letter from the editor - muslim world...

l Rabi al-Awwal 1438/December 2016 l 1

Letter From the Editor

Humanitarian crisis: Syria’s nightmare The Syria syndrome stares at the humanity with a poser: Is this something that is happening in the ancient wild age where there is no United Nations, no world order, no Security Council, no World Court and no United States? Where might is still right and right is still wrong? Where the fit-test still survives; and where, for survival, one has to take up arms? If this is not the wild age, and if all this is happening in the 21st century, then the leaders – if there are any, in the true sense of its meaning – need once again to sit together to de-cide the future course of civilization as they had once done following the World War-II.

United Nations today stands more as a symbol of that vision than proffering any practical mean-ing to it. In the new century they must come out with a foolproof plan to ensure that there are no such mass level massacres as are going in Syria; there are no politicking over genocides, as is evi-dent from the role played by Russia and Iran on Syria matter; there is no economy on death and destruction as is proved beyond doubt in Iraq; and there is no mute leadership as it is conspicu-ous everywhere.

The civil war in Syria is a tragedy. It is a trag-edy for its people, whose lives and homes have been damaged in many cases beyond repair, and for millions of children who have endured terrible events and whose futures are now unimaginably bleak. It is a tragedy for a country that for hun-dreds of generations accommodated such diver-sity of faith and whose towns and cities reflected a long and distinguished history. And in a different way, it is a global tragedy, for much of the world seems indifferent to the suffering, paralysed by its intractability and reluctant to confront the urgent need for action.

Refugee camps are wretched places, home only

to the utterly desperate. Syrians fleeing the fight-ing and the catastrophic breakdown in security and services shun them if they possibly can, and rent a room or a garage – any covered space in the security of any town across the border in Jordan or Lebanon (where refugees are now a quarter of the population) that they can find. Only the com-pletely indigent, those who have lost everything, arrive at camps like Zataari in Jordan, now hold-ing more than 100,000 people and growing at the rate of about 10,000 a week. The bitterly cold Mid-dle Eastern winter is approaching and the UN, as the number of refugees passed the 2 million mark, declared Syria the 21st century’s worst crisis. The commissioner for refugees, António Guterres, de-scribed it as a “disgraceful humanitarian calam-ity with suffering and displacement unparalleled in recent history”. Yet despite nightly evidence of the truth of his observations, pledges of funds seem reluctantly made. Even groups providing the most strictly neutral and self-evidently benefi-cial aid, such as the medical charity MSF, report a slow response.

In the context of a civil war, emergency relief is always tough to deliver. In Syria, aid work-ers face even more than the usual obstacles. On the ground, it is acutely dangerous for the NGO personnel, and reaching the 4 million displaced people – a tenth of the population – who are still in Syria but not in their own homes is often al-most impossible. The UN, which works with many national and regional agencies, is not the only player: large amounts of bilateral aid are coming from Syria’s Arab neighbours. But because this is not integrated into the wider relief effort, it is hard to co-ordinate efforts. There are gaps and wasteful duplications.

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Secretary-GeneralH.E. Dr. Mohammad A. Karim Al-Issa

Acting Supervisor General Media Affairs Dept.

Adil ibn Zamil Al-Harbi

DirectorMedia Affairs Dept.

Mohammed Bin Bakr Hamdy

EditorMohammad Zakir Hossain

Layout and Graphic DesignerKhaled Awad Al-Muazzin

The Muslim World League JournalP.O. Box: 537

Makkah, Saudi ArabiaTel/ Fax: 00966 (012) 5600923

E-mail:[email protected]

www.themwl.org

Islamic Fiqh Council hold semi-nar in Makkah al-Mukarramah

OIC constitutes working group to ensure non-recurrence of attacks targeting Makkah

Letter from the EditorHumanitarian crisis: Syria’s nightmare...........................................1Guidance from the Glorious Qur’an and Sunnah...........................4431000 individuals have benefitted from theMWL Dawah activities MWL Journal Desk Report...................................................................8Israel cannot silence prayer callsMWL Journal Desk Report.................................................................12Myanmar Rohingya problem:Numbness of the world conscienceMWL Journal Desk Report.................................................................14It’s high time to resolve the Kashmir problemDr. Ali Al-Ghamdi...............................................................................26A left-wing president puts Muslim women at heart of identitydebates in France Prof. Dr. Ali Murat Yel......................................................................28Muhammad the Prophet (peace be upon him)

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Views expressed in The Muslim World League Journal do not neces-sarily represent those of the Muslim World League. Articles published may, however, be reproduced with acknowledgement.

US Elections 2016Trump’s Triumph:What Lies in the Future

Reflections on Hatred and theDefamation of the Prophet Mu-hammad

Prof. K. S. Krishna Rao......................................................................30Textual Analysis of the Last Sermon of Prophet MuhammadUbai Shahbandar................................................................................42 Understanding Fitrah (Human Nature) with Ibn Taymiyyah Gowhar Quadir Wani.........................................................................4621st Century Muslim Scholarship in the Qura’nic Studies:An Assessment of Professor Abdullah Saeed’s ContributionDr Tauseef Ahmad Parray..................................................................49The Qur’an Proves Resemblance Between Mankind and Animate BeingsAhmad Wahhaj al-Siddique................................................................55‘Umar bin ‘Abdul-Aziz:The Illustrious Descendant of Caliph Umar ibn al- KhaṭṭabMohammad Dawood Sofi...................................................................58Dr. Zakir Naik says IRF ban will be fought legallyAftab Hussain Kola............................................................................60Muslims in Athens prepare for the city’s first mosque..................63

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**Narrated Abu Huraira: Allah’s Apostle said, “The prayer of a per-son who does, Hadath (passes, urine, stool or wind) is not accepted till he performs (repeats) the ablution.” A person from Hadaramout asked Abu Huraira, “What is ‘Hadath’?” Abu Huraira replied, “ ‘Hadath’ means the passing of wind from the anus.” ** Narrated Nu’am Al-Mujmir: Once I went up the roof of the mosque, along with Abu Huraira. He perform ablution and said, “I heard the Prophet saying, “On the Day of Resurrection, my followers will be called “Al-Ghurr-ul-Muhajjalun” from the trace of ablu-tion and whoever can increase the area of his radiance should do so (i.e. by performing ablution regularly).’ “

** Narrated ‘Abbas bin Tamim: My uncle asked Allah’s Apostle about a person who imagined to have passed wind during the prayer. Allah’ Apos-tle replied: “He should not leave his prayers unless he hears sound or smells something.”**Narrated Usama bin Zaid: Allah’s Apostle proceeded from ‘Arafat till when he reached the mountain pass, he dismounted, urinated and then performed ablution but not a perfect one. I said to him, (“Is it the time for) the prayer, O Allah’s Apostle?” He said, “The (place of) prayer is ahead of you.” He rode till when he reached Al-Muzdalifa, he dismount-ed and performed ablution and a per-fect one, The (call for) Iqama was

pronounced and he led the Maghrib prayer. Then everybody made his camel kneel down at its place. Then the Iqama was pronounced for the ‘Isha’ prayer which the Prophet led and no prayer was offered in be-tween the two. prayers (‘Isha’ and Maghrib).**Narrated Ibn ‘Abbas: The Prophet said, “If anyone of you on having sexual relations with his wife said (and he must say it before starting) ‘In the name of Allah. O Allah! Protect us from Satan and also protect what you bestow upon us (i.e. the com-ing offspring) from Satan, and if it is destined that they should have a child then, Satan will never be able to harm that offspring.”

Guidance from Q u r’ a n and S u n n a h

The Quran

Hadith

1. The believers must (eventually) win through,-2. Those who humble themselves in their prayers;3. Who avoid vain talk;4. Who are active in deeds of charity;5. Who abstain from sex,6. Except with those joined to them in the marriage bond, or (the captives) whom their right hands pos-sess,- for (in their case) they are free from blame,7. But those whose desires exceed those limits are transgressors;-8. Those who faithfully observe their trusts and their covenants;9. And who (strictly) guard their prayers;-10. These will be the heirs,11. Who will inherit Paradise: they will dwell therein (for ever).12. Man We did create from a quintessence (of clay);13. Then We placed him as (a drop of) sperm in a place of rest, firmly fixed;14. Then We made the sperm into a clot of con-

gealed blood; then of that clot We made a (foetus) lump; then we made out of that lump bones and clothed the bones with flesh; then we developed out of it another creature. So blessed be Allah, the best to create!15. After that, at length ye will die16. Again, on the Day of Judgment, will ye be raised up.17. And We have made, above you, seven tracts; and We are never unmindful of (our) Creation.18. And We send down water from the sky accord-ing to (due) measure, and We cause it to soak in the soil; and We certainly are able to drain it off (with ease).19. With it We grow for you gardens of date-palms and vines: in them have ye abundant fruits: and of them ye eat (and have enjoyment),-20. Also a tree springing out of Mount Sinai, which produces oil, and relish for those who use it for food.

(Qur’an, 23:1-20)


In the presence of the Secretary General of MWL Islamic Fiqh Council holds seminar

in Makkah al-MukarramahMohammad Zakir Hossain

In the presence of His Excellency Secretary General of the Muslim World League and Deputy President of the Islamic Fiqh Council of the Muslim World League Sheikh Dr. Mo-hammad Ibn Abdulkarim Aleisa, Islamic Fiqh Council conducted a Symposium on “Selling Alternatives at Changing Price” in Makkah al-Mukarramah. The convention of the Sym-

posium comes in implementation to the Second Resolution on the clarification of the Islamic economic concepts regarding variation and change of price in funding as practiced by the Islamic banks in processing Islamic financial transactions and which was adopted by the Is-lamic Fiqh Council at its Twenty-Second Ses-sion which was held between 21-24 / 7/1436.


At the beginning of the Symposium H.E. Sec-retary General of the Muslim World League Sheikh Dr. Mohammed bin Abdulkarim Aleisa delivered a speech in which he thanked their Excellencies and Eminences distinguished re-searchers and scholars, the topmost of whom was H. E. Secretary General of the Islamic Fiqh Council Sheikh Dr. Salih Zabin Al-Marzouqi for the academic efforts they rendered, indicat-ing the significance of financial transactions and elucidation of the Islamic aspect as adopted by Muslims. Moreover, His Excellency highlighted the great role played by the Islamic Fiqh Council in the Muslim world and indicated that this con-fidence has not come out of vacuum, but rather from accumulated credit work achieved by the Islamic Fiqh Council throughout its auspicious extension of life time.

His Excellency indicated that this interna-tional Fiqh institution enjoys the service of an academic elite of Muslim scholars from all parts of the Muslim world and adopted at vari-ous sessions resolutions that have been founded on the guidance of the jurisprudence of Islamic Shari’ah . These resolutions have reflected both the wide horizon and deep comprehension of its erudite members. He further stated that this Fiqh institution was successively chaired by distinguished knowledgeable scholars.The suc-cession continued till it ended to His Eminence late Sheikh Abdulaziz Ibn Abdullah Alalsheikh, Grand Mufti of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Chairman of Department of Academic Research and Ifta. Furthermore, he emphasized that His Eminence has given the Islamic Fiqh Council his academic concern, sincere efforts that mani-fested in the wisdom of his chairmanship and kind patronage. His Excellency reaffirmed that the Islamic Fiqh Council comes at the top of in-stitutions that are affiliated to MWL; and that it enjoys due confidence of the Muslims the world over. The Council as per thorough examination was found to be at the top of the vanguard of at-tribution and reference support.

At the conclusion of his speech, His Excel-lency thanked the researchers for their compre-hensive academic examination, extrapolation and follow-up which ended to this distinctive jurisprudence sentence which is the core of dis-cussion in this Symposium.

From his side, the Secretary General of the Islamic Fiqh Council, H. E. Dr. Salih Ibin Zabin Marzouqi, has cordially and warmly welcomed both the Secretary General of the Muslim World League , His Excellency Sheikh Dr. Mohammad Ibin Abdulkarim Alissa, and their Excellencies and Eminences distinguished participants.

His Eminence Dr. Almarzouqi has stressed the significance of the theme of the Symposium “Alternatives Selling at Changing Price”. For, the need required that the theme has to be thor-oughly reviewed and the Islamic Fiqh Council should refer it to competent researchers for ex-amination, study in order to reach a sound and well-researched Islamic opinion. H.E. Dr. Al-marzouqi indicated that

H.E. Dr. Almarzouqi indicated that a ruling is not confined to the one who originally ex-tracted it, and hence die with his death, rather it remains binding on all generations coming after him. Therefore, has made legislation only for Him, glory be to Him. Allah Almighty says (Ruling is only to Allah). Furthermore, the place the scholar will not remain vacant, be-cause if people lost a scholar, they will seat in his place an unknowable individual. According to the Hadith (--till no scholar remained alive af-ter they all died, then people elect as their lead-ers unknowable individuals, who when they are asked , they give erroneous rendition (fatwas) , because they lack knowledge, hence they go astray and misguide people).

H.E. Dr. Almarzouqi expressed his profound appreciation to His Excellency Secretary Gen-eral of the Muslim World League, Dr. Moham-mad Aleisa, for patronizing, participating and attending this important Symposium. Further-more, H. E. Dr. Almarzouqi thanked H. E. Dr.


Aleisa for the good gestures, steps and initiatives undertaken by him for the advancement of the Muslim World League and for his full support to the Islamic Fiqh Council; and supplicated Allah Almighty to, praying to Allah Almighty to bless his knowledge and work as well as to make him beneficial to Islam and Muslims.

After that, the floor was given to participants to present and discuss their respective research papers. The session was commenced by H. E. Dr. Mohammad Al-Baltaji, chairman of the Egyptian Society for Islamic Finance tackling his research titled “The Significance of Pric-ing and Areas of Application of the Changing the Price at Islamic banks. He indicated that his study aims to help people know the significance of pricing and the problems resulting from the non-availability of price index at Islamic banks.

For his part, H. E. Dr. Fahad Al-Yahya, a pro-fessor of Islamic jurisprudence (Fiqh) at Qassim University, submitted a researched on “Alterna-tives Selling with Changing Price and explained that there was controversy among economists in the benefit of linking pricing to index or to any other variable. For, many economists have criti-cized this index and some of them considered it a hindrance for capital, investment and growth. Furthermore, H. E. Dr. Yahya said that the sell-ing with changing price does mean in reality selling with changing profit, (it was called so by those who see it permissible) . Therefore, we notice that there was no consideration for both parties to the contract, which are the bank and client, rather for the interest of the bank only.

The professor of comparative Islamic Juris-prudence (Fiqh ) at King Fahd Security College, Dr. Abdul Salam bin Mohammed Shuwair, has covered in his research entitled “Alternatives of Contracting with Changing Price”, two sec-tions; namely types of contracts alternatives, the end behind them, alternatives of changing price , which comprises two sub-sections: alternatives of the approved index and alternatives of con-tracting with changing price.

Then a large experts explained, Then after that H. E. Dr. Ayachi Al-Sadiq Fadad, senior expert at Islamic Institute for Training and Is-lamic Research, explained in his research enti-tled: Alternatives of selling with changing price , that one of the most important risks faced by traditional banks is what so-called the dangers of interest rate, because of the possibility of its change in the market, and that it is difficult to achieve harmonization between funds sources and applications (uses) and in the long term, due to the fact that a steady return is fixed in the short run. He further mentioned that the field of research considers alternatives presented in the researches submitted to Islamic Fiqh Council and other institutions. Furthermore, he summa-rized some of the literature tackled by Muslim jurists and scholars regarding the amendment of the contract conditions, price and profit with mutual agreement between the bank and client , particularly in connection certain conditions of contract , including price, cooperative insurance or insurance against the dangers of return, sell-ing, participation and confining in profit trans-actions (murabahat) on short run contracton insolvent.

At the end of the Symposium the Secretary General of the Islamic Fiqh Council thanked their Excellencies and Eminences distinguished scholars for their responsiveness with Islamic Fiqh Council, an affiliate of the Muslim World League ; and for their invaluable researches, and for the sound comments and interventions made by some of them. Furthermore, he thanked their Excellencies and Eminences virtue mem-bers of the Academic Committee at Islamic Fiqh Council, who did their level best in submitting consultations , studying as well as examining the subjects till they reached the acceptable lev-el. This act has helped the Secretariat of Islamic Fiqh Council make research mature and suitable for presentation to their excellencies members of the Islamic Fiqh Council.


MWL Journal Desk Report

More than 431,000 individuals have benefitted from the Muslim World League’s Dawah activi-ties conducted by 406 preachers throughout 27 countries in Africa .

H.E. Mr. Hassan Shahbar, Sec-retary of the International Islamic Relief Organization (IIROSA), an affiliate of the League, stated that in line with the directives of His Excellency the Secretary Gen-eral of the Muslim World League, Sheikh Dr. Mohammad Bin Ab-dulkarim Al-Issa, and under his di-rect supervision, twenty seven (27) countries in Africa, Asia, Europe, and Latin America have benefited from the Muslim World League’s Dawah activities within the last two months. 17 Africa countries have gotten the lion share among other continents, followed by eight (8) Asian, one (1) European, and one (1) Latin American countries

who have benefitted from the Da-wah activities programs conducted by the Organization.

Furthermore, H.E. Mr. Hassan Shahbar said that the Dawah pro-gram involved dispatching four (4) preachers to Senegal where two thousand (2000) individuals

availed themselves of these cours-es. A further twelve (12) preach-ers were sent to Ghana to instruct six (6000) thousands persons. An-other five (5) preachers travelled to Uganda to conduct religious seminars to two thousand and five hundred (2500) participants. The republic of Benin welcomed five (5) preachers to carry out classes for three thousand (3000) indi-viduals. One (1) single preacher has been sent to Burkina Faso to tutor five hundred (500) per-sons. An additional thirteen (13) preachers were sent to Chad to teach six thousands and five hun-dred (6500) individuals, and an-other (1) preacher was dispatched to Kenya where seven hundred (700) participants have benefited from several sessions.

431000 individuals have benefitted from the MWL Dawa activities


H.E. Mr. Shahbar has also said that nineteen (19) preachers have been sent to the Republic of Togo where eighteen (18000) thousand have benefited from the courses conducted. The Republic of Gam-bia hosted fourteen (14) preach-ers who gave instructions to seven thousand (7000) students. A group of four (4) preachers visited Dji-bouti for education purposes where one thousand (1000) people have taken advantage of this activity. Moreover, South Africa received four male (4) and a group of fe-male preachers where two thou-sand (2000) individuals received first-hand knowledge of Dawah. Furthermore, five (5) and nine (9) preachers were sent to South Su-dan and Cote d’Ivoire where two thousand (2500) and five hundred and four thousand and five hun-dred (4500) received instructions in Dawah skills respectively. A significant group comprising thirty (30) preachers visited Sudan to initiate fifteen thousand (15,000) persons in these courses. A further sizeable eighty three (83) preach-

ers went to Nigeria where thirty nine thousand and five hundred (39,500) people benefited from the courses conducted in that country. Fourteen (14) preachers were sent to Somalia where they conducted seminars in the art of Dawah which benefited six thousand (6000) indi-viduals. Last but not least Maurita-nia welcomed the arrival eight of (8) preachers where four thousand (4000) persons took part and ben-efited from these instructions.

In the Asian continent, the Muslim World League has con-ducted the Dawa activity project where two (2) preachers from Sau-di Arabia conducted a program for the benefit of two thousand (2000) individuals. One (1) preacher was dispatched to Afghanistan to in-struct five hundred (500) partici-pants. Fifty two (52) preachers were sent to Pakistan to conduct Dawa seminars for the benefit of nineteen (19,000) thousands par-ticipants. In Thailand, thirteen (13) preachers and a Dawa Center con-ducted courses for thirty five thou-sands (35,000) individuals. Three (3) preachers were dispatched to Nepal where ten thousand (10,000) participants took advantage of in-struction courses in Dawa. And finally, 56 (fifty six) preachers headed to Yemen to conduct train-ing courses for the benefit of one hundred and fifty (150,000) thou-sand persons.

Moreover, eight (8) preachers went to Albania and conducted training courses in Dawa skills to four (4000) thousand individuals. One (1) single preacher went to Brazil to conduct Dawa seminars to six hundred (600) participants.



An emergency meeting of the For-eign Ministers of the Organiza-tion of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) member states held in Makkah on 17 November 2016 Thursday de-cided to constitute a working group to take urgent practical steps to en-sure non-recurrence of vicious ag-gression such as the ballistic mis-sile attack by Houthi and Saleh militias targeting Makkah on Oct. 27. In a resolution, the ministers instructed the Executive Commit-tee at the foreign ministers’ level to send a message in the name of OIC member states to the United

Nations to take necessary global actions that would ensure that such vicious aggressions on Makkah and other Islamic holy lands are not repeated. The meeting formal-ly adopted the communiqué, issued by the Executive Committee held in Jeddah on Nov. 5, which called on member states to stand united against this heinous aggression and those behind it.

The Makkah meeting was chaired by Gayrat Fazilov, first deputy foreign minister of Uzbeki-stan, the current chair of the OIC Foreign Ministers’ Council. The session instructed that the work-ing group shall be constituted by

the member states of the Executive Committee. The meeting noted that Jeddah session called on member states and the international com-munity to take serious and effective steps to prevent the recurrence of such attacks in future and called for holding accountable all those who smuggle weapons, provide training and continue to support the Yemeni insurgents. The meeting slammed those supported these attackers, describing them “as an established accomplice in the aggression on the holy sites of the Muslim world, an obvious party seeking to sow dis-sent and fuel sectarian discord, and a key sponsor of terrorism.” The meeting reaffirmed the OIC mem-ber states’ commitment to enhance their unity and solidarity as well as to promote mutually beneficial re-lations to maintain peace, security and stability, and prosperity among the member states and beyond in line with the spirit of Islam as mer-cy for the entire humanity.

Earlier, the ministers ap-proved appointment of Yousuf Al-Othaimeen, former Saudi minister of Social affairs, as the new Secre-tary General of OIC. He replacped Iyad Madani, who had resigned due to health reasons, as the 11th Secretary General of the 56-mem-ber grouping of the Islamic world. The meeting appreciated the out-standing contributions and great services rendered by Iyad Madani in serving the interests of the Is-

OIC constitutes working group to ensure non-recurrence of attacks targeting Makkah


lamic world.Addressing the meeting, Nizar

Madani, minister of state for for-eign affairs, reiterated that Saudi Arabia will never tolerate any negligence in defending the sanc-tity of the Two Holy Mosques and the Holy Sites. “It is also the ob-ligation of all Muslim countries to take a clear, strong and bold posi-tion that suites well to the Islamic conscience,” he said. Madani, who headed the Saudi delegation to the meeting, underlined the need for taking decisive and deterring mea-sures so as to ensure that non-recur-rence of the sinful aggression com-mitted by Houthi and Saleh militias targeting Makkah in future. He also called for stopping such aggressive practices and irresponsible poli-cies being pursued by the militias who transgressed beyond under-mining the security and stability of Yemen to threatening the national security of the neighbouring states, and reached the level of violating the sanctity of the holy places and hurting the sentiments of Muslims all over the world. Madani also emphasized that any country that supports Houthi and Saleh mili-tias with money and weapons shall own legal responsibility for the crime and such countries shall be considered as a partner in aggres-sion on the Islamic holy sites and a main partner in supporting terror and undermining security and sta-bility of the Islamic states.

The venue of the OIC meeting in the vicinity of the Holy Ka’aba was chosen to highlight the reli-gious standing of Makkah among all Muslims in the backdrop of the ballistic missile attack. The meet-ing was pursuant to the recommen-dation of the emergency meeting of the Executive Committee held in Jeddah on Nov. 5. The Jeddah

session called on member states and the international community to take serious and effective steps to prevent the recurrence of such attacks in future and called for holding accountable all those who smuggle weapons, provide training and continue to support the Yemeni insurgents. The executive commit-tee reaffirmed member states’ sup-port to Riyadh in its fight against terrorism and against all those at-tempting to target religious holy sites. It also stressed its solidarity with Saudi Arabia in its measures

aimed at preserving its security and stability.

It described the attack against Makkah as an act of offence against the feelings of Muslims around the world and a breach of international resolutions. Saudi ground defenses intercepted late on Oct. 27 a ballis-tic missile launched by the Houthi militias targeting Makkah. The Arab coalition said that the missile was downed 65 km from Makkah, adding that coalition jet fighters attacked the rocket launchers in Saada and destroyed them.


In a succession of events that indicated major co-ordination between various Israeli government of-fices, Jewish settler groups and the municipality of Jerusalem, Israel recently moved to outlaw the Muslim call for prayer, first in Jerusalem, then in other Arab areas inside Israel.

This move was clearly aimed at literally and figuratively silencing Palestinian Muslims and would have been casually filed under yet a new Israeli attempt aimed at Judaizing Jerusalem and eradicating Palestinian heritage — Muslim and Christian alike — throughout Palestine. But there is more to the story: The timing of these efforts.

True, the original bill to ban the call for prayer was presented by member of the Knesset Moti Yo-gev, last March, but has become more pressing in

recent weeks, following a vote in the UNESCO, which was the subject of much annoyance by Is-rael.

Following its occupation and illegal annexa-tion of Arab East Jerusalem, Israeli leaders have laboured to claim the occupied city as their own, labeling it Israel’s “enteral and undivided capi-tal.”

However, the reality is that aside from most Is-raelis and their friends in the Christian Right, the international community has never accepted or agreed to the occupation or annexation of Pales-tine, nor the Israeli designation.

On Oct. 26, following robust campaigning from various Arab and other countries, a UNESCO resolution, once more, emphasized the status of Je-

Israel cannot silence prayer calls

Ramzy Baroud


rusalem in international law as occupied and agreed to retain the UN designation of the Old City of Jerusalem as “endangered.”

The resolution, which was passed after a vote by the organization’s World Heritage Committee strongly crit-icized Israel’s violations of the sanctity of Palestinian houses of worship, demanded access to the holy sites to determine their conservation status and, particular-ity significant to Israel, called Palestinian holy sites by their Arabic, not Hebrew names.

Israel was infuriated. Israeli Prime Minister Ben-jamin Netanyahu responded angrily. His ministers al-leged that the vote further demonstrated the UN’s sup-posed anti-Semitism.

Israel’s evangelical friends flooded UNESCO of-ficials with bibles to “refresh diplomats’ memory” on Judaism’s ties to Jerusalem.

Israeli vengeance surpassed the realm of media rhet-oric into aggressive action. First, Netanyahu moved to formalize the illegal annexation of hundreds of acres of Palestinian land in Jerusalem, and Jerusalem Mayor Nir Berkat threatened to demolish “hundreds or thousands” of Palestinian homes in the city.

In other words, Israel’s response to UNESCO was a continuation of the illegal and criminal activities that pressed UNESCO to produce the resolution in the first place.

Israel went still further in trying to silence the call for prayer, first in Jerusalem, then in other cities.

Of course, the call for prayer in Islam carries a deep religious and spiritual meaning but, in Palestine, such religious traditions also carry a deep, symbolic meaning that is unique to Palestinians: The call for prayer means continuity, survival, unity and rebirth among a host of other meanings.

It is these very meanings that made Palestinians in Gaza pray on top of the ruins of their mosques, which were destroyed by Israeli bombs in the last, most devas-tating war of 2014.

According to government and media reports, a third of Gaza’s mosques were destroyed in the last war on the Strip.

Israel’s attempt to ban the call for prayer is a new low. Its pretext behind the move was termed “noise pollution” — a complaint repeatedly made by Jewish settlers, who moved to Jerusalem and the rest of the Occupied Territories from Europe, the US and other countries, to build homes atop illegally stolen Palestin-ian land.

On Nov. 3, a small crowd of settlers from the illegal

settlement of Pisgat Zeev gathered in front of the home of Nir Berkat, demanding that the government end the “noise pollution,” emanating from the city’s mosques. The mayor readily and immediately obliged.

But it didn’t stop there.On Nov. 13, the Israeli Ministerial Committee on

Legislation approved the draft law aimed at barring loudspeakers on “houses of worship” and quickly pushed the draft for its first reading at the Knesset.

Things seemed to be moving smoothly until Nov. 16 when an ultra-orthodox minister filed an appeal against the draft law. The appeal by Health Minister Yaakov Litzman appeared to be out of character, since ultra-or-thodox zealots in the Knesset and cabinet have been the leaders of Israel’s cultural war on Palestinians.

The discerning minister noticed a little defect in the draft law:

Although the bill is entirely aimed at Palestinians, this detail is not specified in its wording, and might, if passed, become a ground for legal arguments by Israel’s secular parties to end Jewish religious practices, where sirens blare every Friday evening to announce the Jew-ish holy day of Shabbat.

While the vote on the draft law is likely to be post-poned for now, until a more unambiguous rhetoric re-places the current one, the war on Palestinian heritage, whether religious and national for both Muslims and Christians, will not cease.

In fact, it will escalate, especially in Occupied Jeru-salem and particularly in and around the Muslim Haram Al-Sharif Compound.

It is beneath that compound that Israeli machinery has been tirelessly digging for years, attempting to lo-cate a lost temple, while all the while threatening the foundation of Islam’s third holiest site.


Between Myanmar’s Rakhine and Ro-hingya Muslims in Arakan province, dead-ly riots are abated barely. Houses, mosque and several structures of Muslims are burnt made fire by Rakhaine. The death toll continues to rise day by day. Rohingya Muslims, who are tortured by Myanmar Buddhist Rakhine and inhuman oppres-sion of the military junta Nasaka, to enter Bangladesh, has become a heavy sigh and howling environment. Suffered Muslims are spending their miserable life. The se-vere surveillance of Bangladesh Border

Guard (BGB) has insured to prevent the infiltration of Rohingya. All kinds of re-strictions on the movement of vessels at different times have been implemented due to fear of intrusion of Rohingya from SentMartin to Ukhiya Monkhali Ghat. Temporary camps have been set up to pre-vent infiltration.

Rohingya issue is being complicated day by day. In this situation, the question of all to be attributed to the Rohingya prob-lem will not be solution at all? According to a long investigation, Bangladesh has a

Myanmar Rohingya problem:Numbness of the world conscience



long history of Rohingya problem. Arakan prov-ince of Myanmar was a well-Old different coun-try at once time. Arakan was formed by Mughal, Tibet, bhrahma and many of the ancient tribes. Brahmaraj Bodh Paya conquered the kingdom of Arakan in 1875 and Brahma was included. Then Rohingya problem raised and Burmese soldiers killed people to pull back from them in villages. Burmese soldiers of torture known biography of the Arakanese leader Appola, Burmese soldiers indiscriminately killed 2 Lakhs Arakani and sent into slavery same numbers in Burma. Such kind of torture, murder, and repression of Arakan State, they took shelter as refuge near Cox›s Bazar. Sir Heyaltar Hemiltone’s report knows that, he saw lakhs of Arakanese refugees in Ramu camps on 1802 AD. An analysis of the events specified, in the corresponding quarter in the incident with the Burmese Rohingya people living in the territories is caused by distance. Although the same coun-try, Burmese and Rohingya citizens are in conflict starting more than two hundred years ago, this conflict has continued till today. The continuation of the burning unbearable levels reached or ex-ceeded their living in the Arakan Rohingya popu-lation moved to a safe harbor in the Cox’s Bazar and Teknaf. The influx of refugees does not stop for a day, and possibly.

According to sources, in the last quarter two hundred years of history, a large scale, with 3 la-khs Rohingya refugees came in Bangladesh in 1978. In 1979, in accordance with the agreement between Myanmar and Bangladesh, 3 lakhs Ro-hingyas back to Myanmar. The Rohingya issue solution in 1978 after a decade apart once again in November 1991, the two lakh 65 thousand Ro-hingya refugees took shelter in Bangladesh. At the beginning of the refugees evasion happens a false calculation matter. Teknaf, Bangladesh at the reception point taking two lakh 65 thou-sand refugees and then when it counts in refugee camps, the total number of refugees stood at two lakh 50 thousand 877 people. At the beginning of the calculation, about 15 thousand refugees fled to Bangladesh strategically. Currently, out of two

lakh 50 thousand 877 refugees, twenty thousand 367 refugees are living in Kutupalong and Naya-para camps due to repatriation. Since 1991, about 76 thousand 139 children were born.

On the other hand, 15 thausand 36 people are died. According to various intelligence agencies, in addition to the 25 thousand Rohingya refu-gees in two camps, another 4 Lakhs 50 thausand refugees are living in Cox’s Bazar, Chittagong, Bandarban districts and other parts of the coun-try. However, the concept of community is aware of the number of Rohingya intruders will double the number provided by government intelligence agencies. Many Rohingya youths to marry their relatives to settle permanently in the house are built. Again, many of them married a beautiful young Rohingya are included in the voter list. According to research, two Rohingya camps that now, the government of Myanmar has agreed to the repatriation to their home country 8 thousand Rohingya refugees are in the midst of 25 thousand refuges. They are not willing to take back the rest of the 12 thausand. However, the high-level bi-lateral meeting between Bangladesh-Myanmar, Rohingya refugees issues was most important agenda.

Rohingya have urged International Organiza-tions to take a step about their homecoming (My-anmar) or, to give citizenship of Bangladesh af-ter freeing them from camps. If it is not possible, they will be resettled in a third country. Bangla-desh has made its speech clear about Rohingya issue that the government of Bangladesh won’t give citizenship of Rohingya. But, Bangladesh will help them on the point of their homecoming into Myanmar. In this circumstance, the solution of the Rohingya issue becomes tough. It seems that the solution of Rohingya issue will not solve soon. On the other hand, Nasaka, Rakhain youth, and local forces jointly attack once and again in a trivial issue on Rohingya who live in Arakan state in Myanmar. As a result, Many Rohingyas have fled in neighbouring countries including Bangla-desh and to areas along the border with Thailand. And the others are waiting to enter in neighbour-


ing areas.During the Arakan riot, the United Nations

urged Bangladesh to shelter Rohingya. But, that time, BGB had been pushed back those refugees several times. And in a press conference (During Arakan riot), Former Foreign Minister, Dr. Dipu Moni said, the government will not allow Rohing-yas into Bangladesh. Many scholars think that Rohingya will be returned their homesteads and to create pressure on Myanmar Government, so that, Rohingya live in Arakan safely. It is sad but true that after the liberation of Myanmar, Myan-mar have occurred many planned genocides and atrocities on Rohingya and, on the others Mus-lims of Myanmar. Those are:1. Military operation ( Fifth Burmi Regiment)-

November 19482. Burma Territorial Force’s (BTF) operation-

1948-503. Military operation ( Second Emergency Sin

Regiment)- November 19484. Mau operation- Octobar 1952-535. Mane-thon operation- 19546. Comprehensive immigration and military co-

operation- January 19557. Union Military Police (UMP) operation –

1955-588. Captain Hotin Kiao operation-19599. Shoye ki operation- October-199610. Ki Gun operation- October-December 196611. Gijinka operation-1967-6912. Miyat Mon operation- February 1969-7113. Major Aung Than operation-197314. Sabi operation- February 1974-7815. Naga Min (Dragon king) operation – Febru-

ary 1978-79 ( Result: 3 lak Rohingyas exodus into Bangladesh and Forty thousand died)

16. Soye Hintha operation- August 1978-8017. Gelon operation-197918. Taungauk genocide-198419. Anti-Muslim riot - Taunghe ( Western Bur-

ma)20. Pi Theya operation- July 1991-92 ( Result: 2

lak and 68 thousand exodus in Bangladesh)21. Nasaka operation- from 1992 to continue

22. Anti- Muslim riots – March 1997 (Man-daloy)

23. Anit-Muslim riot at Sitioy – February 200124. Anti- Muslim riot at meddle Burma- May

200125. Anti- Muslim riot at Meddle Burma ( Special-

ly Piyai/Prome, Bago/Pende towns) – 9/11 to October 2001

26. Joint eradicating operation – June 2012 to continueFrom General Ne Urine to ruling government

of Myanmar all are trying to blow Rohingya down stopping all fundamental human rights. And they have allowed all types of crime to evict Rohingya from Arakan of Myanmar.

Any article of the Charter of the International Human Rights is not being followed on Rohingya issue. There is given a short list of crimes that were occurring on Rohingya. These are:1. Denial of citizenship2. Limited on travel and movement3. Limited and controlled on education4. Limited and controlled on work permits5. To labor forcibly6. To acquisitions land7. Forcibly eviction8. To demolish homesteads, offices, schools and

Mosjid9. To tease for being Muslim10. Ethnic discriminatory act11. Controlled marriage12. To prevent breeding and to force abortion


13. To collect tax forcibly and imposed tax will-fully

14. To registrate forcibly birth and death informa-tion of family members including cattle.

15. Unlawfully killing after arrest16. To insult Rohingya women and old people17. To rape as a technic of war18. Confiscation of immigration and citizenship

cards19. To destroy historical places and sign of Mus-

lim to unidentification of Arakan MuslimIt is not only self- contradiction that to refuse

Rohingya as a Myanmar citizen but also opposing of the rules and regulations of the civilized world. To deport 10 lakh people by refusing is a crimi-nal activity in according to International law and court. So, Muslim world should pay attention on Rohingya issue immediately. And every consci-entious person of the world should protest against Myanmar government on behalf of Rohingya after deeply investigation. There is no alternative way to solve Rohingya issue without creating pressure on Myanmar government to stop theirs apartheid and unrest activities. And we should do it now.

Myanmar army forces hundreds of Rohingya villagers out of their homesVery recently hundreds of Myanmar’s Rohingya vil-lagers faced a second night hiding in rice fields with-out shelter, after the army forcibly removed them from a village in a crackdown following attacks on border security forces.

Reuters said border guard officers went to Kyee Kan

Pyin village ordered about 2,000 villagers to abandon it, giving them just enough time to collect basic house-hold items. The move marks an escalation in violence, which has destabilized Myanmar’s most volatile state located in the remote northwest. In Rakhine state, re-lations between the Rohingya and majority Buddhists have hit their lowest point since hundreds of people were killed and thousands displaced in ethnic and reli-gious violence in 2012.

The government, led by Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi, has said the army and police in Rakhine are fighting a group of at least 400 insurgents of the Rohingya Solidarity Organization (RSO). The RSO is a shadowy outfit that takes its name from the Muslim minority group, which has been described by the United Nations as one of the world’s most perse-cuted.

However, most experts believe its existence is a myth. While officials say the army has been conduct-ing carefully targeted sweeps against the group behind attacks on police border posts on October 9, residents have accused security forces of killing non-combatants and burning homes.

“I was kicked out from my house, now I live in a paddy field outside of my village with some 200 peo-ple including my family, I became homeless,” said a Rohingya man from Kyee Kan Pyin village contacted by Reuters by telephone.

“After the soldiers arrived at our village, they said that if all of us didn’t leave, they would shoot us,” he said.

Another witness and two Rohingya community elders based in Maungdaw who are collecting infor-mation from across the area have corroborated the ac-count, estimating a total of about 2,000 villagers were removed from homes.

Some were able to find shelter in neighbouring villages, but hundreds spent night hiding in the rice fields.

Mynt Kyaw, a government spokesman, said the government was unable to contact anyone in the area because it was a militarily-operated “red zone.”

Videos uploaded on social media by Rohingya rights activists showed men and women speaking Ro-hingya language carrying their belongings and live-stock to other villages or waiting out the crackdown in paddy fields.

The area around Maungdaw Township is under military lockdown and journalists and aid workers have not been allowed to go inside.


US Elections 2016Trump’s Triumph: What Lies in the Future

Dr. Mozammel Haque

During the last two months – in October and No-vember 2016, the world was in crisis; everywhere, whether in Europe, or in the Middle East or in the United States of America, there were lots of prob-lems and calamities. In Europe, there was problem of Burkini issue vis-à-vis secularism and the fu-

ture of Islam in France; in the Middle East, there is Battle for Mosul and the Aleppo onslaught, hu-manitarian crisis and the Syrian’s war and lastly, the US Elections of 2016 and the Donald Trump’s surprise victory as the 45th President-elect of the most powerful state of the world.P


In this issue, instead of dealing with the Burkini ban, Islamophobia and Secularism in France, or the Bat-tle for Mosul and the Aleppo on-slaught and humanitarian crisis in Syrian war, I will mainly talk about, discuss and analyse the most ugly, nasty and divisive US elections of 2016; because the results of this election will bring drastic changes not only inside the United States of America but it will have far deeper, far reaching radical changes in the foreign policy of the Trump era which might affect the US relation-ship with Russia, Europe, Iran and the Middle East.

US Elections of 2016In the Elections history of Amer-ica, this is one of the most nasty and controversial elections in so many respects: candidates, cam-paigns and controversies. So far as the candidates are concerned, neither the Democrat candidate nor the Republican candidate was most suitable for the White House. The Democrat candidate – Hillary Clinton, though she has long ex-perience of public office, such as Secretary of State and the political office, the Republican candidate – Donald Trump, property develop-er, billionaire businessman and TV Reality star, – on the other hand, has no experience of elected office of the country nor hold any public office. He has never been in politi-cal office of the country.

Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton are two of the most hated and distrusted presidential candi-dates ever. Jeremy Paxman met political insider and voters on both sides of the politics. Jeremy Pax-man in his Panorama programme on Trump and Clinton: Divided America on BBC, said, Abraham Lincoln was the greatest President

America had. He earned respect of the world. He asked where are the heroes now? Whatever happened on 8th of November, the winner will be one of the two least popular candidates of all times. He again asked what has happened to the true democracy that the choice is so awful. “The supporters of Hi-lary and Donald have agreed on one thing – how despicable the other candidate is? The one is al-leged to have risked the national security and the other is accused of multiple sexual assaults.” (Jer-emy Paxman, Paxman on Trump and Clinton: Divided America, on Panorama Programme, BBC.)

The US Presidential election was the contest for the biggest job in the world. The winner would be the most powerful man on earth. “On the 8th of November, 2016 American people has to decide who will be hired or fired for the White House,” said Paxman.

Election CampaignAs far as the election campaign is concerned, Paxman said, it is the most unusual campaign in Ameri-ca – it is unprecedented, most un-believable campaign. This is the

first time war of words – personal attack on the other candidate was made. Donald Trump called Hillary Clinton ‘nasty lady’, she should be inside jail. Many senior members said, Trump is not fit for the Presi-dency. Hilary Clinton has been ‘mistrusted for several years’.

As far as the election campaign trail is concerned, “Trump politi-cal campaign characterized by an unprecedented level of venom and vitriol,” said Gwenda Blair (What makes the Donald Special by Gwenda Blair in The New Review, The Observer, Sunday, 13 Novem-ber, 2016, page 4) Donald Trump has used incendiary, provocative pronouncements and inflammatory rhetoric. He made plenty of out-rageous pronouncements: jailing Clinton, building Mexican wall, he repeatedly contradicted himself. Most importantly, he campaigned not on policy but on a feeling.

Donald Trump frequently spoke in derogatory terms about Mexi-cans and Muslims. Toby Harnden from Washington wrote, “Trump’s crass vulgarity and inflammatory rhetoric and mockery of Mexican immigrants. “They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime.


They’re rapists,” he thundered.” (Stepping into Donald’s America by Toby Harnden in The Sunday Times, 13 November, 2016, Spe-cial Issue, page III)

Donald Trump also said against women. He said he wanted to es-tablish good relationship with Rus-sian President Putin to solve the Syrian Middle East crisis. He said in his election campaign trail about NATO and attacked those members who do not contribute to the NATO budget. He also said against the cli-mate change, the Paris agreement.

The Observer editorially summed up Donald Trump’s mes-sage of fear of the foreigner in America’s midst in his election campaign trail thus: “When he (Trump) spoke about curbing im-migration and building a Mexican wall, when he demonised Mus-lims, minorities and people from foreign countries he does not know or trust, when he vowed to scrap international trade deals that he claims are destroying jobs in the Midwest, when he railed against selfish allies who do not pay their way, the subliminal message was always always the same: fear of the foreigners in America’s midst.. No wonder African Americans, Lati-nos and other dark-skinned minori-ties are frightened. No wonder US relations around the globe are in turmoil.” (.The Observer, Editorial, 13 November, 2016, page 36)”

Pollsters and PunditsFrom the very beginning till 6th of November, 2016 pollsters, pundits and election experts were predict-ing the victory of the Democratic candidate, Hilary Clinton. All the pollsters forecasted Clinton ahead of Trump. NDTV and BBC have also shown graphically how the Democratic candidate Clinton was

going ahead of Republican candi-date Trump since September to 8th of November before the Election Day. According to BBC Channel 4, the chance of winning the election was as follows on 6th of November 2016.

Clinton Democrat 60%Trump Republican 34%Source: FiveThirtyEightClinton Democrat 84%Trump Republican 16%Source: New York TimesSo even according to the New

York Times poll Clinton chance to enter the White House was even higher.

But as the Election Day was coming nearer, the gap between the two candidates was coming closer. Still Democrat candidate Hillary Clinton was ahead of her rival Re-publican candidate Donald Trump on 8th of November, 2016, accord-ing to BBC.

BBC Poll of Polls on the 8th of

November 2016Paths to the White HouseDemocrat 47%Republican 43%Democrat 44%

Republican 40%Source: NBC/WSJ Poll Democrat 48%Republican 44%Source: Fox News PollIt is even said that mathemati-

cally it was still easier for Clinton to enter the White House. “The lib-eral establishment was so sure its candidate would win. As the elec-tion neared, the Daily Kos web-site put Hilary Clinton’s chances of winning the presidency at 92%. The New York Times’s Upshot blog said 86%. The book-maker Betfair said 70%. Nate Silver, of the website FiveThirtyEight, went for 66.9%.” Niall Ferguson men-tioned in his article in The Sunday Times.

Intelligentsia and IntellectualsNot only that, intelligentsia and in-tellectuals mentioned how the poll-sters were predicting the victory of the Democrat candidate Clinton.

The Sunday Times wrote edito-rially: “Pollsters, some using high-ly sophisticated methods, expected a clear win for Hilary Clinton. The most optimistic electoral model, from the president-elect’s perspec-tive, gave him the 29% chance.


Others saw his prospects in low single figures,” The Sunday Times editorial (Our mission to bridge the Atlantic gap, Sunday, 13 Novem-ber 2016)

Dominic Lawson wrote in his article, “He (Trump) would defy the pollsters in the same way. That is what he (Trump) must have meant when telling crowds of his support-ers on the final day’s campaign-ing: ‘This is Brexit Plus Plus Plus’ Well, Trump was dead right about that: his clear victory was a bigger shock to the pollsters and other so-called experts than even Brexit had been. On Thursday Newsweek had to withdraw an edition with a cover of a beaming Mrs. Clinton under the headline “Madan President.” (“Until the left gets beyond woo-ing ‘communities’, it will remain in the cold” by Dominic Lawson in The Sunday Times, Sunday, 13 November, 2016)

Roger Altman wrote two months ago in the Financial Times column, reassuring its readers: “The big-gest American political question today is not the outcome of the No-vember election. For all practical purposes, that is over and Hillary Clinton will be the next president..

Yes, an asteroid could collide with the earth before then.” (“Until the left gets beyond wooing ‘commu-nities’, it will remain in the cold by Dominic Lawson in The Sun-day Times, Sunday, 13 November, 2016)

Election ResultsPresident-elect Donald TrumpIn the end, it is the clear win of Donald Trump. He swept in the in-dustrial areas in America’s North-east. He secured 279 votes of the Electoral College guaranteeing him the presidency.

Electoral College VotesMrs. Clinton

Trump218 270

279 Donald Trump had a surprise

and stunning victory after a long, bitter, ugly and divisive election campaign. Trump secured victory over Hillary Clinton on Wednes-day, 9th of November 2016 to be-come the 45th US president-elect after winning more than 270 Elec-toral College votes needed to win. Al-Jazeera’s James Bays, reporting

from New York, described the re-sult as “a political bombshell” the like of which had not been seen in modern US history.

According to American election system, Electoral College votes are vital to get to the White House. Trump gained a significant propor-tion of the votes of the blue-collar workers in north-eastern states, the so-called Rust Belt. Niall Fergu-son observed, “The months-long ordeal that culminated on Wednes-day will go down in history as one of the nastiest election campaigns of modern times.” He also said, “From the moment of his inau-guration on January 20, 2017 the property developer turned reality TV star turned politician will be the most powerful human being on earth. The Donald will become the Potus. (This was no whitelash, it was a vote to get America work-ing by Niall Ferguson, The Sunday Times, Special Issue, Sunday, 13 November, 2016, page IV)

There is no doubt that Hillary Clinton got the popular vote. A large majority of Americans voted for Hillary Clinton one million more votes went to Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clin-ton than to her Republican rival Donald Trump yet Trump won the Electoral College and was elected president. An Electoral College vote is vital to get to the White House.

Among the key wins of Donald Trump was in Florida that brought him 29 votes; in Ohio he comforta-bly beaten Mrs. Clinton. Both Ohio and Michigan have got support for Obama four years ago.

Florida 29 votes Ohio – 18 votes Michigan 16 votes

Trump 49.1% Trump


52.1% Trump 47.7%

Clinton 47.7% Clinton 43.5% Clin-ton 47.2%

Same story repeated in the Con-

gress. Republicans retained con-trol of the Senate and the House of Representatives.

SenateDemocrats 47Republicans 51House of RepresentativesDemocrats - 191Republicans 236 In the Senate, Republicans

retained its narrow majority but Democrats did make its small gains. The same story was in the House of Representatives: Repub-licans now controlled both the ex-ecutive and legislative arms of the government.

It is interesting to note and point out that one political party has not held all three branches of US Gov-ernment since the 1920s.

How did the polls get it wrong?The natural question is why were the pundits so wrong? How did a victory that almost no one had pre-dicted had come about? What does it say about the United States?

Battleground – Swing votesThis election was unpredictable. One day before the Election Day, Hillary and Donald were cam-paigning in the Michigan and Penn-sylvania; these two states were the Democrat states. There were five battleground states; they were the key swing states whose votes will decide. The winner of the Electoral College votes in the swing states would reach the White House.

According to BBC Channel 4;

tomorrow is the day the D-day and tonight is the race as follows:

Clinton 47.2%Trump 44.2%Source: realclearpolitics.com But to enter the White House,

candidate needs 270 Electoral Col-lege votes. In current projection

Clinton 296Trump 240Source: realclearpolitics.com But at the last moment, the votes

in Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Michigan changed the results.

Clinton won popular vote but loss Electoral College vote? Why and How?

Hillary Clinton won a major-ity of the popular vote, probably by more than a million. It has to be remembered that she was the can-didate of choice for most voters. But she was handsomely beaten in the race for Electoral College votes. You may be wondering why Hillary Clinton lost the election. Many explanations have been of-fered for Hillary Clinton’s defeat in the election. These are: i) the complacency of the Democratic party and America’s liberal left; ii)

Democrats took the ‘white work-ing class’ support granted; iii)Mrs. Clinton ignored Bill Clinton’s ad-vice: “Despite urgings from Bill Clinton, whose populist touch won these areas over in 1992, Hillary hardly campaigned in the area, fo-cusing more on getting the black and Hispanic vote elsewhere.” (Ni-all Fergusan, The Sunday Times, Special Issue, 13 November 2016, Page V) Pennsylvania has been a Democratic blue since Bill Clinton won in 1992. Obama won there by 12,000 when he was re-elected for his second term in 2012. iv) FBI Director James Comey’s decision to reopen the investigation into Clinton’s emails. And lastly v) the peculiarities and eccentricities of the American Electoral System.

How did Donald Trump win?On the other hand, Donald Trump strategy was: i) tap on the white working class, ii) his campaign won the support of the white su-premacists; iii) tap on disillusion-ment and alienation; iv) play game of fear and rage and v) lastly, ex-ploited feeling of whites.

Looking at how did Donald Trump win, Peter Trubowitz wrote:


“Many things obviously: a politi-cally vulnerable opponent, lower voter turnout, FBI Director James Comey’s decision to reopen the in-vestigation into Clinton’s emails, among other things. But at the end of the day, the single biggest factor was Trump’s ability to recognize and tap into a well of anger and resentment in the American body politic that others missed.” (How Did Trump Win and What Hap-pens Next? By Peter Trubowitz, Chatham House website, originally published by the LSE US Centre).

That is what allowed Donald Trump to capture pivotal Demo-cratic states like Pennsylvania and Wisconsin and possibly, Michigan and thus won the Electoral Col-lege votes while losing the popular vote.

Election Results:Reactions and ResponsesThe surprise and stunning victory of Donald Trump has immediate reactions among the intelligentsia, intellectuals and other media ana-lysts. Even the American common

people came out on the streets and protested for four days. In the fol-lowing pages, I am going to quote the reactions and responses of in-telligentsia, intellectuals and com-mentators. .

DisasterThe Observer editorially described the results as disaster. It said, “It is no use pretending. Donald Trump’s presidential election victory is a disaster for the United States and the world. It is, at least in part, a victory for prejudice and fear, for ignorance and spite. It represents the triumph of economic nation-alism and introspection over in-ternationalism and global good. It is a victory built on fabrications. Because of this, Trumpism will ultimately fail, confounded by its contradictions and its immorality. It will be defeated. But correcting this deformation will not be easy. It will take time and the damage will be considerable.” (A victory for rage and fear. Trump will let down his supporters and the world, Edi-torial, The Observer, 13 November,

2016, page 36.)

The Guardian View On The Elec-tion ResultsThe Guardian editorially com-mented, “So it is with the global political earthquake that is the elec-tion of Donald Trump as the next president of the United States. If he is true to his campaign pledges, which were many and reckless, Mr Trump’s win will herald America’s most stunning reversal of political and economic orthodoxy since the New Deal in the 1930s, but with the opposite intention and effect. It halts the ailing progressive narra-tive about modern America and the 21st-century world in its tracks. It signals a seismic rupture in the American-dominated global liberal economic and political order that had seemed to command the 21st century after communism collapsed and China’s economy soared.

“But this is primarily an Ameri-can catastrophe that America has brought upon itself. When it came to it, the US was unable to find a credible way of rallying against Mr Trump and what he represents. Hillary Clinton failed that crucial test both in herself and in what she offered; for her this is the end. But she was the symptom, not the cause. Mr Trump was not taken

“The final and overarching fear, though, is for the world. Mr Trump’s win means uncertainty about America’s future strategy in a world that has long relied on the United States for stability. But Mr Trump’s capacity to destabilise is almost limitless. His military, diplomatic, security, environmen-tal and trade policies all have the capacity to change the world for the worse. Americans have done a very dangerous thing this week. Because of what they have done


we all face dark, uncertain and fearful times.” The Guardian.

Commentators and analysts have seen the election results in the similar way. Andrew Rawnsley, writing on the election results in The Observer commented it’s a “great danger”

Andrew Rawnsley – Great Danger“Terrifying Trump will turn into Tamed Trump? It’s an illusion: His election presents great dangers for both the global economy and the international secu-rity system.

Rawnsley observed under the above caption, “A man with no experience of elected office will preside over a government machine with 2.8 million civilian employees and 1.5 million military personnel. A man who will be pursued into the White House by a pack of lawsuits will be in charge of FBI. A man repeat-edly described as unfit for the office by senior mem-bers of his own party will be the commander-in-chief with his finger the trigger of more than 4,000 nuclear war- heads.” (Terrifying Trump will turn into Tamed Trump? It’s an illusion by Andrew Rawnsley, The Ob-server, Sunday, 13 November, 2016, page 37)

Andrew BowenWriting in Jeddah-based English daily Arab News, Andrew Bowen, Ph.D. visiting scholar at the Ameri-can Enterprise Institute, observed, “President-elect Donald Trump fundamentally is a departure from any of his Republican predecessors in both his outlook and tone. He’s neither the pure globally orientated real politick Richard Nixon nor the conservative in-ternationalist Ronald Reagan. Trump is Trump and his views of global affairs have been shaped by his own vantage point and experiences. Trump may meet with Kissinger, but it by no means is a sign that Washington is going back to the days of George H.W. Bush and James Baker.,” (Trump’s trump: neither a hawk nor a dove by Andrew J Bowen, Arab News )

Eyad Abu ShakraWriting in Arab News, Eyad Abu Shakra, Managing editor of Asharq Al-Awsat, commented, “I also failed to gauge the strong hatred harbored by the right-wing Catholics, Protestant-Anglican and conservative poli-ticians for the Democratic Party liberals. Racist white people sought to address a political situation they per-ceived as threatening the demographics in the US and having the potential to become “permanent”. (The

Trump Phenomenon, Arab News, 18 November, 2016, originally published in Asharq Al-Awsat)

Shakra also observed, “Indeed, this strategy paid off greatly, and it is now feared that it could negatively affect not only the coexistence of ethnic groups in the US, but also the principle of separation of powers, which represents the key guarantee of any democratic system, the US included, because the Republican Par-ty, which increasingly drifts toward the extreme right, has won not only the presidency (the executive power), but also kept control of the two Houses of Congress (the legislative power), which gives Trump the oppor-tunity to appoint partisan judges who back Republican policies on the Supreme Court (the judiciary).”(The Trump Phenomenon, Arab News, 18 November, 2016, originally published in Asharq Al-Awsat)

ScholarsXenia Wickett,Xenia Wickett, Head, US and the American Pro-gramme; Dean, The Queen Elizabeth II Academy for Leadership international Affairs, observed, “A Trump presidency will lead to profound changes in America’s engagement with the world. At its base, it will repre-sent a transition back from the highly internationalized and engaged America that we have known since the beginning of the 20th century.” (Time for Europe to Take the Reins, Xenia Wickett, 11 November 2016)

“This election has fundamentally and perhaps ir-reparably damaged America’s soft power. The appeal of American (Western) democracy has been greatly weakened. The Western ideal no longer holds the same glow,” Xenia observed.

Xenia also mentioned, “The world today is a more dangerous place. Trump’s enthusiasm for unpredict-ability will make it worse. But the steps required to mitigate the worst are clear (albeit difficult): Europe will need to step forward, to take more leadership, and to bear more burdens.” (.(Time for Europe to Take the Reins by Xenia Wickett, Chatham House website, 11 November 2016, originally published by Berlin Policy Journal)

Professor Gilbert Achcar Professor at SOASDonald Trump most unpredictable manGilbert Achcar Professor at SOAS, University of Lon-don commenting on foreign policy in general and the Middle East in particular, said, “Donald Trump, as the new president of the United States, would stand out as the most unpredictable man to have occupied this po-


sition ever since his country started deploying an over-seas imperial policy in the late 19th century.” (What does Trump’s victory mean for the Middle East? By Gilbert Achcar, Al-Jazeera, November 2016)

“Trump has contradicted himself and changed po-sitions and/or tone on several issues time and again during the electoral campaign. Judging, however, by a few key themes that he persistently reiterated over the past year, here is what can be guessed at this point about the way his presidency may affect the Middle East,” said Professor Achcar. (Gilbert Achcar, Al-Jazeera, November 2016)

Professor Achcar also mentioned that the Syrian people will be the first to suf-fer from this election. “The Syr-ian people will be the first to suffer from his election. The doors of the United States will be slammed shut in the face of would-be Syrian ref-ugees, with maybe an exception made for Christians as Trump’s agita-tion against Syr-ian refugees has always centred around Islamo-phobia.” (Gilbert Achcar, Al-Jazeera, November 2019)

Speaking about America-Israel relations under Donald Trump, Pro-fessor Achcar said, “another di-rect victim of Trump’s election will be the Palestinian people as Netanyahu will be given more of a free hand in dealing with them than any Israeli prime minister has had since Ariel Sharon in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 at-tacks.” (Gilbert Achcar, Al-Jazeera, November 2019)

Economist Paul Krugman: Shock HorrorThe economist Paul Krugman wrote in the New York Times that “People like me…. Truly did not under-stand the country we live in …We thought that the great majority of Americans valued democratic norms and the rule of law. It turns out that we were wrong. There turn out to be a huge number of people – white

people, living mainly in rural areas – who don’t share at all our idea of what America is all about. For them, it is about blood and soil, about traditional patriarchy and racial hierarchy.” (Quoted by Niall Ferguson in his article in The Sunday Times, 13 November, 2016)

Professor Khaled A BeydounOn Donald Trump and MuslimsThe new US president has advocated Islamophobia during the campaign, and it will now become its of-ficial policy said Khaled A Beydoun, Associate Pro-fessor of Law at the University of Detroit Mercy

School of Law and also affiliated Faculty at the University of California-Berkeley. He

mentioned, “From beginning to end, the US presidential elec-

tions 2016 have clearly found that Islamophobia

is alive, strong and still has political reso-nance. Presentation of Islam as a scape-goat and insult-ing Muslims was much more than just a message during the cam-paign - for Don-ald Trump, it was

a winning strategy. Trump comprehen-

sive Islamophobia deeply resonated with

voters. Moreover, it has mobilized more than just

furious - the bulky part of the American electorate that voted in

his favour. This helped him to win Ohio, Florida, North Carolina and almost every other coun-try reluctant.” (Donald Trump, President Islamophobe by Khaled A Beydoun, source: Al-Jazeera website, 10 November 2016)

He said, “I watched the counting of votes dur-ing the election night in the company of 200 Muslim Americans in Dearborn, Michigan - the largest Muslim community in the country. Fear was palpable. Adults were crying. Young led the prayers. Tomorrow seemed dark, and the gap between Muslims and Americans never seemed greater.” (Khaled A Beydoun, source: Al-Jazeera website, 10 November 2016


It’s high time to resolvethe Kashmir problem

Dr. Ali Al-Ghamdi

Kashmir is regarded as one of the oldest problems in the world. It is also one of the most compli-cated problems that consumes immense resourc-es and hampers development. Several wars have been fought over the issue claiming the lives of hundreds of people. The problem had its origin in the partition of the subcontinent into two separate nations – India and Pakistan.

India and Pakistan became independent states at the end of decades of struggle and after great sacrifices were made by the people of the subcon-tinent, mainly Hindus and Muslims. It was also the result of intense negotiations between the co-lonial government of Great Britain on one hand

and the Indian National Congress and All India Muslim League, representing the people of India, on the other. Later, similar intensity was seen in negotiations for the partition of the subcontinent between the Muslim League on one side and the Congress and the British colonial rulers on the other so as to create a separate nation for Mus-lims.

The state of Pakistan was founded on the ba-sis of the two-nation theory. According to the theory, Muslim majority regions would be part of


the new nation of Pakistan while the Hindu majority re-gions would continue to remain part of India. As for the princely states, they had the freedom to opt either for India or Pakistan. There were more than 500 princely states at the time of the partition of the subcontinent.

The first war was fought between India and Pakistan immediately after achieving independence. The Hindu ruler of Kashmir announced Kashmir’s accession to In-dia even though the majority Muslim population wanted to join Pakistan. This resulted in the intervention of the United Nations, forcing both sides to observe a cease-fire. The international body also passed a number of resolutions, seeking to hold a plebiscite for the self-de-termination of the Kashmiri people about their future.

Interestingly, the proposal for such a plebiscite first came from none other than Jawaharlal Nehru, the first prime minister of independent India. But later India backtracked from holding the plebiscite, citing the elec-tions held in Kashmir after the partition of the subconti-nent. In those elections, the victor was Sheikh Muham-mad Abdullah, who wanted Kashmir to remain a part of the Indian federal state, claiming that the election result was virtually the same as self-determination. However, Pakistan and the majority of the Kashmiri people re-jected outright this claim; and they continued to demand that a plebiscite be held under the supervision of the United Nations.

The Kashmir problem remains a stumbling block in improving bilateral relations between the neighboring states of India and Pakistan. It has triggered a number of wars fought between these two neighbors with mas-sive losses and human casualties on both sides. The two countries have lost a huge volume of resources that otherwise would have been pumped into mega develop-ment projects benefitting the people of both countries, who were earlier part of a single nation.

Leaders of both countries have failed to find an ami-cable solution to the Kashmir problem that dates back to more than six decades. One such effort to resolve this problem was made while the Bharatiya Janata Party leader Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the prime minister of India. There was great hope pinned on that initiative and a series of talks were held but later the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks scuttled the peace talks.

India blamed Pakistan for the attack but Pakistan consistently denied India’s claims that the perpetrators of the attack were Pakistan-based terrorists. Similar is the case with the recent terror attack on India’s army base in Uri in Kashmir. India accused Pakistan of be-ing behind the attack, an allegation that was roundly re-jected by Pakistan. Islamabad also accused New Delhi of orchestrating the Uri attack to divert the attention of the world from the Kashmir issue, especially from its excessive use of force in the valley. However, these in-cidents have contributed to worsening the situation and posing a threat to the security and stability of not only the two nations but also the entire South Asia region.

The political leadership of both India and Pakistan must realize the fact that there will not be any peace without the resolution of the Kashmir problem. If the problem remains insoluble, the situation will continue to prevail and will only become worse, and the dangers will be exacerbated in an unstable region. The solution lies in the execution of the resolutions adopted by the United Nations at the time of the eruption of the prob-lem six decades ago.

The UN resolutions call for holding a plebiscite for the self-determination of the Kashmiri people about their future. Plebiscites have been held in other trou-ble spots across the world. In Sudan, a referendum was held after a civil war that lasted for two decades, and it resulted in the independence of South Sudan. A simi-lar referendum was also held in Scotland. However, the majority of people decided not to secede but to remain in the United Kingdom. The resolution of the Kashmir problem by giving its people the right to self-determina-tion will lead to an era of stability between the two na-tions in particular and the South Asia region in general.

It is unfortunate to point out that the dispute over Kashmir has also led to an economic standoff between the two neighboring countries. The strained relations were instrumental in postponing the summit of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) that was supposed to take place in Pakistan this month. This followed the decision of New Delhi to boycott the summit meeting.


A left-wing president puts Muslim womenat heart of identity debates in France

Prof. Dr. Ali Murat Yel

One would not believe the things that a president would say in a doorstopper volume of a collection of interviews that French President Francois Hollande gave two journalists (Gerard Davet and Fabrice Lhomme) from Le Monde during his presidency. The title says it all: Un president ne devrait pas dire ça (A President Should Not Say That) and one can-not be sure whether the president had been serious or if the 61 interviews were casual conversations among close friends. The book came out last week and caused quite a stir in France since it contains seemingly private thoughts of M. Hollande on vari-ous subjects such as his dislike of Nicolas Sarkozy, the previous president that he beat in the 2012 elec-tion, his repugnance of certain magistrates of the French judiciary, immigration, his relationships with women and his regrets, and Muslims living in

France. Everyone is aware of the fact that France has been in a problematical relationship with Islam in recent decades, especially with the public visibil-ity of Islamic clothing like l’affaire du foulard (the scarf affair) and the recent attempts to ban the bur-kini on French beaches. There are even investiga-tions on “Why the French Don’t Like Headscarves” (John R. Bowen, 2006, Princeton University Press) when they cover Muslim women’s heads for reli-gious reasons but they are totally acceptable when worn by the ordinary French women as foulards for esthetical reasons.

From the book that just came out, it is understood that a part of French society has had a problem with Islam and the president admits it unreservedly and resiliently without any doubt. Perhaps the diplomat-ic language would require a more mindful approach


when dealing with sensitive issues like the faith of a specific group. Yet, we understand that Monsieur Hol-lande repeats his sincere opinions time and again without leaving any-thing to the imagination. Everything he says on Islam, and more specifi-cally on Muslim women, is not just a Freudian slip. His problem prob-ably stems from the fact that France is a staunch secular country and the French identity strictly depends on this understanding of secularism. In other words, to be French, one must speak French and be secular above all else. The French Republi-can tradition and legacy is rooted in the principle of laïcité à la française, which is an extreme militant secu-larism that attempts to create a soci-ety in which religion is imprisoned in the private life of citizens. Along with the language, this militant la-ïcité defines French citizenship and in cases of violation of this princi-ple, it is feared that the “values of the Republic” are under threat. For Hollande, since “Islam wants to as-sert itself within the French society and wishes to be recognized as a religion”, which implies public vis-ibility and demands like opening new mosques, it threatens laïcité.

France is home to some 8 mil-lion Muslims, the largest Muslim population in Europe, and this issue seems to be the hottest theme in the upcoming presidential election. It seems that the “problem” with Is-lam will be taken up and probably mistreated by the candidates regard-less of their political orientation. In the past, the right wingers would demonize immigrants and religious minorities but today it seems the leftists have realized the importance of unemployment, which is cur-rently at 10 percent, and they have begun to take a stand against “for-eigners”. Foreigners are not only

the people who have migrated to France recently but also the people who were born in France, yet whose religion, culture or understanding of laïcité are “foreign”.

Hollande’s attacks mainly target French Muslim women. He believes that the Muslim women are enslaved by their veils and they must prefer freedom by taking off their head-scarves. In this way they would not only become French but also appro-priate their place in French society. Then comes a shocking statement: “La femme voilée d’aujourd’hui sera la Marianne de demain” (The veiled woman of today will be the Marianne of tomorrow), a reference to the treasured figure of a woman bearing the tri-colour who symboliz-es liberty, reason, and the staunchly secular French Republic. Probably he recently read the famous work of Roland Barthes (Mythologies, (1957) Seuil) and assumes that the Muslim woman would take the place of young black soldier, on the cover of the magazine Paris Match, who salutes “with his eyes uplifted, prob-ably fixed on a fold of the tricolour”. Similarly, the Muslim woman, like Marianne, would faithfully serve her

country without being discriminated against if and when she liberates herself from the male dominance under the guise of headscarf. He in-sists that all citizens must subscribe to the same (republican) values in the public sphere in order to be in-tegrated into society. Yet, he seems to forget another important issue: the principles and values of a mul-ticultural society. Who knows, one day a veiled Marianne would rouse the French people to action but this time not against foreigners or immi-grants but those who try to destroy the values of pluralism. Finally, tar-geting Islam and Muslims, M. Hol-lande must understand, will not help him in gaining popularity but makes him a person, in his ex-girlfriend’s (Valérie Trierweiler) words, “froid, sans coeur, totalement dépassé par les événements, calculateur, parfois méchant, enfermé dans une bulle” (cold, heartless, overwhelmed by the events, calculating, sometimes nasty, shut in a bubble). He should remember that opportunism does not always work as a tool to win elec-tions, let alone the hearts of “sans-dents” (without teeth) and other marginalized groups in France.


MuhammadThe Prophet

Prof. K. S. Krishna Rao

(The following is the truncated version of the booklet, Muhammad the

Prophet by Prof. Krishna Rao, Head of the Department of Philosophy, Gov-

ernment College for Women, University of Mysore, Karnataka, India)


In the desert of Arabia was Mohammad (peace be upon him) born, according to Muslim historians, on 20 April 571. The name means highly praised. He is to me the greatest mind among all the sons of Arabia. He means so much more than all the poets and kings that preceded him in that impenetrable desert of red sand.

When he appeared Arabia was a desert – a noth-ing. Out of nothing a new world was fashioned by the mighty spirit of Mohammad – a new life, a new culture, a new civilization, a new kingdom which extended from Morocco to Indies and influenced the thought and life of three continents – Asia, Africa and Europe.

The subject of my writing is about the tenets of a religion which is historic and it’s Prophet who is also a historic personality. Even a hostile critic like Sir William Muir speaking about the holy Qur’an says that “There is probably in the world no other book which has remained twelve centuries with so pure text.” I may also add Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him) is also a historic personality, every event of whose life has been most carefully recorded and even the minutest details preserved intact for the posterity. His life and works are not wrapped in mystery.

My work today is further lightened because those days are fast disappearing when Islam was highly mis-represented by some of its critics for reasons political and otherwise. Prof. Bevan writes in Cambridge Me-dieval History, “Those accounts of Mohammad and Islam which were published in Europe before the be-ginning of 19th century are now to be regarded as lit-erary curiosities.” My problem is to write this mono-graph is easier because we are now generally not fed on this kind of history and much time need be spent on pointing out our misrepresentation of Islam.

The theory of Islam and Sword for instance is not heard now frequently in any quarter worth the name.

The principle of Islam that there is no compul-sion in religion is well known. Gibbon, a historian of world repute says, “A pernicious tenet has been im-puted to Mohammadans, the duty of extirpating all the religions by sword.” This charge based on ignorance and bigotry, says the eminent historian, is refuted by Qur’an, by history of Muslim conquerors and by their public and legal toleration of Christian worship. The great success of Mohammad’s (peace be upon him) life had been effected by sheer moral force, without a stroke of sword.

But in pure self-defense, after repeated efforts of conciliation had utterly failed, circumstances dragged

him into the battlefield. But the Prophet of Islam changed the whole strategy of the battlefield. The total number of casualties in all the wars that took place during his lifetime when the whole Arabian Peninsula came under his banner does not exceed a few hundred in all. But even on the battlefield he taught the Arab barbarians to pray, to pray not individually, but in con-gregation to God the Almighty. During the dust and storm of warfare whenever the time for prayer came, and it comes five times every day, the congregation prayer had not to be postponed even on the battlefield. A party had to be engaged in bowing their heads be-fore God while other was engaged with the enemy.

After finishing the prayers, the two parties had to exchange their positions. To the Arabs, who would fight for forty years on the slight provocation that a camel belonging to the guest of one tribe had strayed into the grazing land belonging to other tribe and both sides had fought till they lost 70,000 lives in all; threatening the extinction of both the tribes to such furious Arabs, the Prophet of Islam taught self-control and discipline to the extent of praying even on the bat-tlefield. In an aged of barbarism, the battlefield itself was humanized and strict instructions were issued not to cheat, not to break trust, not to mutilate, not to kill a child or woman or an old man, not to hew down date palm nor burn it, not to cut a fruit tree, not to molest any person engaged in worship. His own treatment with his bitterest enemies is the noblest example for his followers. At the conquest of Makkah, he stood at the zenith of his power. The city which had refused to listen to his mission, which had tortured him and his followers, which had driven him and his people into exile and which had unrelentingly persecuted and boycotted him even when he had taken refuge in a place more than 200 miles away, that city now lay at his feet.

By the laws of war he could have justly avenged all the cruelties inflicted on him and his people. But what treatment did he accord to them? Mohammad’s heart flowed with affection and he declared, “This day, there is no REPROOF against you and you are all free.” “This day” he proclaimed, “I trample under my feet all distinctions between man and man, all hatred between man and man.”

This was one of the chief objects why he permitted war in self-defense that is to unite human beings. And when once this object was achieved, even his worst enemies were pardoned, even those who killed his beloved uncle, Hamazah, mangled his body, ripped it


open, even chewed a piece of his liver. The principles of universal brotherhood and doctrine of the equality of mankind which he proclaimed represents one very great contribution of Mohammad (peace be upon him) to the social uplift of humanity. All great religions have preached the same doctrine but the Prophet of Is-lam had put this theory into actual practice and its val-ue will be fully recognized, perhaps centuries hence, when international consciousness being awakened, ra-cial prejudices may disappear and greater brotherhood of humanity come into existence.

Every year, during the Hajj, the world witnesses

the wonderful spectacle of this international exhibi-tion of Islam in leveling all distinctions of race, color and rank. Not only the Europeans, the African, the Arabian, the Persian, the Indians, the Chinese all meet together in Mina (near Makkah) as members of one divine family, but they are clad in one dress every per-son in two simple pieces of white seamless cloth, one piece round the loin the other piece over the shoulders, bare head without pomp or ceremony, repeating “Here am I O God; at thy command; thou art one and alone; Here am I.” Thus there remains nothing to differenti-ate the high from the low and every pilgrim carries home the impression of the international significance of Islam.

In the opinion of Prof. Hurgronje “the league of nations founded by Prophet of Islam put the principle of international unity of human brotherhood on such universal foundations as to show candle to other na-tions.” In the words of same professor: “the fact is that no nation of the world can show a parallel to what Is-lam has done the realization of the idea of the League of Nations.”

The Prophet of Islam brought the reign of democ-racy in its best form. The Caliph, Ali, and the son in-law of the prophet, Caliph Mansur, Abbas, the son of Caliph Mamun and many other caliphs and kings had to appear before the judge as ordinary men in Islamic courts. Even today we all know how the black Negroes were treated by the civilized white races. Consider the state of Bilal, a Negro slave, in the days of the Prophet of Islam nearly 14 centuries ago. The office of calling Muslims to prayer was considered to be of status in the early days of Islam and it was offered to this Negro slave.

After the conquest of Mecca, the Prophet ordered him to call for prayer and the Negro slave, with his black color and his thick lips, stood over the roof of the holy mosque at Mecca called the Ka’ba the most historic and the holiest mosque in the Islamic world, when some proud Arabs painfully cried loud, “Oh, this black Negro slave, woe be to him. He stands on the roof of holy Ka’ba to call for prayer.” At that mo-ment, the prophet announced to the world, this verse of the holy Qur’an for the first time: “O mankind, surely we have created you, families and tribes, so you may know one another. Surely, the most honorable of you with God is most righteous among you. Surely, God is Knowing, Aware.”

And these words of the holy Qur’an created such a mighty transformation that the Caliph of Islam, the


purest of Arabs by birth, offered their daughter in mar-riage to this Negro slave, and whenever, the second Caliph of Islam, known to history as Umar the great, the commander of faithful, saw this Negro slave, he immediately stood in reverence and welcomed him by “Here come our master; Here come our lord.” What a tremendous change was brought by Qur’an in the Arabs, the proudest people at that time on the earth. This is the reason why Goethe, the greatest of Ger-man poets, speaking about the holy Qur’an declared that, “This book will go on exercising through all ages a most potent influence.” This is also the reason why George Bernard Shaw says, “If any religion has a chance or ruling over England, nay, Europe, within the next 100 years, it is Islam”. It is this same demo-cratic spirit of Islam that emancipated women from the bondage of man. Sir Charles Edward Archibald Hamilton says “Islam teaches the inherent sinlessness of man. It teaches that man and woman have come from the same essence, posses the same soul and have been equipped with equal capabilities for intellectual, spiritual and moral attainments.”

Islam came as the defender of the weaker sex and entitled women to share the inheritance of their par-ents. It gave women, centuries ago right of owning property, yet it was only 12 centuries later , in 1881, that England, supposed to be the cradle of democra-cy adopted this institution of Islam and the act was called “the married woman act”, but centuries earlier, the Prophet of Islam had proclaimed that “Woman are twin halves of men. The rights of women are sacred. See that women maintained rights granted to them.”

Islam is not directly concerned with political and economic systems, but indirectly and in so far as po-litical and economic affairs influence man’s conduct, it does lay down some very important principles to govern economic life. According to Prof. Massignon, it maintains the balance between exaggerated oppo-sites and has always in view the building of character which is the basis of civilization. This is secured by its law of inheritance, by an organized system of charity known as Zakat, and by regarding as illegal all anti-social practices in the economic field like monopoly, usury, securing of predetermined unearned income and increments, cornering markets, creating monopo-lies, creating an artificial scarcity of any commodity in order to force the prices to rise. Gambling is illegal.

Contributions to schools, to places of worship, hospitals, digging of wells, opening of orphanages are highest acts of virtue. Orphanages have sprung for the

first time; it is said, under the teaching of the Prophet of Islam. The world owes its orphanages to this proph-et born an orphan. “Good all this” says Carlyle about Mohammad (peace be upon him). “The natural voice of humanity, of pity and equity, dwelling in the heart of this wild son of nature, speaks.”

A historian once said a great man should be judged by three tests: Was he found to be of true metel by his contemporaries? Was he great enough to rise above the standards of his age? Did he leave anything as per-manent legacy to the world at large? This list may be further extended but all these three tests of greatness are eminently satisfied to the highest degree in case of Prophet Mohammad. Some illustrations of the last two have already been mentioned.

The first is: Was the Prophet of Islam found to be of true metal by his contemporaries? Historical records show that all the contemporaries of Mohammad both friends foes, acknowledged the sterling qualities, the spotless honesty, the noble virtues, the absolute sincer-ity and every trustworthiness of the apostle of Islam in all walks of life and in every sphere of human activity. Even the Jews and those who did not believe in his message, adopted him as the arbiter in their personal disputes by virtue of his perfect impartiality. Even those who did not believe in his message were forced to say “O Mohammad, we do not call you a liar, but we deny him who has given you a book and inspired you with a message.”

Read the history of the early converts to Islam, and every heart would melt at the sight of the brutal treat-ment of innocent Muslim men and women. Sumayya, an innocent woman, is cruelly torn into pieces with spears. An example is made of “Yassir whose legs are tied to two camels and the beast were are driven in opposite directions”, Khabbab bin Arth is made lie down on the bed of burning coal with the brutal legs of their merciless tyrant on his breast so that he may not move and this makes even the fat beneath his skin melt. “Khabban bin Adi is put to death in a cruel man-ner by mutilation and cutting off his flesh piece-meal.” In the midst of his tortures, being asked whether he did not wish Mohammad in his place while he was in his house with his family, the sufferer cried out that he was gladly prepared to sacrifice himself his family and children and why was it that these sons and daughters of Islam not only surrendered to their Prophet their al-legiance but also made a gift of their hearts and souls to their master? Is not the intense faith and convic-tion on part of immediate followers of Mohammad,


the noblest testimony to his sincerity and to his utter self-absorption in his appointed task?

The Encyclopedia Britannica says that “Moham-mad is the most successful of all Prophets and reli-gious personalities”.

But the success was not the result of mere accident. It was not a hit of fortune. It was recognition of fact that he was found to be true metal by his contemporaries. It was the result of his admirable and all compelling personality. The personality of Mohammad! It is most difficult to get into the truth of it. Only a glimpse of it I can catch. What a dramatic succession of picturesque scenes. There is Mohammad the Prophet, there is Mo-hammad the General; Mohammad the King; Moham-mad the Warrior; Mohammad the Businessman; Mo-hammad the Preacher; Mohammad the Philosopher; Mohammad the Statesman; Mohammad the Orator; Mohammad the reformer; Mohammad the Refuge of orphans; Mohammad the Protector of slaves; Mo-hammad the Emancipator of women; Mohammad the Law-giver; Mohammad the Judge; Mohammad the Saint. And in all these magnificent roles, in all these departments of human activities, he is like, a hero.

Orphanhood is extreme of helplessness and his life upon this earth began with it; kingship is the height of the material power and it ended with it. From an orphan boy to a persecuted refugee and then to and overlord, spiritual as well as temporal, of a whole na-tion and Arbiter of its destinies, with all its trials and temptations, with all its vicissitudes and changes, its lights and shades, its ups and downs, its terror and splendor, he has stood the fire of the world and came out unscathed to serve as a model in every face of life. His achievements are not limited to one aspect of life, but cover the whole field of human conditions.

If for instance, greatness consists in the purifica-tion of a nation, steeped in barbarism and immersed in absolute moral darkness, that dynamic personality who has transformed, refined and uplifted an entire nation, sunk low as the Arabs were, and made them the torch-bearer of civilization and learning, has ev-ery claim to greatness. If greatness lies in unifying the discordant elements of society by ties of brotherhood and charity, the prophet of the desert has got every title to this distinction. If greatness consists in reform-ing those warped in degrading and blind superstition and pernicious practices of every kind, the Prophet of Islam has wiped out superstitions and irrational fear from the hearts of millions. If it lies in displaying high morals, Mohammad (peace be upon him) has been ad-

mitted by friend and foe as Al Amin, or the faithful. If a conqueror is a great man, here is a person who rose from helpless orphan and a humble creature to be the ruler of Arabia, the equal to Chosroes and Caesars, one who founded great empire that has survived all these 14 centuries. If the devotion that a leader commands is the criterion of greatness, the prophet’s name even today exerts a magic charm over millions of souls, spread all over the world.

He had not studied philosophy in the school of Athens of Rome, Persia, India, or China. Yet, He could proclaim the highest truths of eternal value to man-kind. Illiterate himself, he could yet speak with elo-quence and fervor which moved men to tears, to tears of ecstasy. Born an orphan blessed with no worldly goods, he was loved by all. He had studied at no mili-tary academy; yet he could organize his forces against tremendous odds and gained victories through the moral forces which he marshaled.

In the person of the Prophet of Islam the world has seen this rarest phenomenon walking on the earth, walking in flesh and blood.

And more wonderful still is what the reverend Bos-worth Smith remarks, “Head of the state as well as the Church, he was Caesar and Pope in one; but, he was pope without the pope’s claims, and Caesar without the legions of Caesar, without an standing army, with-out a bodyguard, without a palace, without a fixed rev-enue. If ever any man had the right to say that he ruled by a right divine, it was Mohammad, for he had all the power without instruments and without its support. He cared not for dressing of power. The simplicity of his private life was in keeping with his public life.”

After the fall of Makkah, more than one million square miles of land lay at his feet, Lord of Arabia, he mended his own shoes and coarse woolen gar-ments, milked the goats, swept the hearth, kindled the fire and attended the other menial offices of the family. The entire town of Madinah where he lived grew wealthy in the later days of his life. Everywhere there was gold and silver in plenty and yet in those days of prosperity many weeks would elapse without a fire being kindled in the hearth of the king of Arabia, His food being dates and water. His family would go hungry many nights successively because they could not get anything to eat in the evening. He slept on no soften bed but on a palm mat, after a long busy day to spend most of his night in prayer, often bursting with tears before his creator to grant him strength to dis-charge his duties. As the reports go, his voice would


get choked with weeping and it would appear as if a cooking pot was on fire and boiling had commenced. On the very day of his death his only assets were few coins a part of which went to satisfy a debt and rest was given to a needy person who came to his house for charity. The clothes in which he breathed his last had many patches.

The house from where light had spread to the world was in darkness because there was no oil in the lamp.

Circumstances changed, but the prophet of God did not. In victory or in defeat, in power or in adversity, in affluence or in indigence, he is the same man, dis-closed the same character. Like all the ways and laws of God, Prophets of God are unchangeable.

An honest man, as the saying goes, is the noblest work of God, Mohammad was more than honest. He was human to the marrow of his bones. Human sym-pathy, human love was the music of his soul. To serve man, to elevate man, to purify man, to educate man, in a word to humanize man-this was the object of his mission, the be-all and ends all of his life. In thought, in word, in action he had the good of humanity as his sole inspiration, his sole guiding principle.

He was most unostentatious and selfless to the core. What were the titles he assumed? Only true servant of God and His Messenger. Servant first, and then a messenger. A Messenger and prophet like many other prophets in every part of the world, some known to you, many not known you. If one does not believe in any of these truths one ceases to be a Muslim. It is an article of faith.

“Looking at the circumstances of the time and un-bounded reverence of his followers” says a western writer “the most miraculous thing about Mohammad is, that he never claimed the power of working mira-cles.” Miracles were performed but not to propagate his faith and were attributed entirely to God and his inscrutable ways. He would plainly say that he was a man like others. He had no treasures of earth or heaven. Nor did he claim to know the secrets of that lie in womb of future. All this was in and age when miracles were supposed to be ordinary occurrences, at the back and call of the commonest saint, when the whole atmosphere was surcharged with supernatural-ism in Arabia and outside Arabia.

He turned the attention of his followers towards the study of nature and its laws, to understand them and appreciate the glory of God. The Qur’an says, “God did not create the heavens and the earth and all that is between them in play. He did not create them all but

with the truth. But most men do not know.”The world is not illusion, nor without purpose. It

has been created with the truth. The number of verses inviting close observation of nature is several times more than those that relate to prayer, fasting, pilgrim-age etc. all put together. The Muslim under its influ-ence began to observe nature closely and this gives birth to the scientific spirit of the observation and ex-periment which was unknown to the Greeks. While the Muslim botanist Ibn Baitar wrote on botany after collecting plants from all parts of the world, described by Myer in his Gesch. der Botanikaa-s, a monument of industry, while Al Biruni traveled for 40 years to collect mineralogical specimens, and Muslim astrono-mers made some observations extending even over 12 years. Aristotle wrote on physics without performing a single experiment, wrote on natural history, carelessly stating without taking the trouble to ascertain the most verifiable fact that men have more teeth than animal. Galen, the greatest authority on classical anatomy informed that the lower jaw consists of two bones, a statement which is accepted unchallenged for centu-ries till Abdul Lateef takes the trouble to examine a human skeleton.

After enumerating several such instances, Robert Priffault concludes in his well known book the mak-ing of humanity: “The debt of our science to the Ar-abs does not consist in startling discoveries or revolu-tionary theories. Science owes a great more to Arabs culture; it owes its existence.” The same writer says: “The Greeks systematized, generalized and theorized but patient ways of investigation, the accumulation of positive knowledge, the minute methods of science, detailed and prolonged observation, experimental in-quiry, were altogether alien to Greek temperament. What we call science arose in Europe as result of new methods of investigation, of the method of experi-ment, observation, measurement, of the development of mathematics in form unknown to the Greeks. That spirit and these methods, concludes the same author, were introduced into the European world by Arabs.”

It is the same practical character of the teaching of Prophet Mohammad that gave birth to the scientific spirit that has also sanctified the daily labors and the so called mundane affairs. The Qur’an says that God has created man to worship him but the word worship has a connotation of its own.

The western nations are only trying to become the master of the universe. But their souls have not found peace and rest.


Reflections on Hatred and theDefamation of the Prophet Muhammad

Jamaal al-Deen Zarabozo

When it comes to the relations between “the West” and the “Muslim world,” there is no question that we are currently living in an environment of height-ened fear, hatred, anxiety, violence and extremism. We are living in a time in which the prudent and wise person will think about what he will say or do. It is obviously not a time in which we avoid speaking the truth and working for justice—as that is always a given. However, it is a time for reasonable people to avoid anything that can be used in a negative way to further destabilize the situation and cause senseless harm.


In particular, since 9/11, one often hears the following question being posed by the people of the West, “Why do they hate us?” It is interesting to observe what behavior is occurring at the same time that they are asking this question—and, in fact, what behavior has been occurring for centuries, as shall be noted later.

At the same time that they are, it must be pre-sumed, sincerely asking the question, “Why do they hate us?” many of their societal leaders and many in their media continue to disrespect and ridicule Islam, Muslims and even the Prophet Muhammad —doing acts that seem to be intended only to hurt the feel-ings of the Muslims. Most recently, one can point to the cartoons in Denmark that depicted, for example, the Prophet Muhammad having a bomb in his turban.[2] These classless and offensive cartoons were later republished in other newspapers throughout Europe, demonstrating support for the original publishers.[3] Even before these events, one can find Christian lead-ers and social commentators in the United States mak-ing antagonistic and hate-provoking statements about Islam or the Prophet Muhammad , calling him a ter-rorist or even a child molester. The situation has not been much better in Europe, although they have much larger Muslim minorities.

In this environment, beyond asking “Why do they hate us?” perhaps another important question needs to be asked by all: Is our own behavior leading us in a positive or beneficial direction? Maybe the answer to this question may shed some light on the answer to the aforementioned question.

The Legal FrameworkThose who engage in the practice of defaming Islam or the Prophet Muhammad have claimed that they are simply exercising their rights of freedom of speech, opinion and belief. Within the Western framework, they may have an argument. At the end of January 2006, the Blair government was defeated in attempting to pass a law that would have made ridiculing faiths and religious leaders a type of hate crime. In an in-terview with BBC on February 1, 2006, a Member of Parliament who opposed the bill said that the law must protect life and property but need not protect “feel-ings.” Thus, as long as a person’s “life or property” is not physically attacked, one should be free to express what one wishes. This approach reflects the currently accepted Western emphasis on individual rights as op-posed to social welfare. Indeed, in the aftermath of the dispute concerning the cartoons mocking the Prophet

Muhammad , some in Europe are proudly—actually, arrogantly—proclaiming that they have the right to insult God if they want to.

Whatever the man-made legal rights may be and ignoring the gravity of the manner in which such in-sults have been done, what if such statements do even-tually lead to harm and attacks on life and property? What is the logic behind permitting “causes” that lead to “harm” while prohibiting the act of harm in itself? For example, is there anything reprehensible about drunk driving in itself or is it prohibited by law only due to the harm that it can result in, the loss of life and property?

In any case, of course, simply because something is legal by law does not necessarily imply that it is moral or even wise. In the current environment, this is the more important issue. One should never invoke one’s “rights” in defense of harmful and hateful actions that could eventually even lead to bloodshed. Thus, it is not a matter of passing new laws, as was attempted in England. Instead, it is a matter of recognizing the morally correct path to follow and the prudent path to follow.

The Dangers of Defamation and Ridicule in the MediaNo one can doubt that images and stereotypes present-ed in the media are very powerful. In many cases, they form a person’s perception of reality. In particular, many of the West, more so in the US than in Europe, do not have first hand experiences with Muslims and therefore they must rely on the media to develop their perception of Islam and Muslims. Nacos and Torres-Reyna write, “Some 55 years ago, before the advent of television, Walter Lippmann observed that what peo-ple know about the world around them is mostly the result of second-hand knowledge received through the press and that the ‘pictures in our heads’ are the result of a pseudo-reality reflected in the news.”[4]

Thus, the press bears a great responsibility. What and how the press presents something can ultimately lead to decisions of life and death or war and peace. Indeed, political cartoons and yellow journalism can be sufficient to drive a country into a war frenzy—as they appeal to the emotions of the masses. Anyone fa-miliar with the Spanish-American War is well aware of this fact. There were powerful forces in the Unit-ed States who were determined to go to war against Spain, fearing the “Spanish threat” on the Americas. The New York Morning Journal (headed by William


Randolph Hearst) and The New York World used yel-low journalism to depict Spanish oppression in Cuba. Even though President McKinley wanted to follow a hands-off policy, the effect of the media was such that it led to great popular support to come to the aid of the Cubans. This put great pressure upon President McKinley, leading him to send the Battleship Maine to Havana in 1898. The Battleship Maineexploded. The Navy at that time was unable to determine the cause of the explosion—although more recently many have concluded that it was due to mechanical problems. At that time, the Spanish offered to turn the issue of re-sponsibility over to an arbitrator. However, even with-out being able to identify the exact cause of the ex-plosion, the media pounced on the opportunity, spread the slogan “Remember the Maine, to hell with Spain” and continued to depict the evil Spaniards in their car-toons. The United States was now definitely going to war. The lessons of those events should not be lost on the world today.

Another example of the influence of the press is discussed in the following passage: “The racism that led to the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II was created partly by the motion pic-ture industry, which for years typecast Orientals as villains, and partly by the press, especially the news-papers of William Randolph Hearst.”[5] Today, of course, the internment of the Japanese is something that we Americans remember with shame.

The result—if not the goal—of blatant defamation and ridicule is the dehumanization of the enemy. When the enemy is dehumanized, one no longer cares how much they suffer. One can then do things to them that humans would, under normal circumstances, com-pletely shun—such as all forms of horrendous torture and humiliation.

Who Would Want to Participate in or Support Such Defamation and Hate-Filled Actions?Inexcusable defamation is occurring. Before discuss-ing who may be pleased with such occurrences, I would like to first discuss who should not be partici-pating in such activities.

First, it seems to me—and only God knows—that those who want to display the Christian witness to humanity certainly should shun and oppose any such behavior. It is the Christian who usually claims that Muslims do not understand that “God is love” and that one should love one’s enemy. Thus, they should be at the forefront of putting an end to such harmful state-

ments and defamation of the Prophet Muhammad. These shameful acts certainly do not demonstrate grace and love.

Second, those who are truly interested in peace must also take a stand. You cannot simultaneously al-low and support hate-provoking messages and ridicule while at the same time claiming to be working for true peace among the different peoples. True peace cannot come without some form of mutual respect and un-derstanding. Certainly immaturely attacking the icons or beliefs that are dear to millions living on the planet could not be seen as a means of respect and under-standing.

Third, those who are interested in human rights and human dignity should also be outraged at what is done in the name of freedom and human rights. If the concept of human rights is going to mean any-thing it should at least mean respect for humans! To unjustifiably ridicule, attack or defame others should be considered a violation of one’s right to a decent life without unwarranted aggression and attack. When will the paradox of humans being dehumanized and humiliated in the name of human freedoms and hu-man rights ever be solved? Indeed, when will secular humans finally realize that such is a paradox for which they may never have a solution?

Muslims also should never engage in false or ridiculing propaganda against others. Even if there is great hatred between the Muslim and others, a Muslim is never allowed to deviate from what is truthful and proper. This is because the ultimate goal of a Muslim is the pleasure of God and God is pleased with truth and justice. The mere ridicule of others resulting only in increased hatred—not to speak of hatred between individuals but, indeed, even a hatred for God’s re-ligion—is not part of the character of a Muslim. The following verses of the Qur’an should make all Mus-lims alert to these points:


O you who believe! Stand out firmly for justice, as witnesses for Allah, even though it be against your-selves, or your parents, or your kin, be he rich or poor, Allah is a Better Protector to both (than you). So fol-low not the lusts (of your hearts), lest you may avoid justice… (An-Nisa, 135)

O you who believe! Stand out firmly for Allah and be just witnesses and let not the enmity and hatred of others make you avoid justice. Be just: that is nearer to piety, and fear Allah. Verily, Allah is Well-Acquaint-ed with what you do. (Al-Ma’idah, 8)

And do not insult those [objects of worship] whom they worship besides Allah, lest they insult Allah wrongfully without knowledge. Thus We have made fair-seeming to each people its own doings; then to their Lord is their return and He shall then inform them of all that they used to do. (Al-An’am, 108)

The question then remains: Who is it that could possibly be pleased with and support such rude and ill-mannered behavior as the defaming of the spiritual leader of almost one-fifth of the planet? Unfortunately, there are a few categories of people who are actively pushing and promoting a phenomenon described as “Islamophobia,”[6] putting the fear of Islam and Mus-lims in the hearts of non-Muslims. It is hoped that no rational, sincere person would want to be from these

different groups of people who foster such hate and, eventually, violence.

First and most obvious are people who are simply racists. These people have a hatred for all “others” and see them as inferior, untermenschen. They want their own people to also hate the “other” and therefore they are happy to spread any slurs or insults. The whole basis of racist thought is that someone is superior not due to anything that he has actually done but only due to something given to him by God and over which the individual himself had no control or choice. It seems that this would appeal most to persons who have no individual redeeming qualities of their own! Be that as it may, it is amazing how prevalent racism and racist feelings are in the West. It is the people of the West, in general, who are saying that they want the Mus-lims to become modernized, claiming that Islam and Muslims are barbarians, backwards, uncivilized and un-modernized. Is it any wonder that their message has been unappealing to so many Muslims?

Unfortunately, there are also many strong political factors behind the current demonizing of Muslims. There is a political-philosophical belief that one’s country needs a well-defined and dangerous enemy. Especially since the end of the Cold War and the col-lapse of the Soviet Union, that enemy has more and more been identified as Muslims and Islam (some-times referred to in more politically correct terms as “fundamentalist Islam”). One can return to the ex-ample of the Soviet Union to see how an enemy can be created and made as giant as can be. During the 1950s, the children of the United States were repeat-edly going through drills in case the Soviets should at-tack the US with nuclear weapons. Looking back, the reality seemed to be very different. Former US states-man George Kennan, who had originally proposed the policy of Russian containment, admitted that he knew that Russia did not want to go to war. He stated, “The image of a Stalinist Russia poised and yearning to at-tack the West, and deterred only by [US] possession of atomic weapons, was largely a creation of Western imagination.”[7] A report in the Guardian also states that British military and intelligence chiefs believed that, “The Soviet Union will not deliberately start gen-eral war or even limited war in Europe,” so said a clas-sified paper marked “Top Secret, UK Eyes Only.”[8] One of the leading proponents of the concept of the clash of civilizations, Samuel Huntington, is himself one of the believers in this outlook. Among the many things he stated pointing to this view of the world is,


“We know who we are only when we know who we are not and often only when we know whom we are against.”[9]

Finally, those Muslims who might hold some ex-treme views in regards to the West are also very happy with such practices that demonstrate the West’s lack of respect toward Muslims. In turn, they use this as an argument that the people of the West, therefore, are not deserving of respect. They want no limits to the manner in which they fight—and it is only a small step from quoting non-Muslim disrespect for Muslims to convincing a person that civilian non-Muslims, there-fore, are also not deserving of respect. Hence, those people who defend acts of defamation and ridicule in the name of “rights and freedoms” are simply playing right into their hands.

These are the main categories of people who would be pleased with such acts of defamation and ridicule of the Prophet Muhammad of Muslims or of the “oth-er” in general. As stated earlier, it is hoped that ratio-nal and sincere people would not wish to be counted among such groups of people.

However, there is another important point that needs to be made. This has to do with those who defend such hate-producing acts, again probably in the name of free speech, liberty and so forth. What, though, is the difference between defending acts like this—that lead to more hatred and therefore more violence—and directly supporting known terrorists? Yes, one can ar-gue that there is a difference. But to the person who truly wants to take responsibility for the ramifications of his actions (what he does as well as what he advo-cates), he should consider what occurs when he sup-ports or sees nothing wrong with denigrating and de-faming others in such a manner that will only produce more hatred. There is no question that this hatred may easily lead to more violence, bloodshed, turmoil and suffering. Certainly, he cannot truly believe that his hands are absolutely free of any guilt.

Defamation versus CritiqueMost of the inhabitants of the West are non-Muslims. Many of them are not Muslim because they feel that there is something unacceptable in Islam. Hence, it is to be expected that they would have thoughts about the Prophet Muhammad that Muslims would not share. The Prophet himself debated with Jews, Christians and polytheists who did not believe in him and even after discussions with the Prophet himself they re-mained true to their own faiths. Thus, no one, Muslim

or otherwise, should be surprised if a non-Muslim has a lesser opinion of the Prophet than a Muslim has.

The Qur’an welcomes discussion and dialogue with the non-Muslims: Invite (mankind, O Muham-mad) to the Way of your Lord with wisdom and fair preaching, and debate with them in a way that is bet-ter. Truly, your Lord knows best who has gone astray from His Path, and He is the Best Aware of those who are guided. (An-Nahl 125).

In fact, more than once, the Qur’an even asks the non-Muslim to, Produce your proof if you are truth-ful. (al-Baqarah 111; al-Naml 64; al-Qasas 75).

Thus, the objection is not to non-Muslims—espe-cially in their own lands—expressing their view about the Prophet Muhammad . If what they state is sincere and rational, then they can be spoken to on a rational level with sincerity. Indeed, Muslims welcome such discussions and, in reality, such discussions are best for Islam, because, to this day, most of the people in the West have distorted views of Islam. If they wish to express their views honestly and discuss them hon-estly, they can be presented with the truth of Islam. This act in itself may reduce the tension and discord that exists between non-Muslims and Muslims. In fact, after the events of 9/11, many Americans took the effort to find out more about Islam and there was much more exposure of Islam and Muslims. Thus, in comparing surveys before 9/11 and after 9/11, Nacos and Torres-Reyna found that “the American public in general viewed Muslim-Americans more favorable after September 11, 2001.”[10]

One can respond to rational arguments with an hon-est and straightforward rational discussion. However, there is no real response to something that is meant only to ridicule, insult or harm.

In sum, if non-Muslims want to debate and dis-cuss the real issues of religion and belief, Muslims are more than ready to do that. If they resort to defamation and ridicule, then they should not be surprised if they are in turn responded to with hatred and disrespect. There is no need for them to then ask, “Why do they hate us?” The answer should be clear.

Actually, there is one author who makes the point that those in the past who attacked the Prophet Mu-hammad did so in an attempt to avoid discussing the real issues. Minou Reeves writes in a work en-titled Muhammad in Europe: A Thousand Years of Western Myth-Making, The trouble started with early medieval Christian polemicists. They chose not to attack Islamic theology, which was too seductive in


its simplicity and clarity, and which raised too many awkward questions about Christian dogma. Nor could they cast doubt on the pious practice of ordinary Muslims. Instead, anticipating the worst excesses of tabloid journalism, they personalized the issue and at-tacked the Prophet of Islam, dispensing with all but the barest knowledge of any facts and inventing false-hoods. Muslims could not reply in kind, since they are told by the Qur’an to revere Jesus as a holy prophet.[11] It seems that not much has truly changed over the centuries.

ConclusionsIn conclusion, I think all in the world can agree that mutual understanding, mutual respect, peace and jus-tice certainly will never result from defamation, ridi-cule and insult. Therefore, there is no real benefit from defaming or denigrating the Prophet Muhammad in a manner like the recent political cartoons in Europe. The only result that one can expect from such practic-es is more hatred, violence and fear. Certainly, if you disrespect someone else, you cannot expect that he will show great respect for you in return. If this hatred does turn into more terrorism, the longer term result may simply be more restrictions on civil liberties and freedoms in the West. Those who are supporting such cartoons in the name of rights and liberties may, in the long-run, find their liberties restricted because of what these disrespectful acts produced. In essence, nobody wins in the long-run. There is simply no rationale for such behavior.

At the same time, we have to call upon all inter-ested parties to show restraint and to consider what ramifications anything that they say or do might have. Muslim scholars should take the lead, as they have done in the past, to stress to the Muslims that the ac-tions of the non-Muslims should never anger them so much that it leads them to do something that contra-dicts the Law of Islam. It is time for leaders in the West to realize that the “freedom” which is very dear to the Western conscience should not be an unwise or harmful freedom. I believe it was Milton Friedman who stated, “My freedom to swing my fist stops where your chin begins.” In today’s turbulent environment, perhaps it should be said—not as a law but as moral behavior—”My freedom of speech ends where your personal dignity begins.”

Reference[1] ©2006, Jamaal Zarabozo

[2] It should be noted that the Muslim outrage con-cerning these cartoons is not related simply to the fact that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Al-lah be upon him) is depictured in these cartoons. Although Muslims would not draw pictures of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), the essential problem with these cartoons is the defamation and ridicule of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). This point is explicitly made here because some news reports have presented the issue as if it were simply a mat-ter of depicturing the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).

[3] We commend those Western media outlets that re-fused to show these cartoons, deeming them too insulting.

[4] Brigitte L. Nacos and Oscar Torres-Reyna, “Fram-ing Muslim-Americans Before and After 9/11,” in Pippa Norris, Montague Kern and Marion Just, eds. Framing Terrorism: The News Media, the Govern-ment and the Public (New York: Routledge, 2003), p. 135.

[5] Nacos and Torres-Reyna, p. 152.[6] A number of publications cover the manifesta-

tions and extent of Islamophobia in recent years. The European Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia (EUMC) published a paper entitled, “Islamophobia in the EU after 11 September 2001.” Another important work was published by The Runnymede Trust entitled, “Islamophobia: A Challenge for us All.” The Runnymede Trust ear-lier produced a Consultation Paper in which they stated, “Islamophobia is dread or hatred of Islam and of Muslims. It has existed in western coun-tries and cultures for several centuries but in the last twenty years has become more explicit, more extreme and more dangerous. It is an ingredient of all sections of the media, and is prevalent in all sec-tions of society.”

[7] Nafeez Mosaddeq Ahmed, Behind the War on Ter-ror: Western Secret Strategy and the Struggle for Iraq (Gabriola Island, Canada: New Society Pub-lishers, 2003), pp. 8-9.

[8] Nafeez Mosaddeq Ahmed, pp. 9-10.[9] Huntington, The Clash of Civilizations, p. 21.[10] Nacos and Torres-Reyna, p. 152.[11] Minou Reeves, Muhammad in Europe: A Thou-

sand Years of Western Myth-Making (Washington Square, New York: New York University Press, 2000), p. x.


Textual analysis of the last sermon of the Prophet Mu-hammad (peace be upon him) is to interpret the text and to address the issues that has been mentioned by the Prophet and regarded highly by all Muslims. In his address, the Prophet addressed several issues:

* Freedom to all*Sanctity of life, wealth and property*Equality of all races*Justice in front of the law and in front of Allah*Women’s rights and obligations*Exploitation and Monopoly*Rights of others

The study seeks to investigate the following specific research questions: After about 14 centuries from delivering the Last Sermon of the Prophet, are the issues at the statement of the problem still relevant to the human society in the modern times? Or, were they just related to the Prophet’s time and place

only? Methodology Textual analysis is a method used by researchers to “describe and interpret the characteristics of a re-corded or visual message” (Denzin & Lincoln, 1994, p.225). Textual analysis describes the content, struc-ture, and functions of messages contained in texts. The purpose is to ascertain the meaning intended by the producer of a text (Hirsch, 1967).

Textual Boundaries Where does a text begin and end? If a text has a de-terminate state, then it would necessarily follow that we should be able to localize the text. But where? The language of the text suggests that we end the text where language ends. (Joseph Grigely, Textual-terity, Art, Theory, and Textual Criticism, P. 130) In

Textual Analysis of the LastSermon of Prophet Muhammad

Prof. Ali Zohery


the farewell address, the language that the Prophet used set unlimited boundaries to the text. The message of the Prophet was not intended for his local people. It was for all people everywhere and for all generations to come. The Prophet used the terminology “O People”. He did not use “O Muslims” or “O Believers”. He asked the attended people to deliver his words to others and the others to oth-ers.

Textual Event Joseph Grigely argues that text might be prepared for a specific event and he raises the issue of the notion of iter-ability (iterare, to repeat; iterum, again). Repeatability is a universal quality in textual studies, where efforts are made to produce or reproduce a particular text. (Joseph Grigely, Textualterity, Art, Theory, and Textual Criticism, P. 93) The last sermon of the Prophet has been known, re-peated, produced, reproduced, printed, reprinted and will stay forever in the world since it was delivered by the Prophet 14 centuries ago.

At least, two million Muslims from around the world every year, they stand at the same mountain of Arafat in Makkah and they remember the Prophet’s last sermon and its universal values that brought to the world.

Significance of the StudyThe religion of Islam is misunderstood in the western world. The Muslims images in the west are stereotyped with terrorism and backwardness. Interpreting, analyzing and understanding the last sermon of the Prophet Muham-mad would correct the misunderstanding and introduce the religion of Islam with its valuable values and prin-ciples to the non Muslims. The values mentioned in the last sermon of the Prophet, if applied, would be a public and private policy. A way of life, everyone would enjoy and live in peace with each other regardless their different backgrounds, colors or ethnicities.

Universality of the SpeechThe Prophet directed his speech to all humankind. He used the term “O People” seven times. He used the terminolo-gy “O Men” once. In the farewell address, the Prophet did not use the terminology “O Muslims” or “O Believer. The Prophet’s intention was to address all people regardless their religions, colors or times (his time or any time after him until the Day of Judgment). The Prophet’s message was and still is to every person everywhere in the world

In Surah Saba’ in the Qur’an Allah Says: “We have not sent you but as a universal (Messenger) to mankind, giving them glad tidings, and warning them (against sin),

but most understand not.” (34:28)After praising and thanking Allah, the Prophet began

with the words:“O People! Lend me an attentive ear, for I know not

whether after this year I shall ever be amongst you again. Therefore, listen carefully to what I am saying and take these words to those who could not be present here to-day.”

At the beginning of the address, the Prophet asked the people to pay close attention to what he was about to say. He demanded that his message to be delivered to all mankind, to be transformed and transported from place to place and from generation to generation. The task of doing that was laid upon the shoulder of those who were listening to him to deliver his message to all mankind. (Sakr, 1998, p. 35) Did they deliver his message as he re-quested? The number of Muslims around the globe would answer this question. There are over 1.2 billion Muslims.

One of the main businesses of the people at the time of the prophet was commerce and trade. The Muslims mer-chants as they traveled from land to land, they delivered the message of Islam as they were dealing with people everywhere they been to.

“O People! Just as you regard this month, this day, this city as sacred, so regard the life and property of every Muslim a sacred trust. Return the goods entrusted to you to their rightful owners. Hurt no one so that no one may hurt you. Remember that you will indeed meet your Lord, and that he will indeed reckon your deeds.”

The Prophet gave examples with matters that the peo-ple at the gathering knew very well. Everyone knew how sacred “this month” Dhul-Hijjah, “this day” day of Arafa, “this city” city of Makkah. Therefore, the life and prop-erty of people are sacred too. Sanctity of life has been de-clared by Allah in the Qur’an. People are to be protected and their lives are to be preserved. People have to be dig-nified, respected and honored. Their properties are to be protected and saved. The sanctity of life is to remain well preserved until the Day of Judgment. (Sakr, 1998, p.22)

“Allah has forbidden you to take usury, therefore all interest obligation shall henceforth be waived. Your capi-tal is yours to keep .You will neither inflict nor suffer any inequality. Allah has judged that there shall be no interest and that all interest due to Abbas Ibn ‘Aal-Muttalib be waived.”

The concept of economic exploitation is totally pro-hibited in Islam. Since Usury is a form of economic mo-nopoly and exploitation in a capitalistic system, the rich will undoubtedly become richer, while the poor will au-tomatically become poorer. The Prophet in his final and


last sermon abolished all type of economic exploitations. Usury was declared to be prohibited and people are not to deal with, even if they have had agreement or a contract with someone. (Sakr,1998, p. 23) Nobody above the law, the uncle of the prophet “Abbas Ibn Abdul Motalb” who was around the same age of the prophet and both grew up together was to wave the usury that he was to receive like anybody else. There was no difference between relatives and non-relatives.

The Qur’an states emphatically that usury is totally unlawful. Islam abolished all types of economic exploita-tions.

In Surah Al- Baqarah (The Cow) verse number 275, the following is stated: Those who devour usury will not stand except as stands one whom the evil one by his touch hath driven to madness. That is because they say: “Trade is like usury” but God hath permitted trade and forbid-den usury. Those who after receiving direction from their lord, desist, shall be pardoned for the past; their case is for Allah (to judge) but those whereat (the offence) are com-panions of the fire: They will abide therein (forever).

“Every right arising out of homicide in pre-Islamic days is henceforth waived and the first such right that I waive is that arising from the murder of Rabiah ibni al-Harithiah.”

At the above statement, the Prophet declared the Ter-mination of Pagan Society. The laws ruled by the Pagan society were over; and they were terminated, abolished and replaced by the devine rules of Allah. Again, there was no exception, even when it comes to one of his rela-tive.

“O men! the unbelievers indulge in tampering with the calendar in order to make permissible that which Allah forbade, and to prohibit what Allah has made permissi-ble. With Allah, the months are twelve in number. Four of them are holy, there are successive and one occurs singly between the months of Jumada and Shaban.”

The number of the months in the book of Allah is twelve since He created the universe. These months are solar or lunar. Both of which are of great importance to human beings: to calculate the number of years, to make use of arithmetic and many more are the benefits of the calendars.

In surah Al-Tawbah (Repentance), Allah says:“The number of months in the sight of Allah is twelve (in a year)- So ordained by Him the day He created the heav-ens and the earth…” (9:35)

Allah decided that there are four months in the year that are sacred. These months are Dhul-Qidah, Dhul-Hi-jjah, Muharram and Rajab. Muslims are to observe their

sacredness; no one has the right to change them or to tem-per with the calendar. (Sakr, 1998, p.p. 30, 31)

“Beware of Satan, for the safety of your religion. He has lost all hope that he will be able to lead you astray in big things so beware of following him in small things.”

The Prophet instructed the humankind to worship Al-lah, to obey Him and to follow His Rules and regulations. He informed them that Satan lost hope in making people to worship him, but he did not lose hope in diverting them from practicing the teachings of Islam. He will create ani-mosity among people, and he will be able to divert their attention from the straight path. The Prophet warned hu-mankind from falling into the path of Satan. (Sakr,1998, p. 26)

“O People it is true that you have certain rights with regard to your women but they also have rights over you. Remember that you have taken them as your wives only under Allah’s trust and with His permission. If they abide by your right then to them belongs the right to be fed and clothed in kindness. Do treat your women well and be kind to them for they are your partners and committed helpers. And it is your right that they do not make friends with any one of whom you do not approve, as well never to be unchaste.”

The best declaration for women’s rights is spelled out in the farewell speech of the prophet. He demanded that husbands should treat their wives with kindness and gentleness. Men are to know that their women are their partners. Islam recognizes the duties and responsibilities of both partners and, hence, emphasizes that man is the head, while the woman is the heart of the family. Both are needed and both are complementary to one another. The rights and duties of each spouse toward the other were declared and explained. (Sakr,1998, p. 26)

“O People! listen to me in earnest, worship Allah, say your five daily prayers, fast during month of Ramadan, and give your wealth in Zakat. Perform Hajj if you can afford it.”

The Prophet asking the people to listen to him in a very serious mental state about the five pillars of Islam:

1. Witnessing that there is no God except Allah (the Arabic word for The God) Witnessing that Muham-mad is God’s Messenger2. Performing the five prayers a day3. Fasting the month of Ramadan4. Giving ZAKAT (giving percentage of one’s wealth to the poor)5. Performing Hajj to Makkah, once in a lifetime if it can be afforded. “All mankind is from Adam and Eve, an Arab has no


superiority over a non-Arab nor a non-Arab has any su-periority over an Arab; also a White has no superiority over a Black nor a Black has any superiority over a White except by piety and good action. Learn that every Muslim is a brother to every Muslim and that the Muslims con-stitute one brotherhood. Nothing shall be legitimate to a Muslim which belongs to a fellow Muslim unless it was given freely and willingly.”

The message of the Prophet that he delivered included a very important concept, i.e., equality of mankind. Peo-ple are equal in the sight of Allah and in front of the law. They were born from Adam and Eve. Both of these par-ents, and all of us are made of dust – no one is better than the other. The concept of equality is based on justice: All are equal and no one can claim that he is more pious or even more righteous than the other except through piety and righteousness. (Sakr,1998, p. 19)

“Do not therefore do injustice to yourselves. Remem-ber one day you will meet Allah and answer your deeds. So beware, do not astray from the path of righteousness after I am gone.”

Islam prohibited transgressions at all levels. Justice is the name of the game. Whoever commits injustice and transgresses his limits, the penalty will fall upon him. Al-lah does not like those who commit injustice, and those who are transgressors. The prophet asked people to stick to the right path at all times. (Sakr,1998, p. 23)

“O People! No Prophet or apostle will come after me and no new faith will be born. Reason well, therefore O People! and understand words that I convey to you. I leave behind me two things, the Qur’an and the Sunnah and if you follow these you will never go astray.”

The Prophet declared that neither new religion nor a prophet would come after him. Muslims are to be united only if they take the Qur’an of Allah and the sunnah of the Prophet (the Prophet’s Sayings, Deeds and Actions) as their standards for their life activities. They will be guided by Allah; they will stay on the straight path. Allah demanded from the Muslims to obey him and to obey His Prophet. In surah Al-Imran (The family of Imran) Allah says: “And obey Allah and the Apostle; that you may ob-tain mercy.” While in Surah Al- Nisa (The Women), the Qur’an states the following: “He who obeys the Apostle, obeys Allah…”

“All those who listen to me shall pass on my words to others and those to others again; and may the last ones understand my words better than those who listen to me directly.”

The Prophet made the attended people responsible about transforming his wards to others where they are

(place to place), and whenever they will be (generation to generation). The Prophet acknowledge that whoever would receive his wards in a later time, might be more knowledgeable and understanding of the meaning of his wards more than who listen to him directly.

“O Allah, be my witness, that I have conveyed your message to your people.”

As part of this sermon, the prophet recited to them a revelation from Allah, which he had just received, and which completed the Qur’an, for it was the last passage to be revealed:

“This day the disbeliever’s despair of prevailing against your religion, so fear them not, but fear Me (Al-lah)! This day have I perfected for you, your religion and fulfilled My favor unto you, and it hath been My good pleasure to choose Islam for you as your religion.” (Surah 5, Ayah 3)

The sermon was repeated sentence by sentence by Safwan’s brother Rabiah (RA), who had powerful voice, at the request of the Prophet and he faithfully, proclaimed to over 10,000 gathered on the occasion. Towards the end of his sermon, the Prophet asked

“O people, have I faithfully delivered unto you my message?” A powerful murmur of assents “O Allah! yes!” arose from thousands of pilgrims and the vibrant words “Allahumma Na’m,” rolled like thunder throughout the valley. The Prophet raised his forefinger and said: “O Al-lah bear witness that I have conveyed your message to your people.”

ConclusionThe farewell address of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was indeed addressed to all humankind at all times and for all generations. It encompasses many aspects of life (general and specific). He laid down the foundation of morality, chastity, modesty, justice, equality, brother-hood, and accountability. He abolished economic exploi-tation, human enslavement, paganism, transgression and all systems that contradict with the system of Allah.

He demanded that the congregating Muslims should deliver his message to all humankind. Accordingly, they did deliver the message. The final Address of the Prophet should be taught in schools and its universal values and principles are to be followed by all segments of the soci-ety. These values and principles made sense when they were first delivered. They are making sense now. All peo-ple are in need to them everywhere. They will make sense forever until the day of judgment, because the original source of these values and principles came from God the Creator of the universe.


Understanding Fitrah(Human Nature) with Ibn Taymiyyah

Gowhar Quadir Wani

Defining FiṭrahThe word fiṭrah comes from the Arabic radicals f/ ṭ/r, the verbal noun being faṭrun. The root action means ‘he clove, split, slit, rent or cracked it.’ The first form faṭarahu means “he created it”, that is, he caused it to exist, newly, for the first time. Thus, “fatiru’s-samāwāt” means the “Originator or Creator of the heavens.” The concept of creation in the Qur’anic Arabic is more pre-

cise than the use of the term ‘creation’ in English language. In contrast to the English usage of ‘creation’ in a general and impre-cise way, the word ‘faṭara’ means ‘to origi-nate (something for the first time)’, and that only Allah can perform this particular act. Thus, faṭara can only refer to Allah originat-ing something. It is in this very connection that the title of Surah 35 of the Qur’an is Al-Fāṭir (The Originator). The overriding


theme of the entire surah is the calling upon people to observe the natural creation around them in order to discern that Allah ‘originated’ it and has absolute knowledge of it in all aspects. fiṭrah means “the gen-esis of creation, the original unadulterated nature of things, natural disposition.” Bewley has defined fiṭrah as “the first nature, the natural, primordial condition of mankind in harmony with nature.” A, W, Hamid expands this definition in these words:

According to the Qur’anic or Islamic worldview, the human being-man and woman-is created by God in a naturally good and pure state, free from sin. This is called the state of fiṭrah. A babe at birth is totally in-nocent. He does not bear the sin or guilt of his parents or his ancestors. He starts off with a clean slate.

Fiṭrah in Qur’an and ḤadῑthThe word fiṭrah occurs only once in the Qur’an (30:30). However, its related words derived from the same root fatara, occur nineteen times in five other forms like faṭṭara, fāṭir, infaṭara, etc. The translation of the verse bearing the term ‘fiṭrah’ goes as:

So set thou thy face steadily and truly to the Faith: (establish) God’s handiwork according to the pattern on which He has made mankind: no change (let there be) in the work (wrought) by God; that is the standard religion: but most mankind understand not.

Muhammad Asad has translated the same verse as follows:

AND SO, set thy face steadfastly towards the [one ever-true] faith, turning away from all that is false, in accordance with the natural disposition which God has instilled into man: [for,] not to allow any change to corrupt what God has thus created-this is the [pur-pose of the one] ever-true faith; but most people know it not.

What is noteworthy in Asad’s translation is his ren-dition of the word ‘fiṭrah’ to ‘nature.’ He has elabo-rated on the word ‘fiṭrah’ in the footnote to the above verse in his The Message of the Qur’an, regarding it as the human ability to distinguish between right and wrong. He says: The term fiṭrah, rendered by me as “natural disposition”, connotes in this context man’s inborn, intuitive ability to discern between right and wrong, true and false, and, thus, to sense God’s exis-tence and oneness.

The word fiṭrah has been considered to mean Is-lam itself. The above verse makes mention of the term din (asking the believers to remain steadfast on it) fol-lowed by the word ‘fiṭrah’ which can be regarded as

the substitute of din. Thus, in the light of the above verse, Islam is considered to be din al-fiṭrah, i.e. the religion harmonious with the human nature. This is further supported by a Prophetic narration whose translation reads as:

“There is not a newborn child who is not born in a state of fiṭrah. His parents then make him a Jew, a Christian, or a Magian, just as an animal is born intact. Do you observe any among them that are maimed (at birth)?”

Notwithstanding that the Qur’an mentions the word “fiṭrah” only once; it discusses the characteristics of human nature, both positive and negative, at a number of places. It mentions that the human being has been honoured by the Creator (17:70), has been created in the best of configurations (95:04), is the vicegerent of the Creator on earth (02:30), has been bestowed with intellect to understand and manipulate the nature for his survival and progress (02:29,187), has been privileged with the spiritual element alongwith his material existence (38:71,72), can invoke his creator directly without the mediation of anyone(02:186), all these constitute the positive characteristics of the hu-man personality and substantiate his unique place in the cosmos. Likewise, the Qur’an also highlights the limitations of human nature hastiness (17:11; 21:37), greed (59:09), fragility (04:28), etc. ungratefulness (17:67), tyranny (96:6-8), fearfulness (70:19-25), etc. The prophetic narrations also reflect the same picture of human nature. The Prophet is reported to have re-garded the actions like trimming of moustaches, using toothbrush (miswāk), shortening of nails, circumci-sion, etc. as due to fiṭrah.

The Muslim scholars have pondered over the Qur’anic and Prophetic account of human nature, and through a serious reflection and contemplation, pro-vided priceless insights on the subject. They uphold three different views regarding fiṭrah (the primordial human nature). These are:• The view that fiṭrah is a state of intrinsic goodness

and intrinsic evil. This view is defended by Sayyid Qutb. It represents a dualistic view of human na-ture.

• The view that fiṭrah is a state of neither goodness nor evil. This view is accepted by Abu Umar ibn Abd al-Barr and represents the neutral view of hu-man nature.

• The view that fiṭrah is a state of intrinsic goodness. This view is defended by ibn Taymiyyah and many others. It represents a positive view of human na-


ture.

Ibn Taymiyyah on Human Nature:It is a tedious task to study Ibn Taymiyyah’s views on human nature. Although numerous references can be found to the notion of fiṭrah in his different works, he has not written any exclusive work on the subject. However, one can consolidate his concept of human nature by piecing together the various allusions he makes to the same in his different works.

According to Ibn Taymiyyah, the existence of fiṭrah is substantiated by not only the Sacred Texts but also by the human experience. He draws upon the Qur’anic verse (Q, 30:30) to prove that Allah created the human beings on fiṭrah and sent the Messengers to affirm the same. His notion of fiṭrah is also inspired by the prophetic narration mentioned earlier. Likewise, he makes mention of another tradition in which the Prophet quotes Allah as saying: “I created my servants in a pure form (hunafa’) but then Satan misguided them, and forbade for them what I had allowed for them , and commanded them to worship others be-sides Me.”

Ibn Taymiyyah also argues on the basis of the pri-mordial Adamic covenant (mithaq) in favour of the existence of fiṭrah.

Ibn Taymiyyah does not rely merely on the textual proofs of the existence of fiṭrah but delves deep into a rational enquiry of the subject. For him, fiṭrah is em-bedded in every child. He provides eight proofs, most of which revolve around the reality of the human situ-ation and psyche. He illustrates that a human being’s opting something beneficial for him without being in-formed by any external factor is but an indication of fiṭrah that wishes the good of its possessor. The yearn-ing of human beings for higher ideals is projected as another proof for the existence of fiṭrah by Ibn Taymi-yyah. He argues that it is fiṭrah that compels man to go beyond the sensual pleasures and pursue higher goals while yearning for something to find complete satisfaction in. A part of fiṭrah Allah instilled in hu-man beings is that their souls are in need of spiritual sustenance more than their bodies are in that of food. This spiritual sustenance consists of the knowledge and worship of Allah. The spiritual needs and psycho-logical desires are but indicative of the existence of fiṭrah. Another argument Ibn Taymiyyah puts forth for ascertaining the existence of fiṭrah is the turning of human beings to Allah in the times of distress even if they ignore Him in the times of comfort, a phenom-

enon that is witnessed almost universally. For Ibn Taymiyyah, Islam and fiṭrah are intrinsi-

cally related; the essence of the former is the essence of the latter. However, he does not render fiṭrah syn-onymous with Islam in the sense of the detailed the-ology and laws of the Shari‘ah. Regarding the Pro-phetic narrations on fiṭrah (as mentioned earlier), Ibn Taymiyyah does not side with the classical scholars holding the view that a child is born as a Muslim. Rather, he stresses that Allah causes children be born without knowing anything as He declares Himself in the Qur’an, “And God has caused you to come out of the wombs of your mothers, not knowing anything, and He has blessed you with hearing, and sight, and intellect - little thanks do ye give.” (16:78.) Thus, for Ibn Taymiyyah, fiṭrah is the purity of the heart, and its willingness to accept the truth, such that if it were left to itself and not corrupted, it would have no other path except that of Islam. Fiṭrah and shari’ah are related in that the latter provides an elaboration of the generic knowledge possessed by the former. For example, the fiṭrah informs one that God is above and transcendent to the creation; but it is the Qur’an that informs man that Allah possesses a Throne and has risen over it. The fiṭrah informs mankind of Allah’s existence and some of His Attributes, but it is the Sacred Text that informs him on the details of this.

According to Ibn Taymiyyah, fiṭrah transcends the message of any one prophet and embraces the totality of the Divine revelations. He says:“The message of the prophets, all of them, is in conformity to the fiṭrah and cannot be in opposition to it.” Prophets are sent by Allah to perfect (takmil) the fiṭrah and solidify it; it is the hallmark of deviant groups and the enemies of the prophets to distort and change the fiṭrah.

ConclusionFrom the above discussion, it can be concluded that Ibn Taymiyyah has made tedious efforts to deliberate on the Islamic conception of human nature. Although he has not written any exclusive treatise on the sub-ject, a bulk of information is scattered in his different works from which his views on human nature can be gleaned to get a clear picture of the same. His concep-tion of human nature relates fiṭrah with Islam but does not equate the two. His conception of fiṭrah is compre-hensive in that it encompasses the teachings of all the prophets. The divine revelation is meant to elaborate the knowledge possessed by fiṭrah in generic manner and nourish and solidify it.


Dr Tauseef Ahmad Parray

Undoubtedly Muslim scholarship on the understanding of the noble Qur’an, in various ways and aspects, has continued throughout history; however, from the middle of the 20th century, the scholarship in the field of Qura’nic Studies has increased significantly as scholars have studied the Qur’an using many different and often innovative approaches. Muslim scholars, living both in Eastern and Western countries, have produced numerous works on the subject from a variety of perspectives. One such academician is Professor Abdullah Saeed----a Maldives born, Saudi Arabia and Australian educated, Australia based Academician. Professor Saeed has made an enormous contribution to the field of Quranic Studies, as he has been very active in this field from many years, and is still contributing enormously. This essay, in this direction, is a humble attempt to provide an assessment and overview of his major works in the field of the Quranic Studies

21st Century Muslim Scholarshipin the Qura’nic Studies:


Professor Abdullah Saeed’s Contribution to the Qura’nic StudiesProfessor Abdullah Saeed, basically from the Mal-dives holds degrees from Saudi Arabia and Australia; completed his PhD in Islamic Studies at the Univer-sity of Melbourne in 1992, and since then, has been actively involved in the development of Islamic Stud-ies in the same University. In 2003, he was appointed Sultan of Oman Professor of Arab and Islamic Studies, and in 2010, was elected Fellow of Australian Acad-emy of Humanities. His research focus has been on some important issues in Islamic thought today, like “the negotiation of text and context”, “ijtihad and in-terpretation”. A “strong advocate of reform of Islamic thought”, he has published widely on a range of issues concerning modern Muslim thought. His publications cover Qur’anic hermeneutics, the interpretation or re-interpretation of the Qur’an, ijtihad and Islamic law reform, Muslims in the West, extremism in Muslim societies, Freedom of religion in Muslim thought and practice, Aspects of extremist thought in contemporary Muslim societies and Islam and human rights. These are also his broad areas of research interest as well. He has been involved in “interfaith dialogue between Muslims and people of other faiths” as well.

His major works, in the field of Qur’anic Studies, include: Contemporary Approaches to the Qur’an in

Indonesia (Oxford, 2005); Interpreting the Qur’an: To-wards a Contemporary Approach (Routledge, 2006); The Qur’an: An Introduction (Routledge, 2008); and Reading the Qur’an in Twenty-First Century: A Con-textualist Approach (London: Routledge, 2013). He has also contributed various research papers, book chapters and encyclopedia articles/entries in this area as well, to the following: The Muslim World, Journal of Qur’anic Studies, The Blackwell Companion to the Qur’an, Encyclopedia of Religion, Encyclopedia of the Qur’an, and to Modern Muslim Intellectuals and the Qur’an.

Contemporary Approaches to the Qur’an in Indo-nesia (2005) is an edited volume that brings together a wide range of Muslim intellectuals, from traditionalists to modernists, and makes their varied approaches to the Qur’an accessible to an English-speaking audience for the first time. Although, Indonesia is the world’s most populous Muslim country, but much of its scholarly work on Islam is not available to a wider readership. Therefore, this work is really a good contribution and a fabulous job done by Prof Saeed by bringing together many voices to make a contribution. The topics that are covered in this volume range from textual interpre-tation and religious pluralism to debates on polygamy within the Indonesian Muslim women’s movement and the use of Qur’anic verses in contemporary Indo-

An Assessment of Professor Abdullah Saeed’s Contribution


nesian politics.Interpreting the Qur’an: Towards a Contemporary

Approach (2006) attempts to provide a foundation and argument for the validity of a Contextualist approach. Outlining a range of methodological principles, it re-lies on existing interpretations of the ethico-legal con-tent by a variety of Muslim scholars today and derives from those interpretations the necessary principles and ideas relevant to a Contextualist approach. Consisting of twelve (12) chapters, this book, explores the inter-pretation of the ethico-legal content of the Qur’an, whilst taking into consideration the changing nature of the modern world. Prof Saeed attempts to explore the current debates surrounding the interpretation of the Qur’an, and their impact on contemporary understand-ing of this sacred text. Discussing the relevance of Text to modern issues without compromising the over-all framework of the Qur’an and its core beliefs and practices, he proposes “a fresh approach, which takes into account the historical and contemporary contexts of interpretation.”

Forwarded by Prof Andrew Rippin, the book throws light on, and discusses such themes, as “The Context of the Debate on Interpretation”, “Interpreta-tion” based on “Text and Textualism”, “Reason”, and “Flexibility in Reading and Interpreting” the Qur’an, “Abrogation and Reinterpretation”, “Meaning of the Text as an Approximation”, ”Recognition of the Com-plexity of Meaning”, as well as “Socio-Historical Con-text and Interpretation” and “Ethico-Legal Texts and a Hierarchy of Values”. The book brings forth inspiring “healthy debate”, and is thus an essential reading for students and scholars seeking a contemporary approach to the interpretation of the Qur’anic text. Its aim, in the words of its author, is to “propose ideas and stimulate discussion.” Moreover, in the “Epilogue”, Prof Saeed has presented the “key aspects of the argument pre-sented in the book” and suggests a “basic model for interpretation of the ethico-legal texts” based on the discussions in the book. For Rippin, this book adds a “new voice to those debates” and, as broadens “the popular conception of what Islam is all about today”. By using “the tools of historical-critical scholarship to analyze the resources of the Muslim tradition”, Prof Saeed sets forth “a model of Qur’anic interpretation that is solidly scholarly and, at the same time, relevant to the central concerns of the Muslim community” (Foreword, p. x).

The main aim of this book, in the words of Prof Saeed, is to “propose ideas and stimulate discussion”

(p.7). But, at the same time, it is true that in this book, readers will find some useful and new ideas that need to be challenged, refines and questioned as well; after all, it is the “prerogative of the Muslim community to explore, accept, modify or even reject the ideas.” Here, it is pertinent to cite this passage, from the “Epilogue” of this book: “The tradition of tafsir”, which is the most versatile disciplines in Islam, “has incorporated diverse methods, approaches and principles, from the purely grammatical to the theological and symbolic.” And in order to “further Islamic thought and develop” it in line with the needs and concerns of Muslims in the twenty-first century, “bold steps need to be taken, in particular in relation to bridging the ever-widening gap between the Islamic disciplines and the daily needs of Muslims. Part of this is questioning and then finding solutions to the problems of Islamic thought created over the past several hundred years in the post-forma-tive period of Islam. Notions such as mutability and immutability, religious versus non religious, and sa-cred versus non-sacred, all may need to be rethought. Many approaches to Islamic disciplines not considered sacred in the formative period have since become sa-cred. Yet the calls for reinterpretation in any of these have been rejected by the conservative ulama, who consider themselves the ‘guardians’ of Islam. Those with the courage to take such a bold step are often la-beled agents of Orientalism or of the West, aiming to subvert Islamic tradition” (p. 146).

Moreover, Prof Saeed, while attempting to “explore the idea of a hierarchy of Qur’anic values, with par-ticular reference to ethico-legal texts”, what becomes clear is that these ideas “do not necessarily go against the classical traditions of fiqh or tafsir or the essential beliefs (arkan al-iman), such as God, life after death, or what is spelt out as halal or haram”. For him, although these are “part of the basic structure of Islam”, but in their “interpretation” not only there may still some “ambiguities”, but however, where there is a high de-gree of “ambiguity and complexity, we should be con-fident of developing ideas that will guide interpretation in new directions.” This is, for Saeed, “not to discard the traditions of fiqh and tafsir, but to recognize that a simplistic approach to the behaviour of a Muslim vis-à-vis the Qur’an is problematic.” And thus, Saeed ends the book, with this bold statement: “The book attempts to emphasize the dynamism that has withered since the post-formative period of Islamic disciplines” (p.157).

The Qur’an: An Introduction (2008) is another book by Prof Saeed, but is most important than others,


for two reasons. Firstly, in this book he has heavily re-lied on his previous works, and secondly, he has tried o made it “as accessible and relevant as possible” to pro-vide a broad and engaging introduction to the study of Qur’an. This book, providing a student-friendly guide to the many ways in which the Qur’an can be read, is a concise introduction to all aspects of the Qur’an: his-tory, understanding and interpretation, providing cov-erage of both pre-modern and modern periods; plenty of examples to illustrate key points and aid student understanding; and summaries, timelines and a glos-sary. It examines the Qur’an in Western scholarship as well as it gives an overview of the rich interpretive traditions from the time of the Prophet Muhammad to the present day. Written in an easy and accessible language, it is a basic introductory work, designed for both Muslims and Western non-Muslim students.

Some of the major themes and issues, topics and subjects that are covered in this book are: the historical context in which Qur’an was revealed, and the ways in which Qur’an has been understood as both “revela-tion and scripture”; the important issue of the Qur’an’s

compilation, providing views of with both the tradi-tional Muslim scholars and more recent scholarship on the subject; major themes of the Qur’an; Qur’an in day to-day life of “ordinary Muslims”; the history of “western scholarship” on Qur’an vis-a-vis recent de-velopments in Qur’anic studies; “translations” of the holy Qur’an; Qur’anic view of “Other Scriptures”; the “complex subject of interpretation”: exegesis, and its various types/ kinds, an over view of the development of tafsir-writing as a discipline: from classical period to the modern times; contributions of some prominent scholars who are developing and have developed some “innovative ways to interpret the Qur’an’s message for the modern world” like Fazlur Rahman, Amina Wadud, Muhammad Shahrour, Muhammad Arkoun, and Khaled Abou El-Fadl.

Prof Saeed’s aim and objective for writing this book was to design, in an easy and accessible language, a basic introductory work, for both Muslims and West-ern non-Muslim students. In his own words: “Many valuable works have already been written about the Qur’an; some of these deal mainly with classical Is-lamic principles of interpretation and understanding; others are written by Muslim scholars for a Muslim audience, and some are written by Western scholars for a Western audience. This textbook aims to bring to-gether aspects of [all] these perspectives, by providing a holistic overview of the Qur’an, its place in history and its role in the life of Muslims today” (p. xiv).

One of the most important features of this book is that in each chapter, Prof Saeed has provided a list of “recommended reading”, books and articles (with a brief assessment of the main theme of that work), for those readers who wish to “enhance their knowledge of topics covered in this book”. Also, each chapter pro-vides, very briefly (and in points), an introduction of what is present in that particular chapter or what the chapter discusses, and is followed by a “summary” of some of the main and important points discussed in each chapter.

Reading the Qur’an in Twenty-First Century: A Contextualist Approach (2013): This is the latest work in the field of Qura’nic Studies which deliberates on the development of Qura’nic interpretation by high-lighting modern debates around new approaches to its interpretation. Exploring how Muslims from vari-ous lego-theological, socio-political and philosophical backgrounds think about the meaning of relevance of the Qur’an, it elaborates on how their ideas apply in the contemporary world. Providing a practical guide


for interpretation, Saeed presents the principal ideas of a ‘contextualist approach’, which situates socio-politico-economic cum culturo-intellectual context. Besides, advocating a ‘flexible’ method of interpreta-tion, with due recognition given to the earliest methods of interpretation, it tackles the issue from the modern perspective, with emphasis on the changing conditions and the need to approach the Qur’an afresh today. The book focuses on these major themes: it reflects on ‘Textualism’—one of the most dominant approaches to interpretation in the pre-modern period; covers such critical, crucial, and central issues such as identifying the hierarchical nature of Qura’nic values, criteria for using ahadith in interpretation; and examines, com-paratively, pre-modern and modern interpretations on some hotly debated issues like ‘authority’ of men over women, Prophet Jesus’s crucifixion, riba/interest, and Shura-democracy relation.

Broadly speaking, making a case for a “contextu-alist approach to interpreting the Qur’an”, Saeed in this book provides a theoretical and practical guide for undertaking “contextualist interpretation”, i.e., the method, process, and technique of reading the Qur’an in light of “historical context of its revelation and sub-sequent interpretation”, with an aim “not to reduce but to expand the contemporary significance of Qura’nic teachings” (p. 3).

Dividing into four parts, the book consists of fifteen (15) chapters, including Introduction and Epilogue. Outlining the development of Qura’nic interpretation up to the modern period, part I, “Background and mod-ern examples of contextualism: past and present” (chap-ters 1-4) provides a context in which modern debates on interpretation are taking place and highlights some of the key ideas associated with those debates. For ex-ample, in chapter 3, some of the interpretations of key Qura’nic texts by Umar al-Khattab (the second caliph, r. 634-44 CE) are provided as an example of “an early form of a contextualist approach to [Qura’nic] inter-pretation” (p. 26), showing how they “approached the interpretation of Qur’an with due regard to the context … [and] in relation to changes” and circumstances: “a quasi-contextualist thinking” (p. 36).

Similarly, chapter 4, “A modern form of contextu-alism” explores some of the views, significant insights, ideas, and methodological principles, by some modern women scholars, for a “contextualist interpretation of the Qur’an” (p. 38). The prominent figures included are: Amina Wadud, Leila Ahmed, Asma Barlas, and Azizah al-Hibri; and the key issues they highlight

include an emphasis on “macro context”, justice and fairness, non-patriarchal readings, and on reading the Qur’an holistically and intra-textually. Saeed puts forth that these Muslim scholars are “attempting to read the Qur’an in a contextualist manner, challeng-ing textualist readings and pre-modern interpretations that support readings that were not favorable towards women”—thus, promoting a “gender-neutral reading of the Qur’an” (p. 47).

In Part II, as the title itself reveals, “Key ideas and principles of contextualist interpretation” (chapters 5-10) are presented. The ideas and issues covered are: revelation and contextualization; hierarchical nature of Qura’nic values; parallel texts from the Qur’an and dealing with the hadith; meaning in a contextualist framework; interpretation of the ‘fundamentals of the religion’; and contextualist interpretation in practice. In this Part, Saeed argues that a contextualist approach is not about “destroying religion, its fundamentals, or the foundations of Islam”, but is, keeping in consid-eration the context and circumstances, “a highly prin-cipled approach to the interpretation of the Qur’an” (p. 93).

In Part III, four issues/cases are provided as exam-ples of “Different interpretations for different contexts” (chapters 11-14). An examination, comparatively, of pre-modern and modern interpretations on some hotly debated issues like ‘authority’ of men over women, Prophet Jesus’s (‘Isa) crucification, riba/ interest, and Shura-democracy relation are presented, to highlight the evolving nature of Muslim thinking on the issue of Qura’nic interpretation. These four issues/examples are: “Men’s ‘authority’ over women” in the light of the Q. 4: 34 (chapter 11) “Crucifixion and death of Jesus Christ”, as in Q. 4: 156-58 (chapter 12); “Shura and De-mocracy” on the basis of Q. 3: 159 and 42: 38 (chapter 13); and “Riba and interest” or usury in the light of Q. 2: 275 and many other related verses (chapter 14). In discussing these issues, the pre-modern commentators included are Tabari, Zamakhshari, Razi, Qurtubi, and Ibn Kathir, and among the modern exegetes Abul ‘Ala Mawdudi, Sayyid Qutb, and Tabataba’i are mostly quoted (for, these are the names with which students of Islamic thought are most familiar).

For example, the Text in Q. 4: 34 (Qiwama) has given rise to debates on issues related to gender, and to gender equality in the modern period. And mod-ern scholars have approached the verse, its Text and context, variedly, either asserting, like the most pre-modern commentators, “the superiority of men” (like


Tabataba’i) and, or as “non-patriarchal approaches” (such as that of Fazlur Rahman, Khaled Abou El-Fadl, Muhammad Shahrur, Nasr Hamid Abu Zayd, Haifaa Jawad, Amina Wadud, Riffat Hasan, Asma Barlas, Azizab al-Hibri). Similarly, in the explana-tion of “Shura and democracy” debate, on the basis of Q. 3: 159 especially, Saeed compares the views of Mawdudi and Qutb, with a support from other com-mentators and other scholars. Being debated signifi-cantly but variedly, there has been substantial debate among Muslim commentators surrounding the context and the meaning of this command. In the contempo-rary period, Shura—a central concept in contemporary Muslim political thought—is seen as a foundation for thinking about governance in an Islamic context or as “akin to democracy and democratic institutions” (p. 157). Saeed, in this chapter, concludes that the mod-ern interpretations of Shura as democracy demonstrate that since the 20th century, the general trend is to in-terpret Shura in the light of new social, political and cultural contexts. Muslim exegetes and intellectuals ‘have been slowly but surely reinterpreting the con-cept of Shura as being [not only] akin to democracy and democratic institutions’ but is ‘very closely con-nected to the kind of ideas, values, and institutions of democracy and participatory systems of governance’ as well (pp. 148-59).

Thus, in all these chapters, Saeed attempts to make a case for a Contextualist approach in interpreting the Qur’an, and in this process, examines a range of prin-ciples and issues that are of significant interest for such an approach. This is followed by 5-pages conclusion (part IV) “Epilogue” (chapter 15), wherein some of the major concluding remarks and arguments put forth by Saeed are: (1) The Qur’an carries with it the potential to be relevant to the new and emerging needs of Mus-lims in the contemporary context and has the capacity to accommodate new and changing societal circum-stances as it did in the past (p. 179); (2) As most of the Qura’nic Text explores various ethico-moral, theolog-ico-spiritual, and historical issues, and address the hu-man being in a way that transcends specific contexts, therefore, its teachings, in this sense, can be general-ized to accommodate new situations and circumstances (p. 180); (3) Although there are a number of challenges for a contextualist reading today, but such attempts re-semble to the textualist readings of the Qur’an in the pre-modern period (pp. 180-1); (4) The contextualist approach is deeply rooted in the Islamic tradition; and is neither anti-Islamic nor a Western-sponsored idea or

approach (p. 182); and (5) Muslims have always en-gaged in thinking about interpretation of the Qur’an, and in practice many Muslims are already involved in this contextualist interpretation today, on a number of issues, ranging from family law and human rights, to inter-religious relations and economics (p. 182), and many Muslim scholars are putting forward new ideas, principles, and methodological tools in the area of con-textualist approach (p. 183).

Arguing that this book is “not making a set of new claims” (p. 183) but documenting the development of a trend that clarifies certain issues, it brings together a number of concerns and dilemmas—all relevant to the contextualist approach. Despite certain challenges that this approach is facing, Saeed, at the same time, prognoses that there will be increased acceptance of this approach, on both theoretical and practical grounds—and thus, a trend that will likely grow and will “shape Muslim thought well into the future” (p. 183). Thus, Saeed demonstrates that a contextualist approach to the interpretation of the Qur’an allows for greater for greater scope for interpreting the text and questioning some of the rulings of earlier commenta-tors. Considering the development of Qura’nic inter-pretation, it presents the principal ideas of contextual-ist approach, and highlights modern debates around new approaches to interpretation. Written very lucidly and coherently, Abdullah Saeed’s Reading the Qur’an in the Twenty-First Century provides a justification of a contextualist reading of the Qur’an by bringing to-gether and linking a range of principles and strategies, past and present. It will be helpful and useful for the students and scholars of Qura’nic studies in general, and will be received amiably by those interested in modern trends in hermeneutics or in a contextualist interpretation of Qur’an.

CONCLUSION: From this assessment, it becomes clear that these endeavors of Professor Saeed help us in furthering and in getting deep study of the Book of Allah—which is the deeply rewarding endeavor of a lifetime. It is through these works (mentioned and re-viewed in this essay) that one comes to know about his scholarly contribution in the field of Qura’nic Studies—which not only make a great contribution to this significant and interesting area, but also open new vistas for further scope and research in this field as an academic discipline/ field, which is now spread over numerous branches, thus making it an interesting and scope-oriented area of research in the discipline/ sub-ject of Islamic Studies.


The Qur’an Proves ResemblanceBetween Mankind and Animate Beings

Ahmad Wahaj al-Siddiqui

God the Unique said: There is not an animal on the earth nor a bird that flies on its two wings. They are commu-nities like you. Nothing We have Omitted in the Book Then unto their Lord they will be gathered. Qur’an - Al-Anaam/38.

The Scholars held that all the animate beings that Allah hath created other than mankind are covered by Arabic two words Dabbah and Bird. Dabbah includes all the animals, and Bird include all flying mammals ‘Are communities like you’. That is to say that animals are Ummah, Bird are Ummah, mankind and Jinn all are Um-mah i.e. communities.

Abdullah bin Mughaffal reported the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: Had the dogs not been community, I would have ordered to kill all the dogs. You kill among them every black wild dog. (Abu Dawood, Al-Tirmizi, Al-Nasai). This order of the Prophet could not be ap-preciated for a long time. But now we know that in the developed countries the women use them for sexual sat-isfaction. The Christian Priests have held, that if proved kill the dog and kill that woman.

Animals and Birds resemble in various aspects with humankind:a) Allah said: Whatever is in the heaven and whatever


is in the earth Glorifies Allah and He is the Al-mighty, the All Wise. (Quran-59/1)

b) And We subdued the hills and the birds to hymn our praises along with David.

c) These are creations of Allah as we are. The birds of a feather flock together i.e. live like a family as pigeons etc. They have a sys-tem of communication between them.

d) They search for their providence like human beings.

e) The male and female live togeth-er make their nests and bring up their young ones. Nothing we have omitted in the

Book. This refers to the Preserved Tablet which contains every minute detail of everything in creation in the world. ‘Not a leaf falls but He knows it, there is not a grain in the darkness of the earth, not anything fresh or dry but it is noted in the Book’ i.e. the Preserved Tablet. (Quran-6/59)

The Qur’an specified ‘Bee’ , ‘Ant’ and a bird Hudhud (woodpecker).

And your Lord inspired the Bee, take thy Habitations in the hills, and in the trees and in that which thy erect. (Qur’an-16/68) ‘The Lord in-spired the Bee’. This inspiration is coded in the DNA of cell nuclei of the Bee, which is the very basis of life for all the animate beings. The Geneticists are unanimous that life on this planet had come into exis-tence in its primeval origin by Al-lah the Great Creator and did never have any change since then. The Cell Theory has finally proved it.

Bee is an insect that lives almost in every part of the world. There are about 20,000 species of bees. Only the kind known as honey bee pro-duce honey and wax in large amount which is used by people . Flowers provide for bees tiny grains of pollen and sweet liquid called nectar from blossoms they visit.

The bees that live together and work in large colonies like men in their colonies.. In each colony, they

may have as many as 80,000 mem-bers. Honeybees have more devel-oped societies.

A typical honey bee colony is made up of queen and thousands of workers The queen is the female honey bee that lays eggs. The work-ers are unmated female offspring of the queen. The drones are the male offspring. During mating the drones placed semen in side the queen’s body. The semen contains sperm that causes laying eggs. After mating the queen lays eggs for the rest of her life. The queen may live as long as five years produce up to a million

eggs during her lifetime. Honeybees live in hives. Their

hive is a storage in a honey comb. The honey comb is mass of six sided compartments called cells made exactly in a geometrical preci-sion. Worker bees build the honey comb of wax produced by their bodies. The bees in each hive have their special odor. That makes them to detect bees from other hives. The guard bees attach the stranger bees, which are from the other colonies. Thus they behave like human beings living together in their own social group.

Domesticated Honeybees

What is special about Apis mellif-era, better known as honeybees, is that they store honey and make wax. Beekeepers raise them in hives for honey production and pollination.

The workers have stingers, but only use them to defend themselves and their colony, and will die after stinging.

There are several types of hon-eybees. Beekeepers choose the type they want to raise according to spe-cific traits that suit their needs. Some bees are better honey producers, while others are more resistant to disease and hardier for winter sur-

vival. Italian honeybees are the first domesticated honeybees brought to North America. They are gentle and widespread, in part because they are so adaptable to different climates. Their bodies have yellow-brown and dark brown bands.

These honeybees reproduce quickly and keep a large colony over the winter. The downside to this is that they need more honey and pol-len stored to survive the winter. Thus we see the bees have a social and col-lective life like men as stated in the Qur’an in the verse under citation

ANTS that lives in organized communities. Ants are known as so-cial insects. A community of social


insects is called colony. Ant colony may have hundreds, thousands, or millions of members. Each colony has one or several queens. Their chief job is to lay eggs. Most members of an ant colony are workers. The work-ers build the nest or search for food, they take care for the young, fight the enemies. Mates only job is to mate with young queens. After mating the males soon die. As the men are di-vided into different nations, the ants are also divided into various kinds.

Army ants live by hunting other insects. A kind is known as slave makers, which raid the nests of other

ants and steal the young, which they raise as slaves. Harvester ants gather seeds and store them inside their nest or anthill. Certain kinds of dairying ants keep insects that give off sweet liquid when ants milk them.

There are 10,000 kinds of ants, the largest are more the than 2.5 cen-timeters and the smallest are 0.1 cm. In spite of their small size the ants are amazingly strong. Most ants can lift objects that are ten times heavier than they are. Some can lift objects that are fifty times heavier than their bodies.

The scientists have found that the ants have very amazing communica-tion system. The Qur’an confirmed

it seventh century: ‘An ant called its way to other ants: O Ants! En-ter your dwellings lest Solomon and his armies crush you unperceiving.(Qur’an -27/18)

BIRD is an animal with two feathers. They have great flying ability. The fastest bird can reach speeds of well over 160 kilometers per hour. The two feathers of the birds played a roll in development of aeroplane. Inventors built airplanes only after only after they patterned the wings exactly after the shape of a birds wings.

There are about 9,300 species of

birds. Birds live in all the parts of the world. All the birds hatch from eggs. They have one mate at a time with whom they raise one or two sets of babies a year. Some birds keep the same mate for life. Most baby birds remain in the nest for several weeks after hatching their parents feed them.

The migration of the birds is most fascinating and least understood events in nature. Numerous species fly tremendous distances. The Euro-pean Warbler, the white throat is one of many birds that breed in Europe and spend the winter in Africa or Asia. The black poll Warbler the

North American no bigger than

sparrow, flies non-stop about 4,000 Kilometers to its winter home in South America. Arctic terms are the champions of long distance migra-tion. They fly about 18,000 kilome-ters from their breeding ground in the Arctic to their winter home in the Antarctic. The birds return to the Arc-tic few months later. They thus travel about 36,000 kilometers in less than a year. Snow Geese migrate in enor-mous flocks. Some snow geese make their summer homes as far as the Arc-tic coast of North America and their winter home as far south as Mexico.

The geneticists have held that these birds get direction from their DNA, which sits in the nuclei that spur growth, digestion, heart beat thinking and feeling. It is following its built in plan, which it has carried down the corridors of time. It is the direction of their DNA that makes them to take right course while fly-ing during the day or night in reach-ing to their destination. Their DNA have given them skill. These DNA have given them skill of communi-cation and they communicate with each other and call for a joint action flying in swarms. Throwing further light on the social life of the birds it has been found that relationship be-tween male and female is known as pair bond. A male and female form a pair bond after series of courtship displays by the male and favorable response from the female. Each spe-cies have its own display and re-sponses. The other animal too have social life. The Communication with birds was taught to Solomon, See Qur’an-27/16).

How precisely the Qur’an told that all these creatures, animals, and the birds: They are creatures like unto you when nothing was known about them in seventh century. This is mir-acle of the Qur’an and proves that it is Book of Allah (God the Unique) and not written by the Prophet Mu-hammad (peace be upon him) as brayed by the Jewish and Christian scholars.


‘Umar bin ‘Abdal-Azīz or ‘Umar-II, the illustrious ‘Umawī caliph entitled as the fifth Pious Caliph (Khalīf I Rāshid) of Islam, (r.717-720 C. E), was the son of a grand-daughter of ‘Umar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb, the second Pious Caliph. ‘Umar-II not only inherited the blood but also the qualities of his great illustrious maternal ancestor. His father ‘Abd al-‘Azīz, brother of ‘Abd al-Malik, was the governor of Egypt. Though belong-ing to the royal and state apparatus, ‘Umar-II, by his character and nature, was an embodiment of humble qualities. ‘Unaffected piety, a keen sense of justice, unswerving uprightness, moderation, and an almost primitive simplicity of life formed the chief features in his character’, as depicted by Syed Amir Ali in his, A Short History of the Saracens.

Historical records reveal that ‘Umar-II willingly proclaimed to eschew his succession as a Caliph on his nomination by Caliph Sulayman as his successor. He regarded this way of his selection a dictatorial one and thus, left the people with their choice of choosing anyone for this significant position. However, owing

to his stately persona and familiarity as a pious person, the people unanimously agreed upon his succession to Caliph Sulayman. Thus, people of different denomina-tions accepted and put their trust in him to enjoy a pe-riod of a just, pious and able leader of the community.

As a Caliph, ‘Umar II scrupulously with utmost fear of Almighty Allah carried the state affairs and never resorted to any royal enjoyments. To highlight his unique role as a Caliph among the Umayyad rulers, it is tempting here to quote:

One day his wife, Fatimah, daughter of ‘Abd al-Malik found him weeping after the prayers. She asked him if anything has happened that caused him grief and pain. In reply to this he told her, “O, Fatimah, I have been made the ruler over the Muslims and the strangers, and I was thinking of the poor that are starv-ing, and the sick that are destitute, and the naked that are in distress, and the oppressed that are stricken, and the stranger that is in prison, and the venerable elder, and him that has large family and small means, and the like of them in the countries of the earth and the distant

‘Umar bin ‘Abdul-Aziz:The Illustrious Descendant of Caliph

Umar ibn al- Khattab

Mohammad Dawood Sofi


provinces, and I felt that my lord would ask an account of them at my hands on the day of resurrection, and I feared that no defence would avail me, and I wept.”

Following the Glorious Prophet and his Rightly-Guided Companions, ‘Umar-II exhibited a genuine statesmanship befitting a follower of the Prophet and a descendant of the famous Caliph ‘Umar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb. Unlike some of his predecessors, he never used and considered the state treasury as his own but always uti-lised the property for public affairs. The main reason behind recognizing as the Fifth Rightly Guided Caliph of Islam lies in his extreme piety, honesty and deliver-ance of justice while sustaining both as a common man as well as the ruler of a global Ummah (nation). Even the hard-core and extreme faction of Muslims like the Khawārij (Kharijites) amazingly regarded and recog-nized ‘Umar bin ‘Abd al-‘Aziz as a valid Khalifah un-like the other Umawī rulers. They withheld any sort of objection and disturbing phenomena during his tenure.

His election to the office reminded of the first era of Muslim governance. By exempting the reverts from paying Kharāj, he materialised the practicability of the concept of equality in Islam. His God-oriented policies influenced a large number of people who embraced Is-lam to witness the divine light. However, having in-formed by the governor of Egypt regarding the decline in the tax collection, the Caliph replied, “Allah sent the prophet as a missionary, not as a tax-gatherer.” ‘Umar bin ‘Abd al-‘Aziz took another unique step by provid-ingthe Mawālis,(the non-Arab Muslims) pension for military services, which was earlier an exclusive privi-lege of the Arabs.

Similarly, his compassionate attitude towards the Dhimmis (whose blood and property he once again proclaimed to be sacred) offered a recollection of the era of Rightly-Guided Caliphs. The Jizyah collectors were pressurised to avoid any means of harsh treat-ment with the Dhimmis. His sociable policies towards the other communities and denominations of the soci-ety materialised the concepts of a pluralistic, welfare based and harmonious society.

With his noble foresightedness and able leadership capacity, ‘Umar bin ‘Abd al-‘Azīz made the recruit-ments and appointments of the government officials on the basis of the required merit and qualifications as set by the religious law. He abandoned any ways or sub-ways of favouritism or partial approach in this regard. Thus, it is not strange to locate a number of his able of-ficials like his governors, Samah bin Mālik, Ismā‘īl bin ‘Abd Allah and others belonging to diverse tribes and

denominations within the society. Various stern deci-sions like the imprisonment of Yazīd bin Muhallab, a person involved in misappropriation of the spoils of war, reflect his austere approach towards the dishonest, unjust and irreligious lot. ‘Umar-II ordered his offi-cials for the culmination of every unjust and irreligious policy of the state brought into action by his ‘Umawī predecessors. He is reported to have proclaimed to the officials:

You must know that the maintenance of religion is due to the practice of justice and benevolence; do not think lightly of any sin; do not try to depopulate what is populous; do not try to exact from the subjects any-thing beyond their capacity; take from them what they can give; do everything to improve population and prosperity; govern mildly and without harshness; do not accept presents on festive occasions; do not take the price of sacred books; impose no tax on travellers or on marriages or on milk of camels; and do not insist on the poll tax from anyone who has become a convert to Islam.

The policies adopted by ‘Umar bin ‘Abd al-‘Aziz reflect his bent towards consolidation of the empire for bringing peace and prosperity rather than widening it by geographical means. Thus, it is easy to understand that the Muslim cavalry from Constantinople had to move back and also the expeditions were stopped.

The God-centred and society-oriented policies of Caliph ‘Umar bin ‘Abd al-‘Aziz, however, could not allegedly prove fruitful for the licentious members of the ‘Umayyad House’. They felt a dire need of depos-ing him in order to secure their worldly interests and for this reason got him poisoned, eventually leading to his death in 101 A.H. /720 C.E.

Extreme piety, austere sense of justice, unswerv-ing uprightness, moderation, austerity and simplicity, were the noble qualities that reflected in the persona of Caliph ‘Umar bin ‘Abd al-‘Aziz. He served as an ideal of the Prophetic way of life and followed His glori-ous Companions while offering his services in the state apparatus. Such has been his stately influence on the people not only of his age but of the posterity as well that even the Orientalists like William Muir eulogizes him with the words, as “It is relief amidst bloodshed, intrigue and treachery to find a Caliph devoted to what he believed at the highest good both for himself and his people.” In short, the reign of ‘Umar bin ‘Abd al-‘Aziz, not less than a miracle, reflects the most fertile and attractive period of Islamic governance after the Pious Caliphate in the history of Islam.


Dr. Zakir Naik saysIRF ban will be fought legally

Aftab Hossain Kola

Dr. Zakir Naik’s immense popularity and massive fan following among youth has not taken any beatings after Government of India declared the Mumbai-based Islamic Research Foundation (IRF), an NGO run by the celebrated Is-lamic preacher Zakir Naik as an “unlawful association” which disturbed social and communal harmony and placed it under a ban for five years with immediate effect. Now, even his critics among the Muslims have come in his support after the Government of India ban.

The Islamic Research Foundation (IRF) was declared an “unlawful associa-tion” under the UAPA primarily on the basis of four key points: criminal cases against Dr. Naik, provocative speeches by the preacher, the NGO’s dubious rela-tionship with the banned Peace TV and transfer of NGO’s money to Peace TV.


A senior home ministry official said, “We relied on investigations done by Maharashtra Police and in-telligence agencies. He has made many provocative speeches and propagated terror across the country”.

When the constitution of India gives enough free-dom to profess, practice, and preach any religion, Dr. Zakir Naik utilizes this freedom to the core – within the frame of Indian Constitution as well as Islamic Shari’ah. Many believe that all cases against him will certainly fall flat.

It may be recalled there was a hue and cry in In-dia in the month of July this year wherein Dr Zakir Naik had been accused by Dhaka-based Daily Star newspaper of being an inspiration to the perpetrators of the recent Dhaka blast. And this news exploded like anything in India with a section of media led by the notoriously pro-RSS few media channels unleash-ing a sinister campaign against Dr. Zakir Naik and his preaching. Dr Zakir Naik debunked the theory that he was responsible for some youths taking to ter-rorism.

As was expected by the Indian authorities, the Central terror-investigation body, the National Inves-tigation Agency registered an FIR against the IRF fol-lowed by an investigation into its activities. Accord-ing to sources, the NIA registered a case against Dr. Naik as well as other office-bearers of the Foundation under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and the Indian Penal Code for promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race or lan-guage. The security agencies also blocked its website to check what they call, ‘radicalisation’.

Dr. Zakir Naik issued an open letter, titled ‘Facing The Foregone Conclusion’, in which he has alleged that the ban on his organisation has been timed with demonetisation to escape resistance.

We reproduce Dr Zakir Naik’s letter here:I was right after all. IRF and I were set up for a ban. Despite some saying that I played the ‘Muslim card’, it is now proven that the decision to ban IRF was taken months ago and it was a communal decision. Before investigations were done, even before reports sub-mitted, the ban was already decided. IRF was to be banned. Whether it was owing to my religion or some other reason does not matter. What now matters is that my work of 25 years - completely lawful work - has been banned. And that is the most unfortunate thing for this country.

This must be the most unique ban to be applied in

the history of India, because not a single time was I questioned or given a chance to explain. Not a single chance. No notice, no summons, no calls and no con-tact ever made with me to get my side of the story. I kept offering my help in investigation but it wasn’t taken. The entire investigation was completed without any agency asking me a single question about my so called ‘wrongdoings’. But then why would they? My participation in the investigation process would have cleared up the air and exonerated me, which wasn’t acceptable to the government.

Now that they’ve banned me without asking me a single question, I have no choice left but to answer them only through the legal system and not person-ally. Their agenda is open and clear: implicate me by hook or by crook, which I will fight.

From the government’s point of view, the timing itself could not have been better. The decision to ban IRF was taken in the middle of the demonetization fi-asco, as the country reeled under the self-imposed cash crunch. I won’t be surprised if this ban was meant to distract media from what was going on in the country. For the public that is starved for cash, for trade and ba-sic amenities, one cannot expect much of resistance. Flawless timing really.

The ban notification alleges that I have incited vio-lence through some of my statements. I would at this juncture like to re-emphasize that I have at all points only advocated peace and condemned violence in any form. In fact I am one of the few persons who ever publicly spoke against state sponsored violence and terrorism. These facts have never been given their due after having been explained on several occasions.

All the questions and allegations have been an-swered and explained a dozen times in the last few years. To people and to the media. Why? Because most have not bothered to look through the entire por-tion of the Q&A. They’ve watched a smaller, doctored clip and based their opinions on it. Common people aside, I expected professional investigators from gov-ernment agencies to do a thorough job. Had they done so, this issue would have been a no brainer, a non-issue. But I guess, that was not the plan. The plan was to ban, not investigate.

Which is perhaps why the draconian law of UAPA was exercised on very select organisations such as Is-lamic Research Foundation. The name of the religion has been made synonymous with violence while con-doning the reckless behavior of some majority lead-ers. The law does not seem to apply to the likes of


Rajeshwar Singh, Yogi Adityanath and Sadhvi Prachi who continue to make inflammatory speeches aimed at inciting communal hatred for mere political mile-age. Rajeshwar Singh of Dharm Jaagran Manch re-cently made a televised statement that 31st December 2021 will be the last day for Islam and Christianity in India and that he and his associates have taken an oath to end Islam and Christianity from India before 31st December 2021.

Don’t such statements and many more by fanatics like Sadhvi Prachi and Yogi Adityanath require them to be arrested and tried under UAPA? Leave aside legal action, the government has neither condemned their actions nor reprimanded them. Is this draconi-an law mainly meant for Muslims? Muslims who’ve been practising and propagating their religion peace-fully and well within the constitutional framework? Does the UAPA now exist mainly to silence minor-ity groups? I urge my Muslim brothers and sisters in India to rely on Allah alone, unafraid of this vicious campaign against them. Allah says, ‘And if you are patient and fear Allah, their plot will not harm you at all.’ (Al-Qur’an 3:120)

Like the demonetization fiasco, the Modi govern-ment’s IRF ban and its modus operandi has been dis-traught with senseless decisions and knee jerk actions. After having said that the Islamic International School will not be affected, the government goes ahead and freezes the School’s bank account. How will a school survive without its day-to-day expenses being met? We’re talking about the future of hundreds of school children here.

I know, and more than 100 million of my follow-ers across the world know, that I’ve propagated peace and compassion and justice. I’m very sure I haven’t broken any law, and with this ban, I’m even surer that things have happened with a deeper, sinister agenda. The system and agencies have been used to suit a pre-meditated result set by the government of India, a government that took an oath to uphold the Indian Constitution, the same Constitution that allows me the freedom to profess, practice, and propagate my reli-gion. Let us not be gullible to think this was just an attack on me. It is an attack on whom I represent, the Indian Muslims. It is an attack on peace, democracy and justice.

By the grace of the Almighty, my work is now spread across the world and a ban in India, however agonizing, will not ruin everything. I had mentioned in my first letter that God willing many Muslim coun-

tries will roll the red carpet for this humble servant of Allah. I have received from several Muslim coun-tries a response better than what I had expected. I will continue my work and rebuild. But India is my home, my roots, and I will fight this ban come what may. God-willing, I will pursue all legal options to repeal this ban. Because Islam has taught me not to let an injustice go by. I will fight, be sure of that.

To my fellow Indians, I have only one thing to say. The country’s democratic fabric is under attack. People’s lives are being played with. Governments are misusing their authority on people they’re supposed to protect. This needs to change. It needs to change for the future of every one of us. I have faith in the judi-ciary and I still believe that truth will prevail and the Modi government will fail in its plans. But whatever the outcome, I strongly believe that the best efforts to quash my work will only help it rise higher and stronger. Even though the Modi government is mis-using the law to scare Indian Muslims, these actions, God-willing, will make me strive harder to spread the message of the religion of peace till my last breath. For Allah says, “Truth has (now) arrived, and False-hood perished: for Falsehood is (by its nature) bound to perish.” (Al-Qur’an 17:81)

Beshak. Without doubt.Sincerely yours,Dr Zakir NaikServant of AllahBan is illegalA leading advocate, Mobin Solkar, the counsel for

Zakir Naik, said the case filed by the National Investi-gative Agency (NIA) against his client under the Un-lawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) is illegal, as the Supreme Court, earlier granted a stay in a simi-lar case, and hence, any fresh complaint on the same grounds would stand void. “Earlier in the year 2012 an FIR was registered by the office bearers of some organisation against Zakir Naik under section 153 A and in response we filed a petition in the Supreme Court and the court granted stay to all those proceed-ings in the FIR. So fresh FIR for the same offence is not maintainable in law so they cannot be two FIR for one offence,” Solkar told an Indian news agency.

Solankar further maintained that from 2012 till date, Dr. Naik has not given any lecture which can be a cause of action for filing a fresh FIR against him.

An overwhelming majority of Indian Muslims and a section of secular Indians have lent full support to Dr Zakir Naik.


Sitting in a cafeteria in her middle-class neighborhood of Ilioupoli, 43-year-old Anna Stamou says she soon hopes to be praying with her family at the new Athens mosque.

“I’ll perform a duaa [prayer] for children caught in war - to make all the wars to stop,” says Stamou, a mother-of-two and a PR consultant based in the Greek capital, Athens. “That’s what I pray for daily, but in the mosque, prayers are supposed to multiply,” adds Stamou, who converted to Islam a few years ago. Af-ter years of praying in old warehouses and basements, Athens’ Muslims hope that despite protests by the far-right, the government will stick to its plan to build a mosque. Athens is the last remaining European capital without one, Al Jazeera Channel reported.

Greece was under Ottoman rule for nearly four cen-turies until the early 1800s. If built, the mosque will

be the first state-funded one since then. It is expected to accommodate more than 350 worshipers and will be built in place of a 600 square metre former navy warehouse in the Votanikos neighborhood of western Athens. The complex will also feature a fountain for people to follow the ritual cleansing before praying. “It’s not going to be anything special,” says Naim Elghandour, 62, president of the Muslim Association of Greece and Stamou’s husband. “But it is important because it’s going to be the first official mosque with an official imam. Until now, the imams have been volunteers and that was dangerous, but we have been lucky and nothing bad happened in Greece to upset the relationships between Christians and Muslims.”

Many non-Muslim Athenians agree that a mosque must be built. “We’re a democracy and there has to be freedom of religion,” says Aggeliki Anagnostopou-

Muslims in Athens preparefor the city’s first mosque

l Rabi al-Awwal 1438/December 2016 l


lou, 62, a retiree living near the site of the upcoming mosque. “Why should I be worried, anyway? Be-ing a Muslim doesn’t mean you’re an extremist.” According to the Muslim Association of Greece, there are more than 100 unoffi-cial mosques scattered throughout Athens for the estimated 200,000 Muslims living in the capital, most though are housed in basements or warehouses. A law was passed in 2006 permitting the building of the new mosque. But this was challenged by those who oppose it. Now, after a decade of nego-tiations, Stamou and Elghandour are hopeful that it will finally be implemented and their religious freedoms will be recognised.

Earlier this year, the government awarded a contract to a consortium of construction companies to build the mosque at a cost of a million euros ($1.05m). It is expected to be completed in the next six months. Construction was delayed after a far-right group occupied the ware-house for five-months with the aim of creating a Greek-only homeless shelter and blocking the building of the mosque. The sit-in ended af-ter they were arrested by police in early November. The setback was nothing new for the Muslim com-munity of Athens: Far-right groups have attacked dozens of makeshift mosques in Athens over the past five years, including one incident in which suspects locked dozens of worshipers inside a prayer hall and set it on fire.

Meanwhile, Golden Dawn, a far-right party with seats in parlia-ment, held a protest at the site of the future Athens mosque, nearly three kilometres from the world heritage site of the Acropolis. “It’s a part of a wider policy to under-mine our nation,” Nikos Michalo-

liakos, the leader of the party, told a crowd of a few dozen Greek flag-bearers, holding banners that read in English “Stop Islam”. “They’re not admitting that because they’re communists - they want a secular [state] … But we, the Greek na-tionalists, want to respond to them: This state was built from the blood of the fighters of [the] 1821 [rev-olution] and was founded in the name of the Holy Trinity. This is a Greek Orthodox state.”

Those who oppose the mosque have found some support in the Greek Orthodox Church. “In my opinion, it could be postponed un-til it’s clarified on whether [Muslim refugees] have the right to stay in Greece,” Archbishop Ieronymos, the head of the Greek Orthodox Church, said in an interview on Greek Skai TV, without mention-ing Greek Muslims and others liv-ing in the country. “But if they are just passers-by, why do we need it?” Archbishop Ieronymos sees the arrival of Muslim refugees in Europe as part of a plan to Islam-ise the continent. “This is part of a plan. A well-organised plan that is executed precisely,” he said.

But for the Stamou-Elghandour family and thousands of other Greek Muslims, the mosque is for everyone, whether or not they are Greek. “Despite that we thought he was a man of God, the Archbishop has chosen the path of the far-right,” Elghandour says. “Wasn’t the baby Jesus a refugee that his mother whisked away in order to save him, and wasn’t he an immigrant later?” Stamou and Elghandour say they try to raise their children without making them feel that they are part of a minority in their home-land. Their children join mass dur-ing school hours, along with other pupils, even though they aren’t

obliged to.When they do, they feel the dif-

ference between being Greek Or-thodox and a Greek Muslim: They return home asking why can’t they have a beautiful place to pray in, like the church in their neighbour-hood, the couple say. “We [the adults] are used to praying in the basements for our daily prayers, but I see the second and third gen-erations aren’t happy,” Elghandour says. He often takes his family abroad during the Muslim holidays to “pray in dignity”. “The state considers us second-class citizens. Why should my children feel like that?”

Stamou also worries about how the renovated warehouse will turn out and what the new mosque will look like. “It’s important that it’s nicely renovated in order for the young children to feel they are equal citizens,” Stamou says. “They get restless in the basements. And even though we don’t force them to pray, they don’t always want to come to the basement to pray. But when we’re abroad, they don’t want to leave the mosque - they play there, they’re happy, they admire the [architecture].” Now, their children keep asking when the Athens mosque will be ready. The family looks forward to cel-ebrating the next Ramadan [the month during which Muslims fast] for the first time in a real mosque in their hometown. “Maybe we’ll even have the iftar [the breaking of the fast] dinner there,” they say. Elghandour says he tells them: “Wait. It’s not ready yet.” “If a mosque is finally built, we’ll be happy, but our excitement is gone,” Stamou says. “It’s been 10 years of waiting and 10 years of cheap and petty politics.”

--IINA


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