Guest commentary curated by Forbes Opinion.
Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own.
Guest post written by
Jaan Islam
Jaan
Islam is the Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Political
Theory, and the author of True Islam, Jihad, and Terrorism.
Amid several global crises that we face today, the debate on the nature of Islam vis à vis security, refugee,
and even economic policy has created the biggest controversy. The Media
have featured a series of opinion pieces written by educated, liberal
thinkers that claim to dispel ‘myths’ about Shari’ah law being against
western values. One in the Washington Post claimed
that Shari’ah is in favour of everything ranging from a western-style
government to gender equality. Another piece in the Huffington Post claimed that the definition of Jihad refers primarily to “sustained effort” in advancing the common good and reprimanding evil.
The reality couldn’t be further from these ideas, which are based upon re-interpretations of very vague Qur’anic verses. The notions that Islam can be progressive, Jihad can mean ‘peace’, and Shari’ah is nothing more than a ‘personal relationship’ are the real myths and deserve to be put to rest.
Myth #1 Islam can be reinterpreted
The most common argument made in favour of a ‘progressive Islam’ is that the Qur’an and other scriptures can be subject to interpretation. We face an argument that confuses observation (“it was”) with suggestion (“so it should”). The argument implies that the Qur’an’s commandments change depending on where and when it is being read. So, whereas the punishment for sedition is death in Islam, simply because of the fact that it is being read in a different period of time in a different place, the punishment allegedly no longer applies.
However, if the Qur’an changes depending on who reads it, then Qur’an itself does not have any commandments. For any devout Muslim, believing that God does not really command anything in the Qur’an is a major problem. It is fundamental in Islam that the revelation from the Qur’an is to be applied after contextualizing through Hadith in order to reach an objective and time honoured verdict.
Myth #2 Muslim countries follow the Shari’ah
Some go so far as to claim that in ‘true Islam’, politics and religion would not even be combined into a single force. This is ironic, considering that the Islamic state under the Prophet Muhammad, and under his companions (CE 622-661) did exactly that. In fact, it is impossible within that period to find a single time period, for which a religious law was not enforced by the state.
Others have noted that countries like Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Pakistan are not true Islamic countries applying the Shari’ah, pointing out that colonialism is primarily to blame for the policies of these countries. That’s true. However, it’s also true that a truly Islamic country would have much of the same laws that are decried by the west. They include beheadings, cutting of the hand for stealing valuable items, and criminalization of homosexuality and adultery. If anything, it is the “colonial” remnants of Muslim countries that keep them from applying Shari’ah.
The reality couldn’t be further from these ideas, which are based upon re-interpretations of very vague Qur’anic verses. The notions that Islam can be progressive, Jihad can mean ‘peace’, and Shari’ah is nothing more than a ‘personal relationship’ are the real myths and deserve to be put to rest.
Myth #1 Islam can be reinterpreted
The most common argument made in favour of a ‘progressive Islam’ is that the Qur’an and other scriptures can be subject to interpretation. We face an argument that confuses observation (“it was”) with suggestion (“so it should”). The argument implies that the Qur’an’s commandments change depending on where and when it is being read. So, whereas the punishment for sedition is death in Islam, simply because of the fact that it is being read in a different period of time in a different place, the punishment allegedly no longer applies.
However, if the Qur’an changes depending on who reads it, then Qur’an itself does not have any commandments. For any devout Muslim, believing that God does not really command anything in the Qur’an is a major problem. It is fundamental in Islam that the revelation from the Qur’an is to be applied after contextualizing through Hadith in order to reach an objective and time honoured verdict.
Some go so far as to claim that in ‘true Islam’, politics and religion would not even be combined into a single force. This is ironic, considering that the Islamic state under the Prophet Muhammad, and under his companions (CE 622-661) did exactly that. In fact, it is impossible within that period to find a single time period, for which a religious law was not enforced by the state.
Others have noted that countries like Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Pakistan are not true Islamic countries applying the Shari’ah, pointing out that colonialism is primarily to blame for the policies of these countries. That’s true. However, it’s also true that a truly Islamic country would have much of the same laws that are decried by the west. They include beheadings, cutting of the hand for stealing valuable items, and criminalization of homosexuality and adultery. If anything, it is the “colonial” remnants of Muslim countries that keep them from applying Shari’ah.
There are two primary meanings of the word jihad; the linguistic and the legal meaning. Saqib Qureshi claims that the only meaning of jihad is “sustained effort…to do good and prevent evil.” Anybody who has read the sayings of the Prophet Muhammad (e.g. collection of Bukhari) will appreciate that every single time the word “jihad” is used by a Hadith, is in reference to war. Whether or not jihad means ‘offensive’ war is a matter of debate, but it would be simply inaccurate to deny that jihad means war, and also that jihad was glorified by the Prophet Muhammad.
Myth #4 Islam has freedom of religion
It is often argued that the Qur’anic verse stating that “there shall be no compulsion in religion…” (2:256) affirms freedom of religion. For sure, nobody is allowed to coerce others into accepting Islam—but that does not mean there is ‘freedom of religion’ as understood in the west.
Under a truly Islamic regime, people are allowed to believe and practice in the faith they want to. However, non-Muslims in an Islamic state are not given the privileges of Muslims. For example, non-Muslims pay separate (often higher) taxes, such as the Jiziyah tax. Even in the criminal code, a Muslim that kills a non-Muslim cannot be given death penalty. So, even if religion is not coerced and often non-Muslims will have the option of having their own laws (including criminal code within their society), it is a fact that having a different religion means being treated differently in an Islamic state—contrary to the (supposed) western notion that religions should not affect rights and responsibilities as a citizen.
Furthermore, changing one’s religion from Islam to another religion does warrant the death penalty. A Prophetic narration comes to mind: “whoever changes his religion, kill him”. While for any apostasy charge to lead to the death penalty, a case for political treason has to be made, there is no denying of the fact that the early Caliphs regularly executed people for apostasy.
Myth #5 Shari’ah can be pro-women’s rights
It is popularly argued that because Shari’ah is considered progressive and feminist in the time that it was created (7th century CE), it is therefore in favour of progressive agenda that is prevalent today. The logical fallacy implied is that because Shari’ah could be described as in favour of gender equality, it must, therefore, always be in favour of the gender equality movement. This is not the case, as was made clear in dispelling Myth #1.
Reinterpretation to favour first-trimester abortion, changing divorce laws favouring men, or even laws restricting women from leaving the house without their husband’s permission are all laws that are a part of Islam. Ignoring Islamic scripture does not make it ‘go away’; it simply reduces the credibility of a legal argument.
Jaan Islam is a research associate at Emertec Research in Halifax, Canada. He is the author of True Islam, Jihad, and Terrorism, and the Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Political Theory.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment