this cruel punishment onto them. Such events create easy and fertile breeding grounds for Islamic militant outfits.

Once the Rest of the World LAYS OFF these lands and its people, we will see a slow but gradual decrease in the hatred towards the Rest of the World.

6. Let them control their natural resources.

Nobody likes to see their natural resources being shipped off to far-off land that benefit only certain local leaders. They do not like to be politically influenced, stripped off their freedoms, bombed out of their homes, killed and raped, just because they are sitting on top of large reservoirs of oil, natural gas or diamonds. Many in Islamic World believe firmly that US invaded Iraq twice to protect and secure its oil supply. While few elite reap the rewards serving the distant masters in the West, the ordinary people get disenchanted and disillusioned. They seek refuge in only those voices which seem to comfort them, which seem to give hope fighting a noble cause- either at home or in a far away land. Those voices are that of religious leaders who divide the world into white and black, good and evil. These voices create the necessary framework upon which the terrorist groups feed.

No human would like to take help or advice from someone they know has ulterior motives. Only when the people and the governments of Islamic World get the assurance that they control their natural resources, they will open to suggestions, advice and even help. Their hatred for these ‘greedy’ foreigners lessens and they will look at overt political maneuver in positive light. Right now, they discard every incentive, advice and suggestion as another of that White man’s trick.

I believe the above six steps will ease the tensions between Islamic World and Rest of the World. Some of these steps need to be enacted right away, while few others will take up time to implement. Unless we move forward along these steps, we will create this world for clash of civilizations.

Understanding Islam

I am an atheist. Now, why do I want to understand religion? 

I started out as radical atheist, engaging people in discussions and debates, talking about God, showing people the flaws and inconsistencies in their belief systems, and I did all this just to get kicks. I was young. Now, I see religion from a different perspective. I don’t think religion can be done away with. looks like it serves a purpose for humans. From what religious people tell me, it gives hope, it gives them order, a sense of meaning to their life, answers some of the arcane and metaphysical questions. According to some others, it binds people together, brings them closer, gives them faith and confidence in times of crisis. The more I understood history, human psychology, our need for social order and structure, the more I began to become tolerant of religion and its existence. Looks like humans will create an institution similar to religion even if one were eliminate it in the present form. Hence, I attempt to understand religion.

However, religion has its own demerits. The way science and technology can be used to blow up people, make war and even destroy countries; religion can blow up people, make war and destroy countries. It all depends on humans on how they want to use it.

Islam is under question from all quarters. Many of us from non-Islamic religions are in the process of demonizing Islam, citing texts from Koran and incidents from the life of Muhammad, its history and the present events to prove how it is inherently violent and intolerant. I have read many articles that talk about texts from Koran to explain why Islam is a violent religion and how it is incompatible with other religions.

Here’s a site that gives a different perspective- The American Muslim. I have taken some articles from that site and linked it here.

# Does Islam Call for the Murder of 'Infidels'? and Part III and IV
 

Dr. Hesham Hassaballa has posted five-part series explaining how Islam does not sanction the murder of ‘infidels’; that the verses in the Koran, which tell the believers to ‘fight the infidels’, are speaking of those who were directly attacking the Muslims at the time of the Prophet Muhammad. He adds, “There is nothing, nothing, nothing in Islam that says ‘all infidels must be killed. Nothing.” He clearly mentions, “Fighting in Islam is permitted only in self-defense.” And he agrees, “Unfortunately, the definition of ‘self-defense’ has been grossly distorted to justify inhuman acts of terror and violence.”

Writing about September 11, he says, “This sort of logic was used to justify the attacks of September 11. It is evil; it is diabolical; it is twisted; it is inhuman; it is morally reprehensible. Call it what you wish, but one thing you can’t call it is Islamic. Islam does not sanction or condone the murder of any innocent human being, be he or she Muslim or non-Muslim. Islam teaches that it is wrong, and if it’s wrong, it’s wrong.”

# Does Islam Encourage Suicide Bombings?

The Grand Sheikh of the al-Azhar mosque, Sheikh Muhammad Sayyed Tantawi, who is acknowledged as the highest spiritual authority for nearly a billion Sunni Muslims, said Islam condemned terrorism in all its forms. He added, “Islam considers anyone who kills an innocent person as killing the whole of humanity.” He says that in the name of Islamic law he rejected and condemned the aggression against innocent civilian people, regardless of whatever side, sect or country the aggression came from.

# There are internal contradictions in the Qur'an!

For example, this article says, “There is no part of the Qur’an that says that Martyrs go immediately to Paradise.”

# Does Islam Promote Violence?

Dr. Javeed Akhter, Executive Director, The International Strategy and Policy Institute, writes that reader of Koran should keep the context in mind. The reader ‘should study, at the least, the preceding and following verses for a sense of the immediate context.’ For example, he gives his interpretation on this verse:

"put down the polytheists wherever you find them, and capture them and beleaguer them and lie in wait for them at every ambush” (Koran 9:5).

He explains, “the immediate context is that of a ‘war in progress’ and not a general directive. It was an attempt to motivate Muslims in self-defense.” He writes:

Muslims were given permission to defend themselves just before Prophet Muhammad’s migration from Makkah (where he grew up) to the city of Madinah, which occurred in the 13th year of his 23-year mission. The danger to Muslims in Makkah at this time was extreme and there was a real possibility of their total eradication. They were permitted to fight back in self-defense against those who violently oppressed them. “Permission is given (to fight) those who have taken up arms against you wrongfully. And, verily, God (Allah) is well able to give you succor. To those who have been driven forth from their homes for no reason than this that, say ‘Our Lord is God.”

He concludes, “It is clear from even a cursory study of the Koran that Islam does not permit, condone or promote violence. Just the opposite, it abhors violence and allows it only in self-defense. A claim to the contrary is no more than bad fiction.” Writing about Bible, he says, “The critics of the Koran should remember that if the Bible were similarly quoted out of context it would appear to be an extra ordinarily violent scripture.”

# Why Don't Muslims Speak Out Against Terrorism?

Many non-Muslims ask why Muslims do not speak up against terrorism. This site lists many articles where many Muslims have raised voice against Terrorism.

# Was Islam Spread By the Sword?

Here the author contends that Islam did not spread by sword. That must be hard to prove. He cites the following reason to make his case (a bit flimsy, I would say).

• War was an exception than a rule in Islam
• Muslims ruled Spain for 800 years without using sword to convert.
• 14 million Arabs are Coptic Christians though Muslims ruled for 1400 years.
• More than 80% non-Muslims in India under Muslim rule.
• No invasion into Indonesia and Malaysia.
• No invasion into East Coast of Africa.
• Koran quotes “Let there be no compulsion in religion: Truth stands out clear from error".
• Islam is the fastest growing religion in America and Europe without sword.

# Is There Anti-Semitism in The Qur'an?

Muzammil H. Siddiqi, Ph.D., writes, “Jews were among the earliest converts to Islam (in Medina) and, throughout the Middle Ages, Jews found sanctuary to practice their own religion under Islamic rule.” Writing about Jews, he says, “The Qur’an speaks extensively about the Children of Israel and recognizes that the Jews are, according to lineage, descendants of Prophet Abraham through his son Isaac and grandson Jacob. They were chosen by God for a mission and God raised among them many Prophets and bestowed upon them what He had not bestowed upon many others. He exalted them over other nations of the earth and granted them many favors.”

# Is the Taleban Treatment of Women Islamic?

Aisha Harris, an English Muslim lawyer, writes, “In the Prophet's time and indeed in moderate forward thinking Muslim countries today, women are respected and honored.” She adds, “The Prophet Muhammad said it was the duty of every Muslim, male and female, to be educated. He did not say females could only learn to read the Qur’an, and then stop at the age of eight years.” And writing about use of veil, she gives an example, “Indeed, in the Hajj, no woman is permitted to wear any sort of veil.”

She considers Taliban ”unbelievers, the un-Islamic, the oppressors, and the blasphemers.” According to her the Shariah law is a compassionate law. She exhorts the regimes to read the Shariah ‘and act upon it correctly, not superimpose their own interpretation.’

650,000 Iraqis die in US war on Iraq

According to an estimate made by Johns Hopkins researchers, published at The Lancet, “…as of July, 2006, there have been 654,965 excess Iraqi deaths as a consequence of the war, which corresponds to 2.5% of the population in the study area”. Dr. Gilbert Burnham, lead author from Bloomberg School of Public Health, says, "To put these numbers in context, deaths are occurring in Iraq now at a rate more than three times that from before the invasion of March 2003".

Whereas the U.S. Department of Defense says at least 2,754 U.S. soldiers have been killed in Iraq.

Therefore, we have a ‘War on Terror’ waged against Iraq on the pretext that (1) it possessed Weapons of Mass Destruction, which were never found; (2) were responsible for 9/11 when none of the hijackers were Iraqi; (3) had links with Al Qaida, which is unproven. For 3,000 killed in 9/11, America kills 650,000 Iraqis waging a war on certain guesses and hunches that turn out to be untrue.

Iraqis of course do not take this well. No population on this planet would take this well.

These are excerpts from Dahr Jamail and Ali al-Fadhily of Inter Press Service (IPS) News Agency:

Ahmad, a local doctor in Ramadi, a town in Iraq, tells IPS, "This city has been facing the worst of the American terror and destruction for more than two years now, and the world is silent." According to him, US forces destroy the infrastructure and cut the water and electricity "for days and even weeks is routine reaction to the resistance… Guys of the resistance do not need water and electricity, it's the families that are being harmed, and their lives which are at stake."

According to a local tribal chief, Nawaf, the civilians are being punished for the resistance. He says, the US forces “have the bad habit of cutting all of the essential services after every attack. They said they came to liberate us, but look at the slow death they are giving us every day."

These actions actually make Iraqis more strong in their support for the resistance. According to, Abu Juma'a, a local tribal leader, "…if they think they will make us kneel by these criminal acts, they are wrong. If they increase the pressure, the resistance will increase the reaction. We see this pattern repeated so often now."

The local police force raised by US is not cooperating either. A police lieutenant told IPS, "Now 90 percent of the force has decided to quit rather than kill our brothers or get killed by them for the wishes of the Americans."

In another report from the same authors reporting from a school in Iraq:

IPS reports: The children are growing up in occupied Iraq - and they are resisting it.

According to an 11-year-old Mustafa, "Americans are bad… They killed my family." Another kid cries, “God will send all Americans to hellfire."

The teacher in the classroom, Shyamaa told IPS, "How can we teach them forgiveness when they see Americans killing their family members every day… Words cannot cover the stream of blood and these signs of destruction, and words cannot hide the daily raids they see."

Outside the school, a man boasts of his son, "I am proud that he is a hero fighting these Americans. And they used to talk to us about our human rights."

A farmer told IPS, "They keep asking us to hand over resistance fighters to them, so that they can torture them in Abu Ghraib, Falcon base, Baghdad airport and other detention centers."

The authors believe that the resistance fighters are gaining support, far from being handed over.

Islam vs. Rest of the World III

Post-Ottoman World order

I see the fall of Ottoman Empire as the biggest milestone in the history of Muslim World. What we see in the present Muslim World, the conflicts of nations and cultures, has come about following what happened after WWI.

Breakup of and complete decimation of Ottoman Empire is an important event. Before that, Muslims enjoyed a long standing empire which was relatively stable compared to the events happening in Western Europe. Breakup of Ottoman Empire threw away that blanket of security and suddenly most Muslims of Middle East and Europe found themselves directly under foreign masters. The reaction of West towards people’s movement for freedom in the Muslim World was very different from what was imposed on some other places- like India and South America, for example. Even Lawrence of Arabia who fought alongside with Arabs (Bedouin) later became disillusioned and disappointed when British did not live up to its promises [Sykes-Picot Agreement]. Discovery of oil and creation of Israel in those regions was another key factor. Unlike some Asian and American nations where the West completely renounced its involvement and control, they did not extend the same practice towards many countries of Middle East because of Israel and oil. They carved up many nations and instead of giving up their control they installed puppets in the form of kings and dictators to contain them, to perpetuate their influence and domination and to extract oil.

Muslim World woke up to stark realities after the fall of Ottoman Empire. Before the fall, Muslims were an equal force in the world events, but after the fall, they did not constitute a single and powerful force- they were many small nation states ruled by ineffective and subservient leaders. Caliph was considered center of Muslim World during and after Middle Ages, just the way Rome was and is for most Catholics. When Caliph fell and the Empire was overrun by the West, most Muslims lost their notion of a secure Muslim World. One can ask why Muslims show such affinity to foreign lands- this is the common accusation thrown at Muslims in India- “are your Muslim first and Indian next?” The way most Western Christians show affinity to Rome and Jerusalem and is reflected in the foreign policies of major nations, including US and Britain, the way most Hindus maintain their ties with India as the seat of their civilization, most Muslims of the world consider the seat of their religion in Middle East/Asia Minor and they did not take the fall of Caliph very nicely. Khilafat Movement was used in Indian Independence movement to overthrow British because Muslims in India looked at the fight against British as the fight to restore Caliph. Such mixing of religious with nationalistic fervor in fight for independence is quite prevalent as seen from 1857 War of Independence in India (which started as religious outburst), using Vande Mataram (first to fight Muslims and then to fight British), and Gandhi resorting to many religious overtones in his struggle for Independence.

Muslim World saw its Ottoman Empire broken up into tiny pieces to be mastered over by the puppets of the West. They saw the new and emerging nation states a mere façade of the West to continue their hegemony. When every democratic movement in these regions was mercilessly suppressed by these puppets with the help from the West, Muslims did not trust any interventions from the West as benevolent. They see the West to be hypocrite. Other countries who are now aligning with the West, like Israel, India and Russia, share the same attitude towards Muslims lands. They suppress every democratic institution in these regions. Israel topples democratically elected governments in Palestine and even bombs their offices to kill their leaders. India does not accept elections which bring to power parties it does not approve of. Russia does not recognize local Chechen rule and rolls its tanks to bust them out. No wonder Muslims see in action a nexus between Rest of the World forces against Islamic nations. With no strong nation or centre to represent their faith unlike most other religions which have a centre nation (India for Hindus, Japan for Japanese, China for Sinic, US and Britain for Western Christianity, Russia for Orthodox Christianity), Muslim nations are in disarray and scrambling to find single voice of guidance. Unfortunately, with many weak Muslim nations warring with each other to promote hegemony of the West, most Muslims seem to find that voice in leaders like Osama Bin Laden, and events like bombing of Iraq, Afghanistan and Lebanon.

Some of the conflicts which shape the new world order pitting Islam against Rest of the World are discussed below.

Israel-Palestine

One of the root causes for the frustration of Muslim World is Israel-Palestine conflict. Inability of the Rest of the World to implement a peaceful solution to this conflict has resulted in the dawn of Islamic terrorism which was later taken up by many frustrated and disillusioned Muslim populations across the world. How come we don’t see many terrorist and suicide activities from this Muslim World prior to this conflict? Why did we not see terrorism during Ottoman rule which spanned six hundred years?

Each country or people devised its own way of fighting the imperial masters. While Indians took to non-violence (it can be easily argued that it worked only because British believed in law and order and hence respected our movement), most others resorted to violent methods to evict their masters- Indo-China to evict French, South American countries to evict Spanish and Portuguese, Algerians to evict French, etc.

Palestine resorted to violence in various degrees with increasing ferocity as each and every initiative to secure their land failed time and again. Israel has occupied all its lands and rules them with tanks, gun-ships and bulldozers. Muslims in Palestine live in ghettos the way Jews living during World War II before being sent to concentration camps. Here, we see a nation of victims imposing the same punishment they endured onto others legitimizing it all in the name of the suffering they have experienced. Israel has ignored 70 or more UN resolutions and completely broken every international norm in the process. It is supported by the only super power on the planet, United States. Between 1972 and 2001, US vetoed 33 of 35 UN resolutions critical of Israel. While there are many reasons attributed to why US supports Israel and absolves of it all of its war crimes, one of the biggest reasons is religious in nature. Many Jews and Christians in US, including George Bush, believe that Holy Land should be controlled and ruled by Jews when the day of Armageddon comes. Continued support of US to Israel, militarily and economically, does not go well with Palestine and the Muslim World. When the bulldozers, the gun-ships and bombs that raze their buildings are supplied by the West, most Palestine kids who just lost their parents grow up hating the West as much as they hate Israel. Becoming a suicide bomber becomes an easy step. When each and every UN resolution to facilitate a peaceful solution is vetoed and ignored by US and Israel, most of the Muslim World wakes up to the new world order where they witness Clash of Civilizations. And it doesn’t go well with Muslim World when some selected UN resolutions were used as a pretext to wage war against Iraq and now are being used to force Iran into giving up nuclear technology.

Middle East

Muslim’s frustration with the West started with Post-WWI breakup of Ottoman Empire and carving of Middle East where Britain and French sliced up Middle East. They went reneged on their promises made to these people who supported them in the WWI against Ottoman Kingdom. Going against its promises to create a unified state, the West divided up the region into small states to install kings of their choices- who merely turned into puppets later on. This is seen as grand betrayal of the West by most Muslims. [It is also reflected in the invasion of Kuwait by Saddam who legitimized it on the pretext of unresolved conflict of these carving of nations.]

Discovery of oil has perpetuated the hegemony of the West in Middle East. By installing klng after king, dictator after dictator, the West has pursued a policy in which the mandate of the people was ignored meticulously, forcefully and aggressively, to ensure a smooth flow of oil to their countries. This continuous and constant meddling and influencing factors have not gone well with Muslim people whose right to freedom, right to expression and all democratic institutions were curbed by their own leaders to suit the interests of the West. They reckon and realize that they would have found their vaunted freedom and expression, and hence true independence only if the West stopped supporting their leaders. This discontent threw open many religious and militant institutions and people to support various Islamic movements in the world, including the later Afghan war against Soviet Union and Kashmir rebellion against India.

Iran-Iraq

How come the ‘upholder of freedom’ and the ‘champion of democracy’ destroy every democratic and people’s movements in the Muslim World? US with the help of CIA put back Shah on the throne in spite of the Iranian’s people’s decision to dethrone him. Every election conducted in Iran is denounced by US and Israel and its leaders are not accepted- looks like the West is more comfortable dealing with despots and dictators and not legitimate representatives of the people. Why should not Muslims World conclude that the West is hypocrite- it wages wars in the name of democracy and then goes onto upstage the results of the same?

US positioned and supported Saddam Hussein to contain Iran after the debacle it faced during Hostage of US Embassy. After a decade long war between Iran and Iraq with full approval and help from the US, Saddam invaded Kuwait cutting off supply of oil to US which prompted an immediate reaction from US and its allies. The Gulf War resulted in further humiliation and devastation of Muslim World.

Though none of the 9/11 terrorist masterminds were from Iraq, or had any link with Saddam, US used extended its ‘War on Terror’ to already battered and sanction-struck people of Iraq to kill thousands of innocent civilians. Isn’t it sheer hypocrisy to charge Saddam of using chemical weapons especially when those weapons were delivered to him by Donald Rumsfeld during Iran-Iraq war? How can Iraqis NOT become gun-toting terrorists when their homes were bombed, children killed, cities ravaged in the name of ‘crusade’ on the contention that they possessed nuclear bombs which never existed?

Afghanistan

Involvement of US and Russia in the affairs of Afghanistan has brought about a new breed of Islamic radicalism in which many nations, many different sects were unified under one flag of Islamic militancy. In an effort to oust Soviet Union from Afghanistan in order to win the ideological war, US has brought in many radical elements from different geographies, funding the activities and supplying all necessary military equipment, into Afghanistan with a sole purpose to defeat its enemy. The battles that ensued between these radical militants, whose only common bond was Islam, and mighty Red Army were bloody and grueling. In the long-drawn guerilla warfare, Soviet Union buckled and left Afghanistan hanging its face in shame. While this war might have been one of the prime reasons that led to eventual collapse of Soviet Union, which was a victory for US and its allies, the greater victory was for Islamic world. For the first after the fall of Ottoman Empire did an Islamic nation win against another major power! In the process, it brought under one roof nationals from different Muslim countries- from Egypt, Arabia, Palestine, to Iran, Iraq and Pakistan.

After the defeat of Soviet Union, US did not need these elements and hence abandoned all the connections including all the arms and ammunition which were then used by various factions to wage a bloody war. The resulting events, where Taliban, supported by Pakistan, came to power under the guise and name of Islam, where every institution of Afghanistan was razed to ground, where every woman lost her freedom, were capitalized by the same person whom the US funded and created- Osama Bin Laden.

After 9/11, US bombed Afghanistan killing thousands of civilians to take revenge for the acts of the person whom they created in the first place. Afghanistan was raped by all. Muslim World looks at it as another case where a country is used and later thrown as scrap paper by the West. After so many wars, when US came to bomb them they could not realize what crime the people of Afghanistan had committed. They were ravaged by so many for so long that they didn’t know who came next to bomb them again and why.

India-Pakistan

The independence movement of Indian sub-continent threw open two nations, one which decided to form itself on the name of religion (Islam), another on secular principles but dominated by one religion (Hinduism). The partition resulted in an unresolved conflict (in Kashmir). India reneged on its promises to hold plebiscite to this region and held onto Muslim dominated region despite the people’s longing to be independent or be with Pakistan. Even after fifty years of Independence, India holds onto this land against the will of its people, with half-million troops to rule over few millions living there. While India was a champion of freedom movements worldwide and supporter of democratic institutions elsewhere, it has meticulously destroyed every legitimate representation of people in this region. How can Muslims of the world not see this as another case of hypocrite Rest of the World controlling and ruling them against their will? They see it as another hypocrite nation which seems to uphold certain principles elsewhere but chooses not to practice them when it comes to Muslim regions. Kashmir gladly invites people from different Muslim nations to fight their war for freedom against India.

Russia

Complicity of Soviet Union or Russia in the affairs of Muslim World should not be underestimated. Russia was involved in the carving up of Middle East but eventually did not get benefited since the Empire fell to create a new Soviet Union during WWI. After the breakup of Soviet Union, Russia went on an overdrive to establish its nationalistic pride which comes in way in dealing with Chechnya.

Syria, Egypt, Jordan, Arabia, et al

Arabia is ruled by the royal family and is given patronage by US. Most of the royal family members have close ties with many US leaders. One of the mandates of Osama and his fanatic sect is to dethrone this royal family. The King of Jordan and his family who control Jordan and are seen by its population as Westernized lot who seem to hold the reins only through support from the West. Egypt and Syria have got involved in Israeli-Palestine conflict in a see-saw fashion- sometimes supporting and sometimes backing out. However, the local populations show strong emotions towards Palestine cause.

How to ease up the friction between Islamic World and Rest of the World

The Rest of the World has meddled with Muslim nations for nearly hundred years now and the involvement is on the increase and is turning violent – with major wars happening in the last twenty years, and more are on the plate against other Muslim nations. Unless the Rest of the World accepts its complicity and makes amends, Islamic World will only pour out more hatred, out of frustration and disillusionment. There will be an increase in terrorist activities world wide. The assumption that one can curb terrorism by bombing their villages and camps is now clearly proven to be counter-productive. It only results in further inflammation thus resulting in more funds and more recruitment for these terrorists. Increasing terrorism is taken up by some Muslim leaders to hijack and blackmail the West into receiving sops, which will only legitimize and further fuel such terrorist activities. There is a need for a new outlook towards solving the problem of terrorism which has its roots in certain unresolved and unsolved problems in different geographies affecting Muslim World. Instead of taking a far more aggressive stance, which it is taking right now, the major powers and Rest of the World have to step back from its belligerent stance towards Islamic World. Only by giving room and space to the Islamic World to undergo its own change and establish its identity, will there be less friction between the two worlds. As long as Islam World looks at the modern values, such as criticism, debate and notions of equality, tolerance and liberty, as ‘Western’ values, it will not embrace them and instead reject them outright. And imposing these values by force will only result it extreme rejection and transpire out as radicalism, fanaticism and terrorism. There are strong indications to suggest that the present conflicts, confined to local geographies and sporadic terrorist activities, can spill over to far bigger wars unless checked. I feel that following immediate steps have to be taken to reconcile with Islamic World. This is only the first step towards harmonization between different civilizations towards paving way for a better world; and also to avert a disastrous world war in the coming years.

1. Give Palestine its nationhood.

2. Give Kashmir its independence.

3. Give Chechnya its independence.

4. Stop meddling in Middle East and other Muslim nations. Allow their forms of governments. Don't topple their governments.

5. Don't use Muslim nations as your battleground to wage your ideological wars.

6. Let them control their natural resources.