Muslims Should Stand Up Against Harassment of Fellow Muslims Posted: 05/25/11 09:20 AM ET React Amazing Inspiring Funny Scary

Hot Crazy Important Weird Follow Islam , Sectarian Violence , Ahmadiyya , Intra-Muslim Relations , Ismai li , Muslim Denominations , Sallafi , Shiite Muslims , Sufi Muslims , Sunni Musl ims , Religion News . share this story 13183Get Religion Alerts Sign Up Submit this storydigg reddit stumble To have the power to affect a positive change in a given society one mus t be just. It is not justice when one gains at the wrongful expense of others. M any a Muslims have lost the gut in their voice because they have failed to stand up for others. Reciprocity, a bedrock fundamental underlying the principle of justice, requires that what is good for Muslims has got to be good for others (and vice versa) to bring about sustainable peace and security for everyone in the world, and that this principle of justice should not be predicated on what others do in this reg ard. We need to insist on it until a genuine understanding is developed sans coe rcion. "O you who believe, you shall be equitable, and observe GOD, when you serve as w itnesses. Do not be provoked by your conflicts with some people into committing injustice. You shall be equitable, for it is more righteous. You shall observe G OD. GOD is fully Cognizant of everything you do" (Quran 5:8). The following six principles are important to understand the power of justice: First, we need to seriously consider the Islamic concept of shirk -- i.e., conce ptually, it is a violation of or at least dilution of God's dominion by our acts or tendencies that are tantamount to elevating ourselves or others to God.

On matters of faith, the merciful God gives room to people and holds out judgmen t till the Day of Judgment. That does not mean a thing to the dictators and a fe w religious leaders among Muslims who have raided God's dominion and appointed t hemselves as His substitutes/deputies. This is as if God should sit out in silen ce while they decide in this who is a Muslim and who is not. This is like treati ng Islam as a private club and they are the owners. If this trend continues unch ecked, very few will be left to be called Muslims.

Secondly, we cannot validate and propagate a false idea that the majority has a right to dictate the minorities to accept their status as subjects. Should the m ajority of Americans believe in the rhetoric that Muslims are terrorists and mus t be kicked out of the planes and prevent them from building a place of worship?

Of course, American Muslims cannot do much about what the "Muslim majority" nati ons do with their minorities. But we can choose to be "just" and gather the cour age to protest it with the same vigor for the rights of Christians, Baha'is, Sik hs, Hindus in Egypt, Pakistan, Iran, Kashmir, Bangladesh and Malaysia as we pass ionately talk about the political rights of Palestinians. The Sunnis need to spe ak up against the oppression of Shiite Muslims in Bahrain and the "other" Muslim s in Shiite-majority states.

I would rather be an American who speaks out for justice even if a whole lot of Americans appear to oppose it. Shouldn't American Muslims do the same if a whole lot of Muslims appear to disrespect any one of our groups?

Thirdly, we have fallen into a deep ditch led by the pied pipers to declare fell ow Muslims as non-Muslims or less than Muslims. The Sunnis have declared Shiites to be non- Muslims, and Shiites have done the same. Each one of the groups is e ager to denigrate the other: the Wahhabi, Ahle Sunnat, Nadwatul Ulema, Deobandi and so on. Who is qualified to cast the first stone? Fortunately, not all Muslims have done that. But do we have a significant record of speaking up against such epithets? We need to do our part. Didn't the Prophe t advise us to speak up against injustice? That is the least we can do. You are right. Not all Muslims have done that but do we have a significant recor d of speaking up against such castings? Have you done your part? Didn't the Prop het advise you and me to speak up against injustice?

Fourth, many Muslims have been brainwashed like most others to believe in things fed by the politicians. Whatever their government says is embraced by them as u nadulterated truth. President Reagan called Russia an evil empire; so many a Ame ricans embraced that Russians were evil people. Bush said "they hate us" and the flock believed him. Pakistan's dictators played the sectarian game and official ly declared Ahmadiyya Muslims as non-Muslims, and many Muslims bought this to th e extent that anything befalling these Ahmadies was OK. What a shame! Are we so gullible to believe the usual government-fed propaganda? When are we going to wa ke up and put our own minds to use and question the veracity of the propaganda? The dictators may have owned Pakistan and have done what pleased them, but they do not own God. They cannot supersede God in judging what is in one's hearts. I urge that we all free ourselves from the shackles put on by our governments and jettison what was uploaded in the 70s.

As Dr. Mohammad Omar Farooq, who maintains the Apostasy and Islam Blog, observes : "As Muslims we do not have to agree with particular sects or segments. If we bel ieve that something is unacceptably wrong, we have the right to expose the folli es of others, but we must do so within the Islamic norms and parameters, and wit hout getting the governments and politicians involved, who generally are more in terested in their own power plays rather than bringing their societies together for common positive causes." Fifth, we have no right to deny the Ahmadiyya their right to be Muslims, and Ahm adiyya simply should not propagate the myth that non-Ahmadies are not Muslims ei

ther. I request each denomination to make a sincere effort to present their own merits without denigrating the other, such benefits are temporary and deleteriou s to lasting peace. Do we own Islam? If we cannot stand up for anyone wronged, why should anyone sta nd up for us? Prophet Muhammad asked to find how many Muslims were in Medina, an d the only criterion was if they called themselves Muslims. Let's respect the wi sdom and norm of our Prophet, Amen. Lastly, Islam has pulled us out of ignorance, and we should not fall into that h ole again. Justice means justice. I hope we consider deferring the judgmental ro le to God in the matters of faith. There is no compulsion in religion. "VERILY, those who have attained to faith [in this divine writ], as well as thos e who follow the Jewish faith, and the Christians, and the Sabians -- all who be lieve in God and the Last Day and do righteous deeds -- shall have their reward with their Sustainer; and no fear need they have, and neither shall they grieve" (Quran 2:62).

Three things are required to earn the grace of God: belief in God, belief in the Day of Judgment and righteous action in life. Any one who submits to this doctr ine is broadly defined as Muslim. Finally, if we really want the best for the Muslim community in particular and t he humanity in general, we can do it only by adhering to justice. Let's start cl eaning our hearts from prejudice and judgment against others. If the professiona l owners of Islam cannot unite us to do good for humanity, let them not divide u s either. Let there be no politics in religion. Dr. Tariq Cheema, founder and chair of the World Congress of Muslim Philanthropi sts adds, "Our effort therefore should be to help people come out of their boxes and find friends in opposite camps who believe in equality and justice." If the professional clerics cannot unite us to do good to humanity, let them not divid e us either. Let there be no politicking about matters of justice. Islam is large enough to absorb all the strands. Indeed, we can see the wisdom i n the Prophet's predictions that we will divide ourselves into 73 tribes. He und erstood the human fitra (nature) and prepared us to accept it instead of making arrogant claim to be the best, the best among us is the one who is pious and who serves humanity. Each one of the strands is serving the humanity. As a Sunni, I can value the res pect former Prime Minister Blair's sister in law has generated for the Shiite br anch of Islam. As a Sunni, I can appreciate the work Ahmadiyya Muslims are doing in serving the humanity, feeding the hungry and being neighborly. As a Sunni, I admire the selfless work done by the Ismaili Muslim Community to uplift humanit y. As a Sunni, I love the bridge building work being done by the Warith Deen Muh ammad Muslims. And as a Muslim, I salute the major funding of education in India by Bohra Muslim Azim Premji. The list is endless. There is indeed a net gain fo r Islam collectively, and we must appreciate them all. Islam is universal; it ab sorbs all of us in its embrace. If Muslims can stand up for everyone on a principled basis, then our voices will carry the moral weight necessary to bring a positive change for the entire huma nity including us. Prophet Muhammad has given us a model to emulate: The Amin, t he just, the truthful and the trustworthy to build just societies for humanity. Input from Dr. Mohammad Omar Farooq, Dr. Mirza A. Beg, Dr. Tariq Cheema and Dr.

Akbar Ahmed is appreciated. Mike Ghouse is nurturing the concept of "Aalameen (Universalism)" embedded in Is lam. From Rabbul Aalameen (Creator of the Universe) to Rahmatul Aalameen (Mercy to mankind) we have to become Mukhlooqul Aalameen (Universal beings).