Is there a hope to “Reform” Islam
An analysis of the real roots of Islamic terrorism and possible solutions
T. Hamid
It is evident that Islam has been linked to violence for almost all of its history.
Sadly, this is to a great extent true. From the beginning of the invasion of most of
Europe, North Africa and some parts of the East by early Muslims in order to
convert them to Islam. Continuously until the modern crisis of “Islamic Terrorism”
that shocked the world on Sep 11th, that ended the lives of many innocent Jews
in Israel, that ended the lives of many innocent Australians in Bali attack, that
caused the catastrophe of bombing the train in Spain, and which has tortured to
death many innocent Westerners who live in the Islamic world.
Many people in the West tried to correlate the recent violence observed in the
Islamic world to lack of education, poverty, and a feeling of oppression blamed
on the Israeli/Palestinian conflict.
Unfortunately, the simple facts showed us clearly, and beyond doubt, that these
excuses are not the true causes of “Islamic terrorism”. Most of the leaders of
terrorism are highly educated people who range from Doctors, e.g. Alzawaheri
the second man and the real brain of Alqaida, lawyers, e.g. the first female
Palestinian terrorist, and University students, e.g. Mohammed Atta who was one
of the top organisers of Sep the 11th. In addition, most of the hijackers on Sep 11th were from Saudi Arabia, the richest
Islamic country. If the theory of poverty is correct, why then are the poor people
who live in Brazilia are not the ones who lead international terrorism?
Furthermore, Islamic Terrorism was minimal between the declaration of the state
of Israel in 1948, until the early 1970’s, when the Arabs were in a real war with
Israel.
If the Israeli/Palestinian conflict was the cause of terrorism, we would have found
terrorism booming between 1948 until the early 1970’s. On the contrary, it
dramatically increased in the late 1980s and until now when some Arabs states
have signed peace agreements with Israel.
This increase in terrorism directly correlates with the rise of Islamism in the late
1980s until now.
I have a Muslim/Arabic background, and I know how Muslims (including myself at
an early stage of my life) think, I clearly state that Muslims are using the excuse
of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict just to make the world hate Israel. It has nothing
to do with the current phenomenon of terrorism. Which was going to happen any
way, as a secondary phenomenon to expanding a violent version of Islam in later
years?
It is also difficult for any normal mind to comprehend that throwing concentrated
sulphuric acid on the face of young girls who do not wear the Islamic veil/scarf,
by the hands of the Islamic groups in Algeria, is related to the Israeli/Palestinian
conflict.
As one who was a member of one of the most fanatical groups in Islam, GI in
Egypt, and as a person who has resisted Islamic fundamentalism when I realized
its threat some 20 years ago, I feel that it is my obligation toward mankind to
declare that the origin of Islamic Terrorism is deeply rooted in the way Muslims
understand their religion. In other words, in Islamic teaching itself.
When you read the Quran, you will find many great verses that promote peace
and tolerance. But you will also find verses that can make you very violent and
intolerant toward Non Muslims.
Sadly, most Islamic scholars throughout the history of Islam, present it in a way
that promotes a very violent and intolerant attitude. And more sadly, the
oppressive religious system suppresses many attempts to understand Islam in
the light of the peaceful verses.
Not only that, but the majority of Muslims especially those in the Arab world, are
brought up in a manner that considers a peaceful understanding of the religion as
a sign of weakness rather than a sign of strength.
A violent understanding of Islam is based on the following fundamental beliefs
that are fixed in the mind of many, if not most, knowledgeable Muslims.
These are:
1- The concept of “Allnasech and Almansuch” .
2- The ignorance of the value of the word “the” .
3- Practicing Hadith of “Al-Bukhary” and other books while ignoring
unambiguous peaceful verses of the Quran.
4- Historical understanding of the verses rather than language-based
understanding.
5- Presenting only a special part of the verse to promote specific meaning
and ignoring the rest of the verse.
Let us now address the previous points separately and see if this violent way
of thinking could change.
1- The concept of “Allnasech and Almansuch”.
According to this concept and based on traditional Islamic teaching, certain
verses especially the later ones cancel the meaning of other earlier verses on a
similar subject.
Let us have a look at these two parts of the Quran to understand the above
concept.
Verse 1
“60:8 God forbids you not, with regard to those who fight you not for (your) Faith
nor drive you out of your homes, from dealing very kindly and justly with them: for
God loves those who are just. 60:9 God only forbids you, with regard to those
who fight you for (your) Faith, and drives you out of your homes, and supports
(others) in driving you out, from turning to them (for friendship and protection). It
is such as turn to them (in these circumstances), that do wrong.”
Verse 2
{9: 29} Fight those who believe not in Allah nor the Last Day, nor hold that
forbidden which hath been forbidden by Allah and His Messenger (Mohammed),
nor acknowledge the religion of Truth (Islam), (even if they are) of the People of
the Book (Christians and Jews), until they pay the Jizia (Humiliation Tax
according to traditional Islamic teaching and practice in history) with submission,
and feel themselves subdued. (Revelation Number 113).
Sadly, according to the concept of “Allnasech and Almansuch” traditional Islamic
teaching teaches that the “later” verse negated the “former” which obviously will
result in extremely violent understanding and practice.
This way of thinking (to cancel the meaning of the peaceful verses) is
based on the following verse in the Quran:
There are two ways to understand the above Arabic word as the origin of the
word “Nansakho”, is the verb “Yansakho” or its more powerful version
“Yastansikho”.
The first way of understanding the word ‘Nansakho” in the above verse, is to
abrogate (cancel the meaning) as in the following verse:
“22:52 Never did We send an apostle or a prophet before thee, but, when he
framed a desire, Satan threw some (vanity) into his desire: but Allah will cancel
(Yansach) anything (vain) that Satan throws in, and Allah will confirm (and
establish) His Signs: for Allah is full of Knowledge and Wisdom
The other way of understanding, the word “Nansakho” means (to write
and document something) as in the following verse:
“2:106 None of Our revelations do We
abrogate “Nansakho” or cause to be
forgotten, but We substitute something
better or similar: Knowestthou not that God
is able to do any thing?
“45:29 “This Our Record speaks about you with truth: For We were wont
to put on Record and write down (Nastansikho) all that ye did.”
The difference here is huge, as according to traditional teaching, the first verse is
canceled out. Thus ending in the violent verses canceling the meaning of the
peaceful ones, as those violent verses were proclaimed by the prophet
Mohammed at a later time.
On the other hand, if the word “Nansakho” is understood as ‘to write down anddocument’ the meaning of the verse could be that: If God has written of his
miracles or signs (Aia) in the books or did not write it down and consequently
people forget it, he usually comes with a better one.
As you can see, the interpretation which is based on pure Arabic language,
shows the real power of God in bringing new and better miracles and signs every
time which is compatible with the word ‘able to do anything” at the end of the
verse.
While understanding it as ‘cancellation’ of a meaning, it is not compatible at all
with the ability of God, as any one can cancel what he or she said.
I
n other words the concept of cancellation of the meaning is not compatible at all
with the end of the verse (see the black box above).
Imagine that, according to the concept of cancellation of the verses, most of the
peaceful verses in the Quran were considered “Mansuch’ or cancelled by the
violent ones and consequently it is not surprising to find the outcome of Islam is
almost always violent!!
2-The ignorance of the value of the word “the”
Many readers may wonder how these three letters can make such a
fundamental difference in the understanding of the Islamic religion.
It is as if some one told you give me a book, and then you can generalize the
meaning and apply it to any book. Whilst if he or she said to you “give me the
book’ then the whole meaning changes to a specific book that both you and the
speaker know.
To explain this point in the understanding of the Quran, please have a look on
the following verse:
“9:73 O Prophet! strive hard against the (Infidels) unbelievers and the Hypocrites,
and be very harsh against them.
Typical Islamic teaching generalizes the above verse to all Infidels. This
obviously will succeed into changing many followers of Islam into beasts.
The word “the” specifies the meaning to ONLY a certain item or group. Such
groups are defined by the following verse that specifies with whom the rough
treatment, violence, or fighting should be:
“2:190 Fight in the cause of Allah those who fight you, but do not start attacking
others.
If the word “the” is considered in the process of understanding the Quran, many
the verses that promote violence against Non-believers (Infidels) will be specific
to ONLY those who start war on Muslims and can not be applied to any “Infidel”.
Can you see now how the word ‘the” can make such a difference!
3-Practicing the Hadith of Bukhary, and other books, whilst ignoring the
“unambiguous” verses of the Quran.
Hadith is considered by most Muslims as the “oral traditions” of Mohammed. No
one is considered to be a Muslim without following them, according to traditional
Islamic teaching. These started to be collected some 200 years after the death of
the prophet Mohammed by a man called Al-Bukhary, who was followed by many
others who also collected (as they claim) the oral traditions of Mohammed.
The best example to illustrate how following Al-Bukhary resulted in a catastrophe
in Islam. It is the hadith that justifies killing any one who converts from Islam to
another religion.
The Hadith is in a book called Sahih Albuchary and is considered by Al-Bukhary
as a correct Hadith or “ Hadith Sahaih”.
Let us have a look now at that Hadith, and compare it to what the Quran has
stated:
Hadith: “ It is not allowed for any Muslim to kill another Muslim except in the
following circumstances: if he committed murder, if he committed adultery, and if
he converted from the Islamic religion to another religion”
Look now at what the Quran states, to understand the difference:
18:29 Say, “The truth is from your Lord”: it is up to anybody to believe it or not to
believe it (convert or become Infidel)”
I think the difference is clear between the two approaches.
As the reader can see, applying that which is written in Al-Boukhary resulted in
justifying the threat of killing many innocent people such as Salman Rushdie (the
author of the book, Satanic Verses), and many innocent people who want to
have a different form of belief.
Whilst, to the contrary, the Quran gave full freedom for any person to believe in
what he or she wants.
The application of the Hadith mentioned above (called Hadith Almurtad or theconverter) has resulted in largely the domination of the violent version of Islam as
the Hadith, which was used to kill virtually any one who dares to understand
Islam in a peaceful manner.
4-Historical understanding of the verses rather than language- based one
(Jihad)
The exact meaning of the word “Jihad” is ‘to resist’. This could be to resist an
enemy who attacks you, or resist your desire to do evil.
Sadly, the word has been used throughout the history of Islam to attack those of
different religions.
The Arab invasion of Europe and many other parts of the world such as
Palestine, and North Africa are evidence of this. Since then, the word has
become linked to an attacking attitude, rather than its real meaning, which is ‘to
resist’.
It is like the word ‘gay” which typically means “happy”. Since its repeated use
describing homosexuals, it has come to refer to homosexuals rather than its
former meaning. The same has happened with the word ‘Jihad’ which is linked to
the violent attitude of most of current Islamic teaching. Whilst the original
language-based meaning (to resist), was forgotten by most Muslims, and is
virtually non-existent nowadays.
Muslims now have one of two choices. These are to understand the word in its
historical context which means that they are declaring war against Non-Muslims
all over the world, or to revert to the pure Arabic language-based understanding
of the words encouraging peace.
5-Presenting only a special part of the verse to promote specific meaning
and ignoring the rest of the verse
This point can be exemplified by the following verse that is used by many Islamic
organisations to recruit young people.
“9:36 and fight the Infidels all together”.
When Muslims read this verse, many of them especially the young ones, get very
motivated to practice the will of ‘Allah” and start thinking of attacking Non-
Muslims to satisfy the Creator and inherit the paradise.
What these fundamental Islamic groups are not showing to these young Muslims
is the rest of the verse, which is, “as they fight you all together.”
The whole verse is “and fight the Infidels all together as they fight you all
together” but the Islamic groups presents the first part only to support their violent
views. They hide the rest of the verse, as it will specify the fighting to ONLY
those who start war on Muslims.
As can be seen, the traditional way of understanding Islam has contributed to the
violence that has been committed by Muslims around the world.
It is so sad to see that so many people following such teachings, as those who
attempted reformation or tried to promote a peaceful way of understanding Islam
were prosecuted or killed.
I
tried to teach a peaceful understanding of the Islamic religion for more than 20
years. I have warned many people of the catastrophic consequences that will
happen from the expansion of such violent understandings.
Sadly the attempt was on a very small scale, and I failed because I was fighting
virtually by myself against the violent version of Islam that is supported by the
money of Saudi Arabia.
It is now the responsibility of Muslims to either accept the traditional teachings
which will encourage them declare war on all Non- Muslims, or to accept the
peaceful way of understanding their religion which can make them good human
beings.
I sincerely hope that they choose the second option!
Finally, I want also to say to all Muslims:
Do not resist the light …….. Do not love the darkness ………… Hate the violent
way of thinking, as it makes you appear as beasts ….. Your violent way of
thinking has resulted in the killing of many innocent people in the West ……. and
has resulted in killing many innocent children in Israel.
I
wish to see you one day demonstrating in your millions and saying to those
barbarous Islamic fanatics like Bin Laden, “Bin Laden …… you are the enemy of
humanity”.
Your “deafening silence” just shows that you support terrorism in your hearts,
and that you need to change.
I have been into Churches and Synagogues where they were praying for you and
for peace – and at the same time - your Muslim preachers in the Mosques are
saying loudly, “Oh Allah make their children Orphans, .. Oh Allah make their
wives widows, and even (most recently), Oh Allah make the uterus of the Infidels’
wives fibrotic”…………… If this is what you want your religion to be … do not
blame those who will say “shame on Allah, and shame on your religion”
If you mean God by the word “Allah”, then I assure you that the true God will
curse you forever for defaming his name.
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