SYED KAZIM digs up the reasons of Islamophobia and tells us, in the light of Divine teachings, what is to happen eventually.
People only throw stones on the mango tree when it bears fruit. Thus people across the globe are trying to fight Islam for various reasons and also because of becoming jealous of its beauty which it has to offer. The million dollar question is, what makes these so-called developed, successful and prosperous countries fear Islam? Some people are trying to calling Muslims terrorists, some people are burning copies of the Qur’ān, some people are drawing cartoons and making movies on Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be to him) to make fun of him, some people are writing books to condemn Islam, banning the hijab, declaring Hamas and Muslim Brotherhood as terror outfits and what not. And all this is done in a very planned and organised manner.
Among the various countries that fear Islam, the western countries top the list. The United States, the so-called super power is afraid of Islam the most, thus, it is playing a leading role to fight Islam. It has killed more than 10 lakh civilians in Iraq and around 20,000 civilians in Afghanistan. It supports the killing of innocent people in Palestine and supports Israel financially. It also played a very strong role in funding many local organisations to pull down the democratically elected government established in Egypt after the elections in 2012 because its objective was to run the country on Islamic principles as in making Muslims fight one another in Iraq and what not.
Now, when we look at the amount they are spending to fight Islam, it is enormous. They are using the media, they are using their money, they are using their technology, they are using their human resource and they are using each and every resource which they have to fight Islam. Thus, Allah says in the Qur’ān, “Indeed, those who disbelieve spend their wealth to avert (people) from the way of Allah. So they will spend it; then it will be for them a (source of) regret; then they will be overcome. And those who have disbelieved – unto Hell they will be gathered” (Qur’ān 8:36). Allah clearly says in the verse that first they will use their money to fight Islam, then they will regret for spending the money and later they will be defeated. These wars are going to cost the US more than any other war which they have fought in their history. Thus, they will be dying their own death. Now let us try to understand some of the important reasons why the world is afraid of Islam:
i. Growth in Population: From 1990 to 2010, the global Muslim population increased at an average annual rate of 2.2%. In 2006, countries with a Muslim majority had an average population growth rate of 1.8% per year (when weighed by percentage of Muslims and population size). This compares with a world population growth rate of 1.12% per year. As of 2011, it is predicted that the world’s Muslim population will grow twice as fast as non-Muslims over the next 20 years. By 2030 Muslims are projected to represent about 26.4% of the global population (out of a total of 7.9 billion people), which is more than a quarter of the global population.
On the other hand, according to a research, in order for a culture to maintain itself for more than 25 years, the required fertility rate is 2.11 children per family, for anything less the culture will decline. Historically, no culture has reversed a fertility rate of 1.9 and if the rate is 1.3 or less then it is impossible to reverse, because it would take 80 to 100 years to correct itself. According to a list released by CIA World Factbook in 2014, the fertility rate of China is 1.11, in UK it is 1.25, in Italy and Greece it is 1.42, in Germany 1.43, in Spain 1.48 and in France 1.56. This shows how the statistics is below the minimum rate.
These figures clearly indicate that on one hand the population of Muslims is increasing drastically and on the other the fertility rate in many so-called developed countries is lesser than the bare minimum. Thus, if the population of Muslims increases so drastically, they will be in a much stronger position in the future.
ii. High Rate of Conversion: According to the latest statistics, Islam is found to be the fastest growing religion in the world. According to the New York Times, an estimated 25 per cent of American Muslims are converts. In Britain, around 6,000 people convert to Islam per year and according to a June 2000 article in the British Muslims Monthly Survey the bulk of new Muslim converts in Britain were women. As apostasy is frowned upon by the Islamic scholars there is no reliable data on the number of Muslims who convert to other faiths or abandon their own faith. In the period 1990–2000, approximately 12.5 million more people converted to Islam than to Christianity. According to others, including the Guinness Book of World Records, Islam is the world’s fastest growing religion by the number of conversions each year.
The more people are trying to create hatred and project a bad image about Islam, the more it is spreading across the world. For example, the 9/11 attack was planned with an intention to initiate the process of spoiling the image of Islam, but people shaken by the 9/11 attacks and the ensuring hostility against Muslims, the curiosity of many Americans to know more about Islam led them to come to the fold of the faith. Allah has rightly said in the Qur’ān, “…But they plan, and Allah plans. And Allah is the best of planners” (Qur’ān 8:30).
iii. Fear of Replacing the Current System: Islam always talks about having a just system in place. According to Islam, the current system which is practised in most of the countries is unjust. Thus, Muslims across the world talk about replacing the current system with the system which Islam has to offer. The Qur’ān and the Hadith offer the solution to all the current problems which the world is facing today.
If the current system is replaced with the Islamic system then, all the interest based banks will have to shut down, women would not be exploited in the name of art and culture, due rights would be given to the poor and needy, the fashion industry will have to compromise on various issues, strict restrictions will be enforced on alcohol, all sorts of porn will witness a ban, focus will be given on fulfilling the basic needs of people, the education system would move from materialism to God consciousness, etc. This will ultimately lead to the decline of the current leaders of the world.
iv. Dedication to Religion: The Muslims are the most dedicated and serious about their religion and religious obligations when compared to people of other religions. They pray five times a day, fast in the month of Ramadhan, give Zakat and perform Hajj. The biggest point of concern is that the religious consciousness is also rapidly increasing among the Muslim youth. All these acts are not only making them spiritually strong but are also getting them closer to one other, which might become a big threat to the world in the coming future.
v. Qur’ān: It is a book which is the most unique book on the face of the earth, which the Muslims believe to be the final word of God. It is the book which is unique in many different ways. 1. It is the only book on the face of the earth which remains in its original form, 2. It is the only book which more than 1 crore people have memorised it, 3. It is the book which is recited the most across the world, 4. It is the book which claims to be perfect, 5. It is the book which claims to be a living miracle, and 6. It is the book which people want to practically implement its commandments in the world. This uniqueness, closeness which people have with this book and the aim to establish it on the face of the earth is making the enemies of Islam restless and is motivating them to fight Islam.
Allah says in the Qur’ān, “…Indeed, the earth belongs to Allah. He causes to inherit it whom He wills of His servants. And the [best] outcome is for the righteous.” (Qur’ān 7:128) Thus, Allah states that he will give the land to whomever he wills but eventually the earth will be inherited by the believers. Allah also says in the Qur’ān, “They want to extinguish the light of Allah with their mouths, but Allah will perfect His light, although the disbelievers dislike it.” (Quran 61:8) Now Allah states that the disbelievers are trying to do it to extinguish the light of Allah. The light of Allah is Islam, the light of Allah is Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be to him). What they are trying to do is to stop the flow of Islam but Allah the Exalted says that they will fail.