EDITORIAL

Switch on to any Islamic channel on television today, or, for that matter, any currently popular channel run by Indian Muslims. Take a sample. It is afternoon and there is a grammar session on the channel. The instructor has a bunch of young Muslims listening to him awestruck as he explains the letter 'kaaf.'

Aren't there many words beginning with this letter of the alphabet? But the instructor is stuck on making his young students mug up that 'kaaf se kaafir.'! This is where the problem lies. Religious preachers and other Muslims too present Islam to the world in a negative package altogether. What kind of Dawah is this?

Islam is a religion of simplicity, sobriety, humility and gentleness. But here we go around explaining Islam to non-Muslims as a religion that is difficult and that God is cruel and will throw all of them to hell. Even sermons in mosques can be sober and soft. Is there any need for the sermonizer to scream at the top of his voice? It creates fear and doubts in the minds and hearts of the listeners.
Inculcating Islam in a child, which may begin at home or in school, also has to start on a positive note. Most often, teachers and parents admonish children, 'If you do this, God will punish you. If you don't do that, God will be angry”. Why cannot the tone of preaching be happy, so that the child grows up having a fearless mind, clear off all doubts and grows up to look at God Almighty as the gentle, merciful Creator of the universe?

Practising Islam as a lifestyle is what is the need of the hour. Instead, Muslims today have become ritualistic. Fear of God is a must, but this should not make Muslims negative to such an extent that their interaction and behaviour with others and towards themselves becomes mechanical and morose. A well-known preacher from an Arab country says, “Being religious does not mean you do not smile or greet others. It does not mean you stop being creative. It does not mean that you talk only about hell and don't talk about paradise.”

Ramadan is a month of joy. It is a month when a fasting person tries to control anger, back-biting and abstain from cheating or lying. If one fasts through the heart, it becomes easier. If one fasts through one's stomach, then there lies a problem, as patience wears out. That's why it is said that “Fasting is for His Sake.” It is sad that in many Muslim countries, work slows down during the month of Ramadan. Why? Is sleeping during the day hours during Ramadan healthy? Is keeping awake the whole night gorging on food in malls and restaurants in accordance with the spirit of Ramadan? Sadly, this is the impression most non-Muslims have about Ramadan. Who is to blame? Muslims themselves, of course!

It is time Muslims explain Islam to others as it is, in its true form, rather than adding their own ideology and adulterating it with demonic notions. If someone asks why we fast, why we wear the hijab, why we go to Hajj and why we have to perform wudu before the five times prayers, let us give simple, pure answers, instead of giving long sermons mixed with rhetoric. A self-righteous attitude is not going to attract people to Islam. It is our honest, simple, humble attitude towards others that will really make people love Islam. Muslims should think about God Almighty as a loving Creator who loves all His creatures, rather than creating terror in their hearts or others by packaging God and Islam as fearful objects, to be shunned rather than appreciated.

Since the events of September 11, 2001, Muslims and brown-skinned people in America have been under siege. While tens of thousands have been detained without any probable cause, summarily detained, or have fled in fear, the majority continue to suffer silently. While we thank God that no attack like that of 9/11 has recurred, anti-Islamic opinion has risen consistently in the last eight years in the United States.

Public policy in this country is driven by public opinion, which ironically is itself driven by public policy. Public policy and public opinion are both becoming increasingly xenophobic, with utter disregard towards American constitution, rule of law, civil rights laws and the nation's human values.

In addition, the federal government has detained thousands of Muslim citizens and has ordered all law enforcement personnel at local, state and national agencies to stop giving the total number detained. Muslims are routinely subjected to racial profiling which has become an acceptable norm in today's America. The other source of Islamophobia is to be found among public opinion makers. They continue to make hateful statements about Islam and Muslims that would never be tolerated if directed against any other faith or ethnic group in America. The media, unfortunately, easily accepts, broadcasts and rarely challenges hate speech against Muslims. The United States must take necessary steps to recognize that Islamophobia is a post-9/11 expression of racism and xenophobia directed against Muslims.