Debate
with a self proclaimed "Secularist" Modernist Muslim
Farida Majid
This is a response to a Bengali lady who defends
Islam while claiming to be working for the secularization of her
country. I sent a copy of that to my freethinking Bengali friends and
one of them decided to publish it in the NFB. http://www.bangladesh-web.com/news/may/23/gv4n575.htm#A1
20 May 2001
Dear Farida Majid,
I published the
images of the Prophet in my website, which according to the Sunnis
is an outrageous blasphemy. But I said that those Iranians who painted
them did so out of love and devotion. In reaction to that you were kind
enough to write: “It is true that the painters of these Persian
pictures were not blasphemous. In fact the beauty of these pictures
emanates from the innocent piety that the painters had in their heart.
By the way it is the first time Ali Sina said something that exposed
that he has, hidden somewhere beneath his hardened heart, another heart
softer and more humane.”
Let me thank you for seeing my softer heart and I
assure you that I have only one heart. I am sorry that what I write
about Islam is not to your liking. However, if you pay closer attention
you’ll also see that all I write is out of love. There is not a grain
of malice in me and I have no ulterior motives. Of course you can accuse
me of being completely misguided. This I admit is possible, for people
could be very wrong and still very sincere. In fact most people fall
within this category. The majority of people; SINCERELY believe in their
twisted and misguided ways, do harm and perpetrate crimes all in the
name of the truth, in good faith and clear conscience. How can I be sure
that I am not one of them? Of course since I am aware of this
possibility, I do not do crimes, i.e. I do not kill people, persecute
them or harm them in any shape or form to impose my version of the
truth. I am also open and waiting for someone to come and guide me to a
better way. And I say that also with sincerity.
However, since such person has not yet shown up and
those who have tried have either given up too soon or ended up insulting
me and even some challenged me to curse each other to determine who
tells the truth (This was the habit of the Prophet Q.3:61. I don’t
like cursing people) I have not seen a better way yet. Nevertheless, if
anyone can prove that what I say is absurd, I will not hesitate to
change my position at once and become his/her disciple for the rest of
my life or until someone else shows me yet an even better way.
Your recounting of your visit to Iran made me feel
very nostalgic and believe me my eyes swelled with tears. These days I
feel more sentimental about my beloved motherland because she is sick,
she has been taken hostage by a 12 headed evil dragon and a bunch of
ruthless hooligans who are killing torturing and ripping her children
like never before. Her days of glory are gone and disgrace has befallen
upon her. A disgrace that has lasted for 1400 years.
Your diagnosis of what was wrong in Iran prior to
the revolution and what went wrong after the revolution is right. But I
beg to disagree when you accuse the Bengali freethinkers and say: “In
the midst of the current political chaos in Bangladesh, Islam-bashing is
a dangerous game”. In my view any recognition of Islam as a legitimate
religion is automatically endorsing its inherent violence. The inherent
violence of Islam is not a matter of opinion. It’s clear that the
whole Quran is a message of hate, of killing the unbelievers, of
intolerance, of mind control, of misogyny, of women abuse and of war.
There is no way that any person with an unbiased mind could read those
hate laden provocative verses of Quran and call that book a book of
peace. If you are in any doubt please take a look at this
link and this is just a sample.
So, when a peace loving intellectual like you
professes Islam and recommends that religion, those who listen to you
and value your judgment, read the book of Quran and get their
instructions from there and not from you. Therefore if they follow those
instructions and act accordingly with violence and brutality they are
not to be blamed, you are the culprit. You told them that Quran is the
words of God and Quran tells them to hate and kill. You don’t have to
be a brain surgeon to see the relationship. In my article Who
Feeds Fundamentalism, I spoke about this and also quoted a
report from Time Magazine of Singapore that proves my point. In that
report an educated woman from a nice Muslim family turns a terrorist,
throwing colored dye in the faces of women not wearing hijab,
encouraging her husband to take other wives and raising her sons with
the love of gun hoping to convert them into Islamic terrorists. Why?
Because she read a book about some Western women who had accepted Islam!
That is all the incentive that she needed to become a terrorist.
Dear friend, please understand that Islam is not
like Christianity, Zoroastrianism or any other religion. Islam is a
religion that teaches hate. Hate is the message of Islam. Hate is the
essence of Islam. Every other thing in Islam, all its rituals and dogmas
gear you for this ultimate objective, which is hate.
Until you deny this fact and until you try to
envision a peaceful Islam that exists nowhere except in your own
imagination, you will not be able to see that Islam is an obstacle to
peace, democracy, civility and progress in our countries.
You were completely right is describing the errors
of the Iranian intellectuals for trusting the clergy and letting the
revolution to be hijacked by the fundamentalists. Well these
intellectuals made exactly the same mistake that you are doing now. They
threw their lots with the Muslims thinking that eventually they will
take over the government and will stir the country towards democracy and
freedom. But if they were wise they would have known that this is
impossible. Anyone who knows Islam knows that Islam and democracy are
incompatible. Trying to make Islam democratic is like trying to make a
square round. You'll have better chance converting hyenas to
vegetarianism than making Islam tolerant.
How in the world, you among all people, who have
lived in the West for so many years, and have academic qualifications,
and are among the intellectuals can not see that it is you who is
playing a very dangerous game by endorsing Islam; a religion that
advocates hate and killings? I could have excused you for that if you
were a less educated Muslim, but your lack of sensitivity in this matter
despite your diplomas and degrees is beyond me!
I would like to request that you honor me and read
my article Who
Feeds Fundamentalism. Then please write to me and tell me whether I
am not justified to hold YOU responsible for the rise of Islamic
fundamentalism, for the atrocities of the Taliban, for the brutalities
of the Iranian Mullahs, for the World Trade Center bombing and for the
blowing up the buses of the foreign tourists in Egypt. Indeed I do not
hold those brainwashed fundamentalists who commit these crimes
responsible! They are ignorant. They are brainwashed. They are
themselves victims. The responsibility of their atrocities, stupidities
and crimes falls directly on YOUR shoulders. You are the one who tells
them that Islam is a good thing. You are the one who is upholding that
hatemongering book and calling it a divine revelation. And you have the
PhD. You are educated and a respected intellectual. The ignorant and
uneducated masses of the Muslims look up unto you. They trust you and
they trust your judgment. They assume: You have been to the West, you
have studied, you have earned your degree, so you must know what you are
saying. If you tell them that Quran is a book from God then it is. If
you assure them that it is scientific, they believe it. If you tell them
that it is a miracle, it must be. Those ignorant uneducated masses look
unto you to tell them what is right and what is not. They take their
confirmation from you, but then go and get their instructions from Quran;
that very backward primitive book that teaches them to hate, to kill, to
tyrannize and to violate the human rights because God wants them to be
harsh with the unbelievers, be oppressive with the women and be hateful
towards all non-Muslims.
Dear friend, you cannot wash your hands of your
responsibilities. Please do not assume that I am exaggerating when I
call you responsible. No indeed, I am not. I really hold you responsible
for the deaths perpetrated in the hands of Islamic fundamentalists and I
demand that you stop supporting terrorism. By vying for Islam you are
vying for terrorism even if you give lip service to peace. I plead with
you to withdraw your support from Islam, this doctrine of hate. Let it
die. Let us kill it together, for it is either it or humanity.
Islam is like Nazism; both these doctrines preach
hate. One stands for the superiority of a race and the other of a
religion. But in essence they both believe in the same precepts. They
both advanced by war. They both are divisive and sectarian. They were
both born out of the minds of charismatic but narcissistic megalomaniac
mad men. How would you qualify the intellectual nazi who upholds that
doctrine of hate and calls it teachings of love? How would you define
someone who defends Nazism, expends of her time and money to advance it
and writes about it to promote it? Whether this person is genuine in her
belief that Nazism is a doctrine of peace or not is irrelevant. The fact
of the matter is that her support of Nazism makes her culprit of all the
crimes perpetuated by the Nazis. She becomes responsible, even if she
has never killed anyone personally and has never wished the death of
anyone. She is supporting a doctrine and a philosophy that promotes hate
and murder and that is what matters.
Now you my friend are not much different. You are
supporting Islam and that makes you culprit of all the crimes that
Muslims commit inspired by their holy book. You tell them that Islam is
a good religion and Quran is a good book and the Quran teaches them to
kill the unbelievers, to view the non-Muslims as Najis (impure) to beat
their wives if they are disobedient, to hold women in contempt and call
them deficient in intelligence, to wage war against the non Muslims, to
not befriend with the Christians and the Jews and to live in constant
hate, isolation and distrust. How can you look yourself in the mirror?
Doesn’t your conscience bother you?
Don't you feel guilty of misleading people and encouraging them to
remain in their ignorance?
Am I wrong? Is not Islam all the above? Then prove
it to me. I will accept if you can really show me that Islam teaches
love, unity, brotherhood of all humankind, equality of rights between
men and women and is a religion of peace. But if all the evidences point
to the contrary please don’t try to fool yourself! Do not try to lie
about it.
Hereby I give you my solemn pledge to denounce
“Islam-bashing” (as you call it) and become a Muslim fighting for
all Islamic ideals, if you prove that Islam is a religion of peace, of
love and of unity of all mankind. Can you make the same honest pledge
with courage that if I show you Islam is not what you think it is you
will leave it? Would you leave this cult if I prove it to you that Islam
is the cause of backwardness, religious strives and bigotry in our
countries? Would you still call yourself a Muslim if I bring the
evidence that Islam is a doctrine of hate, intolerance and wars? This is
a challenge. Would you accept this challenge? Are you willing to
re-scrutinize the claims of the Prophet with fairness and with open
mind?
Dear friend, we live only once. Let us not waste
this precious life in the pursuit of a wild goose. By the mercy of God,
Heaven or Universe (whatever you want to call it) you and I have been
given the privilege to influence many lives. This privilege entails
responsibilities. People like you and I build this world and shape the
human destiny. Can we afford to neglect our responsibility? Shouldn’t
we stop and meditate, even if it is once in our lives? Shouldn’t we
question what has been given to us in our childhood as facts, which we
accepted trustingly then? I think it is. I think we should. I think we
have to stop and see where we are going before going there. We might be
heading towards a deadly precipice and we may be bringing upon ourselves
calamities of incalculable magnitude. Let us pause. Let us think. Before
we go head on.
With warmest regards
Your “softhearted” friend
Ali Sina
26
May 2001
Dear
brother Ali Sina,
I am glad you've written to me directly. It is also pleasing to me that
we are talking of love in our hearts. Without love there cannot be any
genuine commitment to the common humanity, to the world we live in, or
to justice in the society.
Today, my heart is heavy with anxiety for my aging father who has become
so frail that I may have to drop everything and fly to Bangladesh. I
should tell you that my father, an engineer, considered himself 'a man
of science' all his life and brought up his two daughters without any
religious education. I am not a practicing Muslim, though I'm not quite
the aetheist that my father is.
Therefore, I'm sorry, I cannot take up the challenge you threw at
me. Also, I'm not exactly in the business of defending or eulogizing
Islam. There are others who do it regularly. As a scholar I believe my
duty is to do the analytical thinking, i.e. asking the right questions
and then finding the answers to the best of my abilities.
Because of my culturally eclectic upbringing and my own worldwide
travels, I have learned to respect all people of all background,
including their religion. A religion is, by definition, a cultural
artifice. Much intellect, emotion and imagination are invested in
fashioning this cultural artifice. That is why I like studying religion
along with politics, history and literature. I have no right to insult a
religion if I claim to be a member in the family of mankind. To single
out one religion for the purpose of insulting it is the most illogical
act and follows neither the matter of principles nor the laws of
civility. When crimes are committed in the name of a religion, I would
rather analyze the conditions, the political, historical and social
backgrounds of that crime and its perpetrators, than blankly blame the
religion.
Such analysis requires knowledge -- a lot of knowledge. In today's
complex world every event is globally connected. Hence limited or biased
knowledge is not sufficient for in-depth analysis that can be of any use
to the community. Insulting a religion blatantly exposes the basic
ignorance of those who indulge in the incivility.
I understand the pain you feel, Ali Sina, about your motherland,
which is why I wanted to share with you my fond memories of my visit to
Iran. My hope is that these dark days will pass --soon-- and there will
be another dawn.
About that Kermanshahi song, the Afghani people know that
folksong very well, perhaps because Kermanshah is closer to the border
of Afghanistan.
Please wish my country well, because like the Iranians, and like
ordinary people everywhere, the Bengali Muslims are secular
people, especially since we
have been a multireligious country for more than nine hundred years. The
dirty politics of the Islamists are ruining the traditional culture of
our country. And I too am pained as I watch our corrupt, ineffective
politicians unable to check the tide of this dirty Islamist politics.
With all my best,
Farida Majid.
27
May 2001
Dear Sister Farida.
I am so pleased to see that you are not upset with
me for being harsh on Islam and still call me brother. It is an honor
for me.
I am sorry to hear about the delicate health of
your beloved father and I hope, that he recover very soon and you will
have your peace of mind back. I am also impressed to learn that your
father is a freethinker. My family was a very religious one and I was
raised as a very religious person. In fact I was the most religious
person in all my extended family (cousins and second cousins). I was
known as Akhoond Ali (Mulla Ali ) when I was a freshman in high school.
However, as my mother recently confessed my grandfather was a
freethinker. He was a philosopher and a mystic. Though I never saw him,
it pleases me to know that I am taking the path trodden by him, It is
like carrying his torch.
You said that you are not a practicing Muslim
though you are not as atheist as your father.
Well, let me tell you that I am also not an atheist
in the strict sense of the world. Of course I am not a theist either.
That is to say that my views of this universe are not materialistic. I
believe in a spiritual reality permeating everything and I call that
reality the Single
Principle. However, I am not religious.
As for the challenge, actually I did not want it to
sound confrontational. In a debate, the one who learns most is the
winner. It is in with this spirit that I start my debates.
You wrote, “As a scholar I believe my duty is to
do the analytical thinking, i.e. asking the right questions and then
finding the answers to the best of my abilities”.
I salute you for that. As a student of knowledge
this is also my objective. If you do not want to be an apologist of
Islam, I understand. But because of your noble thoughts expressed above,
I think it become imperative for both of us to ask the right questions
and help each other find the best answers.
In my opinion, asking whether Islam is the source
of the backwardness and human right abuses in our countries or not is a
very important question. This is the question we never had the chance to
ask. But now that we can ask such questions and not fear the execution,
I think it is high time we asked ourselves for the first time: Is Islam
true? Is Islam helping our people to progress intellectually, morally,
spiritually, scientifically, politically, culturally and economically?
Is Islam really the culprit for the social unrest, wars and upheavals in
our countries? Was Islam responsible for the splitting of the mighty
India in three feuding nations and the death of millions of innocent
people? Is Islam responsible for the mayhem in Afghanistan, the chaos in
Iran, the commotion in Kashmir, the turmoil in Philippines, the
pandemonium in Palestine, the anarchy in Algeria, the human right abuses
in Egypt, the honor killings in Pakistan and Jordan, and the brutalities
in Saudi Arabia?
Well, the answer to all those questions could be
no. Islam may come out completely unblemished after questioning. But we
shall never know if we don’t ask. If you are certain that Islam is
innocent, then there should be no harm enlightening those who have these
doubts. Why not confront the critics and respond to their concerns? Why
attack them? Why assassinate their character? Why imprison, and kill
them?
You wrote that you have no right to insult religion
and added “To single out one religion for the purpose of insulting it
is the most illogical act and follows neither the matter of principles
nor the laws of civility.” I agree with you completely. No one should
insult the religion of others, demean its follower, or god forbid,
coerce them to abandon their faith. This practice is uncivilized,
absolutely unacceptable and must be reprimanded. That is precisely why
the freethinkers are trying to stop Islam. Islam insults the religion of
others. The holy Prophet himself taunted the religions of the Quraish so
much that they went to Abi Talib, Muhammad’s aging uncle and
complained:
“This
Nephew of thine hath spoken opprobriously of our gods and our religion:
and hath abused us as fools, and given out that our forefathers were all
astray. Now, avenge us thyself of our adversary; or, (seeing that thou
art in the same case with ourselves,) leave him to its that we may take
our satisfaction.” Muir p. 162
The Prophet did not stop there. He invaded the
Mecca and in an act of sacrilege destroyed their gods. The Taliban just
were following the example of the Prophet when they destroyed the
sculptures of Buddha in Bamyan. I have a collection of several verses of
Quran.
Please go through some of those verses and you’ll see how Muhammad
violated the very noble principles you are upholding and why the Muslims
following those teachings have become the number one violators of human
rights. We, the freethinkers do not Insult Islam. I have read many
excellent dissertations by great Bengali freethinkers about Islam. I
have adorned my site with some of those articles. I found all of them
scholarly prepared and logically expressed. I have never come across one
article where the writer insulted Islam or its founder. On the other
hand Muhammad insulted everyone. He cursed them and he fought them. He
killed them, he banished them, he enslaved them and he told that they
would go to Hell. The prophet did more than insulting. He abused every
human rights of people who did not believe in his religion. Muslims are
doing the same. The Taliban’s decree that the Hindus wear the badge of
shame is nothing new in Islam. The Zimies have always been required to
distinguish themselves so in a rainy day they do not defile (najis) a
Muslim by letting a drop of rain, fall from them on the latter.
Dear Sister, we have to stop this abuse and this
insult. Islam teaches discrimination; Islam teaches hate; Islam insults
and abuses the people of other faiths. As a humanist you want to stop
that. This is what you want too. I am sure when you said you do not
approve insulting religion of others, it means you must take side with
us and fight against any doctrine that make such insults.
You wrote; “When crimes are committed in the name
of a religion, I would rather analyze the conditions, the political,
historical and social backgrounds of that crime and its perpetrators,
than blankly blame the religion.”
As an educated person you know that this is not a
scientific method. Why you a priori presume that everything else could
be responsible and rule out religion? May be precisely that is the
source of the problem. May be it is the religion and not the political,
historical or social backgrounds that is to be blamed. I am not saying
that religion is the culprit, but to rule out the religion is not
logical. Why? Why would any rational person limit his or her options? I
think that the reason dictates that you include the religion among the
suspects and start your investigation all over again, with an unbiased
mind, free from preconceived ideas and open to accept the results
whatever they may be. Could it be that religion is responsible for the
historical background of a nation? Is it possible that religion
influences the social and political milieu of the countries? How can we
exclude religion from such important analysis?
You wrote; “Such analysis requires knowledge -- a
lot of knowledge. In today's complex world every event is globally
connected. Hence limited or biased knowledge is not sufficient for
in-depth analysis that can be of any use to the community.”
Of course it requires knowledge. I always say that
knowledge is the best antidote to ignorance. Despite the fact that I
agree with you that we need knowledge and the more you have the better
it is, to make such analysis about religion, i.e. to verify the truth or
falsehood of any religion, and its usefulness for the society, you do
not need to have a lot of knowledge. Religions have become too
complex. So many people have written so many things about them and so
many philosophies, schools of thoughts and institutions have been
created around them that the task seems to be too daunting. But in
reality it is not. What we have to do is just read the books that these
religions claim to be the revealed words of God and the source of their
guidance. Anyone who reads the books of the Bible or the Quran with an
open mind and without prejudice can see that these books are full of
errors and outright crazy. You don’t need too much knowledge to know
that when Muhammad says: stars are missiles that Allah shoots at the
Jinns, who stand on each other’s shoulders to climb the heaven and
eavesdrop the conversation of the Exalted Assembly, he is talking
baloney. Quran is so full of mistakes and nonsense that really a
schoolboy can see its absurdity. The reason so many Muslims don’t see
it is because they don’t read that book and those who read it and stay
Muslims do not want to see it.
At the end you asked me to wish well for Bangladesh
and complained about “the dirty politics of the Islamists ruining the
traditional culture of your country”.
I do wish well for your country with the bottom of
my hearth, and that is why I plead with you to join me and the other
freethinkers of your country, ask and find answers about those important
questions that affect the well being of your country. Ask about the
effect of Islam on Bangladesh and its people, their culture, their
civility, their productivity, their priorities, etc. Does Islam make
people more moral? Is Islam ethical? Does Islam foster the unity of
family? Does Islam stand for gender equality? Does Islam advance
national unity by giving to all its citizens the same rights and
privileges irrespective of their faith? Does Islam promote science? Does
it cultivate culture and advancement of human mind, by encouraging
philosophy and arts? Does Islam advocate democracy, freedom of
expression and freedom of thoughts? Has Islam been a positive influence
in your country? Did really Islam benefit Bangladesh? I don’t say that
it has or it hasn’t. I just say these are important questions. Why not
ask them? Just ask these questions, ponder upon them, open dialogues
with others, and listen to those who agree and those who disagree. Then
you are ready to make up your mind with knowledge and clear conscience.
Not many people are emotionally ready or
intellectually disposed to ask pressing questions such as these. Finding
the answers to these questions may be heartbreaking. Truth will set you
free but it aint easy to swallow. If you don’t see yourself fit for
facing the truth: that is fine. Stay out of it. Don’t ask questions
that may shatter your biased beliefs and your cherished faith. Keep your
head under the sand and pretend nothing is wrong. Freethinking is not
for everyone. It requires strength of character. It requires devotion to
the Truth and an uncluttered mind to accept the truth whatever it may
be. If you don’t see yourself ready for that, do not let people force
you into it. But please do not stand in the way of those who are ready
to face the truth. Do not be an obstacle in the way of brave men and
women of your great land who have risen valiantly to slaughter the beast
of Islam that is sucking the blood of your nation. Do not taunt them, do
not belittle them, do not blemish their character if you cannot respond
to their logical arguments.
Please define your position clearly. You either
believe in Islam or you don’t. You are either pregnant or you are not.
You cannot sit on the fence saying I am a not practicing Muslim. What do
you mean by not practicing Muslim? Don’t you believe that Islam is the
religion of God? If you do, why you don’t practice it? Why you don’t
wear veil? Why you don’t allow your husband to marry more wives? Why
you don’t obey him and instead prefer the infidel’s way of equality?
Why would you take him to the court if he raises his hand on you,
despite the fact that Allah give him this right? Why you demand equal
pay when you know that you are deficient in intelligence? (This is what
Muhammad said). If Islam is good why you don’t follow it? But if it
isn’t why you prescribe it for others? Why you think the poor women in
the villages of Bangladesh should be oppressed by the inhumane laws of
this religion that you do not follow?
To say to the wronged and uneducated women of your country that
Islam is good for you while you yourself do not like it for yourself is
hypocrisy. This is very unethical. I do not expect that from you sister.
Dear sister, once more let me plead with you humbly
and beg you to join us in this holy crusade. This task is so sacred, the
rewards are so immense, the field is so vast, and the workers are so few
that we cannot afford not having you on our side. Please join the forces
of light. Please join the freethinkers of your country. Please fight the
darkness of bigotry and religious hate. Please help the masses of people
in Bangladesh realize that our forefathers made a mistake, or better
said: were forced to make this mistake. Pease be a heroine.
Please be a pioneer. Please be part of the solution. Please let
the future generations remember you with pride. But if you cannot, if
you don’t see that stamina and that strength of character in yourself,
please do not stand in the way of the freedom fighters of your country.
If you don’t want to be part of the solution, don’t be part of the
problem. Please!
Leaving your religion that you have grown up with
is not easy. Religion is addictive. I should know. I have been there.
You go through stages of denial, bewilderment, shame, shock, guilt,
frustration, and anger sometimes all of that at the same time. But the
last stage is enlightenment and freedom. The result is great, but the
process is painful. Believe me, once you are out of it, you know that it
was worth it.
With my best wishes,
Your brother
Ali
|
