Posts
- A note on Sufism: The current War on Terror has probably made a lot of people aware of the term Jihad, or Holy War. In Sufism, Jihad would be defined as an internal struggle - a battle against forces that would seek to do bad, or work evil through you. Just like the Christian faith, not everyone interprets religious definitions literally.
I searched on the mountains and in the valleys
but neither in the heights nor in the depths was I
able to find Him. I went to the Ka’bah in Mecca,
but He was not there either.
I questioned the scholars and philosophers but
He was beyond their understanding.
I then looked into my heart and it was there
where He dwelled that I saw Him; He was
nowhere else to be found.
8 Dec 2008, 0206 hrs IST, Roana Maria Costa & Mohammed Wajihuddin, TNN |
MUMBAI: Outraged at the recent terrorist attacks on Mumbai and terrorists who have painted a distorted image of Muslims in the name of Islam, hundreds of Muslim men, women and children publicly denounced all the killers of innocents as enemies of Islam on Sunday. The protesters, which included several members from Bollywood, also said that the enemies of India were enemies of Muslims too. On Sunday afternoon, a silent march of the Muslims started from the CST station, one of the places the terrorists had chosen to create mayhem on 26/11, winding its way through Churchgate to the sea-front near the Oberoi-Trident. Similar protest walks, condemning terrorist outfits like the Al Qaeda, Taliban, ISI, LeT and SIMI and Huji were simultaneously held in cities like Bangalore, Ahmedabad, Indore, Hyderabad and Delhi. "We disown and denounce all those who kill in the name of Jihad. Terrorists are fascists and enemies of Muslims since Islam doesn't preach killing of innocents," said poet-lyricist Javed Akhtar. Akhtar said 26/11 attacks were unprecedented and were attacks on the dignity of the country. "Fascists are those who distort religion. There are bad elements in all religions. On 26\11 they didn't just place bombs and run, they entered our buildings, killed people and held hostages. No religion preaches killing of innocents," he said. 26\11 has changed the psyche of Indians, he said. "For the first time I've seen tears in so many eyes, people with so much grief," he said. Perhaps for the first time liberal Muslims were joined by the clerics coming from organisations like Jamiat-ul-Ulema in expressing their anger against the terror outfits who have hijacked Islam. Actor-TV anchor Javed Jaffri said the Muslims had to speak out openly because after all it's Islam which is being maligned. "There is nothing called Islamic terrorists. Islam is being misinterpreted by some groups. They kill people in the name of jihad. A religion which asks its members to greet each other with Assalamu Alaikum (peace be with you) could never sanction killing of innocents," he said. The rally walked the streets of Mumbai through DN Road, Hutatma chowk, passed by Churchgate station and ended near the Oberoi- Trident. Slogans like " Killers of innocents are enemies of Islam", "Our motherland's enemies are our enemies ", "Declare Pakistan a terrorist state" and "Close terrorists camps at once" were some of the slogans which screamed out from banners and placards. Javed Anand of Muslims for Secular Democracy (MSD), the man who had galvanised several groups and individuals for the Sunday's peace march, said that for too long the terrorists had exploited the name of Islam and it is the duty of every Muslim to call the bluff of individuals and organisations who spread terror and violence in the name of Islam. Actor Farooq Sheikh voiced similar opinions. "Terrorists are Muslims' number one enemy," he said. Ad-man and activist Alyque Padamsee, who was instrumental in getting the famous Deoband fatwa against terrorism a couple of months ago, said there were two kinds of Muslims: Real Muslims and fake Muslims. "Terrorists are fake Muslims while peace-loving tolerant Muslims are real Muslims," he said. "99.9% of Indian Muslims believe the Quran which says killing of the innocents is wrong. Those who don't believe it are naqli (fake) Muslims," he said. "Committing suicide is a sin in Islam, so how can a suicide bomber believe he would go to Jannat (paradise)," he said. |
| Muslims Condemn Mumbai Attacks, Worry About Image | ||||||||||||||||
 | ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
Ramallah, West Bank - Muslims from the Middle East to Britain and Austria condemned Sunday the Mumbai shooting rampage by suspected Islamic militants as senseless terrorism but also found themselves on the defensive once again about bloodshed linked to their religion. Intellectuals and community leaders called for greater efforts to combat religious fanaticism. Indian police said Sunday that the only surviving gunman told them he belongs to the Pakistani militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba. The group is seen as a creation of Pakistani intelligence to help fight India in the disputed Kashmir region. Another group, Jaish-e-Mohammed, has also operated in Kashmir. Both are reported to be linked to al-Qaida. Ten gunmen attacked 10 targets in the three-day assault including a Jewish community center and luxury hotels in India's commercial hub. More than 170 people were killed. Many Muslims said they are worried such carnage is besmirching their religion. ”The occupation of the synagogue and killing people in hotels tarnishes the Muslim faith,” said Kazim al-Muqdadi, a political science lecturer at Baghdad University. “Anyone who slaughters people and screams “Allahu Akbar' (God is Great) is sick and ignorant.” In Britain, home to nearly 2 million Muslims, a spokesman for the Muslim Council of Britain, Inayat Bunglawala, said that “a handful of terrorists like this bring the entire faith into disrepute.” A previously unknown Muslim group, Deccan Mujahideen, claimed responsibility for the attacks. The name suggests origins in India. Pakistan has denied involvement and demanding that India provide proof. In Pakistan, Jamaat-ud Dawa, an Islamist group believed to have ties to Lashkar-e-Taiba, denounced the killing of civilians. In Islamic extremist Web forums, some praised the Mumbai attacks, including the targeting of Jews. A man identified as Sheik Youssef al-Ayeri said the killings are in line with Islam. ”It's all right for Muslims to set the infidels' castles on fire, drown them with water .... and take some of them as prisoners, whether young or old, women or men, because it is one of many ways to beat them,” he wrote in the al-Fallujah forum. In the Gaza Strip, the territory's Islamic militant Hamas rulers declined to comment. Hamas has carried out scores of suicide attacks in Israel, killing hundreds of civilians in recent years. However, Hamas has said it does not want to get involved in conflicts elsewhere. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad referred to the attacks as terrorism, but added that the violence is rooted in “unjust policies” aimed at destabilizing the region. He did not elaborate. India is seen by many in the Arab and Muslim world as a Western ally. For example, Israel has become an important arms supplier to India, angering Muslim Pakistan. Saudi Arabia said in a statement carried earlier this week by the Saudi Press Agency that it “strongly condemns and denounces this criminal act.” An editorial Friday in Saudi's English-language Arab News said that “no civilized person ... can be anything but revolted and sickened by the terrorist attacks in Mumbai.” However, Jonathan Fighel, an Israeli counterterrorism expert, said Saudi organizations have been funneling money to Muslim militants in Kashmir. ”This demonstrates exactly the double game and, I would say, the hypocrisy of the Saudi regime,” said Fighel of the Israel-based International Institute for Counter-Terrorism. Throughout the Muslim world, the attacks set off soul-searching. ”I think that Muslims should raise their voice against such actions. They should forge a coalition to fight such phenomena, because it harms them and damages their image,” said Ali Abdel Muhsen, 22, a Muslim engineering student in the West Bank city of Nablus. Muslims and Arabs must confront the violence “that is taking place in our name and in the name of our (Islamic) tenets,” wrote Khaled al-Jenfawi, a columnist for Kuwait's Al-Seyassah daily. ”Unfortunately, we have yet to see a distinguished popular condemnation in the traditional Arab or Muslim communities that strongly rejects what is happening in the name of Islam or Arab nationalism,” wrote al-Jenfawi. | ||||||||||||||||
