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Related: About this forumStruggle against religious fascism
Progressive Muslims must continue their struggle against religious fascism. The true faith requires the stripping of violence, intolerance and hatred
By: Saad Hafiz 09-Apr-16
It is hard to dispute the assertion that the Muslim world is in a mess because of a forceful and influential minority whose aim is to acquire political power under the garb of religion. It is part of historic power struggles that have plagued Muslim society for centuries using Islam as a political ideology, rather than as a religion. Political Islam or Islamism harks back to a time when an absolute ruler or khalifa (caliph) looked after the affairs of the people like a shepherd caring for his flock. It touts the notion that in democracies people live as lonely individuals who are free to express themselves in ways that harm themselves and society, rather than live as families, communities and cohesive societies. It blames injustice and misery being endured by Muslims solely on western colonialism and imperialism. Its solution is to bring about unity of one religion by dispensing with the little democracy existing in the Muslim states.
In fact, the broad pattern of tyranny, oppression, misogyny, poverty, illiteracy, lack of religious freedom, and more prevailing in many Muslim societies has a great deal to do with a lack of democracy. The dismal political and economic stagnation in the Islamic world is a direct result of centuries of centralisation of power in the hands of demagogues and ideologues with intolerant policies and politics. Very few Muslim states encourage a pluralist identity, where being a Muslim is not considered synonymous with unflinching adherence to theology, or even with religious belief at all. Clearly, this rigid ideology is incompatible with modernity embodied in democracy and freedom of thought and expression.
Extremism is so deeply entrenched in some Muslim societies that it will not be easy to root it out. Its followers believe they possess the absolute truth and they go on bullying others through threats, slander and defamation. They claim to be Muslims — indeed, the only true Muslims — and they explicitly claim that their religion motivates, inspires, and even commands them to commit their horrific acts of violence in God’s name. The street power of extremist storm troopers is rarely challenged by the state. These groups openly peddle the extreme political aspects of Islam, which includes the imposition of Shariah law and governing the state — and eventually the world — according to religious jurisprudence from the 7th century. They see the criminalisation of husbands beating their wives, giving women judicial equality, or the outlawing of child marriages as contradicting the religious law.
Radicalism is also having an impact in the west where most Muslim immigrants thrive, compared to their countries of origin, because of democracy and freedom of expression on offer. A minority of immigrants who are unable to adjust are often led astray by leaders in their own communities. An example of poor leadership and warped thinking that could influence young Muslim minds comes from the imam (prayer leader) of one of Britain’s biggest mosques who praised Mumtaz Qadri, a religious extremist in Pakistan, who was executed recently for murdering the liberal politician, Salmaan Taseer. Mr Taseer had voiced his criticism of the country’s blasphemy law. The imam’s messages, detail how he was “disturbed” to hear of the condemned murderer’s execution and gave him the religious blessing usually reserved for devout Muslims. The imam apparently wrote: “I cannot hide my pain today. A true Muslim [Qadri] was punished for doing that the collective will of the nation failed to carry out.”
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/opinion/09-Apr-16/struggle-against-religious-fascism
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Cartoonist
(7,317 posts)I get what he says about democracy and pluralism, but he doesn't get that religion isn't about those things. The Popes and Ayatollahs aren't elected by the people. They would cease to exist if they were.
His closing words show that he will never get it.
Religion is about our relationship to God. It is about what God does for us: His mercy, His love, His care for us.
rug
(82,333 posts)It is, at its base, about a relationship between humans and a God. Accept that idea or reject it, what people do with that notion has much more to do with human intentions that with divine.
Cartoonist
(7,317 posts)I felt he was making a lot of good points. He was talking about people thinking for themselves and not following the dictates of a Kalif. But then he blows it by falling back on a being who is nothing like his description.
His mercy, His love, His care for us.
Like when he has it rain for 40 days and 40 nights, or when he allows those kids at Sandy Hook to be slaughtered. What sin did those kids commit?
rug
(82,333 posts)I may have missed it, but I don't recall hearig a religious motivation for the killings.
The ancient Problem of Evil draws no new lessons from this.
Cartoonist
(7,317 posts)I may not be able to prove God doesn't exist, but it is indisputable that he doesn't give a rat's ass for us.
rug
(82,333 posts)We are fully autonomous human beings subject to the benefit - and detriment - of living with other fully autonomous human beings, many of whom are seriously damaged. Part of religious experience is grappling with that fact. It's harder to do or to explain than grappling with a God.
Cartoonist
(7,317 posts)His job is to damn those of us who don't.
rug
(82,333 posts)At least it is the job of those who care about such things.
Anyone who doesn't want to only has to walk away. God damns no one.
Seriously, that is what it's all about.
