Religious Tolerance
A Critic:-
As you may or may not know,
William F. Bukley is now hinting at an American crusade against Islam. I think
this is shameful and the wrong way to go. Your contributions to the discussion
there are very much in need. But that is not why I am writing this letter. I
need to find the voices from the Muslim world who are saying that religious
intolerance is not part of Islam. Where are they? I thought I heard those
voices some time ago, but now I can not locate them. Can you help me?
Comment:-
The voice of Islam is in the Quran
which all Muslims accept and follow, or ought to follow if they are Muslim. The
Quran is readily available and anyone can read it. But people have selective
attention and see and hear what they wish. Is there any point constantly
repeating the obvious?
Conflicts in which Muslims are
involved tend to be political or economic ones, not based on religion, and are
usually self-defence against attack. If Christians want to attack Muslims on
religious grounds verbally, socially or militarily then they will defend
themselves, but not because of religious differences.
Study the following extracts
carefully and point them out to others:-
“There is no compulsion in religion;
the right way is henceforth distinct from the wrong. And whoever rejects false
deities and believes in Allah, he has grasped a firm handle which will not
break; but Allah is both Hearer and Knower.” 2:226
"Verily, whether it be of
those who believe, or those who are Jews or Christians or Sabaeans, whoever
believes in Allah and the Last Day and acts aright, they have their reward with
their Lord, and there is no fear for them, nor shall they grieve." 2:62
"Unto every nation have We
given sacred rites which they are to perform; so let them not then dispute
about the matter, but summon you unto your Lord; verily, you (Muhammad) indeed
follow right guidance." 22:67
"And unto you (Muhammad)
have We revealed the Book in truth, verifying what was before it, and
preserving it. Judge then between them by what Allah has revealed, and follow
not their lusts (prejudices, fantasies), turning away from what is given to you
of the truth. For each of you have We appointed a Law and a traced out Path.
Had Allah pleased He would have made you one nation, but that He may try you by
that which He has given you. Therefore, vie with one another in virtue. Unto
Allah will you all return, and He will then inform you concerning that wherein
you dispute." 5:48
"Say: We believe in Allah,
and what has been revealed to us, and what has been revealed to Abraham, and
Ishmael, and Isaac, and Jacob, and the Tribes, and what was brought to Moses
and Jesus, and what was brought unto the Prophets from their Lord; we make no
distinction between any one of them, and unto Him have we surrendered."
2:136
"Say: Do you dispute with
us concerning Allah, and He is our Lord and your Lord? You have your works and
we have ours, and unto Him alone are we sincerely loyal." 2:139
"Every sect has a huwa
(goal) to which Allah turns him; but do you strive onwards together to do good
works; wherever you are Allah will bring you all together; verily, Allah has
power over all things." 2:148
"Revile (or abuse) not
those who call on other than Allah, for then they may abuse Allah openly in
their ignorance. Thus We make seemly to every nation their deeds. But unto
their Lord is their return, and He will inform them of the truth of what they
used to do." 6:109
"Say: O you people of the
Book, come to an agreement between us and you, that we will not serve other
than Allah, nor associate aught with him, nor take others for Lords rather than
Allah. But if they turn away then say: Bear witness that we are they who have
surrendered.
O people of the Book, why do
you dispute about Abraham, when the Torah and the Gospel were not revealed
until after him? What! Do you not understand? Here you are, disputing about
what you have some knowledge of; why then do you dispute about what you have no
knowledge? Allah knows and you know not. Abraham was not a Jew, nor yet a
Christian, but he was an upright man who had surrendered, and not of the
idolaters.
Verily, the people who have
most claim to (or are nearest of kin to) Abraham are those who follow him, and
this prophet, and those who believe: - Allah is the patron of the believers.
" 3:64-68
"And if they dispute with
you, then say: I have surrendered my whole self unto Allah, and so have those
who follows me. And say to those who have been given the Book, and unto the
unlearned: Have ye, too, surrendered" and if they surrender, then are they
truly guided. But if they turn their backs, then your duty is only to convey
the message unto them. Allah is Seer of His servants." 3:20
"Surely pure religion is
for Allah only, and those who chose protecting friends besides Him say: We
worship them only that they might bring us near unto Allah. Lo, Allah will
judge between them concerning that wherein they differ. Allah guides not him
who is a liar, an ingrate." 39:3
"Say: O Allah! Originator
of the heavens and the earth, Knower of the unseen and the seen! Only Thou
judgest between Thy servants as to that wherein they differ." 39:46
"And, verily, this your religion
is one religion, and I am your Lord; so keep your duty unto Me. But they
(mankind) have broken their religion between them into sects, each sect
rejoicing in its own tenets." 23:52-53
"Then set your purpose for
religion as a man upright by nature - the nature made by Allah in which He has
made men; there is no altering (the laws of) Allah's creation; that is the
right religion, but most people do not know - turning to Him only, and be
careful of your duty to Him and keep up prayer and be not of those who ascribe
partners to Him (polytheists), of those who split their religion and became
schismatic, every sect rejoicing in its own tenets." 30:30-32
Critic:-
Apart
from theory there is certainly religious intolerance in many Muslim countries.
Comment:-
There is
certainly intolerance or what appears to be religious intolerance among Muslims
as there is among all other peoples, more particularly among Christians where
it is based on their interpretation of their Scriptures. They believe that
salvation comes only through Jesus. Muslim intolerance is either because of
ignorance of their own scripture, which can be cured by better education, or it
is a reaction against attack by others and not because of religious
differences. Others might falsely construe Islamic doctrines as an attack
against them – e.g. the denial of the Christian Trinity.
In some
Muslim countries the ban on Christian or other religious activity such as
missionary work can have political
justification – (1) to prevent public disorder, conflicts and riots or
(ii) to prevent the use of tactics that are regarded as morally or legally
wrong, such as brain-washing, bribery, taking advantage of ignorance, stupidity
or other disadvantages and vulnerabilities, using lies and emotional blackmail, or (iii) to prevent the arising of
secret societies, traitors, treachery
and subversion.
Question:-
I am
interested in Philosophy and Psychology and have some questions about Islam in
practice.
(1) What
is the Islamic attitude toward atheists or agnostics? I mean real Philosophical
Atheists in the sense of F. Nietsche or J.P. Sartre or Karl Marx, not in the
sense of today’s fashionable "secularists" or "American Atheists". How can
people of this orientation live under Islamic law? What practice can some 'Truly
Islamic' States choose on the basis of the Quran and most common Islamic
schools and practices at all? Can this culture tolerate persons with such
orientation in their societies?
Comment:-
The
practical depends on perception of what is true and right, on fact and value.
To understand the answer to your question a knowledge of the theory on which it
is based is required.
The
Islamic attitude is that human beings function at much less than their
potential (the way they were made by God). The Spirit of God that was placed in
them, which gives them their intelligence, their consciousness, conscience and
will, has become dormant or perverted. Atheism and Agnosticism can be regarded
as results of this.
But the
Quran does not recognise Atheism. Everyone believes in something as being
supreme to which he subordinates himself and worships even if it is an object,
a person, an institution, an ideology, a race, a culture, a system, logic,
reason, science, desires or his own ego.
There is, therefore, only a difference between the Real God and false
gods - the Real Origin of the Objective Universe or Illusions.
Messengers
were sent from the Objective source to guide human beings. But the religions -
the doctrines, techniques and way of life - because they came into the world
where subjective factors dominate, tend to become gradually misinterpreted,
adulterated and corrupted. This needed to be rectified periodically until a
system could be created that remained preserved in its record so that it could
be constantly renewed from that. So, though there may still be people who know,
apply and benefit from the old dispensations of religion, in the main all
systems of life, of thought and value descend from the original true
(objective) systems by erosion, adulteration, elaboration, association,
disintegration and reductionism. The various Philosophical systems, in so far
as they are systematised, including atheism, arise from original religious
sources and can be regarded as Sects.
Unregenerate
people, those who had not awakened
and regenerated spiritually, instead of being conscious of truth or Reality,
tend to indulge in intellectual speculation, rationalisation and fantasy based
on fear and desire or hypnosis (fascination) and suffer from prejudices,
attachments, habits, and social conditioning. Thought, the rational faculty is
driven by motives and it is these that should be the focus of attention and
development.
An
appropriate education, an objective discipline is required to rectify this.
This has been provided by the series of Messengers sent by God, - i.e. people
whose consciousness has not wholly atrophied and who still have contact with
objective truths, the self-existing Fundamental Reality.
This
discipline must be undertaken voluntarily if it is to be effective. It cannot
be forced on people. To do this is merely to condition them and to make them
more like machines instead of self-determined persons, i.e. persons controlled
from the divine spirit within.
So Islam
is tolerant about human limitations, but recommends effort for self-development
that cannot be imposed. It creates a social system in which this effort is
encouraged, stimulated and reinforced. Anything that obstructs or counteracts
this purpose is discouraged.
Islam
allows the existence of communities with different belief and life systems
within the borders of the Muslim community as long as it respects the Islamic
way of life and does not subvert or try to corrupt it or become a source of the
spread of corrupting influences. It even offers protection to such communities
in return for taxes - that is to say they are not then required to fight for
the defence of Islam or the Muslim community but can live according to their
own laws.
In so
far as Atheism is a systematised belief system which also informs their values
and way of life, this could be considered a form of religion that can be
accommodated. On the other hand, Islam requires Muslims to migrate to places
were they can best practice their religion. There is nothing stopping Atheists
from doing the same.
Question:-
(2) On
theoretical grounds; is it possible for some educated or otherwise
intellectually skilled man in Islamic society to simply state that he is not a
believer, and that he has other priorities in life (maybe) than glorify God,
prophets and read the Quran for the 20th time. If Islam is about charity and
peace according to basic postulates, what is then the "constellation"
of these attributes which often recall a parable of Islam like 'Hotel
California' in today's hysteric western notion? In your own words, no
citations, please, if you can.
Comment:-
Islam is
by definition Surrender to Allah and this also means surrender to divine spirit
within him (i.e. the faculty for consciousness, conscience and will). All other
genuine aims and purposes are part of this. Anything that negates or obstructs
this is to be avoided or counteracted.
If a
person has other priorities than Allah then obviously he is not a Muslim, one
who surrenders to Allah consciously - though unconsciously all things are in
surrender to Allah. The attributes of Allah, and therefore, of the spirit
within, are Truth, Compassion, Justice, Beauty, Ability among other things, all
of which are different aspects of the same thing and constitute the values that
Muslims are required to cultivate.
People
can have these to various degrees, but they may not be aware of God. What
people say or believe or know is not necessarily what is true. It is Allah who
judges the realities. There are most certainly people who say they are not believers
living among Muslims. This is acceptable as long as they respect Muslim beliefs
and do not undermine Islam. There are also people who claim to be Muslim but
are not.
Question:-
(3) A
great psychoanalytical thinker once defined racism as "concern about how
others are making fun and pleasure". On the first impression, this may
sound silly, but in practice it does make sense if we observe behaviour of
clearly racist subcultures like skinheads, new wave cults influenced by Eastern
and pagan ideas, or some "moderate" ground Christian or Capitalist
conservatives. Does Islamic society have some solution for that
pleasure-concern problem? As far as we know, it was possible in Ottoman Empire
before "modernization" of young Turks to have Muslims, Christians,
Jews and others to live peacefully in Constantinople
according to the itineraries of late medieval European travellers who had been
if not shocked, than no little surprised that "Turks do not force anyone
to live like a Turk". So, in the more banal popular mental pictures: how
can someone seated in the cafe/taverna drink his favourite brand of brandy
while watching other people across the street going in and out from a nearby
mosque? They are dressed in a different manner than you, talking, walking,
eating and enjoying other things and/or in different situations than you in
your everyday society to which you have been customized from the cradle.
Comment:-
The
answer is in the previous comment.
Islam has
its own value system that defines what is virtue or vice, good or bad. It is
based on an understanding of what man is and what his function is with respect
to Reality. It is a real, conscious, deliberate system as opposed to one that
arises accidentally and through subconscious factors and cannot, therefore, be
regarded as a Real Value System but is thought of as Illusion, a
misinterpretation.
Islam
recognises individuality and diversity. It requires Muslim to cultivate
tolerance, open-mindedness, self-determination and personal faith and
responsibility. Everything is allowed that is not expressly forbidden. In fact
to forbid what is permitted or not forbidden is not allowed. There is to be no
compulsion in religion. What people
do privately or in their own community is no concern of others as long as it
does not interfere with the rights of others. But in a Muslim community, the
Islamic modes of conduct must be respected. Muslims are required be tolerant
and to exert self-control, but human beings are also weak and prone to
temptation, conditioning, distraction, imitation and habituation. These factors
must also be taken into consideration.
Apart
from the fact that (i) people of different faiths have lived quite comfortably
within a mainly Muslim community, (ii) Muslim, also live in other non-Muslim
nations. They are required to obey the laws and respect the conventions and
faiths of these other people. (iii) Thirdly, Muslims are required to make peace
with others through negotiation and treaties. It is not, therefore,
inconceivable that a multi-cultural nation can be created which contains people
of many different faiths and life systems and that they coexist through mutual
understanding and treaties.
But
surely it must be possible in free systems for people to form Clubs or
Societies on the grounds of common interests, values and goals that exclude
others who do not have those goals without intolerance, interference and
persecution. The existence of such communities does not prevent others from
forming their own organisations or from people joining or leaving any if they
desire.
Question:-
(4) Have
you considered a "weird phenomenon" - some independent, leftist or
otherwise atheist thinkers in the West can support the battle for freedom in
Iraq, Afghanistan and Palestine without hypocritical babble about
"terrorism" - The French resistance movement in WW II was a terrorist organization too - they
killed their German liberators, destroying their power and supply chains
without gratitude for all the Fuhrer had done for them. Is it possible for a
Muslim to hold opinions contrary to the official ones?
Comment:-
Islam
does not have Priesthood or organised Church that controls doctrines. Each
person is answerable to God and responsible for his own thoughts, motives and
action. Muslims are persons who have submitted to Allah and are required to
abide by His attributes of Truth, Compassion and Justice even against
themselves. This obviously requires objective perception and self-awareness.
This is cultivated, in those who believe and worship Allah, through the
knowledge that Allah sees a person both outwardly and inwardly.
Yes many
of us know that the term Terrorism is used selectively to refer to others. But
the word "terrorism" can also be used in its proper sense, to create
terror by killing, injuring, torturing, destroying, depriving, bullying,
sabotaging, subverting, creating chaos or threats to do so. In a more
restricted sense it refers to doing this to innocent people in the
self-interest of the perpetrators or their sponsors.
We also
know that the US government is a terrorist organisation in both senses and on a
global scale and by far the best organised and equipped and that it is
responsible for setting up, supporting politically, financially and technically
and inciting other terrorist organisations world wide and of provoking counter
terrorist activity against them which they want to fight against in order to
make their own terrorism immune from retaliation. But we also know that there
Muslim individuals and organisations that do the same. Islam also requires
Muslim to encourage the establishment of what is good and to discourage and
fight against what is evil including oppression.
Question:-
(5) So,
I think that simple persuasion that
*all* sentences of - for example - some
racist propaganda cannot be a 100% lie in *absolute* terms and *every*
case. Real-life occurrences can remind a person about propaganda messages, but
can also affect that person in a deeper psychological manner, implicitly giving
him or her material for paranoid speculation by providing an unconscious
message that "they were right". This is for me the true problem of
ideology - the way people are connecting signifiers – things, events and
words in their brains. So the true "cure" for every phobia, including
today's Western Islamophobia, is not naive and
even potentially dangerous actions such as the trauma causing explosions that
have the very opposite effects. But it is a question of tackling the causes,
probably some early trauma, which can force people to reorganize their
perception of "reality". What do you as 'people of Islam' think about
that?
Comment:-
The
answer lies in the above comments.
It is
true that an ideology consists of creating systems by connecting data together
in a rigid manner and that in reality, in nature things are fluid and adaptable
- the data are not always connected in a rigid manner. Islam is not an ideology
in that sense and the Quran is not systematised but like nature the ideas are
connected in multiple ways. The purpose of the Islamic discipline is to purify
the spirit, consciousness, conscience and will, from obstructions, to remove
the dust and "rust from the mirror", to become aware of reality
rather than construct and submit to ideologies. To do that is a form of
idolatry.
Human
beings have partial knowledge because of insufficient capacity for perception,
intelligence and reason, limited experiences and because they select data,
interpret it and organise it according to desire, fear and presuppositions, and
according to habits, fantasies, social conditioning and the rationalisation of
self-interest, greed, lust, vanity, pride, envy etc.
These
factors are usually sub-conscious or unconscious (in the darkness). This may be
reinforced and fixated because of repetition, hypnosis, self-suggestion or
trauma so that the memory of events are associated with other memories that are
bound by strong emotion of fear, disgust, or desire (repulsion or attraction).
The "complexes” so formed remain unintegrated with the rest of
experience in the psyche, and create inner contradictions, psychological
disintegration and suffering. They also suppress and narrow down consciousness.
This in itself tends to create guilt feelings and the consequent drive to get
rid of the discomfort so formed by rationalisation and compensation. This
creates another covering layer (clothing or mask) of fantasy, artificiality and
mal-adaptation.
Were
they to be in consciousness (come into the light) the self-contradiction would
become apparent and they would disappear (Satan works in the darkness). So we
have the Quranic exhortation to "Awake", and to seek knowledge in the
environment, in the society and within themselves. But it is difficult to
sustain consciousness and it is mistakenly supposed that bringing it into
consciousness would cause suffering. This illusion is produced by the same
sub-conscious fear and desires. In fact, people cling to their inner suffering
because it makes them feel important and significant. This tends to be the case
where material consumerism, formal thinking, organisation and mechanisation
(Idols) dominate over humanity.
These
mechanisms are taken advantage of by those in power and by propagandists, both
suffering from the same maladies, to reinforce the condition in the rest of the
population. They work on the fear and desires such as greed, lust and pride.
There is
no cure for this except undertaking the discipline that leads to submission to
truth.
----------<O>----------
Contents