Muslims together condemn the arrest and imprisonment of a Christian girl, Rimsha Masih, in Pakistan on blasphemy charges.
The New York Times reported on Aug. 20:
The police jailed the girl, Rimsha Masih, and her mother on Friday after hundreds of Muslim protesters surrounded the police station here where they were being held, demanding that Ms. Masih face charges under Pakistan's blasphemy laws. A local cleric had said Ms. Masih had burned pages of the Noorani Qaida, a religious textbook used to teach the Koran to children.
We urge Muslims in Pakistan and around the world to focus on this particular topic and seek to abolish the blasphemy laws.
There is a way out to find lasting solutions to rid of the abusive practices by a few in the clergy group. These men, literate or illiterate, at least claim to follow Prophet Muhammad's (pbuh) life examples; however, they don't, and it is our immediate responsibility to pass on Prophet Muhammad's practices to some of these men who pass judgments without any reference to the life of the Prophet. Screaming at them or pushing them to the corner is neither Jesus' way nor Muhammad's way.
Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) is considered a blessing to the humanity and rightfully known as Rahmutul Aalameen, the mercy to mankind. It behooves Muslims to protect the integrity of that title and never commit an unmerciful act invoking his name.
There are innumerable examples of forbearance, forgiveness and kindness of the prophet (pbuh) toward those who insulted and even tried to harm him.
One of the most famous stories, often repeated, is about an old lady who threw trash on the prophet every time he passed in front of her door. One day, the trash was not thrown. Concerned, he asked the neighbors and found out that she was sick. He knocked on her door and offered help. Overwhelmed with kindness and love, she honored him by believing in his mission.
Once on a way to the city of Taif, the Prophet was pelted with rocks by miscreants, his associates wanted to retaliate and go beat up the bad boys. Even the arch angel Gabriel offered to crush them and bring relief to the situation. The prophet said no, and instead asked them to join him in forgiving and asked God to bless them with good will. The Prophet preached that the dearest human act to God is forgiveness.
He enjoined us that, "if any one eats a full meal when his neighbor is hungry or starving, then he is not from among us." He never said "Muslim neighbor." He loved humanity and asked Muslims to be role models of charity, kindness, concern and love to all.
What was the need for the Prophet to have endured such painful experiences? It was to guide humanity toward kindness and shape long term solutions for peaceful communities and the greater good of the society at large. He was committed to mitigating conflicts and nurturing goodwill. Indeed, he was the ultimate peace maker, the mercy to mankind.
As Muslims we need to keep his message of kindness alive and bring to fruition what he was all about: Rahmutul Aalameen. Let the mercy and kindness he taught become a blessing to the universe and continue to shower on humanity.
We appeal to the Ulema, thoughtful people and the Government of Pakistan to give life to the examples of the Prophet. Blasphemy has become a source of harassment and to a few who have nothing better to do than create chaos.
We ask the people of Pakistan to seriously debate the blasphemy laws. Islam is about free will and as Muslims we need to stand against any oppression towards any human being following in the footsteps of the prophet.
Mike Ghouse is president of the World Muslim Congress, a think tank and a forum of Muslims together building cohesive societies.
Follow Mike Ghouse on Twitter: www.twitter.com/MikeGhouse
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“but the story is true as it was reported by Barnabas Fund who are sending help to the Christian families”
“I really feel that it is not possible to rewrite history to turn Mohammed into a loving saviour like the Lord Jesus Christ.”
The above seems to be the narrative of the extremist Christians of the Protestant variety: Protestants, godly; Catholic Church ‘false teachings’. The Catholics might have a different narrative.
The Barnabas Fund is not exactly non-partisan; nevertheless believe it because it is ‘sending help to the Christian families’. Such funds have been ‘sending help to the Christian families’ for centuries to further their agenda.
Their agenda: Spread the notion of how God sired a baby. This in a land where the populace thinks calling Jesus a son of God is an insult to Jesus as well as an insult to God. For centuries such funds tried to rewrite Muslim history. Their conclusion: “it is not possible to rewrite“ the Muslim history.
Muslims consider Jesus to be their revered prophet. In 325 AD, at the council of Nicea, the Roman Empire re-wrote history and called Jesus God. That is when “superstitions and false teachings such as the Mass” came into being.
The key word in “free-thinkers” is thinkers, not free. Free or fettered, essentially the thinkers think. The Quran constantly invites people to think and ponder. Many, however, blindly follow the thinkers and delude themselves into believing that they in fact are the free thinkers.
Many try very hard not to see the evidence even if it bites them in the face. Thinking to them can only be free if its conclusions were contrary to the Quran.
A religion may or may not bear the truth. Is there any guarantee that those who call themselves ‘free thinkers’ bear the truth? There are every shade of free thinkers, a lot many more than there are religions.
I have friends who practice many different religions, but I don't do organized religion myself. Just can't do it.
I think that at least one difference is that modern Christians (at least most of them, I hope) recognize that stuff is not appropriate in the 21st century and therefore don't do it. Maybe Muslims need to place the Koran under the same scrutiny and decide which practices are appropriate and which are not.
One of the areas that troubles many was the conquest under Joshua which has been termed "genocide" by critics. There is a very good simple inexpensive book on this by Dr Peter Masters called "Joshua's Conquest". It explains simply that the Canaanites were extremely wicked and that their judgment had been expected but they still did not change. They were offered peace if they would accept that the standards of the 10 Commandments. A group of them called the Gibeonites accepted this even though by deception and the Israelites even defended them when they came under attack from other Canaanites. Most of the victories were either direct acts of God such as the fall of Jericho or were started by the Canaanites attacking. The conquest was a miraculous victory of a weak people over a strong people because it was a miraculous judgment of God. Like Noah's Flood and Sodom & Gomorrah it should serve as a warning to those who despise God today. Maybe that is why so many atheists mock it.
The question is ‘just because’ or ‘just like’?
The answer lies in how we define the word ‘reformation’. It should not mean ‘loosening up the tenets’ of faith just because Christianity did so during its reformation. Many Christians are not satisfied with the Christianity-light bequeathed to them by their reformation.
We understand divine revelation in the light of the ahadith _ which Christianity does not have _ as well as the body of knowledge acquired by humanity through observation. Islam has never been averse to adjusting its understanding based on proven and incontrovertible facts. Guesses, presumptions, conjectures and near-conjectures are another matter.
Mere ubiquity of a practice amongst the non-muslims or even muslims, cannot constitute a reason to change the dictates of a divine law.
If Islam began doing that merely to follow the foot steps of Christianity, Islam would turn into Islam-light.
like Christianity went through Reformation in 1500's, it is time that Islam went through another one.
As for Islam reforming I am sceptical. Dr Patrick Sookhdeo and others have shown that Islamic fundamentalism is very much a reformation of Islam itself along the lines of the practice of Mohammed. I really feel that it is not possible to rewrite history to turn Mohammed into a loving saviour like the Lord Jesus Christ.
Read about the Great Divergence that sent northern and western ,mostly Protestant cultures with active Jewish minorites into the economic stratosphere while eastern and southern countries stagnated culturally, intellectureally, and economically. The negative divergence countries included China, India, Islamic countries, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Mexico and South America. Every essay on the Great Divergence mentions the need for free and critical thinking rather than dogmatic and fearful thinking that dogmatic religions inspire. The blasphemy, heresy laws and the fear of death by religious fanatics puts the mind in a straitjacket and that ulitmately leads to economic stagnation and poverty. Islam needs a Reformation. period.
Given such glorious examples of mercy from the only messenger, it would be natural to expect his followers even after 1400 years would expect nothing more from themselves. So they would forgive such misbehaviours but sir "pardoning" a koran burning kafir is not halal. The fury of the believer is to be experienced to be understood. The believer himself is ignorant of it for he is among hundreds of his koran brandishing, beards flowing, eyes blood shot, skull capped, straight from masjid, constitutionally supported, penally free, socially sanctioned, religiously ordained, paradise dreaming peers shouting their highest at a cowering kafir child or kafir family. The kafir has no where to go. Where will she run or hide if she chooses to? She is surrounded by miles and miles of the god loving believers. Game over for the kafir, it was over when she was born among the believers.
Good wishes to the kafir.
If they want to turn to Jesus they can. He'll accept them. But He doesn't require it and will love them even if they don't. (Father forgive them. They know not what they do.)
God does not need protecting from Humans as God created humans, so he can easily get rid of us or "zapp" us from the sky or send birds with clay stones if God so wishes (Surah al Fil The Elephant), or then again maybe God is very forgiving hence why God gives a lifetime for people to change, or maybe God has given us choice to either believe or not to believe? Mohammed was himself insulted, does anyone remember Taif ? Due to the kind nature of Muhammad (pbuh), the city was saved from destruction.
Its Humans that need protecting from each other, as humans, we are too busy trying to play GOD! Hence all the atrocities we commit in the name of religion, believing we are Gods chosen peoples! Did religion teach us nothing about being merciful, forgiving sin and the sinner, loving your enemy?
But does this justify repealing blasphemy laws? Absolutely not, for they are instilled to ensure a certain moral status quo remains, agreed though it is that the current status quo is wrong, by eradicating these blasphemy laws is a regression on part of the Muslims. What is needed is better implementation not eradication!
The two verses quoted merely assert that those who deny the truth are “the worst of the creatures”. Reading the verses in context leaves a far different impression.
Perhaps the following verse elaborates further:
Quran 7:179 ….. They have a brain, but with it they fail to think. They have eyes but they do not use them to see (the truth). They have ears but they fail to hear (the truth) with them. They are (just) like cattle; in fact they are worse. Such are the heedless ones!
Why are they worse? Because they are endowed with the faculty to observe and think? They just choose not to. Haven’t we chanced upon such ones in our lives?
Except that these so-called believers, due to high illiteracy rate, fellow ancient tribal traditions and their local mullahs who are more obsessed with domination and control of the local population.
I am deeply disturbed by the situation in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya and Palestine.
Look after your own matters before getting disturbed about others!
Pakistanis also find comments on “Legitimate Rape” very disturbing….let’s see some action by the US on that!