In a recent Facebook discussion, a friend of a friend articulated the following:
"Many Americans, specifically non-Muslim Americans, do have questions about what Muslims believe and the connection of those beliefs to the terrorist actions we are seeing out of the Islamic world over that past 30 years or so. Is there something within Islam itself, as a belief system, that justifies terrorist action against innocent civilians, or are the Islamic terrorists being unfaithful to what Islam teaches? (in the same manner that someone who identifies as a Christian and murders an abortion doctor would be acting in a manner that is unfaithful to Christian teaching).
Under what circumstances is violence justified according to Islam? That would be the question many Americans have and are concerned about. I believe it is fair to say that is the question that Juan Williams seems to be asking and reflecting on as well."
My response:
"These are the valid questions that need to be raised. These questions are the questions that people will naturally come to. However, it also speaks to a hidden rejection of Islam as a divine religion. I say that because a fair-minded Muslim would not ask if the violence that a Christian or Jew perpetrates is rooted in his theology. Why? Muslims believe that these religions are from one God. His way and will are the same throughout. The independent laws may be different, but the overall message is the same.
A fair-minded Christian or Jew could only ask this question and think that it is a valid question because they are starting from the focal point that "this Islam thing" comes from a different creator and a different being, so there is a chance that there is something in it that could be wrong. This perspective lays the foundation for the other skewed views that arise.
Hence, unless we begin to rely on the true foundations of our faiths, we will continue to start from a position of defeat, rejection and disenchantment. Starting from these positions cannot allow us to embrace each other as brothers in the belief in One God, much less as brothers in humanity."
"Many Americans, specifically non-Muslim Americans, do have questions about what Muslims believe and the connection of those beliefs to the terrorist actions we are seeing out of the Islamic world over that past 30 years or so. Is there something within Islam itself, as a belief system, that justifies terrorist action against innocent civilians, or are the Islamic terrorists being unfaithful to what Islam teaches? (in the same manner that someone who identifies as a Christian and murders an abortion doctor would be acting in a manner that is unfaithful to Christian teaching).
Under what circumstances is violence justified according to Islam? That would be the question many Americans have and are concerned about. I believe it is fair to say that is the question that Juan Williams seems to be asking and reflecting on as well."
My response:
"These are the valid questions that need to be raised. These questions are the questions that people will naturally come to. However, it also speaks to a hidden rejection of Islam as a divine religion. I say that because a fair-minded Muslim would not ask if the violence that a Christian or Jew perpetrates is rooted in his theology. Why? Muslims believe that these religions are from one God. His way and will are the same throughout. The independent laws may be different, but the overall message is the same.
A fair-minded Christian or Jew could only ask this question and think that it is a valid question because they are starting from the focal point that "this Islam thing" comes from a different creator and a different being, so there is a chance that there is something in it that could be wrong. This perspective lays the foundation for the other skewed views that arise.
Hence, unless we begin to rely on the true foundations of our faiths, we will continue to start from a position of defeat, rejection and disenchantment. Starting from these positions cannot allow us to embrace each other as brothers in the belief in One God, much less as brothers in humanity."
Quaiser, I think that your response is very insightful. But one question that I would ask is - Do Jews believe that the Christian religion stems from the same source? Yes, Christians believe this about Jews, but do they believe this about Muslims? Muslims believe this about Chrsitian and Jews, but this is because the tenants of the Muslim faith, Islam, proclaim this. If Jews believed that Christianity and Islam came from the same Creator - wouldn't that make them believers of one of the major tenants of the Islamic faith?
ReplyDeleteI had a conversation with a Jewish co-worker before. We were speaking about kosher vs. thahibah food, and I said that we (Muslims) did not have as many dietary restictions as the they (Jews) had, because some of their laws were later abrogated and therefore did not apply to us. He made a point to say that their laws were never abrogated, and I told him, well of course you wouldn't belive that because if you did then you'd belive as I believe.
In the end, we steered the conversation away from abrogation and towards commonalities and differences between Kosher and thabiha foods.
I say all this to ask -
Is the belief that 'all three Monotheistic religions stem from the same creator' a belief that Jews, Chrsitians and Muslims share? Or is it just a Muslim viewpoint? If no then the answer to me seems simple, they would ask this question becaue they do view it as this "Islam thing". If yes, if they believe that all three religions are from the same Creator, then how have they come to follow the religion that they follow? Why are they not following the final laws and ways that reflect God's will?
It has taken me all afternoon to figure out how to articulate what's been haunting me about this post.
ReplyDeleteFor me, it comes down to a question about ignorance (as in lack of knowledge, not attitude). Let's say someone asks the question above. For argument's sake, let's make her a Christian. She's been raised without any ecumenical exposure to other religions, including Islam, so she doesn't know that Muslims believe in the same God she does. She's heard media reports that some terrorists cite the Qu'ran as their motivation for their actions, but she knows that the media don't always represent things accurately. So, she asks the question above. Does her ignorance preclude her from being "fair-minded," when she's seeking to rectify that ignorance? Why?
@Jaime - I do understand your sentiment. Given the context of your query, the sentiments expressed above would not refer to you. Granted, the position I took in the analysis above was based on someone who has had encounters with Muslim and knows about the precepts of Islam. The perspective articulated, in my opinion, was flawed, because although the person was aware of Islam, they chose to ignore the knowledge they had of Islam and attempted to root violence within the doctrine of Islam. This is found to be somewhat unfair for someone of that calibre.
ReplyDelete@Fatimah - Good question. Historically, many have looked into their holy texts to find instances of the foretelling of the coming of Muhammad and Islam. Interfaith scholars and debaters like Ahmad Deedat have found such instances and references. However, is this something that is widely accepted and discussed? I do not know. I am leaning on the side of "no." Since the codification of these religions pre-dated the codification of the laws of Islam as enshrined in the advent of Muhammad (saws), then it would stand to reason that their holy texts would not have historical references to Islam, as Islam does of their faiths. The prophetic narratives about the advent of Muhammad in their texts would most likely be interpreted to refer to someone or something else, by some of their religious/doctrinal scholars.
ReplyDelete