Factors and Harms of the Misinterpretation of Religion

By Adil Faraz, Tr. New Age Islam Translated from Urdu into English by New Age Islam 14 February 2025 Sectarianism and its Role in the Modern Misinterpretation of Islam Main Points: • Misinterpretation of Islam: Islam has often been misinterpreted for political power, leading to misconceptions, and this continues today with conflicting sectarian views. • Religion vs. Science: Religious leaders' resistance to scientific advancements has hindered progress and contributed to the misinterpretation of religion. • Sectarianism: The division into over seventy-three sects has created conflicting interpretations, damaging the true image of Islam. • Educational Challenges: Madrasas have been criticized for being outdated, contributing to misunderstandings of Islam and a gap in adopting new ideas. • Need for Reform: Muslims must return to the original teachings of Islam, focusing on unity, rational thought, and scientific progress to present Islam's true, universal message. … The International Book Fair is currently ongoing in Delhi. At this fair, an event was held under the auspices of the ‘Khosrow Foundation,’ where the Hindi edition of the book Islam, Authoritarianism, and Underdevelopment: A Global and Historical Comparison by Turkish-American scholar Ahmet T. Kuru was launched. Several scholars attended the event, including National Security Advisor Ajit Doval. There is no opportunity here to discuss Ahmet T. Kuru’s book because if the ‘Khosrow Foundation’ is publishing a Hindi edition of any book, one can infer what perspective the book presents on Islamic teachings. In this program, most speakers discussed the outdated mindset of Muslims and their failure to align with the demands of modern times. Ajit Doval, the National Security Advisor, remarked that “In every era, Islam has been misinterpreted for limited benefits and power, with the aim of narrowing the path for new ideas and thoughts. However, we must remember that some societies have stagnated because they did not give space to new ideas.” Ajit Doval made this statement in a historical context, which cannot be outright rejected. This has always been the case with Islam, which is why today critics use the actions of Muslims as evidence to target Islamic teachings. In recent years, attacks have been made on Muslim educational institutions and their cultural identity based on these same foundations. Specifically, the way madrasas have been portrayed as a reflection of outdated educational systems has made Muslims suspicious of these educational centres. There is no doubt that after independence, Muslims did not put enough thought into the curriculum, which was a point raised by Maulana Azad as well. The people of madrasas, while inviting various troubles, also brought upon themselves the issue of their institutions being affiliated with the government. Similarly, criticism is often directed at Islamic teachings on issues like hijab, divorce, inheritance law, and other Sharia commands, calling them incomplete or flawed. In contrast, these groups avoid explaining their own religious constitution, despite the fact that their texts contain practices for divorce, inheritance, and worship that have been criticized for a long time. Now, let’s turn to the tradition of misinterpreting religion and criticizing Muslims. Followers of every religion have misinterpreted their faith at different times, and no religion is exempt from this. Isn’t it true that today in India, fascist forces are misinterpreting Hinduism and misleading Hindus? Otherwise, the fundamental texts and philosophy of Hinduism directly contradict the views of fascist forces and the ‘Hindutva agenda,’ so the blame for misinterpreting Islam cannot be placed solely on Muslims. Some people consider religion to be in contradiction with scientific and logical reasoning. This has a complete historical background, where a conflict between religion and science is visible. In reality, this clash was not between religion and science, but between religious leaders and science. Religious leaders not only refused to accept scientific and rational theories, but they also did not attempt to understand them. Behind this was their political and social dominance. They did not want any other group to gain importance in society, as it would undermine their own authority. As a result, those who conducted research based on logic and science were labelled as anti-religious and were punished. Over time, the light of knowledge and science overturned the so-called religious leaders' rule, and society began to be built on rational foundations. Despite this, the concept of religious dominance continued to persist somewhere. Even in the collective unconscious of the public, there was still an element of their rule, which is why they could not completely reject this idea. Religious leaders also began to adopt scientific and rational ideas. However, they started evaluating these theories based on religious grounds, even though they themselves did not make any progress in this field. If religious leaders had sought ways to reconcile religious and scientific knowledge, perhaps things would have been easier, but that was not done. A similar situation has prevailed with Islam as well. The religion, which was supportive of new ideas and rational foundations from its very beginning, has been portrayed as a symbol of rigid clericalism and outdated systems. Islam, which has always called for rational and scientific knowledge, was misinterpreted by religious leaders, similar to the Church, who, without understanding the demands of the modern age, presented a distorted version of the religion to establish their own dominance. This led to the emergence of a new face of Islam in the world. This group, for the sake of their own interests and protection, presented their interpretation of Islam, which was also exploited by monarchies. When Ajit Doval and others say that Islam has been misinterpreted in every era for the sake of power and benefit, their statement is not baseless from a historical perspective. This trend continues to this day. Every sect and group interprets Islam according to its own understanding and is not satisfied with others’ interpretations. In such circumstances, how can we present the true image of Islam to the world? Which Islam should we present? One is the Islam led by the true Prophet, Muhammad Mustafa (peace be upon him), and the other is the Islam represented by more than seventy-three sects. The irony is that all these sects continually declare each other’s interpretations as heretical. During the time of the Prophet (peace be upon him), no Muslim was declared a heretic in the way representative sects of Islam declare each other as such today. Some even deem it permissible to harm others' lives, wealth, and honour. Over time, Muslims have distanced themselves from the modern demands of the world and new ideas. Pleasure-seeking and the royal system have kept them ignorant of the latest knowledge. This is why, when new knowledge and sciences were introduced in the Islamic world, they were unaware of them. They had no interest in new industries or crafts. Religious leaders had closed the doors of new knowledge and arts for them. For them, only traditional subjects like Fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence), Usul (principles), Tafseer (interpretation), and Hadith were important, while ijtihad (independent reasoning) was restricted. Therefore, when scientific knowledge was introduced, Muslims were unaware of it. When the printing press was introduced, Muslims declared it haram (forbidden). For a long time, there was a ban on the translation of the Qur'an. Scholars were not in favour of translating the Qur'an into Urdu. When it was finally allowed, it was made a condition that the Arabic text must also be published alongside the Urdu translation. Later, even this condition was lifted. Religious scholars should reflect further on how the struggle between religion and modern sciences arose. It would be better for Muslims to present the true teachings of Islam to the world. As long as sectarianism and mutual takfir (declaring someone an unbeliever) persist among them, they will continue to face disgrace on the global stage. After all, how can a universal teaching be one that encourages the humiliation of others? Therefore, we must reformulate our thoughts and ideas in light of the Qur'an and the Sunnah of the Prophet (PBUH). Suspicion towards scholars is never the solution to this issue. We must not reach a point where we have to rely on the advice of those who oppose Islam to interpret it. 9th February, 2025, Courtesy: Urdu Inquilab, New Delhi ------------------ Urdu Article: Factors and Harms of the Misinterpretation of Religion مذہب کی غلط تشریح کے عوامل اور نقصانات URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-terrorism-jihad/factors-misinterpretation-religion/d/134615 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