Is It Time Muslims Standardize A Contextual Qur'an, Asks A Reader. Yes, Perhaps, But Building A Quran-Based Islam, Shorn Of Deviations, Will Not Be Easy.
What do you mean by logical order, Hamza Saheb? Do you mean chronological order, which would also restore primacy to Meccan verses of universal significance? After all, it's in a chronological order that early Muslims including the Prophet (saw) must have understood and memorised the Quran. They could not have memorised contextual verses that had not been revealed yet, as those situations had not arisen by that time.
In any case read chronologically, Quran reads like a beautiful book of spiritual and moral guidance, relevant in the 21st century, not requiring much contextual knowledge to begin with.
The misuse of the word Kafir is a major issue of discord between the Hindu and Muslim communities. Apparently, the Mullah community got word; they knew what would happen, if this conference were to go through, even though I was inviting Mullahs from all denominations to discuss the subject. If it could be proven that kafir in Quran does not mean non-Muslim or polytheist, or idol-worshipper or infidel, but it is a religion-neutral term simply meaning the oppressor, religious persecutor, particularly the one who is engaged in stopping people from practicing their religious freedom, much like the Arab kings today or other Muslim countries, much of the strife could be wiped out.
Fighting Jihadism With Heads Buried In The Sand!
Now, I think, we Muslims should acquaint ourselves with the Jihadi narrative that is taking our children away from us. It is attracting even our daughters who have received the best of education. Students of private schools in Britain, professionals, products of best universities in Europe and America are choosing to join and serve these terrorists, not just as killers but also as wives and concubines. They couldn't be doing this for money or any worldly gain. They are going on suicide missions in their own lands or joining al-Qaeda and IS.
If we are Muslims we should be worried. Killing the terrorists, fighting with them militarily is a short term answer. International; community and the victim governments are engaged in that. This, of course, has to be done. But that clearly is not the answer. You kill one, you create ten more.
I believe we must confront and refute the ideology behind Islamist terrorism. We must develop our own moderate narrative, a progressive theology, if you like. In order to do that we must acquaint ourselves with what it is. The reason so many readers are opposing this, is that they are ashamed. For, what the Taliban scholar is saying is based on Quran and Hadees and Sharia, which nearly all Muslims consider divine.
Not one reader is saying that the Taliban scholar is misquoting any Hadees or verse of the Quran or misinterpreting them. Only question being raised is why publish this dialogue between a Pakistani Army Official and a Taliban scholar.
As I see it, I am being asked why have you not buried head in the sand like all of us. Well my answer is: I am worried and am trying to do something about it. If you have a better way let me know. Don't ask me to go back to sleep, like all of you.
Do you think you can bring back the Scottish private schoolgirl Aqsa Mahmood by going deeper inside you blanket? Do you think you can keep future Aqsa Mahmoods from becoming Jihadi suicidees by hiding your heads in the sand?
Even what I am saying, refute the Jihadi ideology, counter their systematic theology of violence, is easier said than done. Particularly in this climate when most Muslims don't give a damn, are in a suicidal mood. Products of Deobandi madrasas that the Taliban are, it is natural they will quote Deobandi elders like Maulana Hussain Ahmad Madani in their defence. But even Barailwi-Sufi ulema will not say that the hadees the Taliban are quoting are concocted, fabricated.
Do knowledgeable Indian Muslims tacitly support Jamaat-e-Islami's bid for reprieve to Bangladesh's war criminals? Does this amount to treason or is it merely inhuman and un-Islamic?
Reacting to my statement in the recent brainstorming session New Age Islam Foundation had organised among some Sufi-minded Indian scholars, Muhammad Yunus Saheb shared the following thoughts with me in a personal letter but he allowed me to choose whether to share it with readers. So I am putting it below in this column for wider dissemination.
Jamaat-e-Islami has its own ideology. It believes that Islam is a totalitarian political philosophy out to conquer the world. As Maulana Maududi, its founder-ideologue said: "Islam wishes to do away with all states and governments which are opposed to the ideology and programme of Islam. ... Islam requires the earth - not just a portion, but the entire planet."
I consider Islam a spiritual path to salvation and am grateful for God having created such a beautiful multicultural, multi-religious, multi-colour, plural world. I want to co-exist with people of all hues in this world.
I repeat, I do not see any reasonable possibility of Muslims like me having any rational dialogue with such fanatical people who are prepared to kill any number of innocent people including fellow citizens and fellow Muslims and interpret Islam whichever way suits their politics in their crazy bid to conquer the world for establishing their rule in the name of restoring God's sovereignty.
Dear Mr. Sadaf, You are spot on: "New Age Islam takes the name of Wahhabis, only to push the silent and peaceful Wahhabis to take a stand and oppose these people ... being violent." I wish some other intellectuals on the site also had the sense to understand this. I am quoting you from another thread. Your comment is being quoted in full below along with some other comments to provide a perspective.... If I may add a word, New Age Islam is not happy to do that. We do that with a very heavy heart. Only because it has to be done. At least we feel so. We may be wrong. But we feel that the time for pussyfooting is long past. Pakistan is a gone case. But Indian Muslims may perhaps be brought back from the brink. The total Indian Muslim silence over West Bengal Muslims demonstrating in support of Bangladeshi war criminals has shaken me up. Until today I haven't heard a single voice of dissent, except, of course, a few on New Age Islam. I hope there is still time for us Indian Muslims.
Ever since we started our journey about five years ago, we have been under attack. First it was a series of hacking attempts. Then numerous attacks on our newsletter mailing system. Our site was once deleted from the server at a time when we were just not prepared for this. We didn't have backups. However, we recreated and have been going on since then. Once we managed to provide the site with some security, though nothing online is ever completely safe, complaints to domain registrars and webhosts started pouring. All sorts of complaints from hate-mongering to spamming. One domain registrar even suspended our domain name without any notice. As propagation of this suspension throughout the internet takes a few days, what started happening was that some computers in some parts of the world will show NewAgeIslam.com, some others would say it did not exist. We had no idea for a couple of days what was wrong. We kept shifting from one domain registrar to another, one webhost to another.
So it has gone on. I was hounded out of India. I shifted my domain name as well as hosting to America. But our enemies have long arms. Businessmen of any country are only concerned with money-making, not even prepared to spend a minute glancing through the newsletters sent to them as "proof" of our "hate-mongering" or "spamming". Now I have notice from my webhost that the site has been suspended and can be removed any moment. Another set of complaints. Notice came in my inbox 15 days after the suspension. During this time I was frantic not able to understand certain things that were happening with the site. I have not been able to send any newsletter for more than a week. Our mail server is not working. Other systems are functioning so far. Solution is to have a private server and manage it ourselves. But buying and managing a private server capable of handling a million or more hits per day is not easy for us, a group of professionals, somehow eking out an existence. We are thinking of various solutions. But I can assure you, that Insha Allah, we will be back, even if we do go offline suddenly. I thought I must warn you of this possibility, while I can. God has always helped. He will help again. I am certain. Do please bear with us, pray for us or send us good wishes, according to your belief systems, in the event of a sudden shutdown.
Personally I have no problem with the sentence quoted here. This is some one's wishful thinking, irrational belief or maybe intuition: how can I know. He should have the right to express his view or even wishful thinking. I believe that it is internet that will save Islam from the depredations of Saudi, Salafi Islam. Now my view too could be just wishful thinking, irrational belief or intuition. This is neither here nor there. I just don't see why I should be worried about someone wishing or believing in the fall of Islam. I also did not find any problem with this person finding Islam and even Quran problematic. This is again his view. My faith in my understanding of my religion is far too deep and strong to be shaken by such remarks.
Baitul Muqaddas-Masjid-e-Aqsa complex: Why are we Muslims so obsessed with it as our Qiibla-e-Awwal contrary to Qur'anic teachings?
It's a bit unsettling that Deoband cares more for Indian customs than for Islamic injunctions. It has reversed an earlier fatwa arguing for polygamy and is now saying that it is better to avoid second/third marriage, despite permission in Sharia, as it is generally not acceptable in Indian custom.
Anyway, there is not much point in taking too much notice of Deobandi fatwas. If by Indian custom, they meant Indian law or a general civil society view in India, and they want to respect the same, that is most welcome. But our Mullahs, of any colour really, neither know Islam nor Indian customs nor the implications or complexities of either.
Let us let the Mullahs be and get on with our own affairs. Let us keep trying to refine our laws, seeking direction from divine guidance that has come to us from time to time in different parts of the world; but let us also be aware that as long as humans are simply human, we will never have a perfect law or a perfect society.
Is this about time dear readers, we asked ourselves, should we allow such horrific demonstrations of so-called Islamist madness to continue in our midst. I will not write any more. I have just watched the video linked below and I am in any case speechless.
Salman Rushdie was not allowed to speak to the litterateurs, and their fans gathered at Jaipur literature festival even through a video link today. This is a shame for our country and even more so for our community. Shame for our country because we do not have the resources or the will to protect a literary festival, the best of its kind in the world, from gangsters and Mafiosi and their threats of violence. Shame for our community because we have religious thugs among us who would threaten an innocuous event just because an author who is supposed to have blasphemed our prophet – something we keep doing every day, every minute, routinely, without even realising it, by just being the kind of corrupt people we are, by defying God and giving Islam a bad name through our misconduct. The event was going to be harmless because Salman Rushdie was not going to raise any controversial issue, speak about or read from The Satanic Verses.
It is unfortunate that politicians and media treat as our leaders intellectually-challenged bullies who are, unable to read and appreciate literature or arts. One such bully was asked at the Festival why did he not challenge Rushdie to an intellectual debate on the Jaipur platform. This was actually a question he could not possibly have an answer for. If this person were capable of appreciating the beauty and majesty of Rushdie's prose, he won't be there threatening the organisers with violence, though, of course, he did that in a very peaceful manner and language, as all Mafia dons do.