Do Muslims know enough about Islam?
In yesterdays column I asked the question, Does the West know enough about Islam? My answer was, No, despite the advancing technology, the increasing communication channels and the removal of certain limits. I mentioned the continuance of centuries-old stereotypes and the difficulty in acquiring accurate information about Islam. I noted that ignorance fed animosity and I elucidated the basin tenets of Islam to show its peaceful intent. I ended with another question, Do Muslims know enough about Islam?
Unfortunately the answer was again, No. The Muslim world is facing serious problems, especially materially. It is most disappointing that despite its rich natural resources most of its population lives below the poverty line. There is destitution in fortune, there is poverty within wealth. The leaders of Muslim countries are content with the wealth remaining within a very small class and have no plans to spread that wealth to a wider population. Hunger, famine and poverty are not on their agenda. This conflict between the leaders and the public leads to wide-spread animosity in the lower classes. The leaders manage to divert the anger of the public from themselves toward other powers.
The second-biggest problem in the Muslim world is education. Unfortunately the education systems in most Muslim countries are ill-developed. In some literacy rates are extremely low. The reason for illiteracy in some groups is related to the political trauma experienced in the country. For example, in Afghanistan war and instability has continued since the 1979 Soviet occupation. The country does not have the necessary tools for education
It is no easy task for anyone to tackle poverty and education at the same time. While the distribution of unequal opportunities create class differences, when uneducated classes acquire power society becomes very narrow-minded. This makes it easier for some circles to manipulate such people and control their anger.
The worst is that Muslims knowledge of Islam is defective. They can not distinguish between religion and tradition. Islam has two basic sources: The Koran and the hadith, the words of Prophet Mohammed. Muslims ignorant of these two sources are easily influenced by the culture of words, a culture that is very easily manipulated.
Take the meaning of jihad as an example. Neither Muslims nor Westerners know the exact meaning of this word. Both the Koran and the words of Prophet Mohammed say jihad means the battle with ones self, the ego. That is why on their return from a battle, Prophet Mohammed had said, We have returned from the lesser jihad to the great jihad. Scribes who recorded the prophets words asked, Oh Prophet of Allah, what is the great jihad? and Mohammed (pbuh) said, a battle against ones own ego is the big jihad. In other words, jihad refers to the struggle to make oneself perfect.
War with the enemy is also called jihad, but that is the small jihad. However the open literature shows that jihad can not be declared by one persons initiative. When war is inevitable and the certain conditions for jihad have developed, then the state, and only the state, can declare jihad. Any other war is considered anarchy and this is prohibited in Islam.
Another example: The Koran clearly says, No person shall bear the burden of another. which means that if you are angry with someone, you can not punish another person even if he/she is closely related to the person. You cant equip yourself with bombs, enter crowds of people and kill them and yourself. There are certain conditions that must exist to declare war and war can only -- if absolutely inevitable -- be declared by the state. In the event of war, Islamic sources clearly mandate that no civilians can be killed and no trees be damaged. Islam also clearly rules that whosoever takes a life, it is as if he has killed all of humanity (al-Maida, verse 32). Thus it is a grave sin in Islam to kill a man without cause. Given that, how can anyone with any justification associate Islam with terrorism?
Islam has been subject to misinterpretation owing to ignorance of its true sources. The word Islam means peace. Islam was brought to bring peace and serenity to mankind. Unfortunately today the Muslim worlds psychology is based on defeat and fatalism. Muslims believe they are subject to injustice. Of course there is reason for this. They are probably frustrated because they live in poverty and no education, under the burden of centuries-old problems. For example the Arab-Israeli problem must have a lasting solution, because when problems are not resolved over time hatred and ensuing violence take over. The only way to reassure a hostile people, who believe the worlds justice system is founded on double standards, is to offer them education, love and justice. If standards normalize, people will return to their true values and contribute to world peace. There are religious references that preach tolerance, dialogue and sharing, but the problem of reaching such knowledge persists. We need to remove the obstacles in order to end the wave of fanaticism fed by ignorance.
http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/yazarDetay.do?haberno=106094
In yesterdays column I asked the question, Does the West know enough about Islam? My answer was, No, despite the advancing technology, the increasing communication channels and the removal of certain limits. I mentioned the continuance of centuries-old stereotypes and the difficulty in acquiring accurate information about Islam. I noted that ignorance fed animosity and I elucidated the basin tenets of Islam to show its peaceful intent. I ended with another question, Do Muslims know enough about Islam?
Unfortunately the answer was again, No. The Muslim world is facing serious problems, especially materially. It is most disappointing that despite its rich natural resources most of its population lives below the poverty line. There is destitution in fortune, there is poverty within wealth. The leaders of Muslim countries are content with the wealth remaining within a very small class and have no plans to spread that wealth to a wider population. Hunger, famine and poverty are not on their agenda. This conflict between the leaders and the public leads to wide-spread animosity in the lower classes. The leaders manage to divert the anger of the public from themselves toward other powers.
The second-biggest problem in the Muslim world is education. Unfortunately the education systems in most Muslim countries are ill-developed. In some literacy rates are extremely low. The reason for illiteracy in some groups is related to the political trauma experienced in the country. For example, in Afghanistan war and instability has continued since the 1979 Soviet occupation. The country does not have the necessary tools for education
It is no easy task for anyone to tackle poverty and education at the same time. While the distribution of unequal opportunities create class differences, when uneducated classes acquire power society becomes very narrow-minded. This makes it easier for some circles to manipulate such people and control their anger.
The worst is that Muslims knowledge of Islam is defective. They can not distinguish between religion and tradition. Islam has two basic sources: The Koran and the hadith, the words of Prophet Mohammed. Muslims ignorant of these two sources are easily influenced by the culture of words, a culture that is very easily manipulated.
Take the meaning of jihad as an example. Neither Muslims nor Westerners know the exact meaning of this word. Both the Koran and the words of Prophet Mohammed say jihad means the battle with ones self, the ego. That is why on their return from a battle, Prophet Mohammed had said, We have returned from the lesser jihad to the great jihad. Scribes who recorded the prophets words asked, Oh Prophet of Allah, what is the great jihad? and Mohammed (pbuh) said, a battle against ones own ego is the big jihad. In other words, jihad refers to the struggle to make oneself perfect.
War with the enemy is also called jihad, but that is the small jihad. However the open literature shows that jihad can not be declared by one persons initiative. When war is inevitable and the certain conditions for jihad have developed, then the state, and only the state, can declare jihad. Any other war is considered anarchy and this is prohibited in Islam.
Another example: The Koran clearly says, No person shall bear the burden of another. which means that if you are angry with someone, you can not punish another person even if he/she is closely related to the person. You cant equip yourself with bombs, enter crowds of people and kill them and yourself. There are certain conditions that must exist to declare war and war can only -- if absolutely inevitable -- be declared by the state. In the event of war, Islamic sources clearly mandate that no civilians can be killed and no trees be damaged. Islam also clearly rules that whosoever takes a life, it is as if he has killed all of humanity (al-Maida, verse 32). Thus it is a grave sin in Islam to kill a man without cause. Given that, how can anyone with any justification associate Islam with terrorism?
Islam has been subject to misinterpretation owing to ignorance of its true sources. The word Islam means peace. Islam was brought to bring peace and serenity to mankind. Unfortunately today the Muslim worlds psychology is based on defeat and fatalism. Muslims believe they are subject to injustice. Of course there is reason for this. They are probably frustrated because they live in poverty and no education, under the burden of centuries-old problems. For example the Arab-Israeli problem must have a lasting solution, because when problems are not resolved over time hatred and ensuing violence take over. The only way to reassure a hostile people, who believe the worlds justice system is founded on double standards, is to offer them education, love and justice. If standards normalize, people will return to their true values and contribute to world peace. There are religious references that preach tolerance, dialogue and sharing, but the problem of reaching such knowledge persists. We need to remove the obstacles in order to end the wave of fanaticism fed by ignorance.
http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/yazarDetay.do?haberno=106094
