Dear Mr. Pillai and Mr. Kannan
I’ve been following a series of your email messages that were primarily targeting Islam and its prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). A news item from Saudi Arabia that dates back to 2002 was picked up by someone to show that Muslims are savages and there were some comments about the Prophet too.
While I acknowledge your freedom to make any comments on anything under the sun or beyond it, do not assume that what you were propagating all these days was the only thing that is happening in the world. I can cite hundreds of examples of barbaric things that are happening in and around the world to say that the religion of those people who commit those barbaric act is savage and violent. But, I would not blame such things on someone’s faith because of common sense. Moreover, my faith also prevents me from doing so. For instance, I can’t ever say that the acts of the Ranbir Sena, a ruthless army owned by upper caste Hindus in Bihar who has earned notoriety by mercilessly murdering thousands of low caste Hindus there, are happening because of the Hindu religion. (Read this Indian Express article on this: http://www.indianexpress.com/res/web/pIe/ie/daily/19990315/iex15088.html)
Also, those who paraded a dalit woman naked in the streets of Bellary, Uttar Pradesh were not doing that because Hinduism preaches them to do so. (Read the Hindu article on this: http://www.hinduonnet.com/2001/08/28/stories/01280006.htm) I can easily differentiate between the religious teachings and the barbarous acts of some of its followers.
In Madhya Pradesh, when a group of villagers burned Kuttu Bai, 65, in the funeral fire of her husband in the name of "sati" (Read BBC report on this: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/2180380.stm), it was not the religion at fault, but people who were interpreting religious teachings for their vested interests were at fault. Examples are galore, but for sensible people, these are enough.
Now coming back to the Prophet’s subject, one of the main accusations against him is that he was advocating violence. Historical facts are at stake here. As I said before, for the sake of criticism, you can merely criticize anyone under the sun. But, if we do not want to sacrifice our integrity and show justice to history, we should be honest with historical facts that no one can deny. How can a man who and whose followers were mercilessly tortured by the polytheists of Makkah for continuous 13 years and who did not raise a single hand against his enemies throughout this period be described a preacher of violence? The Makkans imposed a tight embargo on him and his entire family and were cornered in a valley called Shiab Abi Talib for continuous three years and they were even eating leaves of trees to survive. Throughout this period, nobody was allowed by the Prophet to raise their hands against their enemies. His companions were tortured to such an extent that they used to come to him and tell him that why you are not doing anything to stop this from happening? His only response was to show patience. Even after migrating to Madina after these harsh 13 years, he was wishing for peace and wanted to lead a peaceful life. However, when the Quraish hunted him down there as well, he began to defend against such a ruthless enemy. And after conquering Makkah during his eight’th year in Madina, he pardoned the very people who fought him with such brutal force. These are historical facts no one can deny. Read articles by independent historians to get a clear picture. (For your reference, I'm attaching a PowerPoint presentation, please read it before you make any comment).
So, my friendly and sincere call to you is not to sacrifice your own integrity for the sake of criticism. Get your facts straight and do justice to history.
In the meantime, do not think that I justify any of those savage acts committed by Muslims elsewhere. But, my suggestion is that we should all stand together to fight barbaric acts by people of all faiths. They do not represent any religion, but own vested interests.
Wishing you all the best…
Taj Aluva
Email: tajaluva@gmail.com
Blog: www.tajaluva.blogspot.com
I’ve been following a series of your email messages that were primarily targeting Islam and its prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). A news item from Saudi Arabia that dates back to 2002 was picked up by someone to show that Muslims are savages and there were some comments about the Prophet too.
While I acknowledge your freedom to make any comments on anything under the sun or beyond it, do not assume that what you were propagating all these days was the only thing that is happening in the world. I can cite hundreds of examples of barbaric things that are happening in and around the world to say that the religion of those people who commit those barbaric act is savage and violent. But, I would not blame such things on someone’s faith because of common sense. Moreover, my faith also prevents me from doing so. For instance, I can’t ever say that the acts of the Ranbir Sena, a ruthless army owned by upper caste Hindus in Bihar who has earned notoriety by mercilessly murdering thousands of low caste Hindus there, are happening because of the Hindu religion. (Read this Indian Express article on this: http://www.indianexpress.com/res/web/pIe/ie/daily/19990315/iex15088.html)
Also, those who paraded a dalit woman naked in the streets of Bellary, Uttar Pradesh were not doing that because Hinduism preaches them to do so. (Read the Hindu article on this: http://www.hinduonnet.com/2001/08/28/stories/01280006.htm) I can easily differentiate between the religious teachings and the barbarous acts of some of its followers.
In Madhya Pradesh, when a group of villagers burned Kuttu Bai, 65, in the funeral fire of her husband in the name of "sati" (Read BBC report on this: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/2180380.stm), it was not the religion at fault, but people who were interpreting religious teachings for their vested interests were at fault. Examples are galore, but for sensible people, these are enough.
Now coming back to the Prophet’s subject, one of the main accusations against him is that he was advocating violence. Historical facts are at stake here. As I said before, for the sake of criticism, you can merely criticize anyone under the sun. But, if we do not want to sacrifice our integrity and show justice to history, we should be honest with historical facts that no one can deny. How can a man who and whose followers were mercilessly tortured by the polytheists of Makkah for continuous 13 years and who did not raise a single hand against his enemies throughout this period be described a preacher of violence? The Makkans imposed a tight embargo on him and his entire family and were cornered in a valley called Shiab Abi Talib for continuous three years and they were even eating leaves of trees to survive. Throughout this period, nobody was allowed by the Prophet to raise their hands against their enemies. His companions were tortured to such an extent that they used to come to him and tell him that why you are not doing anything to stop this from happening? His only response was to show patience. Even after migrating to Madina after these harsh 13 years, he was wishing for peace and wanted to lead a peaceful life. However, when the Quraish hunted him down there as well, he began to defend against such a ruthless enemy. And after conquering Makkah during his eight’th year in Madina, he pardoned the very people who fought him with such brutal force. These are historical facts no one can deny. Read articles by independent historians to get a clear picture. (For your reference, I'm attaching a PowerPoint presentation, please read it before you make any comment).
So, my friendly and sincere call to you is not to sacrifice your own integrity for the sake of criticism. Get your facts straight and do justice to history.
In the meantime, do not think that I justify any of those savage acts committed by Muslims elsewhere. But, my suggestion is that we should all stand together to fight barbaric acts by people of all faiths. They do not represent any religion, but own vested interests.
Wishing you all the best…
Taj Aluva
Email: tajaluva@gmail.com
Blog: www.tajaluva.blogspot.com
1 comment:
I am astonished and saddened by the extent of ignorance that persists about Islam and the Holy Quran. It is human nature to believe in the supremacy of one's own beliefs and force it on others turning a blind eye to what is noble in that of others. This is the cause of all conflict and not any particular ideology. It is the beauty of Islam that it professes no such divisiveness but exhorts unity and mutual respect. Blaming Islam for the evils of a fraction of its followers is like blaming pizza for stomachache after consciously making the decision to eat two tons of it. A religion cannot be held responsible just because some miscreants like to don its colors while totally neglecting its core beliefs. I hope common sense prevails and good people of all faiths unite against violence, poverty, corruption, and all such ills that plague the world instead of wasting valuable resources in an endless rhetoric of hate. Can’t we see that all terrorists are already united in their desire to grab power by diverting attention from the things that matter--peace, love, social and economic welfare? Let us not be putty in their hands.
Post a Comment