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In the event of personal insult, the Holy Prophet asked his followers to adopt an attitude of forgiveness and forbearance.

Muslim extremism and Islamophobia now enjoy a symbiotic relationship feeding on each other’s fanaticism

The assassination of Salman Taseer, a moderate voice in Pakistani politics, is an ominous indication that our neighbour is plunging headlong into a state of ataxia. And one wonders if it would ever come out of it. Salman was killed, as confessed by his murderous bodyguard, for being a staunch opponent of the blasphemy law of Pakistan and seeking Presidential pardon for Aasia Bibi, the Christian woman who was recently awarded the death penalty under section 295-C of the Pakistani Penal Code for allegedly abusing Prophet Muhammadpbuh.
It is a fact that the use of derogatory language against Prophet Muhammad, or for that matter any Prophet, is considered a great sin in Islam. But it is also no small crime to sentence somebody to death without evidence. So far the charges against Aasia Bibi have not been incontrovertibly proved. Pakistan’s Federal Minister for Minorities, Shahbaz Bhatti, is on record saying that the case against her is concocted as the complainant and major witnesses were not present at the site of incident. But then the courts in Pakistan work under tremendous right-wing pressure. It may be recalled that in 1997, Lahore High Court judge Arif Iqbal Bhatti, who had acquitted two Christians accused of blasphemy in 1995, was shot dead.
But the bigger question is: Is there any evidence in the Quran to justify capital punishment for the crimes mentioned in section 295-C of the PPC? Also, what was the Prophet’s own reaction to such personal insults? The answers to these questions assume the significance of a categorical imperative (to use a Kantian term) because; insofar as the Islamic shariah is concerned any law made in contravention of the universality of the Quranic thought as expounded by the Prophet is void.
Interestingly, the Quran records some of the nasty insinuations that were hurled at the Prophet (see 25:41 and 38:4-5) and defends and consoles him without suggesting any mundane punishment for the abusers. Such invectives would certainly have hurt the Prophet and therefore, he is assuaged with, “Have patience with what they say, and leave them with noble dignity” (73:10) and, “You possess the most exalted standard of character” (68:4).
After having comforted the Prophet thus, the Quran advises him, and through him his followers, to “forgive and overlook; for God loves those who are kind” (5:13). Another verse points out that when evil is repelled with an act of goodness “then will he between whom and you was hatred become as if he were your intimate friend” (41:34). The Prophet followed this exhortation to the letter, a fact acknowledged by the Quran which confirmed that he indeed was kind to the people and never “harsh-hearted” (3:159).
There are several instances in the Prophet’s life which show that he “repelled evil with goodness” in the Quranic spirit. Once a man demanded his debts from him in such a rude manner that his companions wanted to beat him up. But the Prophet said, “Leave him, for he (the creditor) has the right to demand it (harshly)” (Sahih Bukhari). According to another tradition when a Jew who was opposed to the Prophet cursed him saying As-saamu-alalikum, (death be upon you) and his wife Hazrat Ayesha responded with As-saamu ‘alaikum wal-laa’na (death and Allah’s curse be upon you too) he expressed his strong displeasure saying, “Be gentle and calm, Ayesha.” And when one of his companions sought permission to harm the Jew, the Prophet silenced him with an emphatic “No” (Sahih Bukhari).
Therefore, there is no scriptural basis for the histrionic emotionalism and maddening perversity of the Pakistani extremists, one of whom has even announced an award of $6,000 to anyone who kills Aasia Bibi if the higher courts acquit her. It is precisely this kind of fiendish attitude that fuels Islamophobia across the globe. In fact, Muslim extremism and Islamophobia now enjoy a symbiotic relationship feeding on each other’s fanaticism. This of course is not to condone organised attempts to malign religious personalities such as the publication of the Danish cartoons in 2005. Such defamatory campaigns are in reality Machiavellian designs to incite communal hatred and therefore they deserve to be condemned by not just Muslims but all right- thinking people for the sake of world peace.
One of the reasons for Muslim extremism to flourish today is the unrestricted flow of petro-dollars into Muslim societies and through it the proliferation of prejudiced preachers and radical televangelists who populate the airwaves with their fanaticism. Such is the sway of these preachers that Muslims in large numbers are falling prey to their manipulative agenda and have started to exhibit a supremacist attitude that looks down upon those who are reluctant to get initiated into their kind of puritanism.
Sadly progressive Muslim scholars have not been able to match the flurry of misinformation on Islam through various media, particularly the Internet. The main reason for this is paucity of funds as the progressives do not have the benefit of petro-dollars. Another factor is the fear of being ostracised from society, and in the worst case, killed. The only way to neutralise the fanatics is for the moderate majority of the Muslims to morally and financially support the progressive scholars and help them intellectually counter religious chauvinism through the rational teachings of the Quran as done by the Prophet himself.
(The author is the secretary-general of India-based Forum for the Promotion of Moderate Thought among Muslims. He may be reached at [email protected]).

Muslim Parent-Child relationship

Muslim parents from the middle and elite class are converting their
own children into robots by forcing them to focus on material success only.

What is the most important responsibility of  Muslim parents towards their children?  Islamic Voice, in association with Trends Research and Analysis Center (TRAC) posed this question to around 151 Muslim parents of at least one adolescent child across Mumbai.
Forty five per cent parents said, it is imparting quality education. 32 % said teaching them about Islamic values. 12 % parents said giving them better quality of life. 7% parents said identifying their talents and helping them to achieve excellence in them. 4 % parents said the most important responsibility towards children is teaching them about what is life and showing them the option between what is right and wrong and guiding them.
All the options are important. But unfortunately the last option which is the most important responsibility of the Muslim parents is often
neglected by a substantial segment of the Muslim community.
Parent- child relationship is the most important, but misunderstood bond, as substantial section of both parents and children are at
loggerheads with each other.
Parents share enormous responsibility of teaching their children healthy habits, values, and attitudes about their lives. Parents need to discuss the choices children make in their life. Children need to understand that the choices they make in their life directly impact their future and hereafter and parents have a responsibility to teach them how to make right decisions.
Every child matters and every parent matters. But today, Muslim parents from the  middle and elite class are themselves converting their own children into robots by forcing them to focus on material success only, even at the cost of values and faith.
The survey also covered 204 Muslim adolescents between 13 to 19 years.
The questions posed to them were, ‘what are the major issues in relationship with their parents’. A whopping majority of 74% grownup children cited ‘infighting among parents’ as the most worrisome factor for them. According to psychiatrists, this often leads children to alcohol addiction or drugs abuse.
Children also cited ‘getting insulted at the hands of parents’ to be the cause of intense pain for them. 67 % of the children identified ‘parents neglecting issues like education, their home work and not taking them seriously.  64 % consider ‘parents force their choice on children’, as the most intense pain point. Many Muslim parents behave as if the children are their property and they are the legitimate owners. They foist their choices on their children.
The result is that these children start hating their parents.
51 % children opine that ‘the use of derogatory language or words for children’s friends’ is the cause of intense pain.
As for the positive factors in parent-child relationship, 89 % of the children opted love, affection, care and concern as the most important and essential for healthy and normal parent-child relationship. 65 % of the children said that parents connecting with them at their level was very crucial for maintaining healthy relationship. 59 % of the children expect their parents to teach them about various aspects of life in an affectionate way.
56 % of the children expect their parents to pardon their mistakes and teach them to differentiate between what is right and wrong. Lastly 54
% of the children expect their parents to motivate them, and pray for them for achieving success.
Muslim parents should take all the pain to protect their children from the fire of hell.
First they have to differentiate between what is right and wrong and practise what is enshrined in the Quran. Then
only, their children will discriminate between right and wrong and would be able to protect them from the fire of hell in the hereafter
besides achieving success in this world.