Muslims Have Not Learnt To Live Peacefully As Most Islamic Countries Are Going Through Social And Political Crisis

Terrorist Attacks And Social And Political Unrest Mar Economic And Social Development Main Points: 1. Kazakhstan has been going through social and political upheaval since January 2. 2. Sudan is going through political unrest against dictatorship 3. Pakistan is in the grip of terrorist and sectarian violence. 4. Syria is again under attack by the ISIS. 5. In Yemen, Houthis are up in arms against the government. ---- New Age Islam Staff Writer 27 January 2022 While the scientific development and social awareness has made western Christian and other non-Muslims economically developed and the people of these countries have been living a comparatively better life because of political stability and educational and economical development, most of the Islamic countries are still in the grip of social, religious and political unrest. Some of the Islamic countries are in the grip of political and social unrest for decades like Sudan, Nigeria and the Middle East and Pakistan. During the first month of the New Year, some more countries became the victim of the social and political unrest. Since January 2, protests against rising prices and political issues started and it took violent turn when the government forces aided by Russian troops cracked against the protestors killing hundreds and arresting thousands. The Kazakh government has declared the protesters terrorists and has ordered the forces to use lethal force against them. Sudan Protest/Phot: DW Made for Minds ------ In Sudan, people are on the streets protesting against dictatorship which remove the democratically elected government in October last year.. Pro-democracy porters continue and at least 77 people have since died. The situation in Yemen is not better. The confrontation between the Houthi rebels in Yemen and the Saudi coalition forces have escalated since January this year. Both sides have attacked their targets in the last week. The Houthis have attacked a oil tanker of Abu Dhabi and hijacked a cargo ship of Abu Dhabi going to Yemen alleging that the ship carried arms and ammunition and not medical equipment and medicines. In retaliation, the Saudi Arabi allegedly attacked a jail in Houthi dominated area killing at least 70 inmates though Saudi Arabia denied the allegation. Since 2015, the Iran backed Houthis have control over Sanaa, the capital of Yemen and North and Western Yemen. Even after six years the international Muslim community has not been able to find a solution to this crisis. Due to this crisis, Yemen has suffered economically and educationally. Thousands of children live in hunger and poverty. Basic civic facilities are not available to a large population. People, particularly women and children have to walk miles to search for drinking water every day. Instead of finding a solution to the problem, Islamic states have escalated the war in Yemen in which more and more countries are getting involved including the US. This will only intensify the crisis and the Arab world will again plunge into another political crisis. U.S. and Syrian-Kurdish forces in the city of Hasaka on Monday.Credit...Ahmed Mardnli/EPA, via Shutterstock ---- Syria is another country which has been going through a crisis since 2014 when the ISIS had control a large part of Syria and Iraq and had declared the establishment of their caliphate After five years of war with Syrian and US forces, the ISIS retreated and lost their control in the region. The US withdrew from the region in March 2020. Though the ISIS had lost control of the region, they were not completely subdued or finished. They started spreading their tentacles in many Muslim majority countries as a terrorist organization and adopted the tactic of terrorist organizations. They carried out terrorist attacks in Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Philippines. Lately, they have again strengthened their base in Syria. On 22 January, 2022, the ISIS attacked a jail in Syria where thousands of suspected ISIS fighters. These fighters belong to France, Tunisia and other countries. The ISIS tried to fee them so that they can again strengthened their base in Syria and Iraq. Earlier they had attacked military forces in Iraq and had released a video of beheading of a police officer. The fact that the ISIS have been able to mount sophisticated attacks shows that the terrorist outfit is re-emerging in Syria and Iraq and posing another threat to the already devastated region. The political situation in Afghanistan has not been stable since its captured power in August last year. On the other hand, Taliban have unleashed terror and fear among the people of the country with their anti-people and anti-woman policy and on the other, their rivals ISIS have been carrying out terror attacks on both the Taliban and ordinary people. The Taliban have curtailed the rights of women. Many educated professionals have left Afghanistan because of the social and political curbs. Many have migrated to Germany for a better life and to enjoy personal freedom. According to a latest report released by a group of Human Rights activists, the Taliban have been institutionalizing gender based violence and discrimination against women and girls in Afghanistan. They are trying to segregate women and girls and exclude women from social, educational, political and economic spheres of the country. Recently, there was political instability after the President of the country suspended the Prime Minister Muhammad Hussain on corruption charges. The Prime Minister rejected the charges and accused the President of trying to stage a coup after holding up parliamentary elections. This crisis an impediment in the country’s fight against Al Qaida affiliated terrorist organization Al Shabab. It is to be noted that Al Qaida has stronghold in the country but instead of fighting it collectively, the politicians of the country have been fight against each other for petty political gains. Pakistan is another country which is continually in the grip of sectarian and terrorist violence. A few days ago, a bomb exploded in the busy market of Lahore, Anarkali Bazar. No one has claimed responsibility for the explosion. Even the media is afraid to name any organization. Religious organizations like TTP and other sectarian organizations also hold protests regularly against the government on sectarian and religious demands. Because of this instability, the country has not been able to make any progress on the economic and scientific front. All its energies and resources are exhausted in tackling sectarian and terrorist organizations. Corruption is another serious problems for the country which boasts of an Islamic country. All these developments in the Islamic countries are indicative of the fact that Muslims have not been able to live peacefully and work collectively for the common good of the Muslims and advance on the path of scientific and economic development. Corruption in Islamic countries is rampant despite Islam forbidding corruption. This corruption gives rise to price rise and social injustice. Another cause of unrest iin Islamic countries is their confusion on the issue of the form of government. Muslims are more obsessed with the form of government than the quality of governance. This becomes of the cause of unrest in many Islamic societies both ideological and political. Many Islamic scholars of the middle ages to the modern times are of the view that if the caliphate on the lines of the caliphate of the four rightly-guided caliphs is established, all the problems of the Muslims will automatically solved. And because of this belief, the scholars overtly and covertly supported terrorist organizations because they claim to fight for the establishment of caliphate. This ideological and political confusion of Muslims together with corruption among its leaders are the cause of violence and crisis in Islamic countries. URL: https://www.newageislam.com/radical-islamism-jihad/muslims-islamic-countries-social-political-crisis/d/126248 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

Tradition and Traditionalism in Muslim Community

By Dr. Mohammad Ghitreef, New Age Islam 27 January 2022 Why Is So That Whenever There Is Any Progress In Medical Field Or In Any Scientific Branch Of Knowledge Our Ulema Feel Challenged Main Points: 1. Western infidels are interfering in God's affairs! 2. how can we as an Ummah be so narrow-minded while we are the inheritors of great legacy Muslim philosophers, scientists and inventors 3. Most often we ourselves are the cause of this rampant islamophobia. ----- The Western infidels are interfering in God's affairs! latest is the case of transplanting the pig heart in a human body by medics in US; the enemy number one of Islam! This is the sample jargon made nowadays in our religious circle’s times and again ,especially among the Ulema of neighbouring country. We have been hearing from our childhood and it is very vehemently being reiterated that "the knowledge of all kinds of the unseen is with the Almighty God and no one can know it. But today a lot has become known for scientists and this speed of knowing is increasing day by day. From new cosmology based on Natural evolution explored and explained by Charles Darwin, human "DNA" genetic engineering, cloning of the sheep named as Doli, lab-born usable flesh, Artificial intelligence, the cyber world, automation age ushered in by Nano technology and more recently the James Webb telescope's journey to the skies to unravel natural mysteries and so on. There are much more hidden facts in the universe that remained to be revealed but could be explored and revealed in due course of time. Why is so that whenever there is any progress in medical field or in any scientific branch of knowledge our Ulema feel challenged and, therefore, oppose it initially then gradually they come to terms with it. For example, they resisted telephone, tv etc describing that some Jenny speaks in there. They resisted in the beginning loud speaker with heated debate around it. opposed photography, and strangely a great section of Ulema still opposing it, while many of them are using photography and images for personal gratification or propagating their ideas with this tool unscrupulously, though still giving fatwas, dubbing it forbidden and haram to the masses! They are still grudge upon banking system, on the ground that it is a damned Jewish contrivance, yet are unable to give satisfying answers legitimizing their objections to it. That is why I was not surprised at all when they are confused in this case of heart transplantation. The question is how can we as an Ummah be so narrow-minded while we are the inheritors of great legacy Muslim philosophers, scientists and inventors like Jabir bin Hayyan, Ibn Al-Haytham, Al-Khwarizmi and Abul Qasim Al-Zahrawi, Ibn Rushd and Ibn Sina et Al? Time is defeating us day in and day out and science is venturing into miracle after miracle. We Muslim, a poor lot, still trying to apologize, defend or somehow justify our traditional thinking which is sacred to us but how long will it continue to perform this duty of adjusting the rotten traditional thinking with the scientific one? Our traditional views such as unscientific notion of revolving of the sun round the earth! are constantly being challenged by new scientific conquests and researches, arose from the scientific revolution and we have in our ranks many people, YouTubers, bloggers, and Shariah proprietors who try in vain to defend bizarre viewpoints belonging to our “sacred” past but for how long? Isn't now a hard time for our interpretations of religious texts in the face of new cosmology based on natural evolution? We have been hearing since childhood that it would be near the Day of Resurrection that knowledge will be taken away. Knowledge has really been taken away but from which nation has it is taken away? This is the billion-dollar question. Our religious zealots poetically say and boast that it is the heart of a believer that is the centre of enlightenment and Godly manifestation and now it is being preyed upon by putting a pig's heart there, which according to our popular thinking is a very impure animal and eating its meat produces savagery and barbarism, so it could not be sanctioned religiously of taking advantage of this impure heart. But the question is if this is the case then why God created a pig heart same as the human one? And why pig eaters the Goddamned westerners are more humane than non-consumers? And more relevantly that where has gone your principle of Iztirar ( اضطرار a dire and invariable need) to save a human life? What should we do now? The biggest tragedy for us is that our wallet is empty of research and our collective heritage of nearly three past centuries is nothing but "good tidings’" for believers! when Charles Darwin came up with his theory of Human evolution, Muslim scholars and ideologues such as Maulana Maududi failed miserably ,either to appreciate that aspect or even refute it with good, sound and convincing methodology and scientific reasoning. They could not do except mocking with it by saying that Darwin made human being children of apse and monkeys. They could not delve deep into the matter, non the less the theory has its root in the rich Islamic scientific heritage in the writings of Ibn Miskawayh ,Al-Jahiz and Rumi et Al. Tradition is a good thing and a healthy mind does not deny his tradition, but tradition should be used as a tool basing on one should try to do much more and to explore new vistas of knowledge, invent new method and use that for the best in future. So, we have to think that we have become a burden on earth by our perverted, parochial thinking, narrow minded ness and blind imitating of our clergy. Nobody can deny that by dint of new technology the world now has become a global village. It is shrunk down to your fingertips as it is popularly said. Now no nation, no faith group or no country can live in isolation of other nations and countries, so a tolerant and science-oriented outlook is required. Coming to Muslim Ummah, we see that it is still living in the past glory. That past is now a bygone era, our present is not so good and our future is depending on what we do now and what steps we would take for betterment of the future. We generally mourn and bitch about our clergy and their unscientific approach and rotten ways of thinking, yet the irony is that there are so many modern educated people, drawing upon Urdu critics and writers like M. Hasan Askari, Saleem Ahmad and Javed Akbar Ansari or following blindly the footsteps of some western converts like Abu Bakar Martin Lings and French convert Rene Genu(Abdu Wahid Yahya) et at. These rather extremist thinkers and critics of the West abhor all western scientific achievements. In Pakistan these traditionalists now became a school of thought which unfortunately waging a misguided jihad against all rational activities and scientific research. Most of the time we complain growing Islamophobia around the world, yet if we could introspect so I think most often we ourselves are the cause of this rampant islamophobia. The holy Quran says: verily those who believe and do righteous works ,the Compassionate will assign for the affection(Maryam:96) It was a promise made by God for the prophet and his companions and was fulfilled in very gigantic mode.AS the history tells us that Muslims of the first generation were welcome around the world most of the times, after initial resistance and warfare. Because they were not the epitome of dreadfulness, terror and extremism from which human being likely flee, but they were a messenger of love, peace, and justice. Which the humans are always in want of and aspire to. That is why people called them, opened their doors, cities and citadels rendered their keys to them. The history testify that when the Byzantine imperial forces were busy in fighting the invading Arabs in Yarmok and Ajnadeen, people of Syria were sending love letters to them. Busra opened her door, Hums requested to come, Tripoli was waiting for them and not only that they were welcomed in Egypt too. It was all for one reason, that they were the salt of the earth in the words of Jesus. They were useful for the people, for the human sciences, for the research and knowledge and for human civilization. And it is law of nature that ‘’Then as far the scum, it departs as rubbish, and as far that which benefits mankind, it lasts on the earth! (Ar-raid:17) The question is, how long will we continue to use failed "justification tactics" to make ourselves fakely compatible with the times, only to the extent of mouthing big words and doing nothing? The biggest question that arises today on our traditional thinking is that we are so stunned by some scientific discoveries today, and in the time to come more such revelations will surely come to light for which we may have nothing but bowing down in shame before other people. Do we have an any plan for that? Or will our biggies and demagogues continue to speak loud and void only with stubbornness, but the question will be the same till when? Isn't it true that we have changed completely? This is something to think about. ------ Dr. Mohammad Ghitreef is a Research Associate with the Centre for Promotion of Educational and Cultural Advancement of Muslims of India, AMU Aligarh. URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islamic-society/tradition-traditionalism-muslim-community/d/126249 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

Lashkar-e-Taiba Is Only An Unofficial Militant Wing Of The Government Of Pakistan

Lashkar-e-Taiba Is An Organization That Serves The Purpose Of The Pakistani Government And Military Main Points: 1. The survey reveals that LeT draws inspiration from Ahl-e-Hadith 2. The survey reveals that no Pakistani denounced LeT. 3. Pakistanis support LeT because of its anti-India rhetoric. 4. Anyone speaking against India in Pakistan is considered patriotic. ----- New Age Islam Staff Writer 25 January 2022 File photo of Lashkar-e-Taiba founder Hafiz Muhammad Saeed | Youtube ----- Christine Fair and her colleague Karl Kaltenthaler conducted a survey on about seven thousand Pakistanis and asked them why they support LeT. The survey conducted among a few thousand Pakistanis reveals an important aspect of the terrorist organization called LeT. It reveals perhaps for the first time that it draws inspiration not only from Deobandi takfirism but from the more puritanical sect called Ahl-e-Hadith. But one aspect that the researchers ignored that LeT is not an organization working for establishing a government in Pakistan on the basis of its ideological interpretation or a government based on Ahl-e-Hadith ideology. It has not openly stated its ideological leanings. Actually, LeT and Jamat-ud-Dawah, its mother organization, is only a militant wing of the government of Pakistan as the government of Pakistan would publish tenders for construction and modification work in its headquarters in Muridke. It is also a fact that LeT’s hand in the Mumbai terror attacks has been established. Pakistan’s Urdu newspaper does not hide its affiliation with LeT. So in Pakistan the LeT is known as an organization that serves the purpose of the Pakistani government and military as and when required. That’s why it does not perpetrate any violence within Pakistan on sectarian and ideological lines. In fact, in Pakistan, religion is the most powerful tool for acquiring political power. Therefore, owning a religious and extremist organization does not pose any risk to its owner unlike in any other country. Hafiz Sayeed’s occasional rants against India wins him a general sympathy among the Pakistani people and the government. Since the government of Pakistan does not want to antagonize China by raking up Uighur issue, Sayeed also does not say a word against China on the issue of persecution of Uighurs. An organization in Pakistan is affiliated to Deobandi ideology or ISIS ideology or for that matter Ahl-e-Hadith or even Barelvi sect does not make much difference because in the end all of them profess violence either within the country or outside the country. Some may be less violent and some more violent but no organization in Pakistan says that violence is not the solution of problems. Minorities or sects within Islam are continually under the threat of oppression and persecution by the majority community. The survey also reveals the Pakistani mentality that harbours ill will against the minorities and members of other sects within Pakistan. It also reveals that almost all the Pakistanis support LeT for one or the other reason. No Pakistani said that it does not support the LeT or he denounces the terrorist ideology or sectarian ideology of LeT. The situation has come to such a passé in Pakistan that the media, the Islamic scholars and the common people in Pakistan do not have the courage to speak up against terrorist and militant organizations of their country. ----- We Asked Why Pakistanis Support Lashkar-E-Taiba, Results Will Surprise You By Christine Fair 24 January, 2022 Lashkar-e-Taiba along with Jaish-e-Mohammed, remains Pakistan’s most virulent export. It remains the most effective and brutal terrorist group operating in India, Afghanistan, Bangladesh and possibly elsewhere. Understanding who supports this nefarious organisation remains an important scholarly and policy analytic question. To cast light on which Pakistanis support this group, my colleague, Karl Kaltenthaler and I, fielded a novel, nationally-representative survey of 7,656 Pakistanis in the country’s four provinces of Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Our results may surprise you. Ideology Matters The Lashkar-e-Taiba (and other various noms de guerre it has used and uses) differs from many of the Islamist terrorist groups operating in the region that hail from the Deobandi religious interpretive tradition, in that the LeT draws from the Ahl-e-Hadees tradition. In fact, the organisation has considerable conflict with these Deobandi groups in large measure because most of the Deobandis engage in a practice of takfir, or declaring Pakistanis to be non-Muslim, which then render them subject to lethal violence. Moreover, the Islamic State in Pakistan draws from Deobandi militant organisations because the madrassas and the terrorist organisations the Deobandis support are deeply sectarian with a rich history of targeting non-Muslims, Shia, Ahmadi and increasingly Barelvis over the last decade. More than anything, Pakistan’s deep state values the Lashkar-e-Taiba precisely because it preaches non-violence within the country. As I discuss elsewhere, the organisation does not even publicly advocate death for Ahmadis, which puts it in stark contrast with Pakistan’s Deobandis and even Barelvis, who view Ahmadis as the worst perpetrators of shirk(apostasy). Moreover, Lashkar believes that it provides the only ideological competitor to the Islamic State in Pakistan. Despite the organisation’s claims to be Ahl-e-Hadees, most of Pakistan’s Ahl-e-Hadees ulema and institutions reject Lashkar’s primary claims that waging military jihad is an inescapable obligation of all Muslims and that it can be waged only by non-state actors. Instead, most Ahl-e-Hadees ulema believe that only an Islami Riyasit (Islamic State) can wage jihad. While the LeT preaches nonviolence towards anyone who recognises the supremacy of Allah, it has real ideological differences with virtually all other Muslim sects in Pakistan. It accuses Barelvis (likely the largest market share in Pakistan) of committing idolatry for their cult-like adoration for the Prophet, who in Islam is merely a human being. Barelvis not only ascribe attributes to the Prophet that are reserved for Allah alone, but they also engage in practices – wearing amulets, worship of pirs, erection of elaborate graves, etc. – that the Lashkar believes to be apostasy. Lashkar, like Deobandi militant groups, also take issue with Shias because they reject the succession of the Prophet. Unlike Deobandis, who believe that Shia are wajib-ul-qatil, worthy of being killed, Lashkar believes that they should be educated and converted. Despite significant ideological differences with mainstream Ahl-e-Hadees institutions in Pakistan, according to our study, Lashkar-e-Taiba still draws support from Ahle-e-Hadees adherents. Notably, we find that Barelvi, Shia, and Deobandi oppose the organisation, which is consistent with the LeT’s proselytisation efforts (dawa and tabligh) to convert such persons to the Lashkar’s understanding of the Ahl-e-Hadees interpretative tradition. But Ethnicity Matters More Lashkar has long claimed to be a Kashmiri Tanzeem, comprising Kashmiris fighting for Kashmiris and dying in Kashmir. But it has long been suspected and recent data somewhat demonstrates that only the latter claim is true (See Figure 1). Whereas some 90 per cent die in India, and over 90 per cent of its cadres come from a mere ten districts in Pakistan’s Punjab. A meagre 1 per cent come from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Irrespective of the LeT’s claim to be a “Kashmiri” organisation, it is by all measure a Punjabi organisation. This raises an interesting question: Do Pakistanis support the organisation because of its religious or ethnic bona fides? It turns out that while ideology matters, ethnicity is the strongest predictor of support. It is far more important than ideology. At the same time, the Baloch are significantly more likely than others to oppose the Lashkar-e-Taiba whereas Sindhis are weak in their response. This also tracks with reality: Pakistan’s deep state has used the Lashkar in Balochistan for various reasons. First, it is expected that Lashkar can persuade Baloch to abandon their ethnonationalist aspirations and embrace the State-sponsored notions of Islam propounded by Lashkar. To advance this agenda, when natural disasters hit Balochistan, as they often do, Pakistan only lets “humanitarian” organisations in to do relief, which are tied to Lashkar. Equally important, the Lashkar is explicitly pro-China and endorses the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). Given that Pakistan will fight to the last Baloch to make the resource-rich province safe for Chinese exploitation, the Baloch rightly view the Lashkar to be another guise of Punjabi domination working in concert with the Punjabi-dominated army, which many Baloch believe has immiserated Baloch in their own province. Support Of The Army-Led Status Quo In Pakistan While the Lashkar is an important and violent disruptor abroad, at home in Pakistan, it is an explicitly status quo power. While LeT advocates killing kuffars (nonbelievers) in India, within Pakistan, it insists upon converting them through social services, humanitarian relief, and lived examples of pious Muslims. LeT’s staunch opposition to sectarian violence pits it against the Islamic State and many of the Deobandi militant groups, such as the anti‐Shia Lashkar‐e‐Jhangvi (LeJ, which also operates under the names Sipah‐e‐Sahaba‐e‐Pakistan and Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat) or the Tehreek‐e‐Taliban (TTP or the Pakistani Taliban), which draws many of its commanders and cadres from the LeJ. Moreover, the Lashkar argues against any kind of protest of the State—irrespective of its leadership—and is a staunch supporter of the current domestic, political and economic system in Pakistan, including Pakistan’s unaffordable friendship with China. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the third-strongest predictor of support for the Lashkar was satisfaction with the status quo. Our results should put to rest any thinking that Lashkar is a revolutionary organisation. Mothers Of Brutes While very little work has been done to explicate whether and why women support Islamist terrorism, women in Pakistan are much more likely to support the Lashkar than are men. As I describe elsewhere, the organisation dedicates significant resources to recruit women to the organisation’s goals to ensure that they support the LeT by encouraging their sons and other male family members to join it either as militants or in supporting roles. The LeT empower women to promote the organisation’s creed, which empowers them and frees them to move about without hindrance. To ensure that mothers are not disenchanted with the organisation, the Lashkar-e-Taiba requires the mother’s explicit blessings for every mission in which her son may meet so-called martyrdom. The organisation dispatches senior personnel to notify the parents of their sons’ death and it oversees the important Ghaib-E-Janaza, or funerary prayers in absence of a body. None Of This Is Good News So, what does one do with this information? These results continue to show that it is very likely that there is a viable non-kinetic strategy to deal with the Lashkar-e-Taiba. Given the extensive State support for the organisation and the stronghold that Pakistan’s military and intelligence agencies have in the country, there is little scope to conduct information offensives that would undermine any of the sources of support we find. The only options to deter the LeT—absent capabilities to impose India’s will over Pakistan decisively through overt military operations—are covert and kinetic. As I have shown elsewhere, the pyramidal and open leadership structure in Pakistan make it vulnerable to leadership decapitation. While this option is challenging and difficult to execute, other options seem elusive. ----- C. Christine Fair is a professor within Georgetown University’s Security Studies Program within the Edmund A. Walsh school of foreign service. She is the author of In their own Words: Understanding the Lashkar-e-Tayyaba and Fighting to the End: The Pakistan Army’s Way of War. She tweets at @cchristinefair. Views are personal. Source: We Asked Why Pakistanis Support Lashkar-E-Taiba, Results Will Surprise You URL: https://www.newageislam.com/radical-islamism-jihad/lashkar-e-taiba-militant-wing-pakistan/d/126236 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

Adoption in Islam: Should Muslims Keep Following a 7th Century Law

By Arshad Alam, New Age Islam 25 January 2022 Most Muslims Are In Dilemma Whether They Can Change Something That Was Practiced By The Prophet Himself. Main Points: 1. The NCPCR has criticized Deoband for their position on adoption. 2. Deoband has long argued that adopted children are not like ones. 3. The Prophet of Islam married the wife of his adopted son. 4. Most Muslims are confused whether they can change something that was mandated by the Prophet himself. ------- Recently the National Commission for the Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) had castigated the Dar al Ulum Deoband for certain ‘misleading fatwas’ which harm the interest of children. The issue in question is that of adoption wherein the position of NCPCR is different from that of Deoband. Following centuries of legal practice, the Deoband has taken the position that while Muslims couple can adopt, the adopted son or daughter will not be considered as real children. In short, no property rights will devolve on the adopted child. Moreover, when such an adopted child reaches puberty, Islam mandates that proper purdah should be observed between the adopted son and his mother or between the adopted daughter and her father. While the law of the land treats adopted children as real, Islam has a different take on the issue. In 2014, Muslim couples were permitted to adopt by the Supreme Court under the Juvenile Justice Act. But for observant Muslims, this poses a problem as their religion does not make any provision for it. The reasons lie in the life history of Prophet Muhammad who is seen as the perfect manifestation of Islamic faith. Muslims are obliged to follow the path shown by the Prophet. However, Islamic history tells us that the Prophet ended up marrying the wife of his adopted son, Zaid. It appears that before this incident, the Arab society permitted adoption in the fullest sense. But since the Prophetic way became the Sunnah, whatever the Prophet did became the new Islamic norm. And couple of centuries later, it became the Islamic law. Henceforth, Muslims were allowed to care for orphans but could not treat them as their own sons or daughters; far less devolving any property rights on them. The NCPCR is right in highlighting that such rulings from the Deoband seminary infringe on the rights of children. However, there are many other things going on in this country which do the same. The NCPCR, for example, was silent when schools were burnt during the Delhi riots, affecting the fundamental rights of children. In selectively highlighting the regressive opinion of Deoband with regard to adoption, it lends itself to the criticism that it is promoting Islamophobia. And this is what the Students Islamic Organization (SIO) which is the student wing of Jamat e Islami seems to suggest. It accused the NCPCR’s statement as ‘yet another attempt at targeting madrasas and their education by cherry-picking some fatwas and sensationalizing them’. It also stated that fatawa is a personal opinion of religious scholars and none of them carry any legal sanctity or institutional approval. The SIO is also right to argue that Indian Constitution guarantees freedom of religion to minorities. But it overlooks the fact that such freedoms should not transgress the rights of individuals, especially children and women. It is one thing to find fault with the NCPCR for their selectivity but quite another to not recognize that the issue of adoption remains a peculiar problem within the Muslim society. The SIO is doing precisely that: it is putting a veil over the issue so that the problem cannot be discussed openly. Madrasas have been targeted before but accepting this does not mean that everything about these institutions is beyond reproach. Moreover, if there is a fatwa from Deoband, then it carries institutional weight behind it. It is certainly not legally enforceable but we should not forget that millions of Muslims follow it as a statement of Islamic truth. And Deoband is not known for its progressiveness, rather through its fatawa, it has time and again reminded us of its antediluvian mindset. Here are two examples of their fatwa on the issue of adoption: World over, traditional institutions do transform themselves with times. The Christian church was extremely dogmatic during its heydays but today it has accepted even gay marriages as a move towards greater inclusion. But it is a pity to observe that Islamic institutions take special pride in resisting new social and normative changes. The Muslim position on adoption, for example, has not changed for several centuries. Imagine the plight of a Muslim couple who wants to adopt a child but is advised that they can only become its guardians for limited period of time. Imagine the trauma of a Muslim mother or father when they are told to observe purdah from the child that they have brought up since infancy. It is as if the religion itself is incapable of appreciating human sentiments. It is as if the religion of Islam condemns childless couple to have sub-human feelings towards their own children. There is something fundamentally wrong with the way Islamic legal code has been designed. What religion stops human beings from showering love and affection towards their adopted child? What kind of religion would expect that a mother or son could develop a feeling of lust simply because adoption is involved? One might go on arguing that ‘others’ seem to take an unhealthy interest in Islam. But we as Muslims need to recognize that there is something unhealthy indeed about our religious law. And it is only us Muslims who can put a stop to such thinking and practice. Most of us are in a dilemma over changing something that was mandated by the Prophet himself. But then, we need to ask if Islam is all about following the Prophet or is it about a connect with the Almighty? As Muslims, should we be dictated by the contexts and moral standards of 7th century Arabia or should we chart our own contemporary course? ----- A regular columnist with NewAgeIslam.com, Arshad Alam is a writer and researcher on Islam and Muslims in South Asia. URL: https://www.newageislam.com/debating-islam/adoption-muslims-7th-century-law/d/126232 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

26th January, the Republic Day of India: History, Significance and Citizens’ Responsibilities

No Religion, Whether Hindu Or Muslim, Christian Or Jewish, Buddhist Or Sikh, Teaches Us How To Destroy Human Beings Highlights 1. On January 26, 1950, the Indian Constitution which was approved on November 26, 1949, came into effect. 2. The basic rights outlined in the Indian Constitution. 3. The Indian Constitution also imposes on citizens a number of important responsibilities and duties. Following these guidelines and norms is a constitutional requirement for all citizens. 4. It is therefore critically important to evaluate why, despite having a magnificent Indian Constitution, there are often instances in our country that violate it. 5. It is not only the government's responsibility; each citizen must accept personal accountability. .... By Kaniz Fatma, New Age Islam 25 January 2022 After a long struggle, our country, India, gained independence from British dominion in 1947. Since independence, our leaders' greatest challenge has been to design a comprehensive constitution that ensures the security and development of all citizens of our country. As a result, a comprehensive constitution was established, outlining the basic framework of democracy, government institution operations, as well as the scope, powers, and responsibilities, citizens' basic civil rights, and guiding principles and style. On January 26, 1950, India became a democratic country, meaning that its Constitution was applied to its citizens in their own country. On August 29, 1947, a seven-member committee was created under the chairmanship of Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar to formulate an independent Indian constitution. It took 2 years 11 months and 18 days to draft the Indian constitution. In various meetings of the Constituent Assembly, each clause of the constitution was freely debated. The Constituent Assembly of India ratified this constitution on November 26, 1949, and it went into effect on January 26, 1950. Since then, India has been celebrating "Constitution Day," also known as "National Law Day," on November 26th, and Republic Day on January 26th. Since ancient times, our country had served as a crossroads for various cultures and beliefs. As a result, our country required a constitution that would not only define our country's governance style, but also the nature of the government-citizen relationship, as well as the citizens' rights and advantages, as well as their obligations. All citizens have the following six basic rights, which are outlined in our constitution: (1) Right to Equality: No citizen shall be discriminated against because of his or her religion or beliefs, caste, colour, race, or any other reason. (2) Right to Freedom: This means that no citizen has the authority to put any restrictions or interfere with another citizen's gained freedom. This right also includes the right to live in dignity and in accordance with human ideals. (3) Every citizen has the right to be free of exploitation in any manner. (4) The constitution of our country guarantees religious liberty to all citizens. That is, any citizen can follow any religion if he or she so desires and understands it. Any citizen with religious freedom is free to practise any religious ceremony and to refuse religious education or practice. (5) Since time immemorial, our country has been the cradle of various civilizations and cultures, all of which have left their imprint on our history through their own civilizations. As a result, our Indian Constitution has granted all of these residents the right to follow their educational and cultural institutions and customs in order to preserve their civilisation and culture. (6) To protect their constitutional rights, our Constitution also gives all citizens the right to legal action. That is, if a citizen's constitutional rights are violated, he can take legal action. It is also important to note that our constitution provides the right to freedom of expression but at the same time does not allow it to offend the religious sentiments and beliefs of other citizens. The Indian Constitution also imposes on citizens a number of important responsibilities and duties. Following these guidelines and norms is a constitutional requirement for all citizens. Every citizen has a responsibility to respect and abide by the Constitution's regulations, institutions, national flag, and national anthem, as well as to defend Indian sovereignty, unity, and integrity under these provisions. They must respect and encourage a spirit of unity and fraternity among all people of the country without any discrimination, cherish and maintain mixed cultural heritage, defend national and government property, and prevent all forms of violence in the country and society. As specified by our constitution, our country's governance is founded on a democratic system. Our democratic system recognises the importance of religion, and our country's administrations are prohibited from governing on religious grounds by the constitution. Because of the Constitution, which declares that the government has a fundamental responsibility to ensure the protection and respect of all religions and that no person shall be discriminated against in any way because of their faith, our country is recognised as a secular democratic state. No citizen's fundamental rights can be taken away because of their religion or caste. Every citizen is equal before the law, according to the Constitution. Religious and linguistic minorities are protected by the constitution, which grants them the right to form their own educational institutions, preserve their culture, religion, and language, and propagate their religious values freely. Today, it is extremely crucial for all of us to consider what the reasons are for the fact that, despite more than seventy years of independence and the implementation of a free country's constitution, and despite having a detailed constitution, there are always incidents in our country that are against our constitution, against our democracy, against the democracy that we celebrate every year on January 26th. We must consider why violations of civil and constitutional rights have become so widespread in our country. Of course, we must accept that the rights and privileges established in the constitution cannot be attained solely via writing; however, our constitution requires us to make our country and society an awakened and responsible society, as stated in the constitution. Every citizen must consider his or her obligation as a constitutional and social responsibility to respect and safeguard citizens' rights and privileges, as well as to prevent violations of these rights. Every year on January 26th, we raise the national flag of our beloved motherland, but we have yet to be able to stop the hatred that has spread across our society and country. We must think about everything. It is not simply the obligation of the government, but every citizen must recognise his or her own responsibility. This was about the Constitution of India. At the same time, we must understand that no religion, whether Hindu or Muslim, Christian or Jewish, Buddhist or Sikh, teaches us how to destroy human beings. We simply need to modify our mindset; we do not need to misuse religion to justify human hatred. There is no such teaching in the Qur'an or the Vedas that breaches the Indian Constitution. ----- Kaniz Fatma is a classic Islamic scholar and a regular columnist for New Age Islam. URL: https://www.newageislam.com/spiritual-meditations/26th-january-republic-day-india-/d/126231 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

Religious Prejudice And Obsession Of Pakistanis With Religion Have Been The Biggest Hindrance In Their Scientific Progress

By S. Arshad, New Age Islam 24 January 2022 Pakistanis Have Given Less Importance To Science Since The Beginning Main Points: 1. 1.Pakistan Academy of Science has not contributed much to scientific progress in the country. 2. 2.Pakistanis do not get inspiration from non-Muslims scientists. 3. 3.The holy Prophet pbuh asked Muslims to learn even from the Chinese. 4. 5.Pakistani scientist Dr Abdus Salam is ignored in Pakistan due to his religious affiliation. ------ Aversion of Muslims to science is known worldwide. In Pakistan it is witnessed more prominently. Though the country boasts of being a truly Islamic country, it has not appreciated scientific efforts or achievements by citizens or contributed appropriately to the promotion of science. A religious community that has produced great scientists in the Middle Ages, is now empty-handed so far as scientific achievements in Pakistan are concerned. Muslims as a whole have lagged behind in scientific endeavour throughout the world because of their wrong perception of knowledge and because of wrong interpretation of Quranic verses. The Quran time and again asks Muslims to do research work on the creations, on animals, on birds, on stones, on astronomy but the Muslim scholars have made Muslims believe that scientific knowledge is corruptive and it makes Muslims materialistic. Therefore, Muslims in the world collectively drifted away from science in the modern ages. Pakistan could have made some difference in the field of science as it boasts of some high profile scientists who were educated in the Western universities and educational institutions. It produced some scientists like Abdus Salam, Hargobind Khorana and Chandrashekhar but Pakistanis do not consider them role models because of their religious ideology. Hargobind Khurana and Chandrasekhar were educated in Pakistan but were Hindus. Dr Abdus Salam is not considered a Muslim because he belonged to the Ahmadiyya community. Here too, Pakistani mentality is not in accordance with the Islamic spirit as in the initial stages of Islam, the prophet pbuh asked captive Jews to teach one Muslim each for being freed. Islam does not prevent Muslims from learning or obtaining knowledge from non-Muslims. A famous hadiths enjoins Muslims to go as far as China to acquire knowledge. Now in those days China was not a Muslim country but was known as a centre of knowledge and wisdom. Al Beruni, the famous Iranian scientist came to India and learned Indian language to acquire knowledge about sciences. He knew Arabic, Persian, Greek, Hebrew and is known as an Indologist. He known as one of the greatest Muslim scientists and researchers for his zeal to earn knowledge from whatever sources it could be acquired and in this endeavour he truly imbibed the Islamic spirit of pursuing knowledge. According to a nationwide survey of scientific aptitude of primary and middle classes of Pakistan conducted in January 2022, 90 percent of students have very weak understanding of Mathematics and Sciences. This speaks of the poor state of sciences in Pakistan. Though Pakistan Academy of Sciences has been established for the purpose of promoting sciences in Pakistan, it exists only in name and has not contributed much to the promotion of sciences in Pakistan. Prominent Pakistani scientist goes to the extent of saying that PAS should be dissolved because it is good for nothing. The main reason for Pakistan’s backwardness in the field of science and technology is its thrust on religion since its inception. Pakistan was founded on religious lines and Pakistanis boasted in this fact. But soon after its formation, religious scholars and organizations put stress on making Pakistan a Shariah-ruled nation. Since any state claiming to be Islamic cannot ignore the sectarian challenges, Pakistan also became a centre of sectarian violence and different sects within the Muslim community became acrimonious to others. This is the reason, Pakistan could not prosper in the field of science. Today, the common Pakistani Muslim does not have deep interest in sciences. The government also does not have any ambitious programme to promote interest in sciences. Leave alone, appreciating Hindu scientists of Pakistan, they do not appreciate Muslim scientists of India like APJ Abdul Kalam because he was an Indian. Dr Kalam could have been a role model for Pakistani students but for their political bias. In an interview with the BBC, the famous Pakistani scientist Dr Abdul Qadeer had said that Dr APJ Abdul Kalam was an ‘average’ scientist. This political bias of Pakistanis has done them a lot of damage as they cannot take inspiration from anyone who does not ‘belong’ to them. One reason for the backwardness of Pakistan in the field of science is their obsession with religion. There are extremist religious organizations but not private organizations trying to promote scientific thinking and temperament among Pakistanis. Sectarian differences have done the most of the damage as violence, terrorist attacks and sectarian violence have become a daily routine. Despite completing 70 years of its existence, Pakistan has not been able to produce any great scientist worth mention except Dr Abdus Salam while India has made many achievements during this period. The reason for this is that India got brains like Maulana Abul Kalam Azad who formed the initial infrastructure and policy for the promotion of science and technology. India encouraged every one with scientific abilities irrespective of religion and caste to work for the nation. The result was that Muslim scientists like APJ Abdul Kalam made big contributions in the scientific progress of the country. This is not the case with Pakistan. Right from the beginning, religion became the driving force of the national polity and sectarian bias was at the forefront of any policymaking process. Because of the unprofessional attitude of Pakistani bureaucrats, a great Islamic scholar like Muhammad Asad decided to leave Pakistan though he wanted Pakistan to be a truly Islamic country in word and spirit. That Pakistani leaders are more obsessed with religion and with its protection is evident from the new imposed in schools which make it mandatory for students to learn the holy Quran in schools. The law was enforced in huff without any pre-planning. It has left students confused. There are millions of madrasas in Pakistan where Quran, hadith and jurisprudence is taught. And almost all the students studying in modern schools, get education of Quran at home. So, even if the Quran reading was made mandatory, a similar programme for the promotion of interests in sciences among the school students could have been adopted by the government. A study on the poor state of science education in Pakistan revealed that “the examination system emphasized memorisation and ignored the application of concepts. The science course content was lengthy and irrelevant and did not meet international standards. A nation can collectively do research on science and take long term projects only when its society is stable and has a collective scientific and rational temperament. In Pakistani, opposing forces and ideologies pull the nation in opposing directions. Overall, religious, social and political factors have hindered the progress of science and technology in Pakistan. Religious prejudices and bias are at the root of scientific backwardness of Pakistan. Pakistan will need to overcome their religious prejudices and adopt the Quranic attitude of research and inquiry to become a truly modern and scientific society. URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islamic-society/religious-prejudice-obsession-scientific-pakistanis-/d/126227 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

The Verses of Jihad in Quran: Meaning, Reason of Revelation, Context, and Background - Part 13

By Badruddoja Razvi Misbahi, New Age Islam (Translated from Urdu by Newageislam.com) Explaining Verses 33:68, 33:22 And 21:98 Out Of 26 Verses Presented By Wasim Rizvi In Supreme Court Main Points Discussed In Part 13 1. On the Day of Resurrection, those who reject Tawheed and Prophethood will recognize their crimes. 2. The plea mentioned in verse 68 would be made by the polytheists and not by the believers. 3. In Surah Anbiya verse 98, the disbelievers and polytheists of Makkah are addressed. ------ 1. “Our Lord, give them double the punishment and curse them with a great curse." (33:68) 2. “And who is more unjust than one who is reminded of the verses of his Lord; then he turns away from them? Indeed We, from the criminals, will take retribution”. (32:22) 3. “Indeed, you [disbelievers] and what you worship other than Allah are the firewood of Hell. You will be coming to [enter] it.” (21:98) The verse 33:68 [of Surah Ahzaab] is linked to the previous verses, thus we'll explain it alongside verses 33:66 and 33:67. When, on the Day of Resurrection, those who reject Tawheed and Prophethood will be severely punished and their bodies will be flipped upside down in Hell, burned from top to bottom on all sides like flesh in a fire or pot. They will recognize their crimes at that time and will say, “Had we obeyed Allah and His Messenger, we would not have been plagued with this anguish today, and we would not have witnessed this day,” with profound regret and shame. To support their excuse and bolster their justification, they will cry out to their Lord, saying, “Our leaders misled us by disguising the truth with deception, and we fell into their delusion. As a result, O Lord! They are to blame for our misdeeds and blunders. Our sin is that we followed them instead of following your messenger. All of this occurred at their behest, so if we are deserving of this punishment, they are deserving of double punishment. It's also because they went wrong themselves and pushed us into the quagmire of astray. As a result, O Lord! Curse them ferociously!” From the foregoing, it is apparent that the supplication to Allah Almighty in Surah Al-Ahzab verse 68 would not be made by the believers but by the disbelievers and polytheists who obeyed and followed their elders in the earth, and did not believe in Tawheed and Prophethood, despite the fact that they were repeatedly given sermons and reminders. (2) The reward and punishment of faith and disbelief are described in the Quranic verses preceding verse 22 of Surah Sajdah (32), and it is stated that God will give them a taste of the torment in this world before the great torment, i.e. the torment of the Hereafter, so that they may be warned and repent of their disbelief and polytheism by witnessing the evil end with their own eyes. The same thing happened to them. The Quraysh of Makkah were tormented with diseases and hardships prior to the Muslims’ migration, and after the migration, the Quraysh elites were slaughtered in Badr, and they were in such a state of famine for seven years that they ate bones, dead bodies, and even dogs. (see Tafsir-e-Khazainul Irfan under the verse) As we all know, the warning of suffering is mentioned in the verses preceding verse 22 of Surah 32. The rationale for the promise is now clarified in verse 22 of Surah 32: “Why should we not punish them?" Who could possibly be more unjust and guilty than they are? Our scriptures have repeatedly preached and reprimanded them, have repeatedly shown them the road of truth, and have repeatedly defined what truth is and what deception is in new and effective ways. However, they turned away and refused to acknowledge the truth, leaving God with no choice but to exact vengeance and punish them for their crimes, because they are now unquestionably guilty and punishable.” The atheists and polytheists of Makkah are the first recipients of these passages, despite the fact that most of the terms have apparently been used in general. (3) In Surah Anbiya verse 98, the disbelievers and polytheists of Makkah are addressed. Their doom is explicitly indicated in this passage for the sake of exaggeration in warning, thus there can be no excuse left for them. The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) delivered this verse (Al-Anbiya, 21:98) near the Kaaba in front of the Quraysh, according to several commentators. Abdullah ibn Zaba’ri said, “By the Lord of the Kaaba! I will go head-to-head with you! Didn't the Jews worship Ezra; the Christians worship Christ and the Banu Malih worship angels?” By this objection, Ibn Zaba'ri meant to say, “We and our gods shall all enter Hell. Hazrat Ezra, Hazrat Jesus, and the angels [peace be upon them] are also the fuel of Hell and will enter Hell with us because they too have been worshipped”. This is against the truth. To Ibn Zabari's objection, the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “Are you ignorant of the language of your people? Are you aware that the relative pronoun 'maa' [in Arabic] denotes an inanimate [non-living] object)?” (Tafsir Ibn Saud, Vol.6, 85, 86) Some commentators have cited other narrations with regard to the Prophet’s response to Ibn Zaba’ri's objection, but these have been disputed by Ibn Saud, a classical Mufassir. Disbelievers and polytheists in Makkah used to worship idols other than God, whether they thought they were worthy of prostration or worshipped them as a means of getting closer to God. It was polytheism in either case. As a result, this passage states that polytheists and false gods will perish in Hell. They will be Hell's fuel, and every one of them will be forced to enter Hell. Commentators have interpreted the Arabic phrase “Ma Tabadoon [what you worship]” in this verse to signify idols. It excludes Allah's righteous servants (Hazrat Jesus, Hazrat Ezra, and Angels) who were worshipped as a result of Satan’s deception. This is due to the fact that the relative pronoun ‘Maa’ refers to an inanimate [non-living] object. ...... Maulana Badruddoja Razvi Misbahi, Principal of Madrasa Arabia Ashrafia Zia-ul-Uloom Khairabad, District Mau, UP (India) is a Sufi-minded, well-mannered, classical Islamic scholar, an expert teacher, an excellent writer, a good poet and orator. He has authored numerous books, some of which are as follows: 1) Fazilat-e-Ramazan, 2) Zad-ul-Haramain, 3) Mukhzin-e-Tib, 4) Tauzeehat-e-Ahsan, the commentary on the well-known logical book “Mulla Hasan” 5) Muhazarat fi Halle Qutbi Tasawwurat, 6) Tahzib al-Faraid commentary on “Sharh al-Aqaid”, 7) Atayib al-Tahani fi Halle Mukhtasar al-Ma’ani, 8) Commentary on Sahih Muslim Other Parts Of The Articles: The Verses of Jihad: Meaning, Denotation, Reason of Revelation and Background- Part 1 The Verses of Jihad: Meaning, Denotation, Reason of Revelation and Background- Part 2 The Verses of Jihad: Meaning, Denotation, Reason of Revelation and Background- Part 3 The Verses of Jihad- Meaning, Denotation, Reason of Revelation and Background- Part 4 The Verses of Jihad in The Quran - Meaning, Denotation, Reason of Revelation and Background - Part 5 The Verses of Jihad in The Quran - Meaning, Denotation, Reason of Revelation and Background - Part 6 The Verses of Jihad in Quran: Meaning, Reason of Revelation, Context and Background - Part 7 The Verses of Jihad in Quran: Meaning, Reason of Revelation, Context and Background - Part 8 The Verses of Jihad in Quran: Meaning, Reason of Revelation, Context and Background - Part 9 The Verses of Jihad in Quran: Meaning, Reason of Revelation, Context and Background - Part 10 The Verses of Jihad in Quran: Meaning, Reason of Revelation, Context and Background - Part 11 The Verses Of Jihad In Quran: Meaning, Reason Of Revelation, Context, And Background - Part 12 URL: https://www.newageislam.com/debating-islam/verses-jihad-quran-revelation-part-13/d/126222 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

'All Faith Traditions And Their Various Denominations Can Lead One To The Same Ultimate Reality," Assert Islamic Theologians In Hamdard Seminar

By Ghulam Rasool Dehlvi, New Age Islam 23 January 2022 Pluralism Is A Spiritual Path Which Shows That There Is Not Only One Way To Eternal Salvation Main Points: 1. Proponents of pluralism believe that all faith traditions and their various denominations can lead one to the same Ultimate Reality…. 2. Viewed from an Indian perspective, pluralism is a spiritual path which shows that there is not only one way to eternal salvation…. 3. The question emerges: Is Islamic theology in India ready for religious pluralism? 4. The department of Islamic Studies in Jamia Hamdrad organized an international seminar to address key questions on pluralism in Islam from the Indian perspective. 5. Several HoDs of the Islamic Studies departments in various Indian universities have expressed their determination to hold more seminars on such important topics. ---- The Pluralism Project of Harvard University defines pluralism as “dialogue-based and focused on the energetic engagement with diversity, an active seeking of understanding across lines of difference, and the encounter of commitments”. The proponents of pluralism believe that all faith traditions and their various denominations can lead one to the same Ultimate Reality—which is Unity of the Divine and Oneness of Mankind—which is interpreted differently by diverse religions and theological traditions, and that no single religion is the sole proprietor of the Divine Truth. In other words, the “Truth is One, and the Wise call it by many names”, as a famous shloka goes in Rig Veda Samhita (1.164. 46). Viewed from an Indian perspective, pluralism is a spiritual path which shows that there is not only one way to eternal salvation. But rather, various religions have been revealed in various times and geographical locations as different paths to the same Ultimate Reality. According to this definition of pluralism, Islam in India came as one of the many, and not just one, ways to achieve eternal salvation. It came as a spiritual path to develop close personal relationship with the Divine, rather than an ideology of political dominion. This rendition of pluralism also calls for an interreligious scriptural dialogue based on the shared values, theological cooperation, and spiritual symbiosis by not just tolerating but also respecting and accepting the ‘otherness’ of others. Thus, religious pluralism, going by this definition, would imply an intellectual project to bring about not just integration but also assimilation of various faith traditions in India. It appears to be not only a matter of peaceful coexistence and toleration but more of an amalgamation and accommodation of each other’s traditions. Now, the question emerges: Is Islamic theology in India ready for religious pluralism in this sense? Are the Indian Islamic theologians open to accept and accentuate the theological pluralism which eliminates the possibility of a specific, historical divine revelation being the only supreme source of guidance? More fundamental question is: If pluralism is the right way to live in the 21st century, then why can Islam not reconcile with the primal doctrines of the major world religions—especially the Indian-origin faith traditions? These questions become more relevant in the context of the composite culture in India where Islam and Hinduism—the two apparently irreconcilable religions— have lived together for almost 14 centuries, with an increasingly strained relations recently due to a volatile political atmosphere. In a first of its kind academic endeavor, the department of Islamic Studies in Jamia Hamdrad, a deemed university in Delhi, organized an international seminar/webinar seeking to address these key questions on pluralism in Islam from the prism of India. Two-day international seminar titled as, "Islam and Pluralism: An Indian Perspective" organized by the Department of Islamic Studies, Jamia Hamdard concluded with a stimulating valedictory session on 20th January, 2022. Around five technical sessions of the seminar were aimed at highlighting the common grounds between Islam and other Indian religions in particular, and the Semitic and non-Semitic faith traditions in general. In the opening ceremony, the chief guest of the seminar, Dr Ahmad Abdur Rahman Al Banna (Ambassador of UAE to India) greatly appreciated the initiative by the department of Islamic studies of Jamia Hamdard and its venture to foster interfaith harmony and understanding in the academic arena. After he extended his congratulations to the organizers of the Seminar and his best wishes and compliments for its future efforts towards interreligious dialogue, Dr Al Banna shed light on the ambitions and efforts of UAE to promote pluralism and progressive values in the Gulf countries, which he said, are setting an example to emulate for other Muslim nations. Other important speakers in the inaugural session included prominent Indian Islamic scholars like Prof. Abdul Ali (former HoD of the Islamic studies department of Aligarh Muslim University), Maulana Khalid Saifullah Rahmani (General Secretary, All India Muslim Personal Law Board) and Dr. Arshad Hussain (HoD of the department of Islamic studies, Jamia Hamdard) along with Prof. Syed Mehartaj Begum, Dean, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Jamia Hamdard and Prof. M. Afshar Alam, Vice Chancellor of Jamia Hamdard who delivered the Special Address and Presidential Address respectively. Around sixty papers were presented in different technical sessions running on parallel for two days in which different aspects of the subject were concisely covered. The papers presented in the seminar will be published by the department of Islamic studies of Jamia Hamdard, according to the seminar convenor, Dr Waris Mateen Mazhari, Assistant Professor of Islamic studies, Jamia Hamdard. Apart from a considerable number of distinguished paper presenters from within the country, a gamut of scholars and ulema from abroad also took part in the various sessions of the seminar. These included Dr. Omair Anas (Turkey) on "Islam and Plural Societies", Dr. SherAli Tareen (USA) on "Political sovereignty and interreligious relations", Shaykh Dr. Fakhruddin Owaisi (South Africa) on "Islamic Pluralism in India: Motivations and Background", Mr. Mohammad Afzal (London) on "Relations between Muslims and Non-Muslims in the Prophetic Era and the Rightly Guided Caliphate Period", Mr. Mohammad Seraj Ahsan (Turkey) on "Significance of MultiCulturalism in Peace Building and Conflict Resolution in Globalized World: An Analytical Study of Islamic Perspective", Dr.Talha Rehman (UAE) on "Democracy, Pluralism and the Role of Islam in India". A set of selected papers in this international seminar which were presented in Urdu and English in five parallel sessions, were titled as follows: "Pluralism in Islam and the Philosophy of Coexistence" by Dr. Sumaiyah Ahmed (Jamia Hamdard), Maulana Qasim Nanautavi and Inter-religious Dialogue: A Critical Study" by Dr. Mohamamd Ajmal (JNU), "The Concept of Islamic Pluralism from the Indian Perspective" by Dr. Waris Matin Mazhari (Jamia Hamdard), Half-widows: Shifting Identities of Kashmiri women “Islamic Pluralism in context of the principles of Jurisprudence for minorities” by Miss. Nida Fatima (Jamia Hamdard), "Hindu-Muslim Religious Commonalities: A Study of Gilani’s Treatise Islam aur Hindumat ki b‘az Mushtarika T‘alimāt" by Mr. Abdussalam Nadir (AMU), "The role of Muslim scholars and intellectuals in strengthening multi-religious society" by Maulana Manzar Imam (JMI), "Democratic Pluralism in India: Past and Present" by Ms. Quratul Aein (Kashmir University), "Security and Peace in Multicultural Society: The Islamic Perspective" by Dr. Abdur Rahman (JNU), "Plural Society of Mecca: A Study of the Biography of the Prophet of Islam" by Mr. Mohd. Abdul Bari (AMU), "Safeguarding Human Dignity & Rights in Indian Pluralistic Society: An Islamic Perspective" by Mr. Mohammad Furqan (JMI), "A Comparative Study of Sufism and Bhakti Movement with Special Reference to Moinuddin Chishti and Kabir Das" by Ms. Rukhshanda Shaheen (AMU), "An Analytical Study of Jalaluddin Akbar’s Policy of Pluralism" by Ms. Darakhshan (Jamia Hamdard), "The possibility and impossibility of religious pluralism in Islam: A Study of Nizamuddin Auliya and Ahmad Raza Khan" by Mr. Mohammad Ali (Jamia Millia Islamia), The Millet System: Pluralistic Approach of the Ottoman Caliphate" by Dr. Saifudheen Kunjus (Univ.of Madras), "Islam and United Nations on Universal Declaration on Human Dignity: A Comparative Study" by Dr. Tanjeel Ahmed (AMU), “Muslim Understanding of Indian Religions—Academic Approaches!” by Prof. Hamidullah Marazi (Kashmir University), “Migration to Abyssinia: A Role Model for Muslims in the Multi-religious Societies” by Dr. Mohd Arshad (Jamia Millia Islamia) and “The Theological Pluralism in India: A Perspective of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad” by Mr. Ghulam Rasool (Jamia Millia Islamia University). A few of the above paper presenters have also expressed their views and reflections on the conclusion of the seminar, as follows: Dr. SherAli Tareen (Associate Professor, Religious Studies, Franklin and Marshall College) who recently authored "Defending Muḥammad in Modernity", sent across his feedback in these words: "Many congratulations to all organizers and presenters for a wonderful conference on an urgently important topic......" Another scholar and participant in the seminar, Dr. Ziauddin Falahi (Aligarh Muslim University) who presented his paper on "Relevance of Interfaith Dialogue: A Study of Tabeenul Kalam" appreciated the initiative as below: "Congratulations to all the Islamic Studies fraternity. The Department of Islamic Studies Jamia Hamdard, Delhi deserves our special thanks that led our attention to a very timely foundation of the thought process of Pluralism. As sincere citizens, we should perspire ourselves to save the country on research grounds....." Many participants and paper presenters like Dr. Sumaiyah Ahmed (Jamia Hamdard) stressed the need to compile all the presidential addresses along with the observations and comments on the seminar. According to Dr. Najmus Sahar, the seminar coordinator, the papers of the seminar will be published in a book at the earliest possible. The valedictory session was addressed by Prof. Iqtdar Muhammad Khan (Jamia Millia Islamia) and Prof. Fahim Akhtar Nadvi (Maulana Azad Urdu University, Hyderabad). Prof. Iqtdar Mohammad Khan termed this initiative as the urgent need of the time and discussed various aspects of the subject. He lauded the Seminar as the glorious beginning of healthy debates and discourses on the theme, and laid greater emphasis on the need for an intra-faith dialogue for ‘pluralism within Islam’ which he said, is more crucial at the moment. Prof. Faheem Akhtar, while giving a very comprehensive analytical commentary on the papers presented in the seminar, pointed out the areas which need to be the focus of attention for the Islamic scholars. He said that this seminar is an important model for other seminars organized by the departments of Islamic Studies. Dr. Muhammad Ahmad Naeemi (Jamia Hamdrad) whose paper was presented in Urdu under the title, “An Analysis of the Common Grounds and Values between Islam and Hinduism” presented the report of the seminar. Prof. Mehrtaj Begum, Dean, School of Humanities and Social Sciences and Dr. Arshad Hussain, Head of the Department, expressed their determination to hold more seminars on such important intellectual topics. ------ A regular columnist with NewAgeIslam.com Ghulam Rasool Dehlvi is an Alim and Fazil (a classical Islamic scholar). Having graduated from a leading Islamic seminary of India, Jamia Amjadia Rizvia (Mau, U.P.), he is now pursuing his PhD from Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi. URL: https://www.newageislam.com/interfaith-dialogue/faith-traditions-islamic-theologians-hamdard-seminar/d/126221 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

What Happened To Hilm (Forbearance) In Public Discourse?

By Junaid Jahangir, New Age Islam 23 January 2022 Consider For Instance How The Topic Of Ahmadis Riles Conservative Pakistanis, And The Issue Of Male Circumcision Rankles Progressive Muslims Main Points: 1. With the advent of social media there is no dearth of spaces where individuals can engage in conversations on myriad topics 2. Social media elicits caustic attitudes. 3. People don’t show the same grace that they expect of others. ----- With the advent of social media there is no dearth of spaces where individuals can engage in conversations on myriad topics. While this allows people to share ideas, it also elicits caustic attitudes. This happens across the left-right, socialist-capitalist, and atheist-religious spectrums of worldviews. Social media users spend less time understanding others and more time preaching soundbites, trolling others, feeling offended, or labelling others if they refuse to acquiesce to their worldview. Often people don’t show the same grace that they expect of others. And this happens in both the conservative and progressive circles of Muslims. In both spaces there is a stark absence of Hilm (forbearance), which refers to a disposition based on patience and the control of one’s anger. Consider for instance how the topic of Ahmadis riles conservative Pakistanis, and the issue of male circumcision rankles progressive Muslims. Conservative Pakistanis In response to my recent article on the institutionalized prejudice against Ahmadis, some Pakistanis left laughing emojis, others questioned highlighting “irrelevant issues”, and the moderators of a Pakistani platform blocked the article to keep their community “safe”. To laugh or mock and then to reject any thoughtful discussion on the persecution of a vulnerable minority is their prerogative. But it is also the hallmark of a people who wish to remain ignorant of uncomfortable truths or who wreak oppression on others but claim perpetual victimhood for themselves. Come to think of it, the Ahmadi issue is much ado about nothing. Based on their sources, Ahmadis believe in the return of the promised Messiah and justify it based on their reading of the Qur’anic verses and Hadith texts. In contrast, mainstream Muslims read the Qur’anic texts differently and reject the Hadith texts and the corpus of Sufi beliefs that substantiate Ahmadi beliefs. The faith of both mainstream Muslims and Ahmadis is missionary and they take the rejection of their doctrine or promised Messiah seriously. What should have been a simple difference of opinion, has instigated insecure conservative Pakistanis to rationalize their discrimination. However, even if conservative Pakistanis reject Ahmadi beliefs as heretical, there is enough scope in Islamic literature for radical inclusion. For instance, verse 4:94 of the Qur’an admonishes that “do not say to one who gives you [a greeting of] peace 'You are not a believer”. There is the Hadith that admonishes calling someone who recites the Kalima (Muslim testimonial) a Kafir. In a similar vein, Abu Hanifa (d. 767) taught that a statement comprising of 99% of disbelief but only 1% of belief would still not amount to Kufr (apostasy). Likewise, Khawaja Mir Dard’s (d. 1785) opined that someone cannot be called a Kafir even if he follows novel beliefs in most matters. Focusing exclusively on personalities revered in Pakistan, Iqbal argued that Turkey remained Muslim despite rejecting many Islamic practices, based only on allegiance to the Kalima (Muslim testimonial), and expressed a radical narrative that just confessing the unity of God was sufficient to be Muslim. Similarly, Jinnah, accepted Ahmadis as part of the Muslim League, and when pressed upon their Muslim identity, firmly stated that, “what right have I to declare a person non-Muslim when he claims to be a Muslim”? In short, instead of showing Hilm, conservative Pakistanis aggressively lash out at opposing viewpoints. Progressive Muslims The same holds true for progressive Muslims, whose primary affiliation is to western framework of rights than to Islamic principles and worldview. I observed this in a recent discussion by some progressive Muslims who were offended by the idea of male circumcision as it went against the consent of the child. In their group, they lashed out against mainstream Muslim commenters, mocked them, and rode their “moral” high horse in contempt. The same dynamics that one observes in judgmental conservative spaces were at play here. Apart from consent, the concerns in such spaces usually revolve around the perceived diminished pleasure from lack of foreskin. Such viewpoints abound in western spaces where sometimes naked men walk in Pride Parades to assert their rights against male circumcision. Of course, some progressive Muslims are inspired by activism that chiefly rests on issues of rights and consent. However, Islam is clear that male circumcision is one of the sunnah practices on tatheer (cleanliness). It is a practice that rests on tawatur (broad authentication) from Abrahamic times and like the prohibition of pork, has been upheld through general Muslim practice. It is also a practice like dietary restriction that binds a community through stigma or sacrifice. The western understanding of “consent” here is as limited as it is to tribal customs and practices on piercings, anointments, and rites of passage. Just as foisting western values on such tribes would be viewed through the lens of cultural colonialism, the same would apply for general Muslim and Jewish practices. Apart from cleanliness, some allude to the benefits of reduced probability of STIs. This does not mean that circumcision completely eradicates the probability of acquiring an infection, but it diminishes the odds. Indeed, in their popular book Super Freakonomics, the authors indicate how circumcision helped reduce HIV transmission as other policy changes reached their limits. One can understand this in the age of COVID, as vaccines do not reduce the likelihood of contracting the virus to zero but substantially reduce the odds of acquiring severe disease. However, several progressive Muslims do not buy such medical claims on the benefits of circumcision as “proofs”, even as scientific advancement rests less on proofs and more on preponderance of evidence. Generally, such individuals argue that people can spend extra time for cleanliness instead of circumcision. However, behavioural change is quite difficult, which is noted through observing how people don’t change their habits on being environmentally conscious despite policy incentives. Consider the many people who do not wash their hands as they leave the washroom. As documented in Super Freakonomics, this has included medical doctors in the U.S., who of all people should know better. To conclude, like conservative Pakistanis, progressive Muslims do not hold space for opposing ideas with Hilm. Just as conservatives are confined by their worldview where any opposing doctrinal view is heresy, progressives are shaped by their worldview where Islamic practices are rejected based on current popular worldviews. I have found individuals from both groups to be scathingly judgmental. There is neither religious grace nor humility here. Maulana Wahiduddin Khan captures it well: “There are only two types of men who can keep their balance when under critical fire. The first is the one who fears God … If the criticism is meant to belittle him, it does not matter to him, as he has already accepted his humble position. The other type of man who does not react to criticism is the one with a scientific temperament. … His attention becomes focused on the truth of the matter and not on hurtful comments. A strong reaction to criticism only proves that a man is devoid of piety and has no true academic leanings. If such a man is criticized, he presumably deserves it.” ------ Junaid Jahangir is an Assistant Professor of Economics at MacEwan University. He is the co-author of Islamic Law and Muslim Same-Sex Unions. With Dr. Hussein Abdullatif, a paediatric endocrinologist in Alabama, he has co-authored several academic papers on the issue of same-sex unions in Islam. He contributed this article to NewAgeIslam.com. URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islam-tolerance/hilm-forbearance-public-discourse/d/126218 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

Texas Synagogue: Malik Faisal Akram Is Another Frustrated Muslim Who Thinks He Can Destroy All The Jews And Americans Alone

New Age Islam Staff Writer 22 January 2022 Be it Faisal Shahzad of Pakistan or Malik Faisal Akram of Britain, the Muslim youth from East to West are becoming more and more indoctrinated in extremist ideology blaming the Jews and Americans for all their plight realizing little that a community of only 1% population cannot do damage to a community spread in more than 55 countries with wealth, man force and mineral resources. Malik Faisal Akram, it seems, had been taught that the Jews had captured power not only in America but wielded influence in the most part of the world. And the way he could finish them, he might have been told, was enter a synagogue in his country and kill the rabbi and some Jews. He did not realize that his action would only tarnish the image of Islam and Muslims. He seems to be indoctrinated by the Al Qaida or other extremist organizations who brainwash Muslim youth in conducting lone wolf operations against the Jews and the Americans. He would have done Islam a great service if he had preached the youth of his age the true messages of the Quran, the message of brotherhood, compassion and peaceful co-existence. He died a miserable death without contributing anything good to the society. Malik Faisal Akram’s act is the result of extremist sermons delivered in mosques in the US and other European countries where the Christians, the Jews and the government are presented as the enemies of the Muslims. ------ How Anti-Semitic Conspiracy Theories Contributed To The Recent Hostage-Taking At The Texas Synagogue Main Points: 1. The terrorist believed that Jews had captured power in the US, 2. He thought by killing a rabbi, he could do a lot of damage to the Jews. 3. He had been fed with the propaganda that one percent Jew population was at the root of all the ills faced by the Muslims of the world ----- By Jonathan D. Sarna January 20, 2022 The man who took a rabbi and three congregants hostage in Colleyville, Texas, on Jan. 15, 2022, believed that Jews control the United States of America. He told his hostages, as one revealed in a media interview, that Jews “control the world” and that they could use their perceived power to free Aafia Siddiqui, a Pakistani convicted in 2010 for trying to kill American soldiers and plotting to blow up the Statue of Liberty. The hostage-taker also demanded to speak to New York’s Central Synagogue rabbi, Angela Buchdahl, so that she would use her “influence” to help get Siddiqui released. Law enforcement officials outside Congregation Beth Israel synagogue on Jan. 15, 2022, in Colleyville, Texas. AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez ------ By invoking Jewish “power,” the gunman, later identified as Malik Faisal Akram, a 44-year-old British national, seemed to echo Siddiqui’s antisemitic views that Jews were responsible for the 9/11 terrorist attacks and had infiltrated American political and nongovernmental organizations. During her 2010 trial in New York, Siddiqui demanded Jews be excluded from serving on her jury. As a scholar of Jewish history, I know that myths concerning “Jewish power,” “control” and “conspiracy” have circulated in America since before the Civil War and continue until today. They provide a simple, albeit imaginary, explanation for bewildering social changes that people find hard to explain and confront. Anti-Semitic Literature As immigration brought Jews in larger numbers to America’s shores, particularly from Russia, one of the first overtly anti-Semitic books ever published in the United States, Telemachus Thomas Timayenis’ 1888 book, “The American Jew: An Exposé of His Career” warned darkly that Jews had “acquired a hold on this country such as they never secured on any nation in Europe.” Actually, Jews comprised much less than 1% of the population at that time. Still, Timayenis, seen as the “the father of anti-Semitic publishing in America,” claimed that they controlled Wall Street, the clothing and tobacco trades, politics, journalism and more. Timayenis and his anti-Semitic books were largely forgotten for almost a century. Now, however, they are readily available through the internet. A republication of one of his books carries a preface by J.B. Stoner, a neo-Nazi convicted of the 1958 bombing of Bethel Church in Birmingham, Alabama. “The Jews are embarked upon a plan to conquer the world and to rule over all other races and nations,” it says. “By understanding the evil and aggressive nature of the Jew, we White Christians can better protect ourselves … It is our duty to publish this book for the benefit of the White Aryan Race in America and throughout the world,” it continues. Protocols And Conspiracy Theories The Rothschild family has long been the target of conspiracy theorists. Baron Guy de Rothschild (center) with his son David (left) and lawyer M.E. Izard at the Palace of Justice in Paris on May 24, 1969. AP Photo/Cardenas ----- In the 20th century, the publication that did the most to disseminate the myth of a Jewish conspiracy to control the world was the forgery known as The Protocols of the Elders the Zion.” Described by the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum as “the most notorious and widely distributed antisemitic publication of modern times,” the work first appeared in Russia as part of a disinformation propaganda campaign by Russian monarchists to prop up the embattled Tsar Nicholas II. Subsequently, the forgery went through numerous translations and adaptations reaching every corner of the globe. Its explosive allegations influence people to this day. The Protocols purport to be the minutes of late 19th-century meetings attended by world Jewish leaders, the “Elders of Zion,” keen to take over the world. They set forth different stages of the supposed behind-the-scenes Jewish plan for global conquest: everything from manipulating the economy and controlling the press to promoting liberalism and pornography. They even articulate an ultimate goal: to reestablish the line of King David and anoint “the King of the Jews.” The Protocols form a classic conspiracy theory. The work provides a compelling, easy-to-understand explanation that connects a wide range of disparate phenomena roiling society. Nothing happens by accident, the Protocols and all conspiracy theories insist, and things seldom are what they seem. Conspiracy theorists believe that powerful controlling forces – in this case, the Jews – shape and manipulate events behind the scenes. Believing Imaginary Conspiracies Precisely because they offer a simple explanation – “the Jews are responsible” – and flatter believers into thinking they possess secret knowledge others lack, conspiracy theories like the Protocols are notoriously difficult to disprove. After all, individual Jews, much like their non-Jewish counterparts, may well have engaged in some of the activities the Protocols and similar conspiracy theories describe. And the phenomena recounted – social, economic, political and cultural changes transforming the world – are certainly real enough. For many conspiracy-minded folks, that is usually validation enough. Beyond the Protocols, a wide range of other conspiracy theories involving Jews have circulated over the past century. The great automaker Henry Ford, influenced in part by the “Protocols of the Elders of Zion,” devoted extensive resources in the 1920s to proving that the “international Jew” was the “world’s foremost problem,” responsible for perceived ills that ranged, in his view, from urbanization to the modern music and dance that he hated. Under intense economic and legal pressure, Ford publicly apologized in 1927 “for resurrecting exploded fictions, for giving currency to … gross forgeries, and for contending that the Jews have been engaged in a conspiracy.” Yet Ford’s “The International Jew” ” remains available for purchase around the world, and many still download it from the internet and take it seriously. Conspiracy theorists targeted the Rothschilds, famed European Jewish bankers, as well. Niles Weekly Register, perhaps the most widely circulated magazine of its time, reported in 1835 that “the descendants of Judah” held Europe “in the hollow of their hands.” It ascribed particular power to the Rothschild banking family which, it claimed, “govern a Christian world – not a cabinet moves without their advice.” Almost 200 years later, echoes of the “Rothschild myth” live on in Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene’s infamous 2018 post alleging that Rothschild-owned Jewish space lasers set California’s forest fires in order to clear out land for a lucrative high-speed rail line. In recent years, George Soros, a Hungarian-born American billionaire investor and philanthropist of Jewish origin, has been blamed like the Rothschilds for a host of what the extreme far right perceive to be society’s ills. These conspiracy theories falsely attribute to Soros the anti-Trump protests, refugee problems in Europe and the Black Lives Matter movement, among other trends. Believing Imaginary Conspiracies Anti-Catholic, anti-Masonic, anti-Mormon and anti-Muslim conspiracy theories have likewise attracted legions of followers worldwide. In the Islamist circles from which Aafia Siddiqui and the gunman who took hostages in Colleyville sprang, however, the favourite conspiratorial target remains the Jews. Attacks on “Jews,” “Jewish power” and the supposed Zionist control of America are commonplace. The reason has almost nothing to do with real Jews and a great deal to do with a phenomenon that historian David Brion Davis noticed some 60 years ago: : In environments shaken by “bewildering social change,” people find “unity and meaning by conspiring against imaginary conspiracies.” Source: How Anti-Semitic Conspiracy Theories Contributed To The Recent Hostage-Taking At The Texas Synagogue URL: https://www.newageislam.com/radical-islamism-jihad/texas-synagogue-malik-faisal-akram-jews-americans/d/126215 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

A Major Paradigm Shift In Madrasa Education Policy Needed

Maulana Arshad Madani Should First Modernize Madrasas Affiliated Under Darul Uloom Main Points: 1. Maulana Arshad Madani stressed the need to teach Muslims modern sciences. 2. Madrasas have not benefitted from government’s madrasa modernization schemes. 3. Madrasas have always opposed any modernization move. 4. Jamiat-e-Ulema Hind grants scholarships to minority students for technical education. 5. Maulana Madani says successive governments prevented Muslims from education. 6. Successive governments did not stop Muslims from establishing madrasas. ---- By New Age Islam Staff Writer 22 January 2022 Jamiat-e-Ulema Hind has announced scholarships worth crores of rupees for needy minority students taking up professional courses. Students applying for engineering, medical, journalism or any other technical professional courses would be eligible for these scholarships provided they have acquired 70 per cent marks in the previous year’s examination. The Jamiat headed by Maulana Arshad Madani had granted scholarships to minority students previous year as well. Giving the details about the scholarships, Maulana Arshad Madani also stressed the need for promoting modern education among the minority especially among the Muslims. He said that the kind of ideological battle that has been waged in the country can only be fought not with any weapon or technology but with modern education. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Also Read: Madrasa Education is a Clear Violation of the Human Rights of Children: Sultan Shahin asks UNHRC to make Muslim Countries Stick to their Pious Declarations ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Putting all the blame for the educational backwardness of Muslims since the independence on the successive governments, Maulana Arshad Madani said that all the governments after the independence kept Muslims deprived of education according to a predetermined policy and Sachar Committee put a seal on this truth. The report says that Muslims lag behind even Dalits in education. He asked, This happened automatically or did the Muslims commit suicide?” He said that the governments had realized that if Muslims had progressed in educational field they would capture power. Therefore, the governments kept Muslims away from education. He stressed the need to establish such schools and colleges that produce doctors and engineers and where Muslim students can also acquire religious education. He advised Muslims to establish more and more schools and colleges for providing modern education to Muslims. Maulana Arshad Madani said that the community needs both hafiz and Ulema and doctors and engineers. He gave the information that for that purpose his organization had established B.Ed. college, Degree College and schools for Muslim boys and girls and ITI’s in different states. It is to be noted that the scholarships are being granted by Maulana Hussain Ahmad Madani Charitable Trust (M.H.A. Madani Charitable Trust) and not by the Darul Uloom Deoband of whom Maulana Arshad Madani is an important part. Darul Uloom Deoband was established by the elders Maulana Qasim Nanautawi and his aides in the late 19th century (30 May 1866) for providing only religious education to the Muslims of undivided India. Sir Syed Ahmad Khan had established Aligarh Muslim University in 1875 only because Darul Uloom Deoband had excluded science subjects from its curriculum. Even now, despite realising the importance of sciences, the Madrasas in India have not agreed to modernize. They have not implemented the governments schemed SPQEM and SPEMM for introducing modern subjects in madrasas. Under this scheme, the governments will pay the salary of Rs 6000 to 12000 to the teachers of modern subjects teaching in madrasas but for that the madrasas would need to register with the Educational Boards of the state and the salary of teachers would be paid through banks. Many few madrasas registered under this scheme as the scheme was voluntary. Madrasa authorities opposed government’s madrasa modernization schemes on the pretext that it would lead to unnecessary interference of the government in the minority institutions. If that was the fear, then the Madrasas would have taken up their own modernization programme and introduced modern subjects in madrasa education curriculum. Nobody stopped them from doing that. But here the real obstacle was ideological and not political. A large section of madrasa scholars are of the view that introducing modern subjects into madrasa curriculum would wean away madrasas from their true spirit and so modern sciences should not be added to the madrasa curriculum. They believed and circulated this belief that Duniyawi Uloom (worldly sciences) are not part of an Islamic education system and so they should not be included in madrasa educational curriculum. Only Deeni Uloom( religious sciences) should be taught in madrasas. During the initial period of Islam there was not demarcation of religious sciences and modern sciences or worldly sciences and so madrasas would teach both Quran and hadith and jurisprudence along with physics, chemistry, biology and mathematics and as a result great Muslim scientists were produced by these madrasas. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Also Read: Evolution of Hadith Sciences and Need for Major Paradigm Shift in Role of Hadith Corpus and Scope of Madrasa Education ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ But after the spread of British Empire, somehow the wrong belief that the English education will corrupt the faith of the Muslims strengthened among the Muslims and so the modern sciences believed to be akin to the British or Christian education was opposed. This happened in India when Darul Uloom Deoband was established with the sole purpose of saving Indian Muslims from the modern education that the British government was promoting. After the establishment of Darul Uloom, Sir Syed establish Anglo Mohammadan Oriental College which later became Aligarh Muslim University with the sole purpose of providing modern education to the Muslims to enable them to compete in the modern world. The ulema of his time even issued fatwas of kufr against him for promoting modern education among the Muslims. And this perception has not changed among the Madrasa educationists yet who do not want to include modern sciences in madrasa curriculum. While stressing the need to equip Muslims with modern education, Maulana Arshad Madani skipped the issue of madrasa modernization. He asked Muslims to establish colleges and schools for Muslims where both religious and modern education would be provided to students, he did not say whether Darul Uloom Deoband was going to modernize itself. Therefore, the views expressed by Maulana Arshad Madani were of the head of M.H.A. Madani Charitable Trust and not of the spokesman of Darul Uloom Deoband. If the Darul Uloom Deoband had included modern sciences in its curriculum soon after the independence, the madrasas in India would have been the centres of quality education as millions of Muslim students studied in madrasas. They came out with the knowledge of hifz, jurisprudence but did not have knowledge of modern sciences. The Quran enjoins on Muslims to study sciences and do research in scientific fields but these scholars of the Quran and Islam circulated the belief that Islam discourages worldly sciences or modern sciences. This promoted an anti-science mentality among the Muslims. Since, Maulana Arshad Madani has realized, though belatedly, the need to equip Muslims with modern education; he may make a move for the modernization of madrasas affiliated under Darul Uloom Deoband. Many modern and liberal educationists of India have already established modern Islamic educations where both Islamic and modern education is provided to the Muslim students. But as leaders of the Muslim community, Darul Uloom lagged in this field of knowledge. And even though Maulana Arshad Madani makes a progressive statement, he makes it not from the platform of Darul Uloom but from the platform of an NGO. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Also Read: RESTRUCTURING MADRASA EDUCATION: Muslim Opponents of India’s 'Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act' are Enemies of Indian Muslims ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ This is time instead of blaming the governments for the educational backwardness of Muslims in India, the Muslims understood that the governments did not stop them from establishing modern schools in every town and village. The successive governments did not stop Muslims from establishing madrasas and producing hafiz, qari and jurisprudents. This is only an alibi to hide the prejudice of Muslim scholars that cost Muslims of independent India dearly. URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islamic-society/madrasa-education-policy-darul-uloom/d/126214 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