Rampant Violation of Human Freedoms in Islamic Societies
By
Dr. Mohammad Ghitreef, New Age Islam
20 January
2022
Muslim Societies
Are Still Being Governed By The Troika, Which Iqbal The Philosopher-Poet,
Complained About
Main
Points:
1. Religion is
not something to be policing on.
2. Without
rethinking some relevant aspects of Islamic Fiqh we can not hope for a true
Islamic Renaissance.
3. Muslims
normally bitch about the West that there is exaggerated individualism.
4. Why impose
on citizens or on foreigners a dress code approved by mullahs, ayatollahs, and
clergy?
---
During the
first lockdown in 2020, I read several fiction and nonfiction books in English
and Urdu. One of them was, "Among the Believers" by reputed English
writer, the Trinidad based novelist of Indian origin, Nobel laureate V.S
Naipaul. Naipaul in his rendering sounds a bit Islamophobic and unfriendly to
Islamic societies. In this sense reading him may be an unpleasant experience,
yet his writings reveal some facts too. This is important for us to know as
facts on the ground have hardly changed from early 1980s. Naipaul had travelled
to these Islamic countries following the Islamic revolution of Iran in
1978-1979.
Naipaul's
narration is spun around his journeys into some Muslim lands such as Pakistan,
Iran, etc., and the personal experiences of meeting dealing, and conversing with officials,
mullahs, gentlemen, and general people. He writes about insights and meanings
he derived from these encounters.
One of his
derivations is that Muslim societies lack basic human freedoms and are still
being governed by the troika, which Iqbal the philosopher-poet, complained
about. Iqbal described it in his Persian poem as Muslim personality ‘’crushed
by the trio, the kingship, the clergy and the priesthood” اي
كشته سلطاني وملائئ و پیری)
I myself
had occasion to travel to Iran, Pakistan etc. Reading Naipaul reminds me of my
journey to Iran. I recall when we were still airborne, our airplane bound to
Tehran was nearing its destination, and when it was announced that we are
approaching Tehran soon, I noticed a flurry of movements especially among the
female travellers, a few amongst them were Muslim women, some non-Muslim and
some westerners. All were resetting their dresses, sporting headscarves. When
we finally landed, I understood the reason, the strict dress code for women
prescribed by the Iranian regime. It was President Ahmadinejad’s reign.
The
question is that our mullahs are very vocal that Islam is all for individual
freedom, human rights, women’s dignity, etc, then why impose on citizens or on
foreigners a dress code approved by mullahs, ayatollahs, and clergy? Iran is
supposedly referred to as a successful model for Islamists of all hues and
colours in the world but the factual position is telling another story.
Recently I
have read an autobiographical book by Iranian Nobel laureate and noted human
rights activist Sheren Ebadi's "Until We are Free.” She has been a human
rights activist throughout her life. When ‘’Islamic Revolution” came into the
country she welcomed the move because she was working against the ruthless
“shah” and his cruel police state. She was a judge at that time. Now Islamic
regime sacked her from her portfolio, for she, as a woman, doesn't fit to the
post, as a rule, judge, or any big public office in the views of mullahs, no
matter how much highly meritorious she was. After that, she continued her human
rights work voluntarily and raised her loud voice against the flagrant
violation of human rights by the regime.
First, the
revolutionaries tried in vain to buy her, invoking her loyalties to the nation
and Islam, premising that human rights activism is a western creature to defame
the Islamic revolution. When she received the Noble prize, her voice became
much louder and she is heard around the world, posing a threat to them. They
shut her office for human rights and prevented her from providing any legal
help to the victims of the regime. In coming times, she would be compelled to
flee the country saving herself and her two daughters' lives. Notwithstanding
that, the Iranian intelligence agents did not stop here. They continued her
harassment, mental torture, intimidation, threats to kill, ban on her entry
into Iran and arrest warrant against her, and vicious propaganda by state
television that she was a traitor playing in the hands of the West.
The most
obnoxious and vicious tool to torture her mentally they contrived was that they
forced her faithful husband to utter this bizarre blame against his beloved
wife in front of TV cameras which would be duly aired at the vantage point.
Then they would manage a forced divorce from her husband after 32 years of
loving and intimate relations. The hidden hands of the regime chase her even in
London, while at home the establishment had confiscated her house, family
property even her Iranian passport, and so on.
Now anyone
can see if this is what a model Islamist regime might do with a Nobel laureate
as a punishment for the "crime" of taking up human rights of
citizens, imagine what punishment they may give to ordinary citizens.
This is the
story of a model state for many Islamists around the world. I wonder what would
happen if they one day would come to power in more countries? Possibly they
will repeat the heinous examples of the dreadful ISIS caliphate as it is seen
in Afghanistan under the Taliban today to an extent.
The world
is afraid because in their first innings the Taliban not only closed all
schools and girls’ schools, in particular, but also destroyed the monumental
Buddha statues at Bamiyan. They executed at random harsh Islamic punishments
without fulfilling due processes of law, for they do not believe in the modern
judicial system; they only believe in prompt and instant justice. Which
ironically turned out in many cases that sodomy addict mullahs and their protégés
had been executing punishments of adultery by stoning the culprits to death!
One such incidents was described also in ‘’The Kite Runner” by Afghan novelist
Khalid Husseini.
Saudi
Arabia houses the two holiest shrines of Islam; the Kaaba and Madina mosque,
which is why it is very near and dear to every Muslim heart. It is unfortunate
that it also witnesses the worst kind of religious imposition in the form Mutawwah
institution and also in persecution and curbing of dissent, torture, and
killing in cold blood of political adversaries.
Now crown
prince M.B wrongly is thinking that by holding open concerts, building new
cities like Dubai and opening new open markets for tourists he will be
successful in presenting a good and humane image of his kingdom before the
world. Never, the world has seen the true and dreadful face of his despotic
autocracy in the clandestine, brutal and inhuman killing of the US-based Saudi
Journo Jamal Khashoggi by Saudi secret agents in the premises of the Saudi
embassy in Ankara.
Coming back
to Pakistan, it is quite clear what is happening there in the name of blasphemy
laws, as extrajudicial mob killing is every day happening there.
Religion is
not something to be policing on. Because in its core religion is a matter of
heart, it purifies inner self first of all, then pervades all the aspects of
human life. So you cannot purify heart by punishing, intimidating, and
bullying. It could be done only with love and selfless service, as done by the
holy prophet and his companions and the great Sufis around the world.
Rumi and
other great Sufis' teaching is that religion in its core is the love of God,
love of his beloved messenger, and love of all fellow human beings. Love arose
from the heart voluntarily and from within, you cannot impose love on somebody
from without. If you impose your creed, your faith, and your religion on others
by force you will end up wreaking havoc on a human being and imbibe duality in
his personality, creating hypocrisy and double standards in human behaviour, demonstrating
by their deed what they do not believe in their heart. Surely hypocrisy is the
worst kind of human qualities as Quran call it. The hypocrites will be in the
lowest depths of the fire. (4:145)
I have no
problem if you keep a very long beard, or sport headscarf to cover your body
from head to toe voluntarily, though I may not agree with that ideologically.
Because it is your free choice, yet the moment you try to impose your choice on
me I must be alarmed. To me, it is a brazen violation of Quranic injection لكم
دينكم ولي دين
(To you be your
way, and to me mine,109:6)
and لست
عليهم بمسيطر
(Thou are not one
to manage (men’s) affairs, 88:22)in which the basic human freedoms enshrined
for everyone.
Muslims
normally bitch about the West that there is exaggerated individualism and
collectivity has no room there. The equal complaint I have concerning Muslim
societies that there is normally no freedom for a man and individuality is of
no importance. The end result is that the man or woman does no longer evolve at
all. The potentials are strangled. Geniuses have to flee to the West due to
lack of suitable environment. Therefore, Muslim nations are suffering from a
brain drain now.
Without
delving deep into our grim situation and without rethinking some relevant
aspects of Islamic Fiqh we can not hope for a true Islamic Renaissance.
-----
Dr. Mohammad Ghitreef is a Research Associate
with the Centre for Promotion of Educational and Cultural Advancement of
Muslims of India, AMU Aligarh.
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islamic-society/human-freedoms-islamic-societies/d/126199
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