1. sermon in Doha the other day the cleric
called upon " Muslims everywhere to
kill” Syria’s Alawite sect branding them
as "more infidel than Christians and
Jews."
The message of hatred the American
allies in the Middle East are spreading
against all non-Wahhabis is absolutely
antithetical to Islam. There is a near
consensus among leading theologians
and historians the world over that
religion’s origin lies in humanity . True to
this spirit and like Hinduism, Judaism,
Buddhism, Christianity, Sikhism and
several other religions, Islam, too, has
propagated the values of liberalism,
equality and justice . Islam—like Judaism
and Christianity— is an Abrahamic
religion. The Quran shares with the
Hebrew scripture, the Torah and the
Bible a lot of histories, prophets, stories
and teachings. Islam shares a lot even
with the Vedas. Ultimately, both
prescribe worshipping the One Supreme
Lord. Both systems recommend fighting
for dharma or justice -- without any
of additional similar regimes in
the region.
These regimes are preaching and
practising the doctrine of Wahabism.
Their ideology rejects any progress after
the third Islamic century. It declares all
non-Muslims kafirs and non-Wahabism
Muslims, such as Shias, Sufis and
Ahmadiyas apostates. The Wahhabi
Imams urge the faithful to utter prayers
against the Kafirs—Jews, Christians,
Hindus and other non-Muslims.
Wahhabism has no respect for women’s
rights and liberties too.
The Kingdom of
Saudi Arabia is said to
be exporting
Wahhabism spending
billions of dollars in
patronising mosques,
madrassas, journals
and cleric training
programmes for the
purpose. Together
with Abu Dhabi,
Riyadh pumps into
certain Ahle Hadith
and Deobandi
madrasas an estimated
$ 100 million annually
to spread Wahhabism
the world over.
Currently, the rulers
of Qatar, another
Western ally, are
allowing influential
Sunni Muslim cleric
Yusuf al-Qaradawi to
spread hatred against
other faiths. In his
I
take a mental leave whenever
American President Barack H.
Obama, British Prime Minister
David Cameron and some other
Western rulers claim they are respectful
to Islam and opposed only to extremist
elements such as al-Qaeda and the
Taliban within the Muslim community.
Traditionally, they have all backed certain
monarchical regimes in the Middle East,
the religious practices of which are
suspect. And currently, they are having
policies helpful to the establishment
Religion’s origin lies in humanity. Like Hinduism, Judaism, Buddhism, Christianity,
Sikhism and several other religions , Islam has propagated the values of liberalism,
equality and justice . If Western rulers are respectful to Islam , they must prevail
over their allies in the Middle East to honour its spirit , asserts Jagdish N Singh
Do Western rulers
respect Islam ?
POLITICS Of ReLIgIOnJuly 2013 Power Politics
PAGE-49
A Wahabi mosque
British historian Robert
Lacey : It's (Wahhabism)
the founding article of faith
for . . . the state. To suggest
otherwise is to question
the roots of Saudi
legitimacy. It's akin to
saying that the Pilgrim
Fathers were atheists.
State of Religion_brhma.qxd 6/27/2013 9:53 AM Page 2

2. ulterior motives and violence to the non-
combatants and civilians, especially
women and children -- and that, too, only
when there is no alternative to war.
The consensus goes that Islam is a
message of compassion, brotherhood
and social justice. A duty of Muslims is to
convey this to co-religionists as well as
non-Muslims around. Another is to
respect others’ choice of religion or faith
and continue to work with and for them
in the field of human rights, known in
Islamic terms as “insanon ke huquooq”
or “huqooq-ul-ibad. ” Sura Al-Kafirun
mentions: Lakum dinokum waley yadeen
(You follow your religion; let them follow
theirs). Muslims should engage
themselves in a constant inner-struggle
( jehade akbar ) against the vices within
and finally submit themselves to god.
Pertinently, an eminent Islamic
scholar stresses that the ideology of
violence articulated by various self-styled
radical Islamists and terrorist groups is a
crass misinterpretation of the Quran.
Islam does not prescribe killing
Christians, Jews, Hindus, and others.
There is a need for a contextual revision
follow it. It is no longer forbidden for
Muslims to communicate their faith to
non-Muslim rulers or non-Muslims in
general . In the changed modern world
any proxy war and communal conflict in
the name of jihad is simply not
permissible . Muslim citizens and
residents of non-Muslim states have new
duties and responsibilities . Jehad cannot
be declared against a non-Muslim
government that does not in any way
oppress Muslims, nor can such a
government be told either to accept
Islam or else hand over power to
Muslims.
If indeed the Western rulers
are respectful to Islam, they must use
their influence with their
allies in the Middle Eastern region to
discard their obscurantist version of the
religion and embrace instead a path of
multi-faceted development
for humanity. Fortunately, all
democracies in the world are blessed
with liberal, freedom-loving true
Muslims working constantly for peace,
harmony and development. The Western
ruling elites could contact and
work together with such elements to
spread the quintessential Islamic
message of peace, equality and freedom .
Also, the Western rulers must back all
those progressive, secular forces
currently protesting against the Wahhabi
agenda the world over.
of certain rules contained in the medieval
Muslim jurisprudence (fiqh). In the
medieval times all states were identified
with one or the other religion. It was
simply inconceivable that any non-
Muslim government would allow
Muslims to invite its subjects to God’s
path. As such it was never even discussed
then as to how Muslims should relate to a
non-Muslim state that explicitly allowed
Islam to be practised, preached and
propagated in its territory.
The situation today, the scholar says,
is far different. A non- Muslim state not
only allows practising Islam but also
allows its subjects to accept Islam and
PAGE-50
POLITICS Of ReLIgIOn July 2013 Power Politics
British Prime Minister David Cameron with King Abdullah
American President Barack Obama greeting King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia.
Wahhabi radicals are
determined to destroy a
gentler, kinder Islam ---
The Guardian, London,
March 8, 2009.
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