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There is no punishment for Blasphemy in Islam, however, somewhere in the history, the bootlickers wrote the blasphemy laws to please the dictators and monarchs, and the ordinary men and women in the market today rely on those made up books... instead of Quran.


Thursday, February 24, 2022

Freedom of Expression and Blasphemy Laws

Originally published at Islamicity 

Contents [hide]

In Islam, the concept of Blasphemy is related to the disrespect and overall insult to the last and final messenger, Muhammad ﷺ, and certain aspects of the divine. In recent years, there has been an uptick in blasphemous actions against Islam and violent retaliation against perceived blasphemy. 

In an environment of ignorance, hate, and anger there has been an abuse of the blasphemy laws in Muslim countries resulting in injustice against people of other faith at the hands of Muslims. This is in contradiction to the teachings of Islam.

Quranic Verses for Understanding Blasphemy

“If you hear God’s revelations being mocked and ridiculed, don’t be with them unless they delve into another subject. Otherwise, you will be as guilty as they are. God will gather the hypocrites and the disbelievers together in Hell” (4:140

“… do not befriend to those among the recipients of previous scripture who mock and ridicule your religion, nor befriend the disbelievers.” (5:57)

“... but indeed, they uttered blasphemy. If they repent, it will be best for them. But if they turn back (to their evil ways), Allah will punish them ... (9:74

Their just requital is Hell, in return for their disbelief and for mocking My revelations and My messengers. (18:106)

He had punished these people, annihilated them, and destroyed them as they did not take the truth seriously. (36:30

The evil of their deeds will become evident to them, and the very things they mocked will come back and haunt them. (45:33)

Furthermore, have patience with what they say and leave them with noble (dignity) (73:10).

Verses 33:60-61 indicate that blasphemers who are hypocrites were to be executed for committing treason against the state, not for blasphemy. According to Kamali, the dominant Quranic meaning of fitna (tumult) is “seditious speech that attacks a government’s legitimacy and denies believers the right to practice their faith.” 

Prophetic Guidelines

The Prophet never called for executing his opponents or those who abused him. When an old woman who regularly threw garbage at him fell sick, he visited her. He didn’t take revenge on Suhail bin Amr, the poet who cursed him but asked his companions to treat him kindly after he was captured during the Battle of Badr. He also rejected his companions’ advice to execute Abd Allah b. Ubayy, the chief hypocrites.

Pro-death penalty scholars often cite the execution of the Jewish poet Ka‘b ibn al-Ashraf to justify the death sentence, disregarding the fact that he was killed for treason, not blasphemy. When Prophet was stoned in Taif and blood was oozing from his feet, angel Gabriel came to give him comfort and offered to bring the mountain down on the people; his response was not to take revenge with them because one day their progeny may become believers in the one almighty God.

While negotiating the Hudaybiyah Treaty, the Makkah delegation asked Muhammad ﷺ not to sign his name as the “Prophet of God.” He did so, reminding the upset companions that an angry response is counterproductive, for even the worst offenders could become friends by humility and gentle treatment. He forgave his archenemy Abu Sufiyan and his wife Hind, who freed a slave to kill and then mutilate Hamza, the Prophet’s uncle. 

Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was sent as a mercy to humanity and a blessing to the universes and was entrusted only with the charter to deliver the message of peace and belief in the one supreme creator of all.

Unjust Blasphemy and Reaction

In October of 2020, a young Chechen immigrant named Abdullah Anzorov beheaded Samuel Paty, a schoolteacher in Paris, France. Apparently, Paty taught a class about “freedom of expression” and showed cartoons of prophet Muhammed published in the French magazine Charlie Hebdo, a magazine universally condemned by Muslims. 

In response to the killing of Paty, French president Macron conferred the highest civilian award posthumously on Samuel Paty as a sign that the country stands by its courage and conviction of freedom of speech while the Muslims suffered a backlash. There was a shutdown of the grand mosque in Paris along with several other mosques all over the country. Many Islamic organizations were closed, and many Imams and Muslim leaders were deported. French people believe that the refugees fleeing from North Africa to Europe are bringing their Islamist culture with them, causing social stress Muslims lost the support of the French public as most people in France feared that their secularist society is under threat. Many months after Mr. Paty’s murder the French interior ministry continued closing mosques  under the pretext of “the radical nature of its imam's preaching.”     

 In western secular societies, an individual has a right to ridicule religion or revered religious figures. There is little sensitivity and wisdom, knowing that such freedom of expression creates incitement to hatred and group defamation. In multicultural societies – cultural sensitivity ethnic and political awareness is a must for maintaining a harmonious relationship among all members of the society.

Freedom of Speech versus Freedom of Religion in France

The French and Muslim cultures have different interpretations of freedom of expression. 

Muslims consider the humiliation of the prophet of Islam as a personnel humiliation of everything they hold sacred. Whereas, for the French, freedom of expression supersedes the sanctity of religious beliefs. French secularists believe that religion is an expression of ideas, and just like any philosophical idea, it should be open to criticism. It is only recently that such criticism has been applied to Islam. 

In response to the French public’s hostility towards Muslims and Mr. Macron’s statement that “Islam is in crisis,” President Erdogan of Turkey called Mr. Macron mentally unstable and that he needed mental treatment. Prime Minister Imran Khan of Pakistan also gave assurances to a Muslim cleric in Pakistan who made a hateful speech justifying the killing of blasphemers by saying that he would ask parliament to break its diplomatic relationship with France. Many other Muslim leaders also made strong statements against Mr. Macron only to create more hatred and animosity in French people against Islam and Muslims. These statements made by leaders did not show the use of emotional intelligence where it is necessary to channel anger and hatred and express emotions to help resolve this serious conflict and work towards solving the problems. I am certain that these statements must have generated similar anger and hatred in the French president and French people, and this will result in more stringent anti-Muslim regulations causing more suffering of French Muslims. Mr. Macron could have played the role of a statesman by using emotional intelligence and initiating a dialogue with Muslim leaders to calm down their fears and issuing a joint statement that would have a positive effect and perhaps lead to peace and harmony among all people of France. Many problems of the world can be solved if our leaders do not have an impulsive reaction but rather show wisdom and issue statements with the sole purpose of diminishing hatred rather than inciting more anger.

President Macron did finally take a positive step and met Muslim leaders in France to diffuse the rising tension and appealed to them to approve the memorandum of understanding to help the integration of Muslims in France which will hopefully lead to developing a better understanding between the French Muslims and the rest of the community. Muslims have every right to protest condemnable attempts to defame the Prophet but they must refrain from violence, for it is the very antithesis of the term Islam, which spreads the message of peace.

The Muslim Need to Understand Blasphemy

Of course, any criticism of one’s religion may hurt one’s feelings, but it in no way lowers the value of faith in its adherents’ eyes. Most of the prophets sent by God throughout history were ridiculed, mocked, and even tortured. The Quran states that only God has the prerogative to punish the opponents of God and His prophets. All Prophets, including Muhammad ﷺ, showed kindness towards the people who abused them. Islam does not approve of the murder of an individual committing blasphemy. Many Muslim countries in the world and members of the Muslim community in France consistently denounced such brutal acts, describing them as against the tenants of Islam. 

The fatwa against Salman Rushdie for writing his blasphemy novel only led to an increase in the sale of his books. Rushdie received honors and recognition in many countries, including a knighthood from the U.K. Angry Muslims demonstrated against Charlie Hebdo of Paris, a satirical magazine, for publishing cartoons that ridiculed God and the Prophets. On Jan. 7, 2015, two Muslims killed 12 of its employees. The subsequent edition had a print run of 7.95 million copies in six languages, compared to its typical print run of 60,000 in French only. Clearly, the Muslims’ negative reaction only made the magazine more popular. By just neglecting the blasphemous act, the problem could have been subsided and not become an international issue. Muslim violent reactions did not produce any positive results for Muslims or Islam. 

Can we prevent violent Muslim reactions to perceived blasphemy in Muslim countries?  No, so long as the punishment for blasphemy laws exists and violent ideology is preached in Muslim communities, which fuels anger and hatred towards people of other faiths. Extremists who kill in the name of blasphemy are doing a disservice to their faith. 

Abuse of Blasphemy Laws in Pakistan

From 1987 to 2017, more than 1,500 cases of blasphemy were registered in Pakistan. Most of the accused are in prison and some are facing the death penalty and 75 extrajudicial killings have occurred.

In 2010 Asia Bibi, a Christian female farm laborer from central Punjab was accused of insulting the Prophet, charged with blasphemy, and sentenced to death. Pakistan’s Supreme Court acquitted her in January 2019. Punjab governor Salman Taseer and federal minority affairs minister Shabaz Bhatti




 were killed for supporting her rights to a fair trial.

A Fulbright scholar in Mississippi, Hafeez returned home in March 2013 and joined the faculty of a university in Multan. He was arrested after some students accused him of posting derogatory comments on social media about the Prophet. Rashid Rehman, a prominent human rights lawyer who took up his case, was shot dead on May 7, 2014. In December 2019 Hafeez, who maintained his innocence and states that he comes from a religious family, was found guilty and sentenced to death.

In April 2017, a journalism student named Mardan at Wali Khan University was brutally murdered and his body was mutilated by his fellow students. It is said that Khan had posted content disrespectful of Islam on his Facebook page. He was an Ahmadi and allegedly had views that were different from the mainstream Muslim society. The brutal murder showed that the media, the courts, the government, and right-wing political parties have been creating an enabling environment for extremism and religious violence. The Muttahida Ulema Council (MUC) held a rally at which senior members of the council, politicians, and religious leaders participated in supporting the killers and blasphemy laws. 

On December 3rd, 2021, a lynching mob in Sialkot, Pakistan tortured a Sri Lankan man to death before burning his body over blasphemy allegations for desecrating posters bearing the name of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.

Muslims who Condemn Blasphemy Laws

Sheikh Ahmed Deedat (d. 2005), a well-known speaker on Islam, once stated: “The biggest enemy of Islam is an ignorant Muslim. His ignorance leads him to intolerance, and his actions destroy the true image of Islam. The people, in general, think that he is what Islam is.” 

Many classical-era Muslim scholars justified capital punishment based on their understanding of the relevant texts. However, their opinions are not eternal norms. Mohammad Hashim Kamali (“Freedom of Expression in Islam,” 1994), Taha Jaber Al-Alwani (“La Ikraha fi al-Din: Apostasy in Islam,” 2003) and other scholars oppose such rulings. 

Some argue that earlier scholars feared that those who renounced Islam and joined the enemy might annihilate the Muslims. Given that there are 1.8 billion Muslims today, is this “fear” still realistic? 

I am sure we all know the example when a non-Muslim came to visit the Prophets Mosque in Madinah and urinated in the sacred Mosque. The companions of the Prophet were furious and ready to kill him but Prophet stopped them saying “let him relieve himself.” The man finally accepted Islam as he was impressed with the toleration shown towards him. 

Many Muslims condemn the young French man who murdered the teacher but insist that the teacher is responsible for the provocation. Some argue a double standard exists giving the example of punishment for Holocaust deniers. It would have been more effective if the young man would have written a letter to the teacher on “how one's feelings get hurt if somebody used bad language towards one’s mother” and he loved the Prophet more than his own mother, and how the cartoon hurt his feelings and how he had to control his anger as per teachings of his Prophet who was sent to the world as a mercy to mankind. 

Appeal Against Blasphemy Laws

I appeal to Muslim Leaders to make every effort to abolish apostasy and blasphemy laws. I appeal to all World Leaders, Muslims, and Non-Muslim, to save humanity from further destruction. One needs to exert control over expressions of anger and develop a goal to support a multicultural society in this global village we live in, showing respect and dignity towards all individuals irrespective of their religion, culture and their country of origin.

Punishing alleged blasphemers violates the Quranic and Prophetic teachings. In fact, people who seek to “protect” God or His Messenger via lynching or issuing death threats are themselves an insult to Islam and the Prophet. 


_______________________________________________________
M. Basheer  Ahmed M.D

Former Prof. of Psychiatry- Southwestern Medical School, Dallas TX
Chairman Emeritus - MCC for Human Services
President IMPMS - Institute of Medieval and Post-Medieval Studies
President Emeritus IQRA - A Dallas/ Fort Worth peace initiative
Education, Research and Service to the Humanity is the Greatest Worship
Never Doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world. Indeed it is the only thing that ever has. - Margaret Mead

Saturday, June 13, 2020

Right to Blaspheme Essential to Islam, But No Duty to Blaspheme

By T.O. Shanavas, New Age Islam
January 24, 2015
My prayers are with the people of France and with the victims of Muslim terrorists all over the world. If the caricature of a prophet can disturb the respect and love of him in his followers, that prophet does not deserve my reverence.
Unlike the terrorists’ prophet, my Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and the Qur'an stand tall on the side of a free press by asking Muslims to ignore the insults and extend kindness and decency to mockers and in worse cases to withdraw from the source of mockery.
According to Qur’an, the right to blaspheme is essential to the Islamic order, but there is no duty to blaspheme or react violently to blasphemy.
“And verily messengers before you were mocked but in the end, the mockers were overwhelmed by the very thing they ridiculed.” [Qur’an 21:41.]
“Indulge [people] with forgiveness, [accepting] what issues spontaneously from people's manners [of behavior], and do not scrutinize them, and enjoin kindness, decency, and turn away from the ignorant, and do not counter their stupidity with the like.” [Qur’an 7:199]
“You shall most certainly be tried in your possessions and in your persons; and indeed you shall hear many hurtful things from those to whom revelation was granted before your time, as well as from those who have come to ascribe divinity to other beings beside God. But if you remain patient in adversity and conscious of Him - this, behold, is something to set one's heart upon.” [Qur’an 3:186]
“When you see those who engage in discourse about Our signs, the Qur'ān, in mockery, turn away from them, and do not sit with them, until they discourse on some other topic…”[Qur’an 6:68]
"And obey not (the behests) of the Unbelievers and the Hypocrites, and ignore their insults, but put thy Trust in Allah. For enough is Allah as a Disposer of affairs." (Qur’an 33:48)
None of the verses mentions the abridgment of free speech for non-Muslims even if it is painful, insulting, and indecent. In fact, free speech is abridged for Muslims because they are expected to ignore any mockery and make a polite exit from the scene in Verse 6:68. So, all Muslims must promote and defend a free press. An honorable response from Muslims to insult or other matters is clearly defined in the following verses:
“And not equal are the good deed and the bad. Repel evil deed by that [deed] which is better, and thereupon the one whom between you and him is enmity [will become] as though he was a devoted friend.” [Qur’an 41:34]

Monday, January 18, 2016

Boy’s Response to Blasphemy Charge Unnerves Many in Pakistan

Blasphemy laws are evil and anti-Islamic, check this out
http://blasphemylaws.blogspot.com/2012/04/blasphemy-laws-go-against-islam.html


Mike Ghouse
# # #


Boy’s Response to Blasphemy Charge Unnerves Many in Pakistan


Courtesy New York Times

LAHORE, Pakistan — Late one night, the imam Shabir Ahmad looked up from prayers at his mosque to see a 15-year-old boy approaching with a plate in his outstretched left hand. On it was the boy’s freshly severed right hand.

Mr. Ahmad did not hesitate. He fled the mosque and left the village, in eastern Punjab Province.

Earlier that night, Jan. 10, he had denounced the boy as a blasphemer, an accusation that in Pakistan can get a person killed — even when the accusation is false, as it was in this case.

The boy, Anwar Ali, the son of a poor laborer, had been attending an evening prayer gathering at the mosque in the village, Khanqah, when Mr. Ahmad asked for a show of hands of those who did not love the Prophet Muhammad. Thinking the cleric had asked for those who did love the prophet, Anwar’s hand shot up, according to witnesses and the boy’s family.

Continue reading the main story
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He realized his mistake when he saw that his was the only hand up, and he quickly put it down. But by then Mr. Ahmad was screaming “Blasphemer!” at him, along with many others in the crowd. “Don’t you love your prophet?” they called, as the boy fled in disgrace.

Anwar went home, found a sharp scythe and chopped off his right hand that same night. When he showed it to the cleric, he made clear it was an offering to absolve his perceived sin.

Continue reading the main story
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The police quickly caught the mullah and locked him up, but local religious leaders protested, and the authorities backed down and released him. After the international news media began picking up on the story over the weekend, the authorities rearrested Mr. Ahmad on Sunday, holding him on terrorism and other charges.

“There is no physical evidence against the cleric of involvement, but he has been charged for inciting and arousing the emotions of people to such a level that the boy did this act,” the district police chief, Faisal Rana, said.

The boy’s family, however, argues that the cleric did nothing wrong and should not be punished.

“We are lucky that we have this son who loves Prophet Muhammad that much,” Muhammad Ghafoor, Anwar’s father, said in a telephone interview. “We will be rewarded by God for this in the eternal world.”

Anwar, too, declined to make any charge against the mullah. “What I did was for love of the Prophet Muhammad,” he said.

Blasphemy is a toxic subject in Pakistan, where a confusing body of laws has enshrined it as a potentially capital offense but also makes it nearly impossible for the accused to defend themselves in court. Even publicly repeating details of the accusation is tantamount to blasphemy in its own right.

Such cases almost never make it to court, however. The merest accusation that blasphemy has occurred has the power to arouse lynching or mob violence.

The governor of Punjab, Salman Taseer, was assassinated by his own bodyguard in 2011, after Mr. Taseer criticized the country’s blasphemy laws and defended a Christian woman who had been falsely accused under them. The assassin is a national hero to many devout Pakistanis: His jail cell has become a pilgrimage site, and a mosque was renamed to honor him.

On Monday, Pakistan lifted a three-year-old ban on YouTube, which it had shut down because of accusations of airing anti-Islamic videos. The government announced that Google, which owns YouTube, had agreed to give it the right to block objectionable content. The Pakistani government blocks thousands of web pages it considers offensive.

“We have become a society so intoxicated by negative things in the name of religion that parents feel proud of sending their children to jihad and to die in the name of such activities,” said I.A. Rehman, the secretary general of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan. “The government needs to do more to educate people and to speak out against extremism.”

Anwar Ali did not even go to a hospital after his amputation, but had his right arm’s stump bandaged at a village clinic and went home. Family members buried his hand in the village graveyard.

Waqar Gillani reported from Lahore, and Rod Nordland from Kabul, Afghanistan.

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A version of this article appears in print on January 19, 2016, on page A4 of the New York edition with the headline: Imam’s Arrest in False Case of Blasphemy Roils Pakistan. Order Reprints| Today's Paper|Subscribe

Tuesday, February 3, 2015

Nations Must Repeal Blasphemy Laws

Courtesy of Huffington Post
What did the terrorist attacks against the Charlie Hebdo newspaper and the kosher supermarket in Paris share with the flogging of Saudi blogger Raif Badawi in Jeddah last month? Each was an assault on freedom of conscience, religion, or belief. Moreover, in the Charlie Hebdo and Badawi cases, those responsible denied their victims the right to speak freely about religion because, in their view, such critics are blasphemers who insult religion and must be punished.

RAIF BADAWI

People naturally should try to do their utmost to honor and uphold each other's inherent dignity as fellow human beings and respect their most cherished beliefs. But when this laudable idea is rejected by a demand that perceived transgressors be silenced by force -- including even murder and torture -- rather than engaged through debate and discussion, the line has been crossed from freedom to coercion.
As the Badawi case illustrates, it is not just private individuals and groups which cross that line. Governments also label and punish certain speech by enforcing blasphemy laws, some of which carry the death penalty. In so doing, they embolden citizens to commit bloodshed against alleged blasphemers.
In the face of this assault on human rights and dignity, the world community must confront these abusive laws and the horrific acts they unleash, pressing offending nations to repeal these statutes and release people imprisoned because of them.
As Badawi can attest, one such nation is Saudi Arabia. The Kingdom enthrones its own interpretation of Sunni Islam and bans the public expression of any other religious belief. Dissenters may be charged with offenses ranging from apostasy to blasphemy.
Badawi founded and edited the Free Saudi Liberals website, a forum for the free expression of diverse political and religious views. The government arrested him in June 2012, charging him with apostasy and "insulting Islam." While in January 2013, a Saudi court dropped the apostasy charge, it sentenced him in July 2013 to 600 lashes and seven years in prison on other charges and ordered that his web site be shut down. Last May, an appeals court increased the sentence to 10 years and the number of lashes to 1,000, or 50 lashes weekly for 20 consecutive weeks. Badawi's latest flogging has been postponed and the Saudi high court is reviewing his case.
While Saudi Arabia punishes dissenters from its interpretation of Sunni Islam, Iran does likewise to those it deems to threaten its own brand of Shi'a Islam. Muslims, including Shi'a dissenters, and non-Muslims including Baha'is and Christians, who have been jailed, tortured, and executed for "insulting Islam" or "waging war against God."
But when it comes to the application of blasphemy provisions, no nation is more zealous than Pakistan. While these laws largely target Muslims and carry the death penalty or life in prison, they disproportionately impact religious minority communities. The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, on which we serve, knows of at least 17 Pakistanis on death row and 19 more serving life sentences for blasphemy, with many more awaiting trial.
Pakistan's blasphemy statutes also fan the flames of skyrocketing sectarian violence and provide extremist groups and vigilantes fuel to unleash terror, especially against minorities, with impunity.
No Pakistanis are safe from these laws, not even government officials. In 2011, Shabbaz Bhatti -- Pakistan's minority religious affairs minister and a Christian, and Salmaan Taseer -- the governor of Punjab province and a Muslim, were assassinated for opposing these laws. Reacting to mere allegations of blasphemy, mobs recently lynched a Christian man and his pregnant wife, while a policeman used an axe to kill a Shi'a in custody.
Clearly, the world community must respond to these abuses.
In March 2011, the United States and like-minded countries blocked efforts at the United Nations to internationalize blasphemy prohibitions, defeating an initiative that promoted an international legal norm against the so-called "defamation of religions." Instead, a framework that promotes tolerance, understanding, and community engagement replaced that flawed concept.
It is time to show similar resolve today by pressing nations to repeal their blasphemy laws and challenging leaders to promote cultures of tolerance and mutual respect.
It is particularly important for free nations to repeal their own codes. Several European countries, from Austria to Greece, Ireland to Poland, still have blasphemy laws on the books. Repealing them would send the right message.
Finally, the world should press for the release of Raif Badawi and other blasphemy-law victims. While many Western governments condemned Badawi's flogging and urged that his case be reviewed, which reports suggest is now happening, none have called for his unconditional release.
Let the message be clear: Don't quash speech that belittles or offends. Fight such speech with more speech -- speech that ennobles. Honor freedom of expression and religion by repealing all blasphemy laws.
*Katrina Lantos Swett is chair of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF). M. Zuhdi Jasser is a USCIRF Commissioner.

Saturday, January 24, 2015

Right to Blaspheme Essential to Islam, But No Duty to Blaspheme

It is a good piece by Dr. Shanavas  on freedom of speech as well as blasphemy.

Indeed, Freedom of expression is the God-given right of every human, and is the foundation of civil societies. Indeed, it is the freedom of speech that has allowed Islam to grow in Europe and America. We should honor and respect that freedom with all our heart, mind and spirit. We cannot betray the very ideals that gave us the freedom to be who we are, and we cannot allow anyone to violate others freedom.

Criticism of Islam, Cartoons of the prophet or cursing at the Quran will not make them disappear. Islam is not going anywhere and neither the prophet. They are here for good and nothing will happen to them, and they are not weaklings that seek the protection from ordinary humans. They are beyond all that. Indeed, the acts of these terrorists, who falsely claim to defend the name of the prophet, actually make God and the Prophet Look bad to the affected individuals.

These men need to know, that Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was criticized, attempts were made to kill him, and he was even harassed including getting pelted with rocks that hurt him. What did he do in return? Retaliate? Hurt them? None of it, instead he prayed for their well being. If you are a follower of the Prophet, you need to be a mercy to fellow humans and not a terrorist.



Criticism can fade away or rain on us depending on how Muslims respond to it.  Lack of conviction in one's faith breeds intolerance towards criticism, whereas firmness in faith can lead us to learn from criticism, explore the infinite wisdom and realize the strength of our faith (Imaan); a worthy feeling to have, instead of living in doubt and shooing criticism away.

Mike Ghouse
# # #


Right to Blaspheme Essential to Islam, But No Duty to Blaspheme
By T.O. Shanavas, New Age Islam
January 24, 2015

My prayers are with the people of France and with the victims of Muslim terrorists all over the world. If caricature of a prophet can disturb the respect and love of him in his followers, that prophet does not deserve my reverence.

Unlike the terrorists’ prophet, my Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and the Qur'an stand tall on the side of free press by asking Muslims to ignore the insults and extend kindness and decency to mockers and in worse cases to withdraw from the source of mockery.

According to Qur’an, the right to blaspheme is essential to the Islamic order, but there is no duty to blaspheme or react violently to blasphemy.

“And verily messengers before you were mocked but in the end, the mockers were overwhelmed by the very thing they ridiculed.” [Qur’an 21:41.]

“Indulge [people] with forgiveness, [accepting] what issues spontaneously from people's manners [of behavior], and do not scrutinize them, and enjoin kindness, decency, and turn away from the ignorant, and do not counter their stupidity with the like.” [Qur’an 7:199]

“You shall most certainly be tried in your possessions and in your persons; and indeed you shall hear many hurtful things from those to whom revelation was granted before your time, as well as from those who have come to ascribe divinity to other beings beside God. But if you remain patient in adversity and conscious of Him - this, behold, is something to set one's heart upon.” [Qur’an 3:186]

“When you see those who engage in discourse about Our signs, the Qur'an, in mockery, turn away from them, and do not sit with them, until they discourse on some other topic…”[Qur’an 6:68]

"And obey not (the behests) of the Unbelievers and the Hypocrites, and ignore their insults, but put thy Trust in Allah. For enough is Allah as a Disposer of affairs." (Qur’an 33:48)

None of the verses mentions the abridgement of free speech for non-Muslims even if it is painful, insulting, and indecent. In fact, free speech is abridged for Muslims because they are expected to ignore any mockery and make a polite exit from the scene in Verse 6:68. So, all Muslims must promote and defend free press. An honorable response from Muslims to insult or other matters is clearly defined in the following verses:

“And not equal are the good deed and the bad. Repel evil deed by that [deed] which is better; and thereupon the one whom between you and him is enmity [will become] as though he was a devoted friend.” [Qur’an 41:34]

URL: http://www.newageislam.com/islamic-ideology/to-shanavas,-new-age-islam/right-to-blaspheme-essential-to-islam,-but-no-duty-to-blaspheme/d/101194

Monday, June 2, 2014

Blasphemy and Apostasy Laws: Islam or Hislam?


It is one of the simplest but effective pieces in understanding Blasphemy, this virus has penetrated deeply into the psyche of Muslim, even though, it is not Islamic. Recommended reading.

Mike Ghouse

----------


Courtesy: FaithStreet

n January 2011, the governor of Punjab, Salman Taseer, was gunned down by one of his own security guards over a controversial move — opposing the blasphemy law in Pakistan. Although thousands of Pakistanis condemned this by attending his funeral and showing support on social media, religious fanatics hailed his murderer as a hero, recently naming a mosque after him.

As a Muslim, I stand firmly against blasphemy laws. My faith demands that I do so, for it repeatedly asks me to stand for justice and fight oppression.

The Quran shows us that even though God’s prophets were mocked and threatened, they never killed their accusers for hurting their “religious sentiments.” In fact, the Quran opposes any laws that restrain freedom of speech or would have someone killed over differences in belief. Rather, Quran 73:10 says, “Be patient over what they say, and leave them graciously.”

So how did these blasphemy and apostasy laws come to be associated with Islam?

The blasphemy and apostasy laws are found in the Hadeeth, sayings attributed to Prophet Mohammad, which were compiled two-three centuries after his death. Muslims know that no Hadeeth should contradict the Quran if they are to be accepted, given their subjective nature and reliance on the Quran for authenticity.

But early scholars intentionally overlooked this to protect the interests of clergymen and political leaders. These oppressive laws allow them to exercise complete control over people, punishing anyone who threatens their position by declaring them apostates — enemies of Islam. To so many clergymen, religion is nothing but a means to gain power and control people. To keep out competition and force their monopoly, they invent laws in the name of God so “consumers” have no choice but to keep buying their “product.” Or face persecution.

Religious leaders like Tahir-ul-Qadri, a staunch proponent of blasphemy laws, rule people by fear. Add to that the fact that the average Muslim is unaware of the Quran’s teachings, which makes them likely to believe whatever the clergy tells them about Islam. Of these leaders, the Qur’an asks us to be weary: “O You who have believed! A great many religious leaders: rabbis, priests, monks, Mullahs, yogis, and mystics devour the wealth of people in falsehood, and bar them from the path of God” (Quran 9:34).

So what exactly does the Quran say about blasphemy and apostasy?

Quite frankly, blasphemy and apostasy laws are themselves blasphemous to the teachings of the Qur’an. Not in the traditional sense, but because they violate the very instructions the scripture gives regarding freedom of belief.

Regarding apostasy, in Quran 2:256 God says, “There is no compulsion in matters of faith. The right way is now distinct from the wrong way. Anyone who denounces false authorities and becomes at peace with God has grasped the strongest bond; one that never breaks. God is Hearer, Knower.”

In a similar vein, verse 109:6 instructs adherents to end a debate by saying: “To you, your belief system. And to me, mine.”

If all that isn’t convincing enough, Quran 10:99 should seal the deal: “If your Lord willed, all who are on earth, would have believed (by not providing free will). Would you then, compel people to become believers?”

When it comes to blasphemy, I often hear some version of, “Hold on. If someone mocks my religion, it prompts me to act violently. You see, it makes me very emotional.”

But this statement only shows an ignorance of the Quran, which says in verse 6:68, “When you see them engaged in vain discourse about Our verses, turn away from them unless they engage in a different subject. If Satan ever makes you forget (i.e. your mind gets engrossed in their discourse,) then as soon as you recollect, no longer sit in the company of the people who confound the truth with falsehood.”

Here, Muslims are instructed to engage with these people if they change the topic. Certainly that means we’re not to have enmity towards them, let alone kill them!

And, again, Quran 28:55 instructs, “Whenever they (believers) hear vain talk of ridicule, they withdraw from it decently and say, ‘“To us our deeds and to you yours; Peace be upon you, we do not seek to join the ignorant.”

Those verses are practically shouting freedom of expression at the top of their lungs! Islam is a very progressive path to God, one in which differences in opinions and beliefs are accepted, not punished (Quran 39:18). On the other hand, blasphemy and apostasy laws lead to negative misconceptions about Islam being an oppressive faith.

But what are we Muslims to do? By not voicing our disapproval, we stand for these anti-Quranic laws and call them Islam. Is that not like setting your own house on fire? There is not a single verse that encourages Muslims to act violently toward those who leave Islam, or even mock the Quran. After all, shouldn’t truth be able to defend itself on its own merit? What good is a forced belief?

We can even take it a step further by noting how rejecters treated the prophets.

Of Prophet Nooh: “They said, ‘If you do not desist, O Noah, you will surely be of those who are stoned’” (Quran 26:116).

Prophet Ibrahim’s father said, ”Do you dislike my gods, O Abraham? If you cease not, I will certainly cause you to be stoned to death! Now get away from me for good” (Quran 19:46). Similarly, the priesthood said of Ibrahim, “Burn him alive and uphold your gods if you are going to take any action” (Quran 21:68).
Regarding Prophet Musa, “[Pharaoh] said, ‘If you take a god/authority other than me, I will surely place you among those imprisoned’” (Quran 26:29). To Musa’s followers, Pharaoh also said, “I will surely cut off your hands and your feet on opposite sides, and I will surely crucify you all” (Quran 26:49).”

These verses should reveal to us a different perspective: all prophets were seen as blasphemers and apostates to the prevalent religion of their time. To condone the oppressive laws of religious leaders today is to support ill treatment of the prophets. After all, you would’ve done the same!

And that’s the most ironic part. If a messenger were to come today, these clergymen and their ardent followers would utter the same threats to him. They have fabricated their own laws in the name of God, so when you ask them to reform, they either consider you a blasphemer or an apostate and have a fatwa issued to kill you.  That’s the scary thing about truth: it doesn’t warrant aggression but is always met with it.

This is not a matter of interpretation, as some would call it. The Quran condemns forced belief in numerous verses. Rather, this is a matter of giving preference to the Hadeeth over the Quran to justify bigotry and extremism in the name of Islam. Having said that, it’s up to you whether you want to rethink your stance or keep blindly following what you have been taught — whether you want to follow Islam or Hislam. Because unlike misguided religious fanatics, sincere believers never force their beliefs on others.

What’s the Golden Rule, again? “Any secondary source on Islam that goes against the Quran should be rejected.”

Often said, but seldom followed.

The opinions expressed in this piece belong to the author.
Image courtesy of Cezary Piwowarski.
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About

Ro Waseem Ro Waseem is a progressive Muslim who is bent on separating culture from religion. His articles have been published by The Express Tribune, The Malaysian Insider, and World Religion News. He blogs about Muslim reformation at http://quranalyzeit.wordpress.com.

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Blasphemy Charges against Christians Shafaqat Masih and Shagufta Bibi in Pakistan, Muslims Condemn these charges.

Evil exists because good people do nothing about it – all it takes for evil to subside is for the good people to speak up.

The formula is simple: The evil people (in all nations and all religions) are less than 1/10th of 1% - if 5 of them scream, all we have to do is get 10 of us from a lopsided pool of  99% to speak up,  and I have seen them run – realizing that there is no support for them.

The latest is the SMS blasphemy charges, the good news is that the Deobandi Ulema have promised the Christians to bring amendments to blasphemy charges in Pakistan, it would be good to see them keep their promise.

Blasphemy and Apostasy are tools of tyrants to suppress people; it is not Islamic in any sense.  Prophet showed the right way by example, but the Muslim monarchs, dictators and a handful of ulema (it is shame that we call them Ulema instead of Jahil) like all damned fascists erected the apostasy and blasphemy charges to oppress.
Besides, these fanatics are dumb people, if they really want to convert other people, pray for them, like the Prophet, instead of pushing them. Don't kick the beehive if you want to gather honey.  

The Muslims of today – I mean the 99% of Muslims are civilized and cultured,  and we should not let 1/10th of 1% of Jahils (brutes) dictate the nature of Islam.
As a Muslim I condemn these shameful and ugly acts against Christians, and as Muslims, it is our duty to stand up for the oppressed. 

Please remember, Islam is not going anywhere; prophet is not going anywhere, and by opening ourselves up to criticism, we will learn a lot more about our faith than we would ever know. We need to move away from intolerance to acceptance of a different point of view without having to agree with it. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) lived through it and Muslims can learn from his examples.

Criticism can fade away or rain on us depending on how Muslims respond to it.  Lack of conviction in one's faith breeds intolerance towards criticism, whereas firmness in faith can lead us to learn from criticism, explore the infinite wisdom and realize the strength of our faith (Imaan); a worthy feeling to have, instead of living in doubt and shooing criticism away.

Mike Ghouse
www.MikeGhouse.net 
www.WorldMuslimCongress
and WorldMuslimCongress@yahoogroups.com


BLASPHEMY CHARGES
ASIA/PAKISTAN - "Technological Blasphemy": Christian couple arrested for insulting Muhammad via SMS

Islamabad (Agenzia Fides) - A new "front" of blasphemy seems to be opening in Pakistan after the life sentence of a man accused of having sent a blasphemous SMS (see Fides 15/07/2013), cases and complaints of blasphemy via SMS increase. As reported to Fides, another blasphemy case was registered against a Christian couple in the town of Gojra, in Punjab. Shafaqat Masih, 35, and his wife Shagufta Bibi were arrested by the local police because accused by the Muslim Rana Mohammad Fiaz for having sent a blasphemous SMS on the Prophet Muhammad. The police traced the SIM card and arrested the couple.


A court of first instance validated the arrest, placing further investigation. Shafaqat Masih is disabled and his wife is a waitress in a local school. Their two teenage children are now being taken care of by the NGO "World Vision in Progress", which also aims to provide legal assistance. Gojra is a place which is "religiously sensitive" since 2009, when, due to a case of alleg ed desecration of the Koran, the Christian area of the city was set on fire, causing 8 deaths, destroying 40 homes and a church.

Currently the debate on blasphemy through new technologies, mobile phones, computer resources is alive in Pakistan. The Telecommunications Authority and the government are discussing technical solutions to the problem of the presence of blasphemous material on the Internet, on YouTube, on social networks. Many are calling for a law to limit and censor blasphemous Internet sites.

Another issue is the abuse of the law of blasphemy, sometimes used instrumentally to hit opponents. As reported to Fides, recently a delegation of 15 ulema in Karachi, of the Islamic school of thought "Deobandi," assured its support to the Christian community to propose an amendment to the blasphemy law: the goal is to stop their misuse against members of religious minorities.

Among the cases reported by Fides is that of a Christian 15-year-old from Karachi, Ryan Brian Patras, accused of having sent blasphemous SMS to some peers (see Fides 12/10/2012) and the victim of a plot. The boy and his family escaped by miracle from the murderous rage of a few extremists. (PA) (Agenzia Fides 23/07/2013)