Gun attack on French magazine Charlie Hebdo kills 11
01-07-2015, 01:38 PM
Dear friends,
As a person of Islamic background, I feel I should address this issue with some perspectives which may not come easily to those who are not actively engaged in Islam, or have direct involvement with the religion. I feel that this community is special because of its ability to detect the underlying emotional motivations of human beings, and it is because of this attribute that I hope what I say will make sense to some of you.
First of all, murder is always a tragedy from the Islamic perspective, and especially such cold-blooded murder as you have read about today. Any muslim who supports this does his own religion a disservice, as well as a disservice to other followers of the religion, God Himself, and humanity in general. This is unconditionally true.
However, my post is an attempt to explain the tension that exists between Islam and the West.
On the freedom of speech:
It must be noted that the absolute freedom of speech is not conducive to a cooperative society. We would not say whatever came to our minds about our dear friends' family members, for instance, because such topics can be sensitive.
In general, muslims do not choose Islam as those in the west might choose a religion. In Islamic countries, and to most muslims, Islam is a right by birth - it is like being born into a family that defines itself by certain beliefs.
Islam is reality to muslims, and a violation of the tenets of that reality (especially when it is intended offensively) is much more hurtful to muslims than those in the west might imagine. It is like somebody has insulted your mother intentionally for no reason apart from because they wished to demonstrate their freedom of speech. Now, I am not saying that hurt justifies murder, but I imagine that many people do not understand why it causes such severe reactions. Islam is not merely choosing to believe in a God; it is seeing God and his word in every aspect of reality, and respecting that word with love and devotion. Even though I have spent many of my formative years in the west and gained a great appreciation for its many qualities, upon seeing the cartoons it felt as though my beliefs were worth nothing to my friends, and my innermost comfort was fair game for mockery. Imagine doing something in devotion five times a day for your whole life, with your whole family and community, and then being told by somebody that it is worth nothing in a deliberately incendiary manner.
Note that when people compare insulting Jesus and Christianity to insulting Muhammad, they make a false comparison, because in many western countries only a small percentage of the population practice a faith, and they often grow up in a society which values principles such as freedom of speech. As such, religiously offensive pieces are part and parcel of that society, and it is normalised. It is incorrect, however, to assume that because it is normal and acceptable in the west, it is also the case in Islamic countries. On the contrary, it is seen as a sign of degeneration and blasphemy. To think that other countries should adopt western norms is perhaps indicative of a colonial mindset, but to think that Islamic countries should react in the same manner is to betray a complete lack of understanding of the moral fabric of those societies.
Of course, the muslims living in western countries have chosen to live there, and so should adapt to the new environment and not expect special treatment.
On terrorism:
Once again, I must reiterate that such cold-blooded murder is unconditionally wrong. I will attempt to explain the emotional motivations of terrorists, but this is in no way a justification.
The outrage and horror at today's events is evident, and it is widespread across Europe and the west - that is because the attack is not merely against a French publication, but rather it symbolically attacks western values. No matter where you are in the west, it feels close to home.
This sentiment is mirrored in the Islamic world, for as I said earlier, when you are a muslim, there is no reality outside of Islam, and therefore all muslims feel to a certain extent like family. The consequence of this is that when drones are killing children in Pakistan, it feels like the west is attacking you as a muslim. This leads some to terrorism, and whilst I cannot condone it, I can understand how it happens. Some of you might be thinking that western powers should increase its aggression towards Islam because of today's events...well, the inverse is true for those who consider the many wars in the middle east and asia to be unjustified occupations of muslim countries. Note that there has not been a single instance of an Islamic occupation of a western country, but there have been multiple western occupations of islamic countries. A reaction is inevitable, and my thought is that there would have been outright war if there weren't such an asymmetry of power between the occupying forces and the occupied.
'Islamophobic' reactions are completely understandable:
If I had not grown up in an Islamic context, and only grown up in the west, I could well be what people call 'islamophobic'. This is a bullshit term which only adds to divisions between the two cultures, as it applies a blanket terminology to many issues without addressing the cause of these issues.
Islam as it is commonly presented in the media is not easily likeable. Many Islamic countries have not adhered to Islamic tenets, and this adds to the problem. A good example is Saudi Arabia, where hideous, gigantic, neon structures now surround the most sacred location in Islam, and a fundamentally flawed interpretation of the religion (Wahhabism) dominates the cultural landscape.
Terrorists shout 'Allahu Akbar' before murdering innocent people - the same phrase that is used in the call to prayer. There is a repression of women in many states, and there has been a fundamental lack of cultural and philosophical development for the past two centuries - most of the development that has occurred has been in the form of a cheap imitation of the west, and most cultural treasures stem from a time far back in antiquity, or so it seems.
In contrast to all this evidence, I must insist, this is not Islam.
Many wonder why muslims do not speak up for themselves and explain their religion. Trust me, they do, but it is like trying to conduct a philosophy lesson next to a parade. I have a personal relative who has written books about the religion, specifically in response to 9/11, and actively conducts interfaith dialogues in America, but of course the media is not going to run segments on the true meaning of Islam, it will cover what is most newsworthy. Unfortunately, the most newsworthy aspects of Islam are the most controversial, and this is often the fault of muslims, who have not educated themselves in their religion, and also the fault of occupying forces, who force violent reactions from muslims.
The solution comes from within, and without:
Many here are familiar with the SJW narrative, and have tried to influence culture by pointing out its flaws and hypocrisy. It is clear that it is no easy task to shift a cultural paradigm, but in the west there is a culture of individual determination which encourages a critical appraisal of information to make an informed decision. Even in such a climate, cultural change is not easy.
In a similar way, many educated muslims have been trying to change narratives about Islam, however, there is a great problem in the way narratives about the religion are disseminated. Often, their is a hierarchical power structure to this dissemination, and the incumbent power will use religion to its advantage, encouraging suitable elements of repression through dubious interpretation. This is what muslims must fight against, and it is indeed the responsibility of muslims to change this narrative to live in a better, more Islamic society.
However, this also requires a lack of interference from the west, because otherwise many muslims will react with violence and hatred. They will feel oppressed and victimised, and no attempt to censor or influence an islamic society will ever succeed without total annihilation of one or the other. Again, I must repeat that God is not a choice for muslims, and the teachings of the Quran are not a choice either. The west will never be able to justify such freedom of speech to a muslim country: the perspectives are totally incompatible in some senses and should be respected as such.
I personally do not know any muslims who condone the atrocities you see in the media, despite spending my childhood in a muslim society and being of a muslim background. I noticed that Milo Yiannopoulos tweeted some statistics about those who empathised with 9/11 and 7/7 (1 in 5 muslims), and again I would say a significant number of people here would empathise with the French if they declared war on an Islamic country in response to the attacks today. Furthermore, 'empathise' is not a synonym for 'support'.
I do believe the answer is to leave each culture to its own devices.
What is Islam?
Finally, I will inform you about some of the actual teachings in Islam, so you know that I am not just repeating platitudes.
Every single verse in the Quran except one begins with the words: 'In the name of Allah, the Infinitely Good, the All-Merciful'. These two names of God are chosen from 99 names, highlighting the particular aspects of God that are absolutely fundamental: that is, goodness and love (moreover, compassionate love). No-one can claim that acts of terror are acts of goodness and love. The passages of violence in the Quran directed early muslims against those who wished to stop them from practicing their religion. It was, ironically, a war against the terrorising of the first muslims.
In the Quran, it is said: 'For each We have appointed a law and a path; and if God had wished He would have made you one people. But He hath made you as ye are that He may put you to the test in what He hath given you. So vie with one another in good works. Unto God ye will all be brought back and He will then tell you about those things wherein ye differed.'
The emphasis of the Quran relative to other religions is on oneness and submission. This submission is done out of humility in the face of the great creative Force. In such humility, there is no place for muslims to discriminate between which of those created are better and which are worse, the only thing that is certain is that the Oneness is supreme; and in that sense, we are all equally worthy in our participation in this oneness, muslim or not.
Yesterday, I was praying to myself, using the phrase 'Allahu Akbar', which means God is great. I was thinking of the many wonderful things that have happened in my life, including discovering this forum. Remembering God is not done as a justification for our human atrocities, it is done in celebration of the preciousness and beauty of life. It is done so that even in our darkest hour, we might recall that there is an objective goodness upon which we all can depend.
I hope I will have brought a useful perspective to this issue.
Wishing peace and love to all.
