Straight talk to an apologist of Islam

A rebuttal to Dr. S.I. Zaman

Dr. S.I. Zaman is angry, very, very angry with the ‘Islam bashers.’ In his fury of rage, he even called them ‘arm-chair apologists’, ‘pseudo-atheists’, ‘confounded intellectuals’ and what not, and expressed his vehement disdain for them. According to him ‘these’ people do not know much about ‘real Islam.’ Bah! Bah! to Dr. Zaman.

If this is the case, then why does he not educate us on ‘real’ Islam? Why is he holding back his great treasure trove of Islamic goodies that only he himself knows and understands?

Dr. Zaman claims that Saudi Arabia, the birth place of Islam, the birthplace of the ‘best’ creation of Allah and where Allah’s house, Kaba is located do not practice the correct Islam. What a laughing joke! I would like Dr. Zaman to send his message to the King of Saudi Arabia and see what King Fahd do to such an erudite Islamic scholar like Dr. Zaman who is being employed in a university not too far from the Kingdom of Al Saud. Joke aside, Dr. Zaman, would you please tell us in which Islamic paradise one can have the taste of ‘real’, ‘unadulterated’, pure and ‘serene’ Islam? Is it in Pakistan, Afghanistan Sudan, Nigeria or in our Shonar Bangladesh?

Dr. Zaman is playing that broken record again—that 1.2 billion Muslims in the world. We are fed up of hearing this broken record again, again and again.

It astounds me to learn the apparent dichotomy in Dr Zaman’s claim. On one hand he claims that there is no place, including Saudi Arabia, where one could find the ‘authentic’ Islam, on the other hand, he claims the presence of 1.2 billion Muslims in the world to prove that Islam is the best religion in the world. What a weird logic it is? If he claims that most Islamic countries are not truly Islamic, then, how is it possible to claim that people living there are real Muslims? If we deduct the populations of such ‘pseudo’ Islamic countries like Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Iran, Sudan, Nigeria, Bangladesh-----etc., it does not take even a primary school kid to figure out how many ’real’ Muslims are there in the world. You got it now, Dr. Zaman? Your claim of 1.2 billion true Muslims simply does not hold true.

Furthermore, what about the rest of 4.8 billion people on earth? Theses non-Muslims simply beat the number of Muslims hands down. So, whose religions are truer, Dr. Zaman, if we go by your logic of playing with number?

Dr. Zaman, would you kindly tell us what is the dress code for women in Islam? Would you let us know how the women are treated in Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Nigeria Sudan, etc? Would you tell us what would happen to a lady who dares to walk an Islamic paradise with skimpy dress that she wears without any problem in ‘haram’, ‘infidel’ lands? Would you kindly enlighten us why the Taliban Islamic guards, with long, sharp, oiled and twisted canes beat the women in Afghanistan, for accidentally exposing their ankles? Where did these Taliban ‘fanatics’ learn their code for ‘women’s decorum from? What if these women would have told the Taliban Islamic guards of your dictum that ‘it (the Hijab) has to come from within, the desire to change yourself.’ What do you think the Taliban guards would have answered these women? You will be fumbling for an answer. But we know the answer, for sure. The answer is that the Islamic guards would have beaten these women even more for resorting to your glib hypothesis.

Dr. Zaman contends that the local customs and culture has corrupted the ‘genuine’ Islam. Ha Ha! Could you please give us a few examples where the local customs had made the ‘real’ Islam take a back seat? Would you kindly tell us which culture/s of the world resorts to:

Stoning to death for adultery.

Cutting off hand for theft.

Beheading for apostasy.

Jizyah tax for the infidels.

Separate colour dress for infidels whenever they venture out.

It is ok to marry a nine years old child girl.

Not to pray in funeral for an infidel.

Belief that Paradise lies under the shades of Islamic sword.

You can have unlimited sex with captives and slave girls.

Slay the idolaters wherever you may find them.

One must not be friendly with Jews and Christians.

Kill all Jews whenever you can lay your hands on them.

The only acceptable religion to Allah is Islam.

Islamic wife beating is okay.

Women must be covered with hijab/burqa whenever they venture out.

If a non-Muslim man loves/have sex with a Muslim woman, he should be immediately executed without exception.

The blood money for a non-Muslim is much lower than the blood money for a Muslim.

Women must stay-put at home; she cannot go out without her husband’s permission.

Allah gets angry if a woman refuses to have sex with her husband.

I can go on illustrating many other mindless/senseless provisions in Islam that are in no way part of any culture of any society apart from the Islamic countries. So, you see Dr. Zaman, you have it completely wrong. If any Muslim society has become the most despicable society on earth, it is not because of their culture; for, no culture on earth practices those cruel, appalling and dreadful provisions except Islam. Therefore, refrain from blaming the indigenous culture of Muslim societies for the ill of that society. Islam principally brought this grave illness to these societies. Now these societies have fallen into permanent trap of poverty, illiteracy, communal violence, social unrest and lawlessness. Many of these societies were much more civilised before Islam encroached and interfered with their living.

Dr Zaman calls us the Dalal (agent) of USA. What a laughing joke is this! I, for one do not live in the USA and in no way want to migrate to the USA and to be on the “good” book of Uncle Sam. I do not have a need for this; take it from me. Similarly, there are many of us who care very little about what is going on in the USA. In reality, it is you, Dr. Zaman who is more interested in the United States and its policy than many of us. So, stop making such silly/childish comments. By the way, to whose “good” book you want to be in, Dr. Zaman? Isn’t it the book of Allah? So, using your own logic, if you have the right to be in the “good” book of Allah, then why should not any person have the right to choose to be on the “good” book of the great Satan, if he choses such at all?

That is all for now.

This is what Dr. S.I Zaman wrote

Subject :

Re: Freedom of speech??

Date : Wed, 28 May 2003 09:37:31 -0700 (PDT)

"Dr. S.I.Zaman" <[email protected]> wrote:

To Vinnomot.com/ Dr.Jaffor Ullah

Pseudo-atheists and confounded intellectuals.

It's a disgrace, but then bangalees are notorious for defiling and degrading their own people. You only have to look at history. "Islam bashing" has always been a sport for arm-chair apologists, pseudo-atheists and confounded intellectuals. None of the people that I have come across who are spewing up their loath for Islam has no inkling of what Islam really stands for.

If Saudi system represents the true Islam then the present USA administration portrays the democracy (in its profound sublimity) and the erstwhile USSR system the true Marxism in practice (as propounded by Karl Marx in "Das Kapital" and "Communist Manifesto" circa 1848) Let's face it and let's not kid ourselves, what these people are trying to do is to get themselves in the "good" book of USA. They are so consumed by the hatred for anything that has Islamic connotations that the logic and citations they come up with are bizarre.

If the idealism that is embodied in Islam is so odious and repugnant then how is it that there are about 1.2 bn moslems in the world today? Women in Islam (especially the ones who wear Burkhas) are ready to justify and to succumb to the tradition of Islam, because the vast millions of Islamic women are coerced into this type of dress-code and because they are basically weaklings, what a pathetic generalization ?? There are also many thousands of moslems and non-moslems who do not wear Burkhas or any form of Hijab, who are submissive, less articulate and weaklings ! So do I draw the conclusion that had they been converted to the custom of wearing Hijab they would have become more perceptive and smart, NO ! It has to come from within, the desire to change yourself. I have met hundreds of Moslem women (who wear Hijabs) who are intellectually much more astute, perceptive, articulate and smart than many of the non-hijab wearers.

The Islam that is visible in different parts of the Islamic world are consequences of fusion of local traditions and some Islamic values. Needless to say the local customs and traditions have the upperhand and the true Islamic values are pushed aside, and consequently, Islam has been limited to some rituals only without the proper belief.

Despising and shunning some of the stereo-typical moslems ( i.e. mollahs with dress-codes and attitudes), I have no problem with that, but are these sufficient justifications to despise Islam as an ideology.

To get a proper perspective, read Imam Gazzali (circa 1200s ?), Read Abdullah Yousuf Ali's Translation of the Quran (circa 1920s)

These Islam-bashers should grow up and think intellectually.