The politics of paranoia ISLAMOPHOBIA
http://www.greaterkashmir.com/news/gk-magazine/the-politics-of-paranoia/48265.
The Politics Of Paranoia, ISLAMOPHOBIA
">Greater Kashmir"Publish Date: Mar 9 2009 12:00PM
When you study Islam in the right perspective, you don’t fear it anymore, you fall in love with it. Such is the beauty, the variety Islam is all about, writes Dr. Fiaz Fazili. World media exploded on 14 Sept 2008 with the news of “UK’s first official Sharia’s courts”. It revealed that UK-government “quietly sanctioned” rulings of Sharia courts binding on clients with no right of appeal in UK-courts. Later the government announced that it was a law of 1850 – (kind of) amended in 1996. The UK is not alone; “Islamization” of the West is one of the most important socio-political dynamics of present world, especially when world is facing financial recession. The issue is complicated, deep, and multi-dimensional. Persistent misinformation campaign against Islam and the Muslim world has resulted in the so-called Islamophobia, "a dread and unfounded fear of Islam". Coined in Great Britain a decade ago, the neologism Islamophobia was launched in 1996. The word literally means "undue fear of Islam”, but it is used to mean "prejudice against Muslims". The term presents several problems, however. First, what exactly constitutes an "undue fear of Islam"? What, one wonders, is the proper amount of fear, both verbal and physical, versus non-Muslims and Muslims alike? Adroitly manipulated exposure to the imagery of a whip cracking on a naked back and a veil enshrouding a woman’s face has led many to believe that the Sharia, the divine code of Muslim conduct, is in reality no more than a collection of values and practices that are primitive, uncivilized and barbaric. What to a Muslim is the object of his longing and endeavour has been very subtly projected as a relic from the dark ages which enslaves the woman and inflicts punishments on the criminal which are cruel, inhuman, and degrading. "It is alleged sometimes by some quarters that Islam does not guarantee adequate level of human or fundamental rights. This misgiving has become quite widespread in the absence of enough clarification and publicity of Islamic viewpoint. However, this perception is not true. It is mostly because of misunderstanding and lack of knowledge of the works of mainstream Islamists. To see the world through Muslim eyes, it is necessary to understand that to the vast majority of Moslems, Islam is a way of life. Islam is one of the world's most popular religions, possibly the fastest growing faith on the globe. Nearly one person in five in the world today some 800 million people in more than 75 countries—is a Muslim. This is a sizable bloc and one with great potential power and is re-emerging as a political and religious force that cannot be ignored. In support of the view that Islam has provided for all necessary human rights for all irrespective of gender or religion. Shariah law gets bad press in the West. It’s the body of law drawn from the Quran, reported sayings of the Prophet (pbuh), and centuries of jurisprudence. Say something nice about somebody no one will listen, make it mean, malicious and paint it as Islam phobia everyone around and in west will come forward to support it. While most of us believe that everyone needs to modernize to cope up with the dynamics of this world. We feel that it’s ok to change ourselves with changing times as long as we don’t compromise on our religious principles. Islam never opposes modernization but; reserves its apprehensions about the moral matters in the western society .Today’s Muslim societies are not model Islamic societies — they are infested with ills and evils, no one will deny it – yet the comparatively stable family life, absence of delinquency, low crime rates, much greater freedom from drugs and alcoholism, warmth of brotherhood, generosity and mutual aid and help – all these are the legacies of that divinely given code of life, the way to Justice, which once they used to adhere to, and yearn to have the change to return to – the Sharia. Islam is a system of peace and justice, give it; a chance in your day to day life. Islam and Sharia provide for human rights. Human rights in Islam are something so unique and so advanced that you don't even compare it with the UN Charter of Human Rights about fifty years ago. Because applied in the city of Madinah 1500 years ago. If you are liberal. If you back only to what's in the Quran and Sunnah and applications in the 30 years after our Prophet (SAW) left this earthy world , then you know what is real human right in Islam. You know what equality between men and women. You know the state rights, of non-Muslims in Muslim society. That is human rights in Islam. The first democratic system applied in the world was in the city of Madinah centuries ago. Democracy is not on the paper, it's in real application. What is called Sharia; means there is no one-man rule. It's the rule of the majority. And that's another area of Islamic law. Social justice in Islam: It's something unique and there is no other system that attracts social justice as Islam. This; beauty of Islamic; system is something forgotten. I do not intend to convince everyone on this subject, for this is humanly impossible; nor offer excuses, for they are neither necessary nor convincing. If people are exposed to knowledge, will they have a different view? I think the answer is emphatically yes. The objective is reaching the truth, to find the truth. All right? Not exactly the way, in a camera setting, "Doha Debates "(BBC Arabia; TV show);" that political Islam is a threat to the West". The; bias of ," Islamophobes; ", was so evident in this show that; despite valid argument against the motion by Sarah Joseph Awardee of Order of the British Empire, for services to inter-faith dialogue and the promotion of women’s rights; and Shadi Hamid Director of Research at the Project on Middle East Democracy and the Hewlett Fellow at the Center for Democracy, Development, the; motion was passed by a meagre; margin of 1%.The organizers should have at least understood in principle the importance of viewing the Muslim world from the proper vantage point. To see the world through Muslim eyes, it is necessary to understand that to the vast majority of Muslims, Islam is a way of life. What I, therefore, wish to attempt is to invite the interaction from the valued scholars or have a seminar from eminent jurists from the Muslim and non-Muslim world on the place of justice in the Sharia in a way that may at least generate understanding and tolerance, if not agreement. I am sure we all will rediscover Islamic law is something beautiful, dynamic, something rich, and the future road to peace and prosperity. You study it, I am sure you won’t have an
