These are rough times; even the things that stand way taller than the rest are being put to test. Though it is a pity but even a religion like Islam is being questioned by people who know very less of it – mostly they are people who have never had a close association with Islam or those who do not have the eye for unbiased opinions. Regardless of the source; even the only universal religion is being criticized. It is the time when we stand up for the defense of our identity and prove them wrong, but how can we do it? Look deeper into the religion of peace and you find answers to every question raised by others.
Being among the writers, we can do one thing to start off; why not try and lay down the cardinal misconceptions and clear them up in the light of Quran and Hadith? Why not provide a clear and real picture of our religion to others through our word and conduct? Don’t we all believe that Islam is the perfect religion? Perfected by Allah SWT? If that is so, we shall find answers to all the allegations ever made.
For instance, one of the foremost allegations made against Islam is that Islam spread by the sword; nothing could be as far from the reality as this misconception is! Look at the history of Islam in Egypt and the current number of Christians in the region, it reaches around 15 million, now if Islam had spread by the sword the Arabs could have easily clean swiped Egypt of all the non Muslims who were residing there before Arabs came to the area. The Indian history tells the same story; furthermore no Muslim army went to Indonesia or Malaysia ever; those people converted due to the good behavior of Muslim traders and that is it!
Another topic that strikes a lively debate, every time it comes up, is the status of women in Islam –I asked the accusers; which was the first religion to announce women rights? The ancient Egyptians used to punish women for mistakes that they didn’t make; the Babylonians did the same, the Arabs used to bury their daughters alive when Islam took a stand for women. Islam spoke for women rights in a time when no one else did. The status given to women in Islam is that of glorification; why else would the men be asked to lower their gaze when they see women? It is to respect them. The forever criticized veil is actually a guard of the woman’s respect –even a child can see that a hooligan would give more attention to a woman in revealing clothes than a woman in a hijab!
Similar is the story about Jihad; it is something that literally means struggle, but it is something that is projected like terrorism! The west needs to see that Jihad is not just taking up arms; the highest level of Jihad in Islam is to fight against oneself –to abstain from wrongdoings. After that comes the Jihad of saying the truth and standing up against the tyrants. Lastly, Jihad is to take up arms in defense of Islam and Muslim countries. Jihad is nowhere near terrorism, it is the farthest from how the west sees ii and how some of the Muslims who have gone off track from Islam. Our religion is crystal clear, people just need to open their eyes and stand clear of prejudice –truth will always prevail.
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