Why We Critique Only Islam!
By
Syed Kamran Mirza
Syed_mirza@hotmail.com
Updated Sept. 2004
Frequently we are facing one common accusation from the Islamists, semi-Islamists and even from the moderate (who are ignorant about Quran and hadiths) Muslims-which is “why only critiquing Islam” and why not critiquing also other religions? This is of course a very prudent question. And this question needs to be answered by the group of critics. Critics may think that enough have been discussed about the fallacies of Islam everywhere in the whole world. By now every simple mind should understand very well as to why we only critique Islam! But I am not surprised by the question, because we must know that-childhood brainwashing of those moderate Muslims and utter hypocrisies of those erudite Islamists they mostly fail to realize the truth simply due to their sheer blind-faith in Islam.
In this essay, I would like to make a hypothetical comparison between the Islam and all other major religions of the world. I shall try to establish the very unique and special character of the religion Islam by an honest and impartial judgment. I shall attempt to answer this very prudent question by my own style. That is, I will generate the right answers from the mouth of those questioners themselves. Instead of answering this question, let me ask those Islamists, moderate Muslims and others the following questions:
1. America has a super plural society having many religions (Christian, Hindu, Muslim, Jews, Buddha's etc). Every day, every hour or every minute-we are sick and tired of hearing in the radio, TV, or newspapers some very common (colorful) adjectives, such as: Muslim militants, Muslim terrorists, Islamic terrorists, Islamic radicals, and Islamic militants, Islamic fanatics, Al-Qeada, and Taliban. My questions here are: why do not we hear about terrorists or radicals of any other religions? Why do not we hear these kinds of ear-soothing colorful adjectives about those millions of atheists, agnostics or even Homosexual guys? Why it is always attached with the peaceful (?) ISLAM?
2. In the North America and throughout the western world-there are hundreds of societies bearing the name of only one religion and that is ISLAM. Examples: AMC, AMA, NABIC, ICNA, ISNA, CAIR etc. etc. There are hundreds of Ummatic organizations/societies throughout the North America and elsewhere in the whole world. Ummatic organizations mostly preach segregation/isolation of Muslims from other peoples in general in the host countries. They teach Muslims that they are superior and their religion is superior and ask to guard their children from mixing with the western “rotten” society. As a result, future generations of Muslims can not blend with the society of host country resulting isolationists and problematic youngsters in an alien society. Ultimate result is the scenario of item# 13 below. In this, I have many questions: How many Ummatic organizations for Hindu, Christian or Jews can we find? Why no such organization is needed by any other religions? Why only the people of Muslim origin need such Ummatic organization? What is the purpose of such organization?
3. Can we find Jihadi organization in any other religions such: Islamic Jihad, Hamas, Hizbullah, Horkut-ul- Jihad, Horkut-ul-mujahedin, Jaise Muhamad, Jihad-e-Muhammad, Tahrik-e-Nifaj-shariaat-e-Muhammad, Al-Hikhma, Al-badr-Mujaheddin, Jamah-e-Islamia, Hijb-e-Islamia, etc. etc.? We can find several dozens of Jihadi Islamic terrorist organizations exists in every Muslim country throughout the world. Can we find such organization in other religions? If not, then why?
4. We can find dozens of countries ruled by Islamic Shariaat (Huhud laws) where Quran is the only viable constitution. All Muslim majority countries also have family laws enforced as per Quranic laws. We can still find many Islamic Republics exist in this modern world of 21st century. My questions here are: Can we find any country ruled by Bible, Old Testament or Ghita today? Can we find just one Republic for Christian, Jewish, Hindus or Buddhas? If the answer is no, then please tell us why no?
5. Islam has become a fearful religion in the whole world today. Islamic terrorists are conspiring to kill innocent civilians, especially western civilians everywhere in the whole world. Whole civilized world is in a panic situation for fear of Islamic terrorism. Horrific incident of killing hundreds of innocent school children in Beslan, Russia, terrorism in Philippine, terrorism in Madrid metro train, terrorisms in the hotels, foreign embassies or tourist resorts in Indonesia, Bomb blasting in the Churches, Mosques of Shiite and Qadiani sects of Muslims-all have the cardinal hall marks of peaceful Islam. German police had arrested an al-Qaeda sympathizer and his fiancé on suspicion of planning to bomb the U.S. Army's European headquarters and other targets in Heidelberg, Germany. Interestingly these arrested al-Qaeda sympathizers were none but Muslims who kept pictures of Osama bin Laden in their apartment. My questions are: why could not these two human beings belonging Hindu, Jew or Christian? Why can't we incriminate any other religion for the acts of terrorism in the entire world?
6. Honor killing is the most inhuman and most disgraceful act by any human standard. This act is condemned by any sane human being today. But surprisingly-this horrendous episode is only present in the Muslim countries and Muslim societies. Islamists will argue that there is nothing in the Quran which suggests honor killing! Well, question here is, if Islam has nothing to do with it, then why it is only practiced by Muslims? NO OTHER SOCIETIES EXCEPT ISLAM PRACTICE IT, PERIOD. Even in the same country-example Nigeria, Northern Nigerian (Muslims) do practice this heinous act, but Southern Nigeria (Christians) do not practice this at all. This horrific uncivilized honor killing also had happened in the heart of United States of America (Mid-western state) again in an Arab immigrant Muslim family. It may present in any country in the whole world-but 100% sure that it will be happened only in a Muslim family. My questions here are-please tell me why Muslims only perform this heinous act? Why this act is totally absent in any other religions?
7. Today in the whole world Muslims are apologetic to the entire humankind for the shameful terrorisms and constantly trying to erase this stigma by various apologetic fruitless arguments and excuses. They are trying very hard to disown Osama Bin Laden and other Islamic terrorists by saying “Islam has been hijacked” etc. Some times after 9/11 ISNA (Islamic Society of North America) held four days full-fledged program in the Washington, D.C. to disown the burden of doubt in Islam by using same-old apologetic slogans-“Islam is a religion of peace” or Prophet Muhammad is the God's mercy to earth” etc. These Islamists of North America also tried to fool the westerners (may be they fooled themselves) by quoting a few good/kind Quranic verses. They all simply blamed Western Media for projecting Islam as the religion of terrorism. With much hypocrisy they absolutely hide all those hundreds of hateful/dreadful Quranic verses. My question here is-why any other religionists do not need to do all these hypocrisies like Islamists are doing today? Why Western Medias are not projecting any other religion as the religion of terror?
8. “Jihad” is the most fearful and despised word spoken/uttering throughout the whole world today. This famous word “Jihad” belongs to one religion, and that is-“Islam”. My question is-why Jihad belongs to only Islam?
9. Suicide-bombing only to kill innocent human beings (only to target civilian) is committed by Muslims only. In Palestine-Israeli conflict hundreds of incidents of such heinous suicide attempts have occurred so far. It was quite obvious that all these suicide bombers were brainwashed by the fiery inspirational teachings by Islamic clergy citing various Quranic dictums and hadiths. Among the Palestine citizens there are good percentage of Christian minority who support Palestinian cause and they are also enemy of Israel. Surprisingly, not a single “suicide bomber” could be found who was a Christian. My questions here are-why there was no suicide bomber evolved out of those Christian-born Palestinians? Why it is the only Muslims committing this horrendous act of suicide bombing?
10. Mosque-Islamic center connections: all most every terrorist arrested or identified so far, they obviously (without fail) belonged to some Mosque or Islamic center. It was quite apparent that the terrorists arrested or dead was later identified as the member/visitor of certain famous Mosque or Islamic center. In most cases-Muslims attacked their rivals after the Friday prayers, because the fiery sermons of the Imam of the Mosque energize these fanatics. My questions here are-if Islam and Mosque has nothing to do with terrorists then why they could not be belonged to some other religious center such as Hindu Temple, Jewish Temple, Buddhist temple or Christian church? Or why they could not be even the members of some atheists/agnostic/homosexual clubs?
11. Pure (Pukka) Muslims: all most all the terrorists (John walker Lind, Zakaria Moussai, Padila, James Uzzama etc.) so far arrested or known to the authority are very pure and devoutly good practicing bearded Muslims. After just one year of 9/11 terrorists incident, Swedish authority had arrested one suspected terrorist from on board an aircraft who attempted to hijack the plane and crash it to the American Embassy in the Western Europe. Later he was identified as the bearded young Tunisian born devout Muslim by the name Kerim shatty who wanted to go to join the Islamic conference in London. My questions are: Why they (terrorists) could not be from some moderate or not so good Muslim group? Why always terrorist have to be one of those most devout pukka Muslims? What possibly is the obvious indication here? Isn't it true that any true followers (real Muslim who follows Quran and hadiths) of Islam could be a terrorist?
12. Converts: we know conversion to other religion is a common phenomenon throughout the world. Many people convert to Islam, Christianity, Buddhism etc. My questions are why it is only those Muslim converts turn into terrorists or Taliban (American Taliban, James Uzzama, Shoe-bomber and dirty bomber suspect-they all are converted Muslims). Why any other converts (Hindu or Christian) could not be a Taliban or terrorist?
13. Clash of immigrants with the host: In the year 2001, there were riots between the immigrant British citizens and the host Britons. Surprisingly those immigrant British citizens were none other than the Muslim immigrants (mainly Pakistani and Bangladeshi descent). Britain has the immigrants from various countries and various religions. My question here is why those rioting-immigrants could not be from any other religions?
14. Dress code and food restriction: Do you know Islam has a special dress code for both men and women? Islam is nothing but Arab nationalism in the disguise of religion. Anybody from any foreign land convert to Islam also needs to adopt/change his name, dress and cultural habits, which is nothing but Arab national dress and Arab culture. A devout Bangladeshi, Chinese or a Burmese convert to Islam will pretend to be a good Muslim by wearing Arab garb or hijab for women, even though his/her own national dress is not at all similar to Arab national dress. Muslims also follow very strict food codes. Unlike other religious groups, Muslims can not eat western most hygienically produced meat products. Muslims need to eat so called un-hygienically produced halal meat. Convert Muslims even need to learn Arabic for daily rituals of Islam. They are not allowed to pray in their own mother tongue. Result is they do not know what they are praying. But unlike Muslim convert, Hindu, Christian or Jewish converts do not need to forsake their own names, national dress code or language of praying. My questions here are why the converts of no other religions need to change their own national dress code or food habits? Why Islam is so different?
15. Coercive imposition: Islam is the only religion in which peoples are being forced/coerced to observe Islamic daily rituals. In any Islamic paradise-like Saudi Arabia, Iran, Talibani Afghanistan, or any other Islamic Arab countries-Islamic police (Muttawalli) force general citizens to observe daily rituals very strictly. Anybody who fails to obey is punished by beating severely or even by imprisonment. Even in the moderate Muslim countries like Bangladesh, Pakistan, Indonesia, Malaysia etc. Clergies, general public or the elders will repeatedly remind or even force people to join the daily five time prayers/rituals of Islam. Anybody who do not join or refuse to join will be cursed, looked down or insulted by the seniors.
16. Punishments for the crime: Punishments for the crime (like stealing, adultery, killings etc.) in Islamic paradise (Saudi Arabia, Iran, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sudan and many other Arab nations) according to Allah's laws (Islamic Shariaat or hudud laws) are cutting/chopping hands, feet and even chopping heads, or stoning death and lashings one hundred and one times. My questions here are: could we find such ancient uncivilized/draconian laws in any other religions today? If the answer is no, then please tell us why?
17. Brotherhood in Islam: Islam is the only religion having brotherhood or Ummatic provision. One Muslim is considered brother of another Muslim only. A Muslim can not be a brother of Hindu, Christian or Jews or infidels. Muslims are forbidden even to pray for any infidels. Allah's instruction for Islamic Brotherhood: Quran-49:10-“The believers are but a single Brotherhood: So make peace and reconciliation between your two (contending) brothers; And fear God, that ye May receive Mercy” (Yousuf Ali's Translation). In his Shan-e-nuzul, Maulana Yousuf Ali stated: “The enforcement of the Muslim brotherhood is the greatest social ideal of Islam. On it was based the Prophet's Sermon at his last pilgrimage, and Islam cannot be completely realized until this is achieved.” Therefore, Islam is like a large-scale religious cult which does not recognize any other religion as pure religion. My question here is why no other religious group has such separatist brotherhood system?
18. Islam and poverty: Poverty and Islam goes side by side. Islam means submission to Allah. Therefore, general Muslims become like a dependent servant of unseen authority in the sky. Muslims loose their strength and desire of freethinking and innovation. Result is pure poverty. Look everywhere-Muslims are the poorest human beings on earth. Go to Africa or Asia-every Muslim majority country is a desperately poor country. Please don't try to cite some Arab oil-rich countries as the denial to my assertion. Because, that happened only due to the discovery of oil by the west-such as America and Britain. Before that, all the Arabs were miserably poor country. Muslims are poor even in a same country or region: In Nigeria-northern (Muslim majority) people are poor, but southern (Christian majority) people are rich and affluent. In Europe-only two most poor countries are Bosnia and Albania. Both of these European countries are populated by convert Muslims of same Caucasian white peoples. But they are poorer than their neighbors. My question here is why it has to be always like that? Does Islam have anything to do with this incredible scenario?
19. Muslim World: Do you know we have two worlds in the same planet earth? One is the real world (with every nation except the Islamic nations) and other is the Muslim world (with all the Islamic nations only). Surprisingly, there is no Christian world, no Hindu world or any Jewish world, Buddhist world or infidel world. But we have Muslim world. My question here is: why there is no Christian, Hindu, Buddhist or Jewish world?
20. Democracy: Democracy was invented to establish people's rules to govern a nation. Entire mankind knows it well that no religious edicts/rules can be compatible with the modern democracy. But do you know-Islamists make their laughable claim that, “Islam is compatible with the democracy”? Islam is 100% incompatible with the democracy; even then Islamists readily claim that-“Islam is compatible with democracy”! My question here is: do we hear about Christian, Hindu or Jewish democracy?
21. September 11, Episode: America and other nations of the entire world will remember Sept.11 as the most terrible day of the human history and everybody will pass the day with much sorrow and sombre mood. But do you know there are some Islamic folks (special human species) in Finsbury Park Mosque in north London who had celebrated (in 2003) this horrible day as the “towering day” of Islam? These Islamic fanatics had hailed/applauded the Sept.11 devilish deeds of those al-Qaeda heroes as the best deeds any Muslim can do. They had formed the supreme Islamic council of London and vowed to fight for making England an Islamic Paradise. Their future plan will be to convert entire world including infidel America into a perfect Islamic Paradise. My questions are: do we get to see this kind of madness amongst any other religions? If not then why?
22. Blaming Electronic Media: Islamists have a very funny way of judging correctness and authenticity of Media news. Whenever western Media like CNN or MSNBC broadcast something in their favor or likings they will try to highlight it 100 folds. But the moment news goes against their choice/likings-they will immediately call it western propaganda or Zionist conspiracy. What a double standard by those Islamists!
These Islamists blame western Medias for their own terrorist activities. Now a day, almost 100% of world's terrorisms are perpetrated directly by some devout Muslims. Not only that, immediately after the completion of their heinous terrorist act, some faction of Islamists takes the responsibility of the terrorist act. As for example, just this week terrorist bomb attack outside Australian embassy in Jakarta, Indonesia-the al-Qaeda link group Jamaah-e-Islamia has claimed responsibility just after a few hours of the incident and warned further attacks. Then why blame western Medias? Besides, when police arrests some terrorist suspects, they (suspects) are always having Muslim's identity in their fore-heads. Then what the western Medias are supposed to broadcast? Should they broadcast that some Hindus or Jews have perpetrated the crime? What a strange and ridiculous complaint by those hypocritical Islamists!
News about any incident can never be 100% true, and there is always some 10-20% distortion of the actual happening. All news has some flaws in it when it is broad cast, but we can easily find the substance of the actual news. To my knowledge, western Medias are 70-90% true when Medias of Asian countries (BD included) only 10-30% are true. I always find CNN, MSNBC, BBC and many other western Medias quite acceptable and they rank amongst the best in the whole world. In the case of Iraq war I found 80-90% truth in the broadcasts of CNN, MSNBC and BBC, because they broadcast war news with sufficient pictures which substantiated the claim. At the end of the Iraq war (now) we can positively determine who spoke the truth. Al-Jazeera and other Arab Medias were broadcasting 80-90% lies about Iraq war. On the contrary, western Medias like CNN, MSNBC and BBC were broadcasting about 80-90% true war news. That is what we are witnessing now after the removal of Saddam. I have some questions to the readers:
(1) Please name some world Media/Medias which is more open, more neutral and broadcasts more authentic news than CNN, MSNBC or BBC.
(2) Please give me one Third worlds TV Media which will broadcast news from both sides (enemy and friend) of the conflicts.
(3) Could you tell us that any Media of some Muslim nation is better than CNN, MSNBC or BBC?
Please also consider the following:
============= Islam vis a vis other religions ==============
(1) Islam is the only religion which has “Shariaat book” which plays the main constitution to implement its political agenda to an Islamic nation.
(2) Islam is the only religion which holds that other religions must pay its followers an extortionary tax (Jiziya or poll-tax) in "humiliation."
(3) Islam is the only religion which preaches that reform of its doctrine and Dogma to adapt to changing circumstances is a grave sin ("bida")
(4) Islam is the only religion which divides the world up into two spheres: Land of Warfare “Darul harb” (non-Islamic nations) and “Darul Islam” (Land of Peace), and encourages the Land of "Peace" to fight against the Land of Warfare until it is completely "subdued".
(5) Islam is the only religion which expressly forbids separation of church (or masjid) and state.
(6) Islam is the only religion which extracts the death penalty from any of its followers who wish to leave it (apostate) -- a law which, again is unchangeable.
(7) Islam is the only religion which holds up a single form of government, a non-democratic theocracy headed by a Khalifa, as the only legitimate form of government allowable on earth.
(8) Islam is the only religion that upholds an extensive code of jurisprudence (Unchangeable and barbaric and draconian in many cases) that governs every aspect of human life, both spiritual and temporal.
(9) Islam is the only religion that largely forbids the free practice of other religions in its midst.
Please consider also these facts:--They can not easily blend-in with the host nations of any western country.
--They can't get along with Christians in Nigeria and Sudan.
--They can't get along with Eastern Orthodox in Eastern Europe.
--They can't get along with Hindus and Buddhists in Malaysia.
--They can't get along with Hindus in the Sub-Continent.
--They can't get along with Buddhists in Thailand and Burma.
--They can't get along with Catholics in the Philippines.
--They can not get along with majority Chinese in mainland China.
--They can not get along with majority Russian (Muslims in Chechnya) in Russia.
--They can't get along with Jews in the Middle East.
--They can't get along with Coptic Christians in Egypt.
--They can't get along with Christians in Indonesia.
--They can't get along with Ba'hai in Iran.
--Shia and Sunni can't get along with each other very well in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bahrain, etc.
--Sunnis can't get along with Ahmadis on the Sub-Continent and want to exterminate them.
In some of these cases, the atrocities are on both sides and there is plenty of blame to share by both sides. Nevertheless, there is a pattern here that is very disturbing.
The phenomenon is best explained by Huntingtons' “Clash of Civilisations.” He claims:
* Islam has bloody borders and bloody innards
* Islam has more trouble coexisting with others than any other religion
Christianity was superior to Islam in that it has a theological basis that allows to the possibility of change (Jesus himself said, "Render under Caesar what is Caesar's, render unto me what is mine." That statement was used by secularists to help bring about separation of church and state, or at least mitigate the church's influence on the political body). Christianity also was not set up as a political state with its own set of detailed laws, etc. There were "Christian nations" with some laws that were influenced by the Church, there was a Papal rule for a while, but nothing was set in stone. The law as a result was fluid and could be updated -- as it was by the Magna Carta.
Islam does not have the theological basis for change. Secularism is strictly forbidden. Innovation ("bida") is strictly forbidden. Muhammed was the Seal of the Prophets -- his word is final. It jihad is (now) forbidden. Islam was set up as a political state with numerous complexes, detailed temporal laws, not just a few general spiritual guidelines (as is the case with Christianity). No theological basis for change. And thus no theological "bridge" to allow us to get from Charles Martel's world to Thomas Jefferson's world.
1. It is true that as late as 1648, Islam was more enlightened than Christianity. In the 30 year civil war between Catholics and Protestants, numerous massacres and atrocities including cannibalism was done.
2. Christianity had separation of church and state, Jesus said Give unto Caesar what is Caesar and give unto god what is god
3. Jesus never did any violent act; on the contrary he prevented the stoning of a woman
4. The intolerance in Christianity and Islam is rooted in the Old Testament, the Koran is a rehash of the Old Testament, Mohammed was just as violent as Moses.
5. Due to item #2, #3, Christian reformers could claim to be devout Christians and humanize it and eventually defang it.
6. In Islam there was a group called mutazilites which tried to rationalize (Sufism) Islam and failed.
7. Without Charles Martel the west would have been a backward Islamic place
8. Since Islam does not have items #2 and #3, any reformer is killed as an Apostate Internal reform in Islam is impossible; it will have to be defanged externally.
Conclusion:
I hope the true answers to the above relevant questions should positively identify the reasons and facts, as to, why we all should vigorously critiques and analyze the religion Islam. I do not believe there is any other religion which can be compared with the Islam today.
Islam is positively a unique and most problematic religion in the whole world today. Scientists are investigating/researching the current and emerging new diseases such as Aids, cancer, west Nile virus disease, diabetes, obesity etc. Scientist do not research on the diseases which are already controlled or subdued such as: Plague, Small pox, Cholera etc. Like wise, we do not need to discuss religions such as Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism or Buddhism which are controlled and subdued long time ago by the forces of secularism and democracy. Problem and maladies with Islam is current and severely acute and dangerous today for the entire civilization. Therefore, it is an open secret why we should discuss/critique only the Islam today. Does it ring the bell to all?
It is also true that fanatical atrocities of any religions are as bad as the fanaticism of Islam. Besides, fanatics of any religions could be equally cruel and demon possessed, and we should critique fanatical acts of any religions. Horrific atrocities by Hindu fanatics in Guzrat, India also deserve criticism from us. But the Hindu fanaticism was purely a local politically motivated sporadic incidence inside India only, and unlike Islamic fanaticism, Hindu fanaticism was not a world-wide phenomenon.
ALSO SEE: SHARIA COURT IN CANADA
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