MY COMMENTS (IN BLUE) AT THE END
- Islam is a religion and a system of government.
- Yes, this is true, but which religion and which government?
- Is it enough to always say that Islam is the solution?
- Without knowing how and by what mechanism?
- The greatest misfortune that has befallen contemporary Muslims is that their preachers have turned to “sloganeering,” as if chanting slogans has become part of their way of life.
- Islam is justice, equality, freedom and independence, which are values that these advocates were totally unable to translate into reality, even when they were at the height of their political power in Tunisia, Sudan, Algeria and Egypt.
The problem with those who live by slogans is that they say one thing and do another that is completely different from reality.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s Turkey, for example, claims to adhere to the teachings of the Islam of Prophet Mohammed, which call for justice, equality, freedom and Islamic brotherhood. Nevertheless, Turkey is in fact closer to secular nationalist Kemalism than to pure Islamic morals. It does not adhere to the simplest rules of Islam which encourage love according to the honourable Prophetic hadith, which says "None of you believes until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself", and therefore hates for his brother what he hates for himself.
Does Erdogan love the Kurds the way he loves his own kind? Of course not. When the Kurds are not allowed to contemplate the formation of their nation-state, one similar to Turkey or any other country in the world and are prevented from exercising the natural human rights with which God has endowed them, then this deviates from the teachings of Islam and the hadiths of the Prophet.
The same is true for the Islamic Republic of Iran.
This deceptive duplicity in dealing with Islam and trying to embody it on the ground in this distorted fashion is what has brought the reputation and prestige of Muslims and their countries to the bottom and kept them away from participating in determining and deciding the fate of the world, even when it is on the brink of disaster.
Thus, Islam has lost the most important and greatest of its goals for which the Prophet himself vowed to strive, which is to “save humanity” from destruction. Instead, it turned into a heavy burden.
The desired Islamic system which we always advocate and try to establish is a mirror of the religion we embrace, or it is supposed to be. If our perception of religion is distorted and impractical, it is impossible to establish it as a system of government of any kind on the ground or if it is established, it is bound to fall.
And if we see power before anything else, whether through military coups, terrorist operations or even through democratic mechanisms, with the intent of then applying Islamic teachings and imposing them on others as a fait accompli, according to the Machiavellian saying “the end justifies the means,” as most Islamist movements, especially in the Arab world, do, then this would be nothing but a deceptive and risky approach that insults the intelligence of others. It is very similar to putting the cart before the horse.
If, after the fall of the Ottoman Caliphate, the Islamists had relied on the Islam of Prophet Mohamed and preserved its purity and its faith and human dimensions and did not defile it with politics, the conditions of Muslims would not have turned to what they are today.
Where is Islam and where are Muslims in what is happening in the world today? There is a state of complete absence from the global political and humanitarian scene. A nation in its last gasp.
My Comments:
First of all there are numerous understandings and interpretations of Islam. The Shias say they are Islam. But in our country one Deputy Prime Minister once said in public that the Shias are kafirs.
In Malaysia the Ahmadiyas are deemed as not Muslims (by the religious authorities). So the religious authorities did not allow them to conduct Friday prayers in their own mosques. So the Ahmadiyas took the matter to the Court. The Court ruled that since the religious authorities say the Ahmadiyas are not Muslims, then they have no jurisdiction over the Ahmadiyas. Meaning the Ahmadiyas are free to have Friday prayers in their mosques.
Then you have the Salafis who have their own understanding of religion that can be at serious loggerheads with the Sunnis. The Salafis are against any type of what they say are icons and innovations. Celebrating the prophet's birthday, venerating the tomb of the prophet or tombs of holy people, 'beseeching' dead people as 'intermediaries' (already controversial words - jangan marah ok). It goes on and on.
There are others who question all the above. Question meaning 'reject' or seriously disagree with. So this is all part and parcel of Islam. This has been Islam for the past 1,400 years.
1,400 years ago there was another group of Muslims known as the Khawarij - a really rock and roll type of people who shook everything on its head. They even refused to accept the First Four Caliphs (Khulafa Rashidun) as Muslims. The fourth Caliph Saidina Ali was attacked and killed by a Kharijite by the name of Abdel Rahman ibn Muljam.
Among other things the Khawarij held that persistent wrong doing can make you a kafir. This is against the orthodox belief which says that regardless whether you commit wrongs or not (thievery, murder, rape, crimes etc) so long as you believe in god and utter the shahada then you are still a Muslim. Say what you want but these types of differences were sufficient to kill each other.
Bottom line is these differences have never been resolved over the past 1,400 years. And they never will be.
What does this mean in practical terms in this 21st century?It means that Islam will never be able to solve real world 21st century problems.
Islam can claim to be better suited to solve 'hereafter' issues (like heaven and hell) - but only after being filtered through the lens of Salafism, Shiaism, Sunnism, Ahmadiyaism, and whatever other isms that can be found.
And for the past 1,400 years these differences in Islam have been sustained through anger, hatred and violence. Putting it another way, anger, hatred and violence are prerequisites for sustaining the differences in Islam. This includes State sanctioned hatred and use of force or violence.
Let me give you real evidence for this in our country. If you are Shia then you can be fined, jailed and/or whipped by the religious authorities.
Before that Court Ruling the Ahmadiyas could be fined, jailed and whipped if they prayed Friday prayer in their own mosque.
If a Muslim wrote a book (or if you are a Muslim worker in a book shop which sold a book) that was disliked by the religious authorities then you can be fined, jailed and/or whipped by the religious authorities.
So all this must be preceded by anger and hatred which ultimately becomes violence (including arrest, throw in jail, whipping etc).
The differences can only be sustained by anger, hatred and violence. But what if you are not a State authority or a State religious department? The anger, hatred and violence are not diminished. So how? Enter the suicide bombers. Or the Al Qaeda or the ISIS or the jihadis etc. The anger, hatred and the violence are the same. Saudi Arabia officially chops the head of "wrong doers". The Taliban beat women in public.
So the solution to ALL the Muslim problems is simple. I really mean ALL the Muslim problems. Just stop hating and getting angry. Stop all the hatred and the anger and you will all be fine.
The other fellow prays like this, does not pray, covers her head, does not cover her head, celebrates the prophet's birthday, does not celebrate the prophet's birthday, does not accept this interpretation, only accepts that interpretation bla bla. Leave them alone. Just let them be. You just mind your own business.
You are just as equally stupid or not stupid as the other fellow.Your stupidity is not more or less than the other fellow.
The failure of the Muslims is because they can get insanely angry, they can be insanely hateful and they can become insanely violent.
Just cut out the anger, hatred and the violence and you will be fine.
