COLOMBO, Si Lanka, Dec 13 (IPS) – Each time, breaking information of a barbaric crime or terror act is reported from wherever on the earth, peace-loving Muslims the world over really feel dejected and need it had not been one other tragedy that may make others glower at them with suspicion as if they too are complicit within the crime.
However typically, what they dread is the case, for greater than 90 p.c of such inhumane and barbaric acts – just like the Sialkot slaying of a Sri Lankan manufacturing unit supervisor and the Easter Sunday massacres — are related to Islamic extremism.
Final Friday’s lynching of manufacturing unit Supervisor Priyantha Kumara Diyawadanage in Pakistan by an extremist mob won’t be the final of such acts.
No quantity of ‘We Are Sorry Sri Lanka’ placards, flowers and candles at makeshift memorials and political statements denouncing the crime can carry again his life that was cruelly delivered to an finish as a burnt providing on the altar of bigotry in an expression of savagery that has no place in civilized society.
Nonetheless a lot Pakistanis who’re humiliated by extremism dissociate themselves from the horrible act, nevertheless profound their apology is, nevertheless remorseful Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, who decried the incident as Pakistan’s day of disgrace, is, the nation will proceed to be affected by violent extremism except and till extremism is rooted out by radical social reforms in keeping with the peaceable message of Islam.
The Priyantha Kumara lynching by a mob linked to an extremist outfit referred to as Tehereek-e-Labbaik Pakistan, for tearing off a political poster that allegedly had some non secular verses in Urdu warrants the fast revocation of Pakistan’s blasphemy legislation or its modification consistent with the Islamic advantage of tolerance and magnanimity.
Analysis exhibits a better prevalence of extremism in nations which have blasphemy legal guidelines than in nations that wouldn’t have such legal guidelines. Blasphemy legal guidelines are sometimes misused to persecute the minorities or deal with them as second-class residents. Such legal guidelines are incompatible with the Islamic educating which calls for defense of the minorities and non-interference of their worship.
If the Pakistan Authorities fails to utilize this heartrending incident as a chance to result in radical reforms, it itself shall be committing an act of blasphemy as a result of its inaction permits the badly constructed legislation to distort and shame Islam.
Pakistan was carved out of the British Raj for the Muslims of the subcontinent. Its founder Muhammad Ali Jinnah promoted a idea of two nation two state, saying that the Muslims and Hindus have been two completely different nations and belonged to 2 completely different civilizations and due to this fact wanted to dwell in separate states.
The world’s first nation-state to be fashioned on the idea of faith, Pakistan, nevertheless, has by no means been a theocracy.
In a 2017 BBC interview, historian Ayesha Jalal identified that Jinnah envisaged Pakistan as a “homeland for India’s Muslims”, versus an Islamic state. However she mentioned that his idea had been utilized by Islamists “as an ideological machine” to justify claims for Pakistan to be a theocratic state.
That is Pakistan’s existential disaster. Whereas the extremists battle for the organising of a theocracy, secular politicians skillfully make use of Islam and facet with Islamists to swell their vote banks or to whip up nationalistic feelings in opposition to archrival India.
Maybe, this was why Pakistan’s Defence Minister Pervez Khattak was seen belittling the grotesque homicide of Priyantha Kumara, by calling it “youthful exuberance of Muslim children” and “occurs on a regular basis”.
He reportedly added, “When the youth really feel Islam has been attacked, they react to defend it.” This was whereas Premier Khan vowed to carry the murderous mob to justice and Pakistan police arrested greater than 130 individuals.
If we play with fireplace, we get burnt. Pakistan has been burnt sufficient, but it seems to haven’t learnt sufficient. Seven years in the past this month, extremists carried out a grotesque college bloodbath in Peshawar. On this terror assault some 134 schoolchildren, aged between 8 and 18, and 16 employees members have been brutally gunned down by the Pakistan Taliban. So why pamper the extremists?
In 2011, Pakistan’s Punjab Province Governor Salman Taseer was shot lifeless by a police guard over his opposition to the nation’s blasphemy legislation that requires demise sentence to those that insult Islam or its holy personalities.
Taseer was additionally calling for the discharge of Asia Bibi, a Christian lady who was falsely accused by her neighbours of insulting the Prophet Muhammad. Taseer’s murderer was hailed as a hero by numerous extremists who took to the road to rejoice the homicide.
On account of violent extremism, many non-Muslims discover it tough to simply accept the Muslims’ assertion that Islam is a faith of peace. What many don’t perceive is that there’s little Islam in at this time’s world, though about 2 billion Muslims represent one fourth of the world’s 8 billion inhabitants.
In Islam, jihad or holy conflict will not be the norm, however a final resort exception to defend the oppressed. Vigilante justice has no place in Islam. The accused needs to be heard, Islam instructions.
To no matter faith they belong, the issue with extremists is their ignorance of the teachings of the faith they’re purported to observe. As historian and comparative religions skilled Karen Armstrong would say, “Terrorism has nothing to do with Muhammad, any greater than the Crusades had something to do with Jesus.”
Actually, violence will not be the reply to blasphemy. In keeping with the Quran, the Prophet Muhammad was heaped the worst type of scorn. He was referred to as a liar, a magician, a madman, and possessed. Rubbish was thrown over his head and stone-throwing road urchins have been set upon him.
But as commanded by God, he exercised stunning persistence — Sabran Jameelan — and when his companions sought permission to retaliate, he would train them the virtues of persistence and remind them that he was despatched as a mercy to the entire world. He befriended his persecutors by practising the Quranic injunction which exhorts the Muslims to “repel that which is evil with that which is nice (and virtuous)”.
Sadly, the verses on defensive wars the Prophet and the early Muslims have been pressured to battle have been misinterpreted by latter day Muslim rulers and terrorists for political functions. Glorification of violence within the title of Islam grew to become the norm. Islam’s peaceable message was forgotten.
Additionally ignored is the Quranic message in opposition to violence as defined within the story of angels who expressed their deep concern over bloodshed and mischief on earth when God needed to create man. (Quran 2: 30.)
It seems that as an alternative of Islam, some Muslims are following a violent creed and calling it Islam. The pretend Islam is basically practised whereas the true Islam stays buried. The duty earlier than the Muslims is to seek for the buried Islam, resurrect it and dwell it.
Ameen Izzadeen is the deputy editor of the Sunday Instances, Sri Lanka. He additionally writes a weekly column for the Each day Mirror, Sri Lanka, on worldwide politics and good governance points; and is a visiting lecturer in journalism and worldwide politics.
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