On 16 May AB Sule explained his understanding of Islam's relation to terrorism. His is a hopeful explanation, quoting Surah 2:256 from the Quran: "there shall be no compulsion in religion". Yet other Muslims can quote Surah 9:29, which says "Fight those who believe not in Allah nor the last day...Nor acknowledge the religion of truth, (even if they are) of the people of the Book, until they pay Jizya (tribute tax) with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued." Surah 8:60 says "Strike terror (into the hearts of) the enemies of Allah and your enemies." Surah 9:123 says "O ye who believe! Fight the unbelievers...let them find firmness in you and know that Allah is with those who fear Him."
It is excellent that Mr. Sule says true Islam teaches "that in the sight of God, persecution, or making people constantly fear for their lives, is much worse than killing". But Christians in Muslim countries, and Muslims in Muslim countries who are found to have an interest in Christianity, still do fear for their lives. In late 2009 Asia Bibi, a Pakistani Christian, was asked to fetch some drinking water for some women she was working with. When she returned with the water, some of the other women refused to drink it because it was carried by a Christian (Bibi), and the other women considered the water unclean. An argument erupted then subsided. A few days later Bibi was attacked by a group of people. She was taken by the police for protection from the mob. In November 2010 she was sentenced to death for blasphemy. She remains in jail today, awaiting her fate.
In March of this year, five Iranian Christians were sentenced to a year's imprisonment for "crimes against the Islamic Order", and will be put on trial for blasphemy. The high school textbooks for 2010-2011 in Saudi Arabia include statements like these: "Jihad for the sake of God is a profitable trade and saves from painful punishment. It aims at spreading Islam and defending it and correcting the beliefs of people and directing them towards the worship of God Almighty. It also aims at preventing injustice and corruption and rooting out its origins from earth." "Jihad has three levels: . . . The third level: Jihad against the fighting enemies of Islam." "The Jews and the Christians are enemies of the believers, and they cannot approve of Muslims." "The struggle of this [Muslim] nation with the Jews and Christians has endured, and it will continue as long as God wills."
Consider the story of Achol Yum Deng, a Sudanese woman recently released from slavery in Sudan: "The war booty of a man named Adhaly Osman, Achol was threatened with death, gang-raped, genitally mutilated, forced to convert to Islam, renamed ‘Mariam,’ and racially and religiously insulted. She lost the sight in one eye when her master thrashed her face with a camel whip for failing to perform Islamic rituals correctly.” This young lady was recently ransomed through the efforts of John Eibner and Charles Jacobs, who have worked to free other Sudanese victims of slavery for the past 15 years.
We can all hope that many of Mr. Sule's fellow Muslims share his peaceful vision of Islam. We also earnestly hope that he and his like-minded coreligionists can convince Muslims who take a much more physically aggressive approach to Islamic propagation to change their violent ways.
Perhaps we can discern one sign of such a change. Two Pakistani officials (Governor Salman Taseer and cabinet minister Shabbaz Bhatti), who had made public statements opposing their country's anti-blasphemy laws, were recently murdered. Pakistan's Ambassador to the United States, Mr. Husain Haqqani, spoke these words concerning their deaths:
"Those who would murder a Salman Taseer or a Shahbaz Bhatti deface my religion, my prophet, my Koran and my Allah. Yet there is an overpowering, uncomfortable and unconscionable silence from the great majority of Pakistanis who respect the law, respect the Holy Book, and respect other religions.
"This silence endangers the future of my nation, and to the extent the silence empowers extremists, it endangers the future of peace and the future of the civilized world.
"We are all familiar with the haunting words of Pastor Martin Niemoller, written about pre-war Nazi Germany: 'First they came for the communists, and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a communist. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a trade unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a Jew.
Then they came for me, and there was no one left to speak for me.' "We cannot close our eyes, turn our backs and be silent about injustice and discrimination. When a Shahbaz Bhatti is murdered, and we remain silent, we have died with him.
"I recall the words of the great Rabbi Hillel, who said 2,000 years ago, 'If I am not for myself, who will be for me? If I am not for others, what am I? If not now, when?' "If we are silent, we allow evil to win.
"If we are not with others, what are we? "It is unacceptable.
"It is un-Islamic.
"And if I may use a term that has been abused, it is blasphemy."
It is excellent that Mr. Sule says true Islam teaches "that in the sight of God, persecution, or making people constantly fear for their lives, is much worse than killing". But Christians in Muslim countries, and Muslims in Muslim countries who are found to have an interest in Christianity, still do fear for their lives. In late 2009 Asia Bibi, a Pakistani Christian, was asked to fetch some drinking water for some women she was working with. When she returned with the water, some of the other women refused to drink it because it was carried by a Christian (Bibi), and the other women considered the water unclean. An argument erupted then subsided. A few days later Bibi was attacked by a group of people. She was taken by the police for protection from the mob. In November 2010 she was sentenced to death for blasphemy. She remains in jail today, awaiting her fate.
In March of this year, five Iranian Christians were sentenced to a year's imprisonment for "crimes against the Islamic Order", and will be put on trial for blasphemy. The high school textbooks for 2010-2011 in Saudi Arabia include statements like these: "Jihad for the sake of God is a profitable trade and saves from painful punishment. It aims at spreading Islam and defending it and correcting the beliefs of people and directing them towards the worship of God Almighty. It also aims at preventing injustice and corruption and rooting out its origins from earth." "Jihad has three levels: . . . The third level: Jihad against the fighting enemies of Islam." "The Jews and the Christians are enemies of the believers, and they cannot approve of Muslims." "The struggle of this [Muslim] nation with the Jews and Christians has endured, and it will continue as long as God wills."
Consider the story of Achol Yum Deng, a Sudanese woman recently released from slavery in Sudan: "The war booty of a man named Adhaly Osman, Achol was threatened with death, gang-raped, genitally mutilated, forced to convert to Islam, renamed ‘Mariam,’ and racially and religiously insulted. She lost the sight in one eye when her master thrashed her face with a camel whip for failing to perform Islamic rituals correctly.” This young lady was recently ransomed through the efforts of John Eibner and Charles Jacobs, who have worked to free other Sudanese victims of slavery for the past 15 years.
We can all hope that many of Mr. Sule's fellow Muslims share his peaceful vision of Islam. We also earnestly hope that he and his like-minded coreligionists can convince Muslims who take a much more physically aggressive approach to Islamic propagation to change their violent ways.
Perhaps we can discern one sign of such a change. Two Pakistani officials (Governor Salman Taseer and cabinet minister Shabbaz Bhatti), who had made public statements opposing their country's anti-blasphemy laws, were recently murdered. Pakistan's Ambassador to the United States, Mr. Husain Haqqani, spoke these words concerning their deaths:
"Those who would murder a Salman Taseer or a Shahbaz Bhatti deface my religion, my prophet, my Koran and my Allah. Yet there is an overpowering, uncomfortable and unconscionable silence from the great majority of Pakistanis who respect the law, respect the Holy Book, and respect other religions.
"This silence endangers the future of my nation, and to the extent the silence empowers extremists, it endangers the future of peace and the future of the civilized world.
"We are all familiar with the haunting words of Pastor Martin Niemoller, written about pre-war Nazi Germany: 'First they came for the communists, and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a communist. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a trade unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a Jew.
Then they came for me, and there was no one left to speak for me.' "We cannot close our eyes, turn our backs and be silent about injustice and discrimination. When a Shahbaz Bhatti is murdered, and we remain silent, we have died with him.
"I recall the words of the great Rabbi Hillel, who said 2,000 years ago, 'If I am not for myself, who will be for me? If I am not for others, what am I? If not now, when?' "If we are silent, we allow evil to win.
"If we are not with others, what are we? "It is unacceptable.
"It is un-Islamic.
"And if I may use a term that has been abused, it is blasphemy."
Rudy Poglitshmailto:Poglitshrpoglitsh@live.com
more letters at http://letterstothetos.blogspot.com/
