In Response to a Popular Islam Basher

Before I delve into the main subject of this post, let me make this clear: I am not a 'Muslim extremist’. I support freedom of thought and expression and I value constructive criticism. I am writing this post as a critique only.

In the recent months, an egregiously outspoken critic of Islam has gained a heap of media attention and mass popularity for her anti-Islamic views. In a public speech, Wafa Sultan, the Islam basher, said, “There is no moderate Islam at all because Islam is different from any other religion.” She continued, “They believe the Quran is the absolute word of God and we’re not supposed to play with it or change it.” I can’t understand what she means by saying ‘there is no moderate Islam because Islam is different from any other religion’. Does this mean homogeneity breeds moderation? How? I believe we must celebrate our differences and should try to use them as grounds for amity, not divide..

As far as Quran’s being the absolute word of God is concerned, yes, Quran is the absolute word of God. That’s what the Muslims believe. And I can’t find anything wrong in it. And, of course, no Muslim is supposed to ‘play with it or change it’. I can’t find anything wrong with this either. On the contrary, I think if the Muslims were supposed to change the word of God, the Muslim ‘terrorists’ or ‘extremists’ would most certainly do so to legitimize their actions and hence, gain a wider popular support among ‘devout’ Muslims. Who would want that? Also, to the best of my knowledge, no one in any other religion is allowed to ‘change’ the text of a sacred book or ‘play’ with it in any other form.

For Muslims, Islam is a ‘complete code of life’. This means it is a complete social, political and religious system which can enable a Muslim society to run autonomously and without any ideological support from outside. This also means that in a Muslim state, politics and religion are intertwined. Nonetheless, almost all of the ‘problems’ seen in Islamic countries have nothing to do with Islam; rather, they are caused by local tribal traditions and cultures confused to be Islamic. Forced marriages, or mandatory circumcision of girls, for example, have nothing to do with Islamic principals. Likewise, torture or rape of women are strictly forbidden in Islam. These phenomena have become characteristic of Islam because they are practiced frequently in Muslim countries.

Dr Sultan is, as some people speculate, currently enjoying a position of popularity and fame in an atmosphere of immunity. She will continue to enjoy these privileges as long as she keeps bashing Islam. She may appear to be a hero championing the cause of free speech in an oppressively censuring society, but it is said that she may be doing so just to further her personal objectives. Her case is more or less like that of Ayan Hirsi Ali, a Dutch ex-Muslim politician and a fierce critic of Islam.

Tags: Islam, Quran, Religion, Wafa Sultan