An Impoverished Country Can Ill-Afford God and Religion

By Sumit Paul, New Age Islam 13 February 2023 Muslims Will Have To Leave Behind Their Tribal Past And Focus On Things That Are Of Paramount Importance. Allah, Quran, Hereafter, Thereafter And All That Jazz Will Not Lead Them Anywhere ------ “An impoverished and unstable country can ill-afford god and religion” Somalia-born ex-Muslim Ayaan Hirsi Ali, in an interview to the Dutch daily ' Nederlands Dagblad’ ----- So very true and prophetic as well! The latest lynching of a man in Pakistan's Punjab Province for the alleged desecration of Quran underscores what Ayaan said a few years ago. Look at the dismal state of Somalia. Islam has destroyed this poor African country. It's for everyone to see that Pakistan is in doldrums and can collapse any moment. There’s no electricity in many parts of the country, no food to eat and the prices of basic amenities are skyrocketing. Yet, the brainless fanatics are more interested in finding out who defiled their Quran and insulted their Nabi. To these asinine zealots, religion and Allah are much more important than two square meals. This is how religion acts as a morphine and chloroforms its followers. Some half-brained may say that I particularly cavil at Islam. Now tell me, followers of which other religions kill people for blasphemy? Do Christians kill you for insulting Jesus or desecrating their Bible? Do the people of Judaism go for the jugular for disparaging Moses or slighting Torah or Talmud? When they've become religiously mature and relatively level-headed, why can't Muslims emulate Christians and Jewish? After all, followers of all three Semitic faiths are Ahle-Kitab. The problem with Muslims across the world is that they cannot accept constructive criticism. One empty-skull wonders, why an Islamic site like this allows my pieces to appear. Editors of numerous publications and portals aren't opium-eaters that they carry minimum 5 to 6 pieces of mine in different languages every day. What's banal to a few jaundiced fanatics is brilliant to a raft of editors of world's premier dailies and portals. Please go and argue with them. Readers in India may have religious prejudices but go out and read world's premier publications. Recently, a Dutch daily carried my Dutch translation of an original Sanskrit and Prakrit speech in which I systematically analysed and criticised the discrimination in Hinduism and Jainism and detonated both the religions. I also criticised the very idea of Sanatan Dharm in a Swedish daily. And if I say that I particularly abhor Islam it's because Muslims attempted to eliminate me more than the followers of other faiths did so far. Muslims will have to leave behind their tribal past and focus on things that are of paramount importance. Allah, Quran, Hereafter, Thereafter and all that jazz will not lead them anywhere. Mind you, this sanity is much more needed among the sub-continental Muslims. ---- A regular columnist for New Age Islam, Sumit Paul is a researcher in comparative religions, with special reference to Islam. He has contributed articles to the world's premier publications in several languages including Persian. URL: https://newageislam.com/spiritual-meditations/impoverished-country-afford-god-religion/d/129090 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