Islamophobia Should Be Fought Along With Muslim Intolerance

Recent Incidents of Violence against Religious Minorities Reflect Growing Intolerance among Muslims Main Points: 1. UN recognises Islamophobia but Muslims should also recognise religious intolerance among them. 2. ISKCON temple was vandalised in Bangladesh. 3. Shia mosque was attacked in Pakistan. 4. A Christian Church father was killed in Pakistan. ----- By New Age Islam Staff Writer 22 March 2022 File Photo ----- On the 15th of March 2022, the United Nations declared 15 March as the International Day to combat Islamophobia. Though, some western and Asian countries expressed some reservations but they agreed that Islamophobia was a reality and that it should be combated. Muslim media went agog over the news because the UN's adoption of the day had in their view put a seal on their innocence. They were relieved at the thought that now they would not be harassed or discriminated against on the basis of their religion and they will not be stereotyped. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Also Read: Why UN’s Islamophobia Resolution Troubles Moderate Muslims ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- But ten days before the UN resolution on the International Day to Combat Islamophobia, a terrorist attack was carried out in a Shia mosque during the Friday prayer in Peshawar in which 62 people were killed and about a hundred others were injured. One month before, in February a Christian Church father was killed by Islamists in Pakistan. Three days after the UN resolution on Islamophobia, on 18 March, an ISKCON temple in Bangladesh, was attacked by more than 200 people led by one Haji Safiullah and one Ishraf Sufi. These three incidents of attacks on Hindu, Shia and Christian minorities in Muslim majority Pakistan and Bangladesh reflect growing religious intolerance among the Muslims. Ironically, In Bangladesh, the persons leading the Fasadi (rioting) mob were a 'Haji' and a 'Sufi'. They are not aware that the ISKCON religious movement is based on the religious philosophy of religious tolerance preached by Shri Ramakrishna Paramhansa who respected Islam and Christianity and had practised Islam for three days and had even wanted to consume beef but one of his disciples somehow managed to prevent him from doing so. (File Photo) ----- The terrorist attack on the Shia mosque in Peshawar was not a small incident. It was carried out in a mosque and claimed the lives of more than 60 innocent Muslims. Still the government of Pakistan, showing its insensitivity, took it as a usual incident. Some formal statements were made about zero tolerance of such incidents and then the Muslim forgot it as usual. No word of condemnation came from Al Azhar or any other prominent religious organisation or Mufti and no talks of collective steps to prevent such heinous attacks by Muslim scholars, Muslim organisations and Muslim governments were held. It is not that these three grave sins against the innocent minorities that were committed in close succession were rare and exceptional. In Bangladesh and Pakistan, attacks on religious and sectarian minorities are reported regularly and thousands of such incidents have been reported during the last ten years. In 2013, there were large scale communal riots against the minorities in Bangladesh; there was a large scale communal riots against the Ahmadiya sect during the 50s in Pakistan. Hundreds of attacks on processions, school vans and mosques of Shias and residential and business complexes in Shia majority regions of Pakistan have been carried out by TTP and other militant Islamic outfits enjoying impunity. Despite all this, no consensus has emerged among the Muslim intelligentsia and religious leadership of Pakistan or of the Indian sub-continent on the need to form a collective mechanism to fight this menace. The religious leadership of the Indian sub-continent occasionally makes formal statements like 'Islam is a religion of peace’, or that 'Islam does not preach violence' or that ' Islam does not support terrorism' but never specifically names the outfits they consider terrorists. On the contrary, the Ulema belonging to Islamic organisations overtly or covertly praise or support the militant organisations. When these Ulema support, for example' Taliban, then naturally their millions of students and fans and followers develop a soft corner for them. Similarly, In Pakistan, when the government ministers and religious leaders and muftis participate in meetings or rallies organised by the TTP or Sipah-e-Sahaba which are militant organisations hostile to the minorities, particularly Shias, millions of Muslims are influenced by their sectarian and communal ideology. This results in violence against these minorities. It is a fact, that every incident of violence and bloodshed against non-Muslims on the basis of Islamic interpretations of Qur'an and Sunnah promotes Islamophobia. When people known as Haji and Sufi take part in violence against non-Muslims, it creates stereotypes against the beard, or scarf or even the Sufi dress. Therefore, if Muslims want to fight Islamophobia, they should first form a collective mechanism to fight religious intolerance among them. The UN is a very effective platform for such an initiative. Pakistan should take the initiative to fight religious intolerance as it did to fight Islamophobia. It should introduce a resolution to combat religious intolerance in Muslim countries and the Muslim countries should envisage collective steps to remove ideology of hate and violence emanating from their secondary religious literature produced by extremist religious scholars. If it is not done, the fight against Islamophobia will merely remain limited to a resolution made on paper. URL: https://www.newageislam.com/muslims-islamophobia/islamophobia-muslim-intolerance/d/126628 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