Islampobhobia, a national and international concern

Historically, the Qur’an is the most recent writing among the Abrahamic and polytheistic religious scriptures of the world. The Universe was not created because it is impossible for it to happen. So there must be its creator. The Koran bases its conception of God on this belief. Once this concept is perceived, it becomes easier to understand what is given in the Quran. And those who did have been deeply touched.
Islam poses a threat to the majority of non-Muslims because of its inherent simplicity, beauty, and appeal to seekers of truth. His teachings repeatedly emphasize the use of rational thought and insight to understand the machinery of the universe. The Qur’an states when, why and where we are on the wrong track in this pursuit. The combination of her attractiveness, guidance, and judgment has always been the backbone of the spread of Islam, and it continues to do so, even when science and technology have left spiritualism far behind.
However, this drift or movement naturally had to face backlash. Muslims around the world are feeling the heat this generates. The phobia of Islam is not exactly a reaction to abusive acts committed by Muslims, but it is a disturbing thought that gnaws at the minds of many. Currently, atheism and agnosticism are the fastest growing sect in the world.
Therefore, the fear of relegation and the consequences of Islamic rule in terms of numbers and economic strength created psychological disturbances which succeeded in making non-Muslims invent words and phrases like a jihadist, an activist Islamist, an Islamic radical, a Talibanization, warmongers and war clerics. These words were put together without even looking for the correct meaning of jihad and ‘talibé.‘ But their use has been widely adopted by the media and the intelligentsia just to slander Islam and tarnish the image of Muslims. What they don’t say is that they knowingly use these words and phrases, even after learning the correct meaning, to deter proselytes from falling into the trap of the teachings of Islam. Some even go so far as to enact laws to block exploration.
Whatever the objective of smear campaigns, Muslims on the other hand, as the Quran and the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad teach, do not react in the same way. The point is, they have more esteem and respect for Jesus, Moses, Abraham, and other prophets than their alleged followers. But to reset the label of warmongering and religious warfare, historical records show more than 500 million people have lost their lives since World War II. Double that amount was injured in the wars and revolutions that raged in Europe during the 20e century alone. In none of these wars and revolutions did Muslims play any role. As such, the epithets given are misplaced and need to be corrected.
Lately in India there has been a series of crimes of what is popularly called the bashing of Muslims and has regressed to include rape, murder and dismemberment of corpses within its scope. When such bloody incidents are reported, they have been dismissed as one or more one-off incidents related to the inevitable machinations of an upcoming election, and things would return to normal once the elections were over. But what is not said is that Islamophobia is the real cause of hate crimes; it is the fear of Islam, as created by the global media, that generates the anguish that prompts people to rape, not for fun but to torture; and to kill a traveler, not in revenge of blood, but to eliminate the offspring of a community so that it does not multiply. Added to this is the regrettable attempt at the numbing silence that follows is to sweep under the rug the harsh truth that things never returned to normal, for after every chaos the embers remain.
The Taliban’s return to Afghanistan is unnecessarily attracting too much attention and dismay. The history of the Taliban has been so widely recounted by the media which now knows all the circumstances and the reasons for its creation. This major group has always been present in Afghanistan since the Russians invaded it, although it may not always have been in power. But people are reacting as if the Taliban were born a month ago and are passing judgment on its takeover. The importance of Afghanistan lies in its strategic location on the world map, and the war that has raged there for 20 years was aimed at gaining the controlling power over this piece of land for doing business. In the 18e Century, the British, French, Dutch and Portuguese had also entered India for this reason. The British then stayed behind for 200 years.
The governments of most major nations, including India, are taking cautious approaches to the new regime in Afghanistan. But devotees of various dispositions in India are issuing unwarranted statements that could compromise the interests of the nation and protect that should be our main concern, if not the only one. At this point, we can only hope that common sense will prevail and that the Afghan people have the chance to live in peace and unhindered.
That being said, what is not said is that the cause of the anger against Muslims, especially in India, has been compounded by the re-emergence of a regime that has been labeled as terrorist and warmonger. not so long ago. An equipped and combative regime blowing in the neck arouses unwarranted worries in those who overthink it. In this scenario, our efforts and actions should be aimed at combating the phobia that haunts many so as to allay the apprehensions envisioned in a world where the presence of Muslims is predominant. It is understood by all that Indian Muslims are in the minority and, as such, do not matter much in the political arena, but what is worrying is the ranking in the global sphere. Muslims in India must work to find ways to solve this problem. The solution should include the true teachings of Islam which promote love, brotherhood, peace, kindness and friendship.
Syed Rizwan is a guest contributor for Siasat.com. He can be contacted at [email protected] His blogs on writerrizwan.wordpress.com.