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The beheading in France
An act of blasphemy in itself Dr Aslam Abdullah The beheading of the French teacher by a young man because he disapproved of showing a cartoon of Prophet Muhammad (s) was not only a crime in French law but also a crime as well as a sin in Islam. Life is sacred, and no one can deprive fellow human beings of their right to live. The gruesome murder was more than an emotional act. It has its roots in the rulings by several medieval Muslim scholars who have defined insults to God and Prophet Muhammad (s) as blasphemy subject to punishment. Qadhi Iyad ibn Musa (1083–1149), a judge in the Emirate of Granada, summarised scholars’ consensus in the following words. “Certainly, a blasphemer against Allah, Exalted be He, from among Muslims shall be deemed a disbeliever, and killing him shall be declared lawful.” The Quran, the divine book, Muslims consider their major source of guidance, speaks contrary to what many scholars have argued. It tells the believers: “But do not revile those [beings] whom they invoke instead of God, lest they revile God out of spite, and in ignorance: for, goodly indeed have We made their doings appear unto every community In time, [however,] unto their Sustainer peo-
ple must return: and then He will make them [truly] understand all that they were doing.” (8: 106) There is no punishment suggested against those who ridicule or revile God or His messenger. People may control their emotions, but when a questionable theology incites them to defend their faith and justifies violence, not many care for a due process for getting their grievances redressed. They act on their self, approving their
action to defend God and his messengers. Muslims are not the only people in this violent reaction. Christians, Jews, Hindus, Buddhists, and even atheists have often resorted to individual violence to defend their beliefs and practices. The mob that lynches an unarmed Muslim or Christian under the suspicion of slaughtering a cow is no different than the French Muslim beheading a French man insulting the Prophet. The Jewish settler shooting a native liv-
ing in his home while defending it is no different from Muslims putting a bounty on Salman Rushdie’s head to write an insulting book about Prophet Muhammad (s). People often use religious interpretation to defend their nefarious acts against the basic creed of their faith. God is not sectarian, ethnic-centred, or racist. Every faith defines him as universal embarrassing everything that exists, and does not need humans killing humans or other creations to please him. He did not appoint some humans his deputy on earth. He is powerful to defend himself. He does not take revenge from his creation for their deviation because he understands their limitation. The argument that believers in God must avenge every act against Him has no connection with his divinity. Criminals and Mafias indulge in such acts. Glorifying violence and murder goes against the essence of God in almost all religions. The Muslim theology has to clean itself from the violence that scholars have tried to justify and promote in the name of God. Muslim scholars of the 21st century must challenge the theology of blasphemy and ensure that violence is not a solution to any problem. Violence against fellow human beings is, in reality, violence against God and a flagrant act of blasphemy.
Muslim doctor denied Lessons from the Christchurch massacre citizenship for not Part 2: Death shaking hands Rabbi Allen Maller A high achieving medical doctor with an MD who aced the German naturalisation test, but refused to shake hands with the female official handing over his citizenship papers has had his citizenship request rejected by a German court. The 40-year-old Lebanese doctor, who came to Germany in 2002, said he refuses to shake women’s hands for religious reasons. The Administrative Court of Baden-Württemberg ruled that people who reject a handshake due to a “fundamentalist conception of culture and values” because they see women as “a danger of sexual temptation” are thereby rejecting “integration into German living conditions.” The doctor studied medicine in Germany and now works as a senior physician in a clinic. He applied for citizenship through naturalisation in 2012, for which he signed a declaration of loyalty to the German constitution and against extremism. He passed the naturalization test with the best possible score. Nevertheless, he was not granted citizenship because he refused to shake hands with the responsible official when the naturalization certificate was handed over in 2015. The woman therefore withheld the certificate and rejected the application. The court found that anyone who refuses to shake hands on gender-specific grounds is in breach of the equality enshrined in the German constitution. In addition, the man’s
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refusal in this case had the effect of lending validity to a “Salafist perspective” on the social ramifications of relations between men and women. As a Rabbi I would point out that ultra-orthodox Jewish men also do not shake hands with a woman; and I am sure that they have not been rejected for for German citizenship. The situation is similar to other movements in various European states to forbid Islamic and Jewish slaughter rituals. I believe that a joint Jewish and Muslim appeal to a higher court based on religious rights for minorities would be be a better path than saying, as the doctor did, that it was a promise to his wife. For example, five years ago on 1 October 2015 the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe nullified its earlier recommendation that European countries ban ritual circumcision, when it passed (736) a resolution on religious freedom. The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe did not reverse its earlier recommendation due to recent scientific discoveries which explained the health benefit of circumcision; but due to the active political pressure of an alliance of Jewish and Muslim organizations. Allen S. Maller is an ordained Reform Rabbi who retired in 2006 after 39 years as the Rabbi of Temple Akiba in Culver City, California. His website is: www.rabbimaller.com. Rabbi Maller blogs in the Times of Israel. His book ‘Judaism and Islam as Synergistic Monotheisms: A Reform Rabbi’s Reflections on the Profound Connectedness of Islam and Judaism’ (31 articles previously published by Islamic web sites) is for sale ($15) on Amazon.
AUSTRALASIAN MUSLIM TIMES
Farid Ahmed The second lesson for me from Friday 15 March 2019 tragedy is about that Death can come anytime and I should be ready for it. My wife and I went to Deans Avenue Mosque together. We talked about picking up our daughter from the school soon after the Jumma Salah. We did not want our daughter to wait outside considering her safety. We made our plan without considering about death. But death was waiting for one of us. The death was waiting for many more wonderful brothers and sisters from my devastated community. People ask me, how could someone kill the worshippers of Allah? Killing action and the death are two different things. Allah has permitted humans freedom of choice in their actions as part of the test. Allah says, “Surely, We have created man--in order to try him, ---. Verily, We showed him the way: Whether to be thankful or not (freedom of choosing either way).” (Quran 76:2-3) The killer on Friday 15 March, misused his freedom of choice and has acted wrongly for which he will face the final Judgment in Allah’s Court. But the death part is not in the killer’s hand. Death is the separation of the Soul from the body, and it can only happen when Allah permits. He has appointed an angel for death to separate the soul exactly when He permits. That’s why we often see despite attack, people survive because their death is not permitted yet. Therefore, death comes with Allah’s permission. Holy Quran confirms it: “No soul can die except by Allah’s permission, the term (of life) being fixed as in writing.” (Quran 3:145)
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When I informed the heart-breaking news to my daughter about her mother, I could not use the word “Dead”. Instead I said, “You mother is with Allah.” I did not dare to use the word “Dead” for one of the Shuhadaa because Allah has forbidden to call them dead in the Holy Quran, “Do not call them dead who are killed in the sake of Allah. No! They are living, even though you do not perceive it.” (Quran 2:154) Yes, I did not die on Friday 15 March like many worshippers, but I got the sharp reminder that death will embrace me one day sooner or later without giving any notice. It reminded me to follow the Islamic teachings as following: 1. Prophet Mohammad (s) said: “Remember the death much which bring distaste (Aversion to sins) in the (excessive wrong) enjoyment in this life.” (Tirmidi, Nasaee, Ibn Maajah) 2. Prophet Mohammad (s) said: “Live in this world like a traveller (without forgetting your final destination in next life).” (Bukhari) 3. Allah says, “O you who believe! Fear Allah (His fair Judgment) and let every soul look to what (Good deeds, not bad deeds) it has put forward for the future (next life for paradise).” (Quran 59:18] 4. Regular supplication to Allah for noble death, “(Allah) Take my soul (at death) as Muslim and join me with the righteous.” (Quran 12:101) Farid Ahmed is a survivor of Christchurch attack on 15 March 2019, a peace advocate, author of HUSNA’S Story and Quran teacher in Christchurch. ISSUE 180 / NOVEMBER 2020
