A Message to the Muslim World
by Tawfik Hamid
"Many in the Muslim world repeatedly express anger when Islam and its founder are
criticized. This anger could be fully understandable, especially when we take into
consideration the sensitivity of talking about religious issues. However, it is vital that the Muslim world realize that most-if not all- the criticism of Islam and of the prophet is based on what traditional and mainstream Islamic books teach.
In other words, it is unfair to say that criticism of Islam was merely based on or motivated by bias against the religion, especially when we see thousands of Mosques and Islamic schools built in and sometimes supported by Western countries. We have actually seen much more limitations placed on the rights of minorities to build their religious temples or to practice their religion freely in Muslim countries than in the West. For example, Christians are not permitted to have their bibles with them in Saudi Arabia while Muslims have complete freedom to have the Quran in the US and European countries.
Muslims MUST ask themselves who actually discriminates against the other, is it the
West who is discriminating against Islam or is it that the Muslim world is discriminating against people of other faiths? Who needs to change and show more tolerance for religious minorities, the West or the Muslim world?
In addition, when the Taliban destroyed the historical Buddha statues the Muslim
world was virtually silent, which may indicate a form of acceptance for this barbaric act.
The Muslims MUST ask themselves, what would they have felt if the Buddhists- for
example- destroyed the Muslim Holy mosque in Mecca?
Furthermore, Muslims enjoy full freedom in the West to preach to non-Muslims and to convert them to Islam. On the contrary, Muslims-in general- become very furious if they discover that non-Muslims are proselytizing to Muslims to convert them to other faiths.
In fact, proselytizing to Muslims is illegal in many Islamic countries. The Muslim world needs to question itself. Again, is it the West discriminating against them, or is it the Muslims discriminating against the others.
The Muslim world needs to realize that the negative image of Islam in the West has been created by the Muslims themselves.
When mainstream Islamic books of Sira (Biography of Prophet Mohamed that was
essentially written by Muslims) teach that prophet Mohamed took a woman as booty in the war after forcing her to see her father and brother decapitated
(1)....Do Muslims expect the world to tell them that.... Wow, this is a wonderful model for tolerance!
When we teach in several Islamic books including Sahih (accurate) Hadith that prophet Mohamed said that he was ordered by Allah to fight the entire world until they subjugate to Islam (2) and when we teach in current approved Sharia books that Muslims have to wage wars against Non-Muslims and offer them to choose one of the following options: to convert to Islam, to pay humiliating tax (Jizzia), or to be
killed........Do we expect others to tell us that Islam is the religion of peace?
I wonder if non -Muslims declared war against Muslims to spread their religion and offered Muslims to convert out of Islam (to the new religion), to pay a humiliating tax to the invaders, or to be killed.......Will Muslims consider this to be a peaceful act?
When our traditional Islamic books mention that prophet Mohamed ordered his
followers to torture other human beings (3).....Does the Muslim world expect that the world will tell us that the prophet of Islam was sent as a mercy for mankind?
When we teach in Al-Buchary [mainstream Hadith book for Sunni Muslims] that
prophet Mohamed married and had sex with a 9 year old child (4) and used to bring
dolls for her so that she can play with them (5) or that the prophet used to have sex with his 9 wives in one night (6), Do we expect the world to tell us that the prophet was a role model for mankind? If mentioning these stories is considered an insult to Islam then Al-Buchary -not the West-should take responsibility for insulting the religion.
When non-Muslims realize that Muslims who convert away from Islam must be killed by Redda Law (killing the apostates) and that this law is approved by ALL schools of Islamic jurisprudence based on Hadith of prophet Mohamed (7)....Shall we expect them after this to sing praises for how Islam respects the value of religious freedom?
When non-Muslims read in our mainstream books that stoning of adulterous women is acceptable in our modern times (8), and that it is permissible for a man to beat his wife to discipline her (9), and that polygamy is permissible for men up to four wives ........Do we expect that the world will tell us that Islam is the religion that gave women their rights?
When non-Muslims read in some Hadith books (sayings of prophet Mohamed) that
prophet have said that if the wife licked a wound pouring pus from her husband she
would (still) not have fulfilled his right (as a husband) (10) and when they hear Fatwas from some of our leading scholars that drinking the urine of the prophet was a blessing for the disciples of Mohamed (11)..........What do we expect their reaction to this form of teaching? Shall we expect words of admiration or criticism?
When we teach in our approved Islamic books that early Muslims army invaded many countries to spread Islam and that the agreement between the second Caliphate and non Muslim minorities in these countries (Al-Uhda Al-Umareia) did not allow non-Muslims to sit while Muslims were standing and did not allow non-Muslims to raise their voices while crying when following their dead, do we expect that others to be speaking loudly about the 'tolerance' of Islam?
It is important that the Muslim world realize that that they need to stop discrimination against its non-Muslim minorities and that the negative image of Islam was not created by the West but by Muslims themselves. Denying that the above teachings exist just makes things worse as such teachings do exist in our Islamic books.
The best way to stop criticism of Islam is to admit that violent teachings exist and that Islamic scholars must work on providing modern ways for interpreting and understanding their religion instead of accusing those who expose the problem and raise valid questions of being Islamophobes."
REFERENCES
1-Tabari IX:137 "Allah granted Rayhanah of the [Jewish] Qurayza to His Messenger as
booty [but only after she had been forced to watch him decapitate her father and
brother, seen her mother hauled off to be raped, and her sisters sold into slavery]."
2-Bukhari:V4B52N196
3-Tabari VIII:122
Ishaq:515"The Prophet gave orders concerning Kinanah to Zubayr, saying, 'Torture him
until you root out and extract what he has. So Zubayr kindled a fire on Kinanah's chest,
twirling it with his firestick until Kinanah was near death. Then the Messenger gave him
to Maslamah, who beheaded him."
4- Sahih Al-Buchary Volume 7, Book 62, Number 64:
Narrated 'Aisha: that the Prophet married her when she was six years old and he
consummated his marriage when she was nine years old, and then she remained with
him for nine years (Note: according to Islamic books, Mohammed was above 50 years
old when he married this young child).
5- #Sahih Al-Buchary Volume 8, Book 73, Number 151:
Narrated 'Aisha:
I used to play with the dolls in the presence of the Prophet, and my girl friends also used
to play with me. When Allah's Apostle used to enter (my dwelling place) they used to
hide themselves, but the Prophet would call them to join and play with me. (The playing
with the dolls and similar images is forbidden, but it was allowed for 'Aisha at that time,
as she was a little girl, not yet reached the age of puberty.) (Fateh-al-Bari page 143,
Vol.13)
6- Narrated Anas: The Prophet used to go round (have sexual relations with) all his
wives in one night, and he had nine wives. (Hadith Sahih; Sahih Albuchary Volume 7,
Book 62, Number 14: Chapter of Marriage or Allnikah).
7 - Sahih Al-Bukhari (52:260) - "...The Prophet said, 'If somebody (a Muslim) discards
his religion, kill him.' "
8- See Minhaj Al-Muslim by Al Jaja'iry (Lecture at the Nobel prophetic Masjid) Part 2
Page 505 -Published by Darussalam Publications First Edition May 2001
9- Quran {4:34}: Men are superior to women because Allah has given them more
preference to women, and because they financially support them. Therefore the
righteous women are devoutly obedient, and guard in (the husband's) absence what
Allah would have them guard. As to those women on whose part you fear that they do
not obey you, admonish them, avoid making sex with them (as a form of punishment),
and beat them; but if they return to obedience, seek not against them Means (of
annoyance): For Allah is Most High, great (above you all).
10- Reported by Ahmad (3/159) and others. It's of narration is declared to be good by
al-Mundhiree in at-Targheeb wat-Tarheeb (3/75): The Messanger of Allaah (S.A.W.)
said, "It is not right that any human being should prostrate to another human being I
would have ordered the woman to prostrate to her husband due to the greatness of his
rights upon her. By Him in whose Hand is my soul, if from his foot to the crown of his
head there was a wound pouring forth pus, and she (the wife) came and licked that, then
she would (still) not have fulfilled his right."
11- http://sweetness-light.com/archive/uproar-over-fatwa-on-drinking-prophets-urine
