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Guest Post by Dr. Shabana Mir
Everything I do is based on text.
Everything I do is religious.
Everything I am is Qur’anic.
I am nothing except an embodied religion.
Non-Muslims are “people.? Whole, complicated, ethnic, contextual, diverse, multidimensional.
Christians are human beings. Muslims, however, are solid religion. There are no spaces in a Muslim for humanity, for anything but religion.
Everything in Muslims/Muslim communities/Muslim societies/Muslim countries can be tracked by a footnote that says Qur’an X:X.
Jews and Christians, however, are people. They change. They grow. They are new and modern today.
Muslims are ancient – replicas of their 7th century original.
Hindus are people. Like music, they flow in and out of, and around, the Gita and the Vedas.
No other people can be traced back to their texts as Muslims can.
No one but Muslims can be easily predicted by a quick reference to a medieval volume.
Nietzche inspires rather than dictates to secular humanists.
Muslims can be literally translated from Qur’an and Bukhari.
If I yell at my baby, you glower at me and say it’s because Islam teaches me to be harsh to my children.
If I smile at my husband, you sneer at me and say it’s because Islam teaches me submission to a man.
If I cover my breasts, you call upon me to liberate myself from my religious restrictions.
If I am a feminist, you snidely accuse me of cunningly outmanoeuvring my religion.
If I am an academic, you congratulate me on keeping my religiosity at bay just long enough to nab one of your jobs.
If I become depressed, you exhort me to lose the darkness of my religiosity.
If I am happy, you say I am deluded.
I cannot win. I cannot simply be. I must be defined and packed up in a small green box marked ISLAM.
Any flaws I have must be traced back to Islam. Any disadvantages I have must be marked up to my religion.
Any strengths I have must be explained away. I am, you say, too Western to be truly a Muslim woman. You say I am too Americanized to be a truly Muslim woman. I am too critical to be a real believer.
When my immigrant imam tells me to pray behind a wall, you say it is because of Islam. When my father tells me to stay at home, you say it is because of Islam. When my mother commands me to wear pink, you say it is because of Islam.
When my teacher molests me, you say it is because of Islam. When my brother tells me to cook his lunch, you say it is because of Islam. When my husband tells me it’s not his job to feed the children, you say it is because of Islam. When my mother-in-law says my husband must pay her rent, you say it is because of Islam.
You say it is because of islam – and you make the case for my father, my teacher, my brother, and my husband – the case that everything they do is indeed justified by Islam.
You join hands with oppressors and trap me in cages of words. You are with them.
When I say it is not Islam, you laugh at me, and pour lead into the walls that surround me.
You have created a blow-up godzilla in the image of your own nightmares. And you have thrown in your lot with my oppressors.
You say I am too stupid, too deluded, too biased, too blind to REALLY know what Islam is, because YOU know what it is.
And if I dare say a word to disagree with your castigation of my faith, you turn around and roar at my audacity to talk back. Bend down and take it, you say. It’s for your own good, you say. Always complaining, always defending yourself, you say.
You protect the men who oppress me for the sake of land, money, power, jobs, sex, psychoses, neuroses – and you say IT IS ISLAM.
And they keep their feudal lands and their top jobs and their presidencies and their mistresses – and they say “yes, it is truly Islam.?
You protect White supremacist society and White patriarchy by saying Islam is the main cause of the world’s ills.
You protect Orientalism, facism, racism, sexism, capitalism, global exploitation, by saying FORGET ALL THAT. It can’t be as bad as the Qur’an.
You call upon me to castigate my people, my faith, my community.
Don’t worry. I’m all set. I already criticize them. Not for you, but for them. What do you do for YOUR people?
Dr. Shabana Mir has a Ph.D. in Education Policy Studies from Indiana University. She blogs at Koonj and another . She was born in the United Kingdom, raised in Pakistan, and lives in Athens, Ga. She is married and has a baby daughter.
{ 5 comments }
1. Depressing, worrying self-victimization being protrayed here. Much of this is not relevant to us in India, Islam is as much a part of the landscape as Hinduism. Its not alien to us. This clears up much of the top half.
2. Quran X:X
Really, really introspect on this please. Muslim acquaintances and friends keep telling me that this is a perfect and universally appplicable guide forever for all problems and all stages of a man’s life. They actually do quote chapter and verse to back this up.
Islam has been compared to an OS that controls the destiny of the computer, and the Quran by Zakir Naik to the operating manual for a transistor radio, the radio (human being) does not need to know the whys and wherefores set for it in the manual he says. This literally means that Islam/ Quran aspire to be this perfect reference, X:X.
I have Hindu and Xtian friends absolutely not quoting religion on me. It is difficult to miss the contrast. At least some of our surprise is just genuine wonder at the difference, not taunting.
But its part of your belief system and we dont really want to question it in any way that offends you.
I have earlier recorded my hope that with the passage of time, liberal Muslims will find interpretations more in tune with some progressive attitudes of the modern world and the militant interpretations will recede. I note this happening already. One smart move I did not anticipate, is that this is being presented as Islam proper, not ‘liberal’ or secular or Sufi or anything. Which maybe it is. Almost any religion can be interpreted in any way out of context and it is valid to present the peaceable one as the natural state of affairs.
3. Much of the “cook lunch, feed kids” is very culture specific and familiar to all of us. This part of the post read really odd.
4. “You protect the men who exploit us and say it is Islam”
At least this one is simply untrue.
regards,
Jai
Islam has been progressive in countries like Turkey, Egypt, Dubai Kuwait etc. Here Muslim women are not bound to be in Purdah. They can work, Muslim families can do family planning and lot more. Even though their might be efforts in these societies against this but largely the ruling elite has always tried for moderation. One of the leaders Nassir in egypt got executed because of his modern views.
The issue largely has been that whoever has quoted about his modern views has faced huge resistance from within the community because he is perceived as an enemy who has forged hands with the ”others”. That is why even though many of the young muslim families go in for education, family planning or improving their lots people do prefer to stay quiet. This was not the case even in 1800-1900 era. A lot of Muslim poets had progressive views. And once a Muslim has been defied by his own community(Munafiq) his views or his statements hardly hold a value. He is more of an enemy than the ”others”.
Surprisingly the article mentions Bukhari. In the period 1947-1989 Muslims always tried to break away from his shackles and tried to help and modernise their society. Alas Mr Bukhari held a sway amongst a lot of Muslims from the lower and lower middle class who formed a bulk of the society. In 1989 the coming of Mr VP Singh goverment and the episode of Mufti Mohammed’s daughter and opening up of border in POK brought new problems to India. Before Kashmir I used to hear my parents or many hindus praise Muslims for a lot of thing including ramadan and fasting. I remember my parents donating to Muslim children who used to come with the chadar and even hindus doing so. After the kashmir issue number of things happened in India. I remember my parents changed views when they said don’t donate to these children because who knows this money is going to kashmir. The rise of right wing was also a gift of 1989. The BJP highlighted that Kashmir, Bukhari and the likes and generalised them with the entire Muslim Population. The Christians remained aloof from BJP because we were also the target of the rising right wing. However I remember that me or many of my Muslim friends used to sing the national anthem.
Infact the rising right wing had a support of Indian muslims who wanted to fuse the likes of Bukhari. They felt that the rise of BJP will help their society and also the anti india or the anti modernisation voices will become quiet. A large section of RSS and BJP also held the same view. However they were politicians and they needed a topic. A topic that they can use to amass votes. I certainly believe that the right wing wouldnt have liked to finish this issue but something that they couldnt control and In 1992 the worst happened. People like Mr Bukhari had no evidence in their hands that Muslim populaion was discriminated in India. 1992 provided that. A large section of the Muslim society became active to integrate the Muslims like never before but a large section also got cut out after this incident. They felt that modernisation or Indianisation has no benefit. Incidents like Godhra and Gujarat only helped affirm their views.
Surprisingly, the right wing has also been able to brainwash a large section of the society. A lot of them talk like Pakistanis now. Glorifying their religion and building stories about the others. Pakistanis never trust India because right from their childhood they are given stories about India and Hindus and even a small news ets blown up there. A similar mark up has tried to be done by the right wing in India. Building stories.
India today stands at cross roads. It has to develop because there is no other choice. Either we fight over petty issues or work to modernise our societies and free it from the ills or succumb to smaller things and continue fighting. People need to forgive and help progressive voices. If Egypt and Dubai can modernise then why can’t we?
Hindus traditionally in this country have never been against Islam or against christianity. A lot of hindus want to send their children to convent schools. A lot of hindus go to dargahs or celebrate eid or put up water stalls for muslims. The spirit of this nation has something secular about it. The jews in my native kerala always have remained safe even after ruler after ruler.
We can not destroy our nation because of some stories or because of something wrong happening elsewhere. Hindus need to understand that this country has produced sufis like Hazrat Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti. and Nizammudin Auliya…..Cricketers like Irfan Pathan and Zaheer Khan…..Tennis players like Jeeshan Ali and Sania Mirza….Thinkers like Dr Abdul Kalam….Poets like Iqbal and Amir Khusro…..Artists like Bismillah Khan and Ustad Amjad Ali…..Singers like Mohd Rafi….Actors Like Shahrukh and Amir…..actress like Shabana Aazmi….Business man Like Aziz Premji..Kings Like Akbar and Shah Jahan…Hockey players like Mohd Shahid and Mir Ranjan Negi..
And Muslims need to understand that they have to produce many more.:-) Alas I want some Hindus and Muslims to make these noises because I have seen the beauty of both these religions and the beauty of my nation.
Regards,
Manoj George
Small but significant correction to my earlier comment:
I do know a couple of Hindu friends who try to find justifications for various things from our holy books/ teachings.
Only differences:
– they dont try this for everything or claim this for everything.
– they usually accept there are different interpretations within Hinduism itself for the point being debated.
There *is* a worrying trend to project one version/interpretation over the others that does come up in discussions with them, but I feel it will never succeed.
regards,
Jai
Manoj,
Just a quick correction, she is not quoting Mr. Bukhari but what she meant is the “Bukhari Shareef”
which is the second most revered book of Hadith after the Quran containing the sayings of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW).
Thanks Shahran.
I am still reading Islam. . I apologise if I hurt anyone but never has been my intention.
Since childhood I heard only about one Bukhari in India and well did not like many things about him. However like many other people and many other things.
Regards,
Manoj George
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