Sectarian Religious Violence Among Muslims Calls For Introspection Among Ulema: Evolve A New Theology, A Theology Of Peace, To Replace The Traditional Theology Of Violence And Conflict

By Dr. Mohammad Ghitreef, New Age Islam 6 March 2022 Two days ago, once again suicide bomber killed more than 60 innocent lives gathered for Juma prayer in a Shia mosque (Imambargah) of Bazar Qissa Khani in Peshawar Pakistan, and left hundreds injured. This is a major terror attack of this kind in recent times. The gory scene was like a huge mass sacrifice on Baqar Eid. Apart from the president of the country, a demagogue prime minister Imran Khan, who has been exploiting religious sentiments, on the pretext of establishing a welfare state on the pattern of Medinan state, condemned the cowardly and heinous crime, boasting once again that the criminals would be booked and be brought to justice at all cost. Ulema and opposition leaders of different affiliations are also ,as usual, condemning the brutal killing. Yet the society as a whole doesn’t seem to address the main cause of these terror attacks. (Photo: Friday Times) ------ Moreover, a senior journalist working with Jeo Newsgroup; Saleem Safi opined that this must be a handiwork of either TTP or Daish. The TTP is a franchise of the Taliban in Afghanistan, who harshly condemned the attack. However, the Islamic State or Daesh has taken responsibility for the attack. Islamic State has a leaning to Salafi Islam and thus an eternal hatred towards Shias. People belonging to the Shia and Hazara community in Baluchistan have been particularly targeted in such attacks because they were adherents of Jaffaria jurisprudence. This poison of hatred has been spreading in society since the 1980s but despite repeated promises and various action plans, the government of Pakistan has not been able to curb sectarian fanaticism and protect the minority sects. What kind of Muslims would plant bombs in their suicide vests and explode them among hundreds of Muslims in a mosque? Surely this the result of indoctrination into the traditional Muslim theology that doesn't consider Shias Muslim and in fact calls them wajibul qatl, that is, deserving death. In fact, false interpretation of religion in the traditional theology of consensus is a major cause of radicalism and extremism. For, religious fanaticism is indeed potential terrorism, which can very easily change into acts of terrorism. Take the case of Pakistan itself, wherein, for decades, Sunnis are butchering Shias and Shias are retaliating in the same coin, why? Because Shia are reported to have been abusing knowingly or unknowingly, holy companions especially Abu Bakar, Umar, and Aisha (RA). Maybe they are not abusing them verbally but Shia literature, of course, is said to have contents to this effect. So in Majalise Iza, they poured in their aversion and hatred towards Sahaba (holy companions). In reaction Sunnis dub them as Kafir (infidel) and regard them as permitted to be killed, hence take on them when they get a chance, at their mosques, graveyards, Imambaras, shrines, and processions, with bombs and detonators hoping to be rewarded for that in the hereafter. In reaction, Shias would attack them and this chain of killings and blood-shedding is going on unchecked. Seemingly many such militant outfits stood abolished by the authorities, but they have their support base in the masses of both communities, under whose pressure, those ulema too, who realize it is wrong, are compelled to endorse it. In both the sects, there are a lot of insolent, headstrong, and abusive young ulema and audacious speakers, who are enjoying full support and endorsement of elders of their sects. Therefore, this gory situation cannot be resolved in a political or military way. Not only that but if so-called Islamists one day come to power, the issue will remain as it is. To me, the only solution to this lamentable state of affairs should come from religion itself and that is via intra-faith dialogue. There are groups in Pakistan, similar to ISIS who subscribe to the brute idea that Shias, Ahmadis and blasphemers and even liberals, who don’t buy the Islamicist’s political views, are Kafirs and infidels who are permitted to be killed, مباح الدم, so shedding their blood is not a sin. Barelvis, Labbaikies who have a blind gigantic following among the masses and particularly in rural Panjab, wherein fires of hatred towards not only non-Muslims but towards Shias, Ahmadis, and Liberals alike are always smouldering and blasphemy outrage is perpetually bringing the country on the brink of an erupting volcano, how can these volatile and hostile environs could be mended by dint of maintaining law and order enforcement only. For example, one Urdu religious journal Iqra digest has issued an especial issue recently excommunicating Shias from the fold of Islam, containing at least 500 fatwas (religious decrees) issued from different Ifta houses and big Sunni seminaries, not only of the Indian subcontinent but even from madrasas of South Africa. I wonder when you have militant youth organizations in the country whose leaders openly call indoctrinated members to shed the blood of every Kafir on flimsy grounds like blasphemy or abusing Sahaba, how can you dream to build a prosperous peaceful, and tolerant society? The issue is not confined to Pakistan. I put it as an example only because the situation there is worse. Otherwise, the same applies to Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, and Syria, wherein the bloody sectarian war so far has claimed more than 90 thousand Muslim lives. And this Frankenstein’s monster has full freehand which changed Syria in particular into a haven for killer regime's forces, snipers, Hezbollah members, evildoer insurgents of a sordid assortment. Thirty years ago, such a massive bomb blast took place in the same place, the same bazaar and the same mosque were targeted, because the bazaar is a symbol of storytelling liberalism also. Today, religious fanatics have reiterated their misdeed making the claims of law enforcement agencies a mockery. Shia sect has existed since the first century AH. Shia-Sunni differences also have always been there in history. Mutual bloodshed and bloody wars have taken place too. However, the general outlawing and excommunicating of the Shias is not narrated from any great Imam or scholar of Islam throughout its checkered history. Nor has any Sunni government ever massacred them posing them as apostates or infidels. Rather they were considered as a Muslim sect even in Islamic literature. The massacre of the Shia sect by usurping Islam from them is a new phenomenon in Islamic history that needs to be thwarted at every level and the way out of it will be through inter-sectarian or intra-faith dialogue. ----- Research Associate with Centre for Promotion of Educational and Cultural Advancement of Muslims of India AMU Aligarh. URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islam-sectarianism/sectarian-religious-violence-ulema-peace-traditional-theology-/d/126515 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