Hasan Suroor’s article ‘Arab Spring & U.K. Debate on Islam’ (The Hindu, August 10, 2011) seems to have no aim other than defaming Islam, calling it incompatible with democracy and incapable of democratic reforms. This in fact is hiding more and communicating less.
A cursory look at Islamic Shari’ah or simple books on Islamic form of governance will convince anyone that this is the earliest democratic system, and the only one which claims to be divine and to be unchanged forever – post or pre Arab spring.
See for example part of the verse 2:256 in the Qur’ān which says: ‘Let there be no compulsion in religion’.
Today why the Hijab is banned in some western countries that call themselves champions of pluralism, while their own nuns have the choice of similar dress code all over the world?
The only striking difference with respect to the so-called modern democracies (including their puppets throughout) is that they have a man-made constitution and claim to be welfare states and scoff at anyone talking about the welfare of the entire humanity both here and in the hereafter. (The same nationalist leaders talk about humans and humanism when it is convenient).
Another serious complaint against Islam is that it is intolerant, un-secular and spread by sword which is again superfluous.
The Qur’ān commands (to its followers to say to its detractors): ‘To you is your religion, and to me, my religion’ (Verse 109:6).
It may be noted that the Muslim population more than doubled from 1935 to 1985 even though no Muslim swords were used during this period. This fully refutes the misinformation campaign against Islam.
History bears witness as to which scripture is the first to raise the slogan of ‘Liberty, Unity and Fraternity’ not at any national level or in theory but at a global level and its followers enjoined to demonstrate it practically five times a day during Salaat and once every year during the performance of Haj since over fourteen hundred years.
Let the so-called exporters of democracy do a bit of soul searching on liberating and empowerment of women as well; as to why more females than males are reverting to Islam if it is Islam indeed that curtails women’s rights and freedom. Is it not true that women in the west also have realised that they are being abused in the name of liberation and equal rights at par with men?
Anyone who goes through the legal provisions under the Islamic law for the property rights of women as mothers, sisters, daughters, etc. (as detailed out in chapter 4 of the Qur’ān), will be surprised whether any other legislation has such a provision even today. Plus it is the duty of the husband to bear all the expenses of the family while the wife is at liberty to own and retain her property. More on the topic next week.