At the outset, let me state that this is not about Islam the religion but about the way Islam is practiced today. In 7th century Arabia, where it was first propagated, Islam was welcome. It was way ahead of the times and offered the Arabs a much better way of life. In the next 4-5 centuries the Arabs made tremendous progress in various fields, in part due to the relative peace Islam offered the region. But, as with any other religion, Islam hasn’t kept pace with the times. The way it is practiced today is out of sync with the modern world. Sadly, the clerics want it to remain that way.
Having been born in a Muslim family I have been exposed to various nuances of Islam, eve though I choose not to follow it. And there are certain things about Islam which bug me more than anything else. Many of these are applicable to other religions as well, in different degrees.
Pan-world brotherhood – The brotherhood of Islam transcends borders. All fellow Muslims are your brethren and non-Muslims your enemies - this is what the clergy preaches. With the consequence that an Indian Muslim might feel more hurt at the injustice meted out to a Palestinian Muslim than the injustice suffered by a fellow Indian Hindu. This is dangerous and we se the consequences in the current wave of ‘Islamic terrorism’. Ideally, I am all for a borderless world where the only identity you carry is you as a person and nothing expresses this better than the Mohd. Rahi song ‘Tu Hindu banega na Musalman banega insaan ki aulaad hai insaan banega…….’. But that is a long way ahead, if at all that happens. So if the world is to be divided into groups of people on some basis I would rather have geography or language or culture as the basis, rather than religion.
Outdated practices like triple talaaq, the veil, four marriages, etc. In 7th century Arabia each of these had logic/ a reason to it. Not anymore. And the hypocrite clerics only pay lip service to religious reform. Ever since I can remember the AIMPLB has been talking about doing away with some of these practices but no action is forthcoming. Walk the talk guys. I think even Pakistan fares better than India on this count. I respect scholars like Asghar Ali Engneer for trying to bring about reform but, sadly, their tribe is dwindling and is not taken seriously.
Language – They insist that Arabic is the language of Allah and hence you should pray in Arabic. Bullshit. The simple fact is that Prophet Mohammed and his followers knew no other language and it is but natural that the religious scriptures would be in Arabic. If you want others to follow your religion, please preach to them in their language and you will find many more followers.
Claiming superiority over others – There are 2 ways to claim superiority over others. One is to simply proclaim that you are the best. The other is to acknowledge the others are good but at the same time claim that you are better. Islam’s founders took the later route. So you will find Muslims saying their religion also considers Moses & Jesus as prophets as also the founders of those religions which worship nature. But the others failed. So Allah sent Prophet Muhammad with a new, improved message for humans. The bottomline - Islam is the new, improved, latest version of Allah’s message. IT IS SUPERIOR
Closed religion – Islam is the only major religion which doesn’t allow others to visit their religious places and take in a flavour of what it is about. This arrogance astounds me.
More demanding – You are supposed to pray 3/5 times every day, plus there are special longer prayers on occasions. And add mourning periods too. This restricts your life. I salute Aga Khan (spiritual head of Aga Khan Khojas) for decreeing that his followers need not adhere to the daily namaaz schedule and that he will be answerable to Allah for this digression when Judgement Day comes.
No fun in life – Music is supposed to be haram i.e. against the tenets of Islam. And interest too. So bye bye to modern banking. And all forms of entertainment as they corrupt young minds. All this if you believe the hardline clerics. Thankfully, most Muslims choose to ignore them. C’mon guys. You might as well ask us to retire and go stay in the Himalayas.
Infighting – Shias and Sunnis keep killing each other. Every other day I read about an attack on Shias/Sunnis at a mosque. A mosque of all places. And why this bloodshed? Over the issue whether Prophet Mohammed’s bloodline should have been the heir to the Caliphate after him. Nothing else. All their other beliefs are largely the same. When will these people grow up and realize that what happened happened. You cannot change it.
The Fatwas – The fatwas issued by Deoband in recent times are ridiculous and laughable at the least.
I will again reiterate. What I write is based on the practice of Islam that I have seen, not the scriptures. Anyway, I believe the scriptures are no longer in their original form and are misinterpreted by the clerics in order to retain their hold over the followers. And this is true of all religions.
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