Western journalists and politicians coined certain phrases and terms with explicit intention to defame Islam and deface devout Muslims in the eyes of people. Rest of the world, including vernacular media, followed blindly and used same phrases without applying their own discretion. As a result, these derogatory terminologies came in use widely and helped create hatred and fear against Islam and Muslims globally.
The use of ‘Islamic Extremists’ and ‘Islamic Fundamentalists’ for devout Muslims is now a routine. The Islamic organisations, which propagate true teachings of the Qur’ān and Sunnah and exhorts Muslims to adhere to true Islam by submitting totally to the Will of Allah, are depicted as ‘extremists’ and referred to in a hateful and offensive manner. At certain occasions these phrases are also cunningly used for terrorist groups.
Some other highly objectionable terms like ‘Islamic Terrorism’ or ‘Islamic Terrorists’ are in great use. In spite of repeated clarifications by Islamic scholars, that those who cause harm to the person and property of masses and create terror and disorder in public by their indiscriminate acts, have nothing to do with Islam. Islam strictly prohibits killing a human being without justification and legal sanction. In no case Islam permits ‘torture’ and ‘terrorist tactics’ like bomb or/and suicide attacks and arson, etc. It is unfortunate that these clarifications fell on deaf ears and the media and politicians are tirelessly terming these un-Islamic acts as ‘Islamic’.
It is also unfortunate that at times the papers and magazines associated with Islamic Houses also fail to understand psychological depth of the conspiracy and without using their right to discriminate, reproduce the implanted stories in the same vein and with the same derogatory and insulting terminologies. In this way, albeit inadvertently, they also let them become tools of the conspirators against values of Islam.
However there is good news from Assam. Agreeing to the objections raised by the members of Assam United Democratic Front (founded by Badruddin Ajmal), the Speaker of Assam Assembly Tankha Bahadur Rao, on July 12 issue orders to expunge the phrase ‘Islamic Fundamentalist’ from the proceedings of the House.
In a question, a member of AGP wanted to know details of ‘Islamic Fundamentalist Groups’ active in the State. The Chief Minister Mr. Tarun Gogoi, who also holds the portfolio of Home Minister, was not present at the moment in the House and, Mr. Rakeebul Hasan, a senior Minister stood in his place to read out the written reply. The members of AUDF objected to the use of prefix ‘Islamic’ before ‘fundamentalist’. During heated arguments BJP and AGP stressed on the use of both words together and caused some ruckus too. AGP Chief and Leader of the Opposition Chandramohan Patwari wanted to follow the footsteps of USA and tried to make a point by arguing that there is no harm in using the phrase ‘Islamic fundamentalists’ because the USA too refers to them as such. However certain other opposition members, including Mr. Abdul Aziz of AGP, favoured the stand taken by AUDF.
Finally the Chief Minister, Tarun Gogoi intervened and made it clear that he was also opposed to referring to fundamental groups through their religious identity. Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Bharat Chandra Narah took the leaf from his CM intervention and suggested that the word ‘Islamic’ be dropped from the proceedings, to which the Speaker immediately agreed.
Of course this is a positive development and Assam Assembly must be congratulated for this. Now we can only hope that this will be followed by other State Assemblies and also by Parliament and the use of such derogatory terms shall come to end.
[The writer is a senior Urdu Journalist and Gen. Sec, Forum for Civil Rights, New Delhi. He may be contacted at syyedagha@yahoo.com]