It would be possible, of course, to say that the media are always covering damaging stories about the Muslims and the Islamic majority countries. It would be possible, of course, to blame this ongoing campaign against Islam, its Book, its Prophet and its values and practices… Of course…and not everything is illegitimate in the feeling that there is a kind of campaign in the hands of some populist politicians and sensational medias…Of course!
But there comes a time where one should look at the state of affairs of the legal system in the Islamic majority countries and draw some imperative (and constructive) conclusions. It is simply a shame! In the name of Islam, innocent, poor people and women are accused, jailed sometimes beaten and sometimes executed with no evidence and, moreover, no way to properly defend themselves. The honest and embarrassing judges are fired in Pakistan; a woman, victim of a rape, becomes the accused in Saudi Arabia and is asked to prove her innocence while a British teacher is jailed because her students decided to name a teddy bear “Muhammad”! Where are we heading?
While the judiciary and the legal system must remain neutral and protect justice and people’s rights it is used in the Islamic majority countries for political reasons or so called religious concerns. The problem is much serious and deep than the series of stories we have been getting in the media. It needs a profound reform, an imperative reassessment. Yet, a rape is a rape and while evidences have not been shown – in one way or in another – it remains unacceptable to start by blaming the woman. To use and instrumentalise the story of an innocent British teacher to show how much “we care about Islam” is pure nonsense and should be utterly rejected!
It is as if the teacher is becoming a vehicle through whom a government is showing its dedication towards Islam and for some Muslims to convey their anger towards the West. First, anger is not good in itself; second to send it through a wrong and unjust means must be condemned. Did not the Prophet Muhammad say: “What is built on wrong foundation is wrong.” One must ask these Islamic majority societies to be more consistent with their own values and to stick to justice by refusing to abuse Islam. It means to protect the independence of the judicial system, to protect equally the innocent people, poor or rich, Muslims and non Muslims, men and women. We cannot remain silent when we read about such a ridiculous and sad tale in Sudan: Mrs Gillian Gibbons must be freed and this story has nothing to do with Islam. It has to do with a political domestic-international nasty game aiming to mobilize people’s emotions at the sacrificed cost of a woman’s dignity and integrity.
Come back to Islam please, come back to justice, come back to reason!
well Said Br.Tariq,
i wander when we are ever going to wake up from this lull.Wake up ya Ummat Muhammad. I am an alma mater of that school my child studied there its a wonderful community of expatriate teachers who live a good life to come and work in sometmes tough circumstances and then they do their best.Ms.Gibbons seems to have made an unintentional mistake.can we not in this instance take the stance of our beloved prophet(PBUH) and forgive cannot the Sudanese government realise how damaging this is for the muslim morale everywhere, when we victimise innocent people in the name of our religion.
alsalamualaykum,
This is a very sad story like many others coming from our own Muslim countries. This is ironic because people named after prophets Mohamed, Mousa, Issa…and companions…do evil things in those countries and even reach the level of KUFUR where they swear at god in public and do all kinds of things that break a society. They are let loose and live normal lives…but when a foreigner and a non muslim does this in a laughable and in a really involuntary act !! The whole country flips out. i wonder what our beloved prophet (Pbuh)would have done in this situation (Yes i know think about it….people threw rocks at him and was chased during his mission and wars !! He still was nice, gentle, loving, wise and peaceful with his enemies trying to show them the truth !!) May allah bless you brother Tariq and we are all behind you supporting you inshallah, we need more action and duaa to god and fight ignorance and these dogmatic regimes… salam
Barak Allahu fik, it had to be said!
Of course the term used by government organs to legitimise their judicial practices, is that all-emotive term: SHARIA. The term gives them a licence…it silences or challenges the people, it prods the general clergy, and it hardens views outside of Islamic spheres. Originally an ordinary Arabic word meaning ‘the path to water’, and more simply ‘the path’, it was in fact a term NEVER USED by the Prophet Muhammad…or by his immediate successors Abu-Bakr, Umar, Uthman and Ali. There is no sound evidence – none – that I can find of the term ‘Shariah’ being used to define and mean a framework of legal principles, in the formative and most crucial period of Islamic law (probably the first 100 years).
Back then, what mattered, was not a banner, a flag, a proclamation, a drumbeat or a battle cry – all of which we see today. What mattered, within a social reality where there were established or customary norms, was the purposeful pursuit of meaningful EQUITY and JUSTICE.
Law and its ‘Sharia’ is certainly the most misunderstood area within Islamic thought amongst Muslims, from the layperson to the preachers off the seminary production lines. We need to replace the rhetoric of ‘Sharia’ with realism.
++++++
Naved Siddiqi,
England
I went to a lecture today by Dr. Jospeh Massad (Columbia University) who brought up the fact the there is often a coupling of human rights concerns and Western imperialist agendas (for example, during the Cold War). Dr. Saba Mahmood (UC Berkeley) also argues this point concerning women’s rights in particular in the Middle East. If not connected to Western imperialist agendas, human rights concerns are at least informed by the same anthropological notions of the Middle East (of the oppressive Arabs/Easterners) that inform those who make US foreign policy. This they have shown through extensive research. I’m bringing this up because you mentioned that, “It would be possible, of course,Of course…and not everything is illegitimate in the feeling that there is a kind of campaign in the hands of some populist politicians and sensational medias…Of course! But there comes a time where one should look at the state of affairs of the legal system in the Islamic majority countries and draw some imperative (and constructive) conclusions.” If we respond to those things that the Western media, human rights groups, and government officials choose to highlight, when they chose to highlight them, are we not legitimizing their notions of the Middle East, more so because we are Muslim? Human rights groups etc. set out to free Easterners from the “oppressive tradition” they find themselves in, and we add to this wagging of the finger at the East, the “morally inferior.” And if we’re truly concerned about human rights in the East, why not think about other human rights violations in other parts, or ones that are NOT set by the Western media etc.? (and we know, of course, that there are many…there are many even in the West) Or why do we not bring up these concerns before we learn it from the “Great Liberal West”? I believe that we should be concerned about the rights of all human beings, but when we join these debates in particular, we’re adding fuel to the fire (the US war machine) and bringing the “clash of civilizations” into (a constructed) reality. We should debate – on new terms, with new notions of the Orient and Occident.
wat about those muslims called ‘muhammad’ doing all sorts of naughty things……
so who shud we punish for naming these people muhammad or who should we ask to change their names from muhammad(or as a matter of fact names of any of the great prophets pbut) ? themselves or their parents or the states where they live in, or the teachers or the imams of the masjids .
why cant muslim leaders ask the people who call themselves (or their children) muhammad who are involved in all sorts of activities; teddies are harmless atleast..rather cute
last summer as we entered a shop on blackpool beach the news were on ‘ mohammad———and mohammad———were accused of rape and robbery…..’ and so on. i looked at my sister, both of us wearing hijabs and then at the local people around us. wat a shame to hear such about your brothers in public -sp. with this name (or as a matter of fact any of the great prophets’ names pbut)
not long ago i had to advice a teenager called muhammad (along with two more renouned prophets’ names with his name) at the sexual health community clinic who attended with genital warts(clusters of them) and wen i enquired he came out with ‘hv been sleeping with a couple of b—– k girls lately’ i asked him why was he wearing double masjid caps as if just going for salah; he just looked at me and had no reply.perhaps didn’t expect a muslim hijabi practitioner in a sexual health clinic (i sympathise with these youngsters who need guidance by parents most of whom can’t talk to their children on these topics, and help from us, community workers, faith & intefaith volunteers)
hkhan135
assalamo alaikum
I totally agree with your views
As well, the Prophet s.a.w should never
be undermined by any means
jazakallah
As salaamu alaikum,
One word: Amen!
This story shows again how that muslim majority countries are not yet mature. it is really painful to see such things happening. its a shame to use islam for their own interest.
indeed, Muslims in general do need a radical reform. Just think about it, a teacher from Great Britain comes to a shabby, war-torn and backward African state, in full knowledge of the risk she’s taking, to teach their under or better said uneducated children. She left everything behind, her family, her weekly shopping sprees and what not, for what to spread the light of knowledge. and how they thank her? Absurd, Muslims are delusional. What’s wrong with calling your teddy Muhammad?! Wasnt there a doll sensation some time ago in ME didnt they call her Aisha? a Muslim response to Barbie? Come on people, stop being retarded. you simply do not deserve to be Muhammad’s Ummah.
I agree that there has been an over-reaction of the Sudanese Muslims on this issue. But let us not fall into the propaganga of the west to put the blame on the Sudanese as if they have committed the worst crime.
Why is it that the West media only speak repeatedly about this issue as if it is the worst injustice being committed on the face of the world?
Why all this mobilisation propaganda to free a single person while on the other hand millions of muslims are dying on the name of the same injustice without media propaganda to free and liberate them?
Of course that we shouldn’t let our anger drive us to injustice with others. Being just according to the Sharia should rather be a means to spread the truthfulness of Islam.
I have always been for the freedom of Mrs Gibbons, since her only mistake was to ignore the geopolitical aspect of her act. But on other hand i denounce the double standard of the west and other muslims who tried to put the blame on the Sudanese as if they have done one the worst injustice on the face of the earth!
Of course, we all have to come back to the Quranic teachings and Sunnah…But this should only be to please Allah alone and not to please the west or some else!
Instead to be critical and offensif with one another in order to please the west, we should rather support our Muslims brother and kindly correct them in their mistakes as the prophet (SAW) mentioned to support the Muslim just and the wrongdoer.
I really appreciate the way the Bristish muslims envoys dealt with the matter. This shows a great sence of responsibility and communication in order to resolve the matter, and that has been successful!
Lack of communication is sometimes what throw people into confusion.
Writtings tonne of articles to criticize and blame without putting it into the context to the country past history, only fuel the matter instead to solve it.
May Allah forgive us and make us better muslims.