vhp and islam

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Hue & cry over Islam: Reason & justification By Ramesh J Menon

http://news.indiainfo.com/publicopinion/islam.htmlIn recent weeks, there has

been a lot of hue and cry in India amongst Muslims and the secular bandwagon

with regards to a few statements made by the VHP (Vishwa Hindu Parishad)

regarding the minorities and the Quran. It seems the VHP wants the Muslims,

more so Indian Muslims, to "re-interpret" the words 'kafir' and 'jihad' with

respect to non-Muslims in India. Perhaps, a "secular" person would ask a few

questions about the VHP by now. What is that the VHP "want" from the

minorities? Why are they "harassing" these people on such a regular basis?

Can't they just leave them alone and live their lives? Why can't these

"fascist" forces be tamed and brought to justice?Good questions! And each of

these questions is worthy of being answered. Nevertheless, to answer these

questions, we have to understand what exactly is the VHP asking for. It is

necessary to understand why these two organisations are making these

statements. Is there any basis for the VHP to make these statements or are they

just paranoid Hindu group or "fascist" nazis who hate anything other than

Hinduism? I would now dwell into these questions with a few quotes from the

Quran and a few examples. These quotes and examples would help in understanding

these issues.Quotes from Quran 048.006 (Sura 48 Verse 6): "And that He may

punish the Hypocrites, men and women, and the Polytheists men and women, who

imagine an evil opinion of Allah. On them is a round of Evil: the Wrath of

Allah is on them: He has cursed them and got Hell ready for them: and evil is

it for a destination."

048.013 (Sura 48 Verse 13): And whoever does not believe in Allah and His

Messenger, then surely we have prepared burning fire for the unbelievers. Well,

well! According to these two verses, I myself, am a very good candidate for both

the fire and the hell, for I am a polytheist (at least by practice, if not by

belief), and also do not believe in Allah nor His messenger. Now, most people

would ask me, "So what if this is what is written in Quran?" Don't you have

stupid beliefs in other religions? I agree with them more than 100 per cent. A

belief is a belief is a belief and every one as a human being is free to have

his or her own irrespective of what rationale, or the lack of it, that belief

has. But, this is only a part of my argument.Now let me quote another verse

from the Quran.009.029 (Sura 9 Verse 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, nor acknowledge the religion of Truth, (even if they are) of

the People of the Book, until they pay the Jizya with willing submission, and

feel themselves subdued.Again, I am one of the people who meets the criteria to

wage jihad against, for I do not believe in Allah, nor the Last day. Neither do

I accept the "religion of Truth" nor will I ever pay 'Jiziya' with willing

submission and feel subdued. I haven't quoted anything from the 'Hadith' yet,

which would open the eyes of most people who are ignorant about Islam.The

problem does not end here. I could take Allah's curses and be ready for the

blazing hell for my beliefs. Nevertheless, the real problem lies in the fact

that the five pillars of Islam (Prayer, Zakat, Sawm, Haj and Shahadaah) stand

on the foundation that the Quran and the Sunnah (the life of Prophet Mohammad)

are indispensable and unquestionable. Which means that anyone who claims to be

a Muslim, has to be adhere to the foundations and the five pillars. Now you can

understand, why Dr Rafiq Zakaria, a renowned Islamic "scholar and liberal", said

that Dr A P J Abdul Kalam is not a "true" Muslim since he does not adhere to

"all" the rules. Further, he reads the 'Bhagwad Gita', and hence, he violates

the basic principle of Islam, that you shall not join anyone else in prayer

with Allah!

Thus, these three verses from the Quran, and the fact that the Quran is

unquestionable and indispensable, is what makes people like me and those in VHP

worry. Because, if I am Hindu, who does not believe in the "True Religion" like

myself, and will never submit to the will of Allah, things can get ugly. If the

Madarsas, funded by Saudi oil money (many of them in the secular land of West

Bengal), produce fodder for Jihad, people like me, will be in trouble. One may

accuse me of picking up lines from the Quran at random without looking at the

"full context", which suits me to defame Islam and present it in a negative

way. They could also argue that the word Islam itself stands for peace, then

how can Islam preach all these things. And, that a few Muslims have interpreted

the Quran wrongly. Nevertheless, most people, even Muslims would be surprised to

know that Islam means "Submission" to the will of God and not peace. If you

think I am making things up, you can read 'Introduction to Islam' by Muhammad

Hamidullah, (Centre Cultural Islamique, Paris, 1969). The issue is not about

people interpreting the Quran in different ways to suit their needs. The above

quotes are totally unambiguous. Further, in almost all the trouble spots in the

world, viz, Kashmir, Chechnya, Kosovo, Middle East, Philippines, East Timor,

Nigeria and other African countries, what is the common factor? Islam. And what

is the reason for these conflicts? Something nice to ponder about. Right?So,

when pilgrims headed to Sabarimala or to Amarnath are attacked by Muslims, or

when the Muslims refuse to accept the 'Uniform Civil Code' and remain a nation

within a nation, you can understand the mindset of the people who engage in

such acts from the above arguments. And, if the VHP asks the Muslims to

reinterpret the terms Kafir and Jihad, under such circumstances, what wrong

have they done? Is it wrong on part of an organisation with a huge base of

Hindu followers, to ask a community, to reinterpret a few quotes from the

Quran, which as I said, are, not only asking Muslims to consider the idolaters

as worthy of hell, but also make sure that they make the life of an idolater a

hell. I don't think there is anything wrong in such a demand. This is not

fascism, but plain fact.The secular bandwagon, does not have the courage nor

the time to read the Quran and understand the VHP's point of view, as they are

too busy in Hindu bashing. They are not willing to concede that these quotes I

quoted are for real and there is a problem when these things are taught to kids

from a very young age in madrassas. Sometimes, I get a feeling, that they are

acting as paid spokesman for these groups. It is high time the Muslims of India

started to sit up and think whether they want to be always at odds with the

majority community or whether they want to try and understand what the other

side is talking about. To quote Lord Krishna from Bhagwad Gita, "The only

constant in this world is change." So change your attitude and your

interpretation of the terms 'kafir' and 'jihad' with respect to Hindus in

India. As the RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh) puts it, the security of the

minority community lies in the goodwill of the majority community. And this is

an excellent opportunity for the Muslims in India to gain some.

Discover your Indian Roots at - http://www.esamskriti.comLong Live Sanathan /

Kshatriya Dharam. Become an Intellectual KshatriyaGenerate Positive Vibrations

lifelong worldwide.Aap ka din mangalmaya rahe or Shubh dinam astu or Have a

Nice DayUnity preceedes Strength Synchronize your efforts, avoid

duplication.THINK, ACT, INFLUENCE, to Un write back.Create Positive

Karmas by being Focussed, controlling senses, will power & determinationNever

boasts about yr victory and success, enjoy & share the fruitKnowledge, Wealth,

Happiness are meant to be sharedBe Open Minded, pick up what yu like from the

worldBe Thick skinned, internalize criticism, do what yu think is rightLet not

the power of your enemy deter yu, fortitude is what the Geeta teachesStop

cribbing, ACTION is what the Indian scriptures talk aboutTake the battle into

the enemy camp, SET THE AGENDA, be proactiveIn an argument, no emotions, be

detached, get yr facts right, then attack with the precision of a missile