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The Golden
Rule
In a long debate with a certain Muslim intellectual,
who writes for various Islamic magazines, he insisted that I give a better
alternative to Islam. He argued: “Avoiding this is tantamount to intellectual defeat, like the man who
wears a mask and calls everyone else ugly but his so-called “better
alternative” is
kept hidden under the mask because it is in reality very grotesque.
I knew why he insisted that I tell him about my
alternative. Muslims can’t defend Islam so they engage in tu quoque of the “you too” logical fallacy. All Muslims can do is to counter attack and start
finding fault with the religion of your opponent instead of defending
Islam.
I told him that I am a humanist and a practitioner of the Golden Rule. This is my
alternative. But because I believe in the Golden Rule and the freedom of
faith, I respect people’s choice to believe in any religion they like. I
do not agree with the premises of any of these religions; however I have
no right to stop people believing in them. My fight is not against faith,
it is against hate. The reason I am against Islam is not
because it is a religion but because it is a political movement of
imperialism and domination in the guise of religion.
I
told him that I have no religion. I do not believe in anything. I am a
freethinker. I doubt, investigate and come to the truth by weighing the
facts. My motto is Buddha’s’ words: “doubt everything, find your own
light”.
It is not that I see all religions as totally wrong. I see truth and
beauty in all the religions in various degrees. The only religion that is
bereft of truth and beauty is Islam. I cherry pick the good things in all
the religions and philosophies, choose the best and leave the rest. I
think all religions are manmade. But this does not mean they are bad. Some
parts of them are very good. Although I do not think they are divine
guidance, I think one can find pearls of wisdom in many of them. The only
religion that is pure dung and has no pearls is Islam. Other religions are
manmade while Islam is made be a psychopath. This is the big difference.
To my amazement, once this Muslim learned that I am a
practitioner of the Golden Rule, he launched his attack at the Golden Rule
and in a “rebuttal” that he titled “The Golden Rule: Cult of Ali
Sina” he wrote:
“Mr
Sina said that he will be making the allegations against Prophet Muhammad
(SAW) on the basis that the Prophet (SAW) has violated the “Golden
Rule”. As he says Islam contradicts the “Golden Rule”; the rule is
his “criterion” and “yard stick”. Therefore, Mr Sina has to prove
the legitimacy of the “Golden Rule” otherwise it is a mere assumption.
In the absence of proof, Mr Sina would be violating his first rule which
he stated earlier: “he must be able to prove that assumption or withdraw
it”!
I already knew that Islam is contrary to the Golden
Rule and in fact this is precisely why I oppose it. But I did not expect a
Muslim admit to it and defy it so openly. Muslims are masters of deception
and they strive to portray their religion as the summum bonumm and their
prophet as the champion of righteousness. This Muslim, however, was
foolishly honest enough to tell the truth and instead of claiming Islam is
a fair religion that obeys the Golden Rule, surprisingly, he attacked it
and called it a “cult”.
I responded that I do not have to prove the
legitimacy of the Golden Rule. I don’t think I have to prove day is
bright and night is dark to a seeing person, and to a blind, that won’t
make any difference.
The Golden Rule is a universal principle and it is self evident. We must
not measure the validity of the Golden Rule with what Muhammad said, but
rather we must establish the legitimacy of his claim by the yardstick of
the Golden Rule.
We humans measure every right and wrong with the
yardstick of the Golden Rule. The Golden Rule is the shared belief of all
mankind and a self evident principle that says: “Do
onto others as you would wish them do onto you”? That is how
we know stealing is bad, murder is bad, rape is bad, pedophilia is bad,
cheating is bad, and kindness is good, generosity is good, forgiveness is
good etc.
Various religions and doctrines have expressed this
simple concept in a variety of ways. The following is a brief list of
them.
Bahá'í
Faith: “Choose
thou for thy neighbour that which thou choosest for thyself."
Epistle to the Son of the Wolf
Brahmanism:
"This is the sum of duty: Do naught unto others which would cause
you pain if done to you". Mahabharata, 5:1517
Buddhism:
"...a state that is not pleasing or delightful to me, how could I
inflict that upon another?" Samyutta NIkaya v. 353
Hurt
not others in ways that you yourself would find hurtful."
Udana-Varga 5:18
Christianity:
"Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to
you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets."
Matthew 7:12, King James Version.
"And
as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise."
Luke 6:31, King James Version.
"...and
don't do what you hate...", Gospel of Thomas 6.
Confucianism:
"Do not do to others what
you do not want them to do to you"
Analects 15:23
"Ze-Gong
asked, 'Is there one word that can serve as a principle of conduct for
life?' Confucius replied, 'It is the word 'xu' -- reciprocity. Do not
impose on others what you yourself do not desire.'" Doctrine of
the Mean 13.3
"Try
your best to treat others as you would wish to be treated yourself, and
you will find that this is the shortest way to benevolence."
Mencius VII.A.4
Ancient
Egyptian: "Do
for one who may do for you, that you may cause him thus to do."
The Tale of the Eloquent Peasant, 109 - 110 Translated by R.B. Parkinson.
The original dates to 1970 to 1640 BCE and may be the earliest version
ever written.
Hinduism:
"One should not behave towards others in a way which is
disagreeable to oneself." Mencius Vii.A.4
"This
is the sum of the Dharma [duty]: do naught unto others which would cause
you pain if done to you."
Mahabharata 5:1517
Humanism: "(5)
Humanists acknowledge human interdependence, the need for mutual respect
and the kinship of all humanity."
"Don't
do things you wouldn't want to have done to you, British Humanist
Society.
Jainism:
"In happiness and suffering, in joy and grief, we should regard
all creatures as we regard our own self." Lord Mahavira, 24th
Tirthankara
"A
man should wander about treating all creatures as he himself would be
treated. "Sutrakritanga 1.11.33
Judaism:
"...thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.", Leviticus
19:18
"What
is hateful to you, do not to your fellow man. This is the law: all the
rest is commentary." Talmud,
Shabbat 31a.
"And
what you hate, do not do to any one." Tobit 4:15
Native
American Spirituality:
"All
things are our relatives; what we do to everything, we do to ourselves.
All is really One." Black Elk
Roman
Pagan Religion: "The law
imprinted on the hearts of all men is to love the members of society as
themselves."
Shinto:
"The heart of the person before you is a mirror. See there your
own form"
Sikhism:
"Don't create enmity with anyone as God is within everyone."
Guru Arjan Devji 259
Taoism:
"Regard your neighbor's gain as your own gain, and your neighbor's
loss as your own loss." T'ai
Shang
Kan
Ying P'ien.
Wicca:
"An it harm no one, do what thou wilt" (i.e. do what ever
you will, as long as it harms nobody, including yourself). One's will is
to be carefully thought out in advance of action. This is called the
Wiccan Rede
Yoruba:
(
Nigeria
): "One going to take a pointed stick to pinch a baby bird should
first try it on himself to feel how it hurts."
Zoroastrianism:
"That nature alone is good which refrains from doing unto another
whatsoever is not good for itself". Dadistan-i-dinik 94:5
"Whatever
is disagreeable to yourself do not do unto others."
Shayast-na-Shayast 13:29
Several philosophers have also expressed the same concept in different
words:
Epictetus: "What
you would avoid suffering yourself, seek not to impose on others."
(circa 100 CE)
Plato:
"May I do to others as I would that they should do unto me."
(
Greece
; 4th century BCE)
Socrates:
"Do not do to others that which would anger you if others did it
to you." (
Greece
; 5th century BCE)
Seneca:
"Treat your inferiors as you would be treated by your superiors,"
Epistle 47:11 (
Rome
; 1st century CE)
(source:
http://www.religioustolerance.org/reciproc.htm)
Exceptions:
There are however exceptions. Some doctrines do not
adhere to this universal principle.
Satanism: Anton Szandor LaVey,
founder of the
Church
of
Satan
, wrote two main lists of rules summarizing his expected behavior by
members:
The Nine Satanic Statements:
"4. Satan represents
kindness to those who deserve it instead of love wasted on ingrates!
"5. Satan represents vengeance instead of
turning the other cheek.!"
The Nine Satanic Sins:
"3. Solipsism—Can be very
dangerous for Satanists. Projecting your reactions, responses and
sensibilities onto someone who is probably far less attuned than you are.
It is the mistake of expecting people to give you the same consideration,
courtesy and respect that you naturally give them. They won’t. Instead,
Satanists must strive to apply the dictum of 'Do unto others as they do
unto you.' It’s work for most of us and requires constant vigilance lest
you slip into a comfortable illusion of everyone being like you...."
The
Creativity Movement: "What is good for the White Race
is the highest virtue; what is bad for the White Race is the ultimate sin."
Their religion is based mainly upon love of the white race and hatred of
everyone else, who they call members of the "mud races."
They are strongly anti-Christian in belief. This group was formerly called
the "World Church of the Creator"® (W.C.O.T.C.)
until it lost a trademark infringement suit.
Islam, like Satanism and the Creativity
Movement does not adhere to the Golden Rule. The closest that Islam comes
to this principle is a hadith that says:
"None
of you [truly] believes until he wishes for his brother what he wishes for
himself." Number 13 of Imam
"Al-Nawawi's Forty Hadiths."
(Source: ibid)
This
brotherhood however does not extend to everyone. Quran (9:23)
states that the believers should not take for friends and protectors (awlia)
their fathers and brothers if they love Infidelity above Islam. In fact
there are many verses that tell the Muslims to kill the unbelievers and be
harsh with them. A clear example that Islam is not based on the Golden
Rule is the verse (48:29)
It says: "Muhammad
is the messenger of Allah; and those who are with him are strong against
Unbelievers, (but) compassionate amongst each other.”
This
is the perfect definition of fascism. There are many other verses that
show the brotherhood in Islam is not universal. The rest of mankind have
no rights and should not be treated in the same way that Muslims are to be
treated. The entire Quran is the breach of the Golden Rule. Quran tells
Muslims to slay the unbelievers wherever they find them (2:191),
do not befriend them (3:28),
fight them and show them harshness (9:123),
and smite their heads (47:4).
According to Muslims it is not the Golden Rule that
defines the good and bad but it is Muhammad who does it. They believe what
is good for Islam is the highest virtue, what is bad for Islam is the
ultimate sin. Muslims are the guided people and everyone else is kafir and
the fuel of hellfire. Their properties, their liberties, their lives and
even their wives are halal to Muslims. The people of Book can buy their
protection by paying Muslims the hefty Jizyah but should they stop that
payment, they too would be fought against and destroyed.
Like Satanists, and the skinhead fascists, Muhammad
did not believe in the Golden Rule. He instructed his followers to lie to
their victims to win their trust and when they lower their guards, kill
them. He sent one of his disciples to the Meccans and to the Bani Quraiyza
and told him to lie to both groups and to deceive them. Then he added: “war is a game of deception”. Couldn’t a man who was capable of
lying, assassinate his opponents, massacre his captives of war and cause
sedition to advance his malicious designs, lie about being a prophet of
God? Once it is established that he broke the Golden Rule and lied on
several occasions, why should we believe him when he claimed to be a
messenger of God?
Muhammad raided innocent civilians with no warning,
butchered the men and took the women and children as slaves and then he
allowed his men to rape the women. How do Muslims like to be treated that
way? What Muhammad did was against the Golden Rule. But Muslims have no
regards for the Golden Rule. They question the legitimacy of this
universally acclaimed principle. They think it was okay for Muhammad to
kill non-Muslims, rape their wives and enslave their children, but it is
not okay for none Muslims to do the same to Muslims. If this is not a
satanic religion, in what ways it differs. Muslims should tell us
what criteria they use to determine that Muhammad was a messenger of God?
In one of my debates with a leader of the Islamic
sect of Submitters, I quoted a few verses from the Quran switching the
places of “Muslims” and “non-Muslims”. This is what we got:
8:12
"I will cast terror into the
hearts of those who disbelieve. Therefore strike off their heads and
strike off every fingertip of them
"
3:28,
"Let not the believers take for friends or
helpers Unbelievers"
4:84,
"Then fight in Allah’s cause"
8:17, "It
is not ye who slew them; it was Allah"
8:65, "O
Prophet! Rouse the Believers to the fight".
9:5,
"Then fight and slay the
Pagans wherever ye find them,"
9:14, "Fight
them, and Allah will punish them by your hands, cover them with
shame"
9:23, "O
ye who believe! take not for protectors your fathers and your brothers if
they love infidelity above Faith"
9:28, "O
ye who believe! Truly the Pagans are unclean"
9:29,
"Fight those who believe not in
Allah nor the Last Day"
9:123, "O
ye who believe! fight the unbelievers who gird you about, and let them
find firmness in you"
47:4,
"Therefore, when ye meet the
Unbelievers, smite at their necks; At length"
3:85,
"If anyone desires a religion other
than Islam (submission to Allah), never will it be accepted of him; and in
the Hereafter He will be in the ranks of those who have lost (All
spiritual good)".
8:39,
"And fight them on until there is no
more tumult or oppression, and there prevail justice and faith in Allah
altogether and everywhere."
This
is just a token. The Quran
The
gentleman with whom I was debating was outraged. He called me
“theo-fascist” and wrote: 'His [Ali
Sina’s] "subhuman" remark was the last, but a venomous drop
that filled his cup of hatred and bigotry. He is not a person to reason
with, since his mind is filled with toxic hate and his stomach is thirsty
for fresh blood….” All
this vituperation because I quoted the verses of the Quran switching the
places of "Muslims" and "non-Muslims"! Muslims like to
do all these evil things to others but they do not like reciprocation.
Islam is not in conformity with the Golden Rule.
In
all the religions, the Golden Rule applies. This is not to say that I
agree with these religions. They are a mix bag of good and bad. But Islam
is the only religion that is bereft of any good. The Golden Rule is the
inner compass with which all the sane people can distinguish between right
and wrong. Its application is very simple. I don’t like to be killed, so
I must not kill. I do not like to be robbed, so I must not rob. I don’t
like to be lied to, so I must not lie. I do not like my wife or daughter
be raped, so I must not rape someone else’s wife or daughter, etc. The
Golden Rule is an unerring compass. In fact it is so unerring that
religions become superfluous. People without religion can follow this Rule
and find their way unerringly.
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