2024-04-10 11:47:47
For Muslims, Islam governs every aspect of life from birth to death, including politics. Therefore, it can never be easy for them to separate religion from public life.
Author: Hasan Suroor
For me, there is hardly anything more fun than seeing a Mullah waving the flag of secularism and mourning its demise. I grew up in a Muslim-dominated area of Old Delhi, where Maulvis dominated. I still remember clearly how much they hated secularism and secular people.
Since they could not tolerate secularism, which they considered an anti-religious ideology, they were also unable to tolerate the country’s only true secular force: the Left.
I know because my mother, who was a Communist Party of India (CPI) worker, had to face the communalism of these clerics and their attitude against women. They had defamed my mother by calling her an agent of Russia (Soviet Union).
And he did all this with a little help from the ‘secular’ Congress Party. During its 70-year rule, the Congress and its right-wing Muslim leaders continued to flirt with secularism – reducing it to a mere sham.
The opposition we are facing today from the Hindu right is the result of this misuse of secularism. And the people responsible for it are now making the most noise about its end.
This article has been written after reading an essay by M. Adil Khan, a Muslim Australian academic. He says, ‘Islam and secularism are completely compatible with each other.’
His article ‘Is secularism wrong for Islam and is Islam wrong for secularism?’ It was published in ‘Countercurrents’ magazine with the title and remains a subject of debate in the Muslim community.
Khan’s positive view of Islam is based on two ‘fundamental principles’ of Islam.
The first verse of the Quran (Chapter 109, Verse 6) is ‘Lakum Dinukum Waliya Deen’ which means ‘Your religion is for you and My religion is for me’. This is often cited as evidence of Islam’s emphasis on religious tolerance and freedom of belief.
Islamic scholar Adil Khan says that two things about Islam support secularism. Firstly, the Quran says, ‘Your religion is for you and my religion is for me’ (lakum deenukum walia deen). It is often used to show that Islam allows freedom of religion and the practice of others’ religions.
and justice for all
The second thing Khan Saheb tells is ‘Insaaf’ (justice), which was told by the second Caliph of Islam, Hazrat Umar. It is said that when his generals asked how non-Muslims should be treated in the conquered areas, Hazrat Umar replied, ‘Rule them with justice.’
Khan Saheb says, ‘This affected the non-Muslims of the newly conquered areas so much that many of them themselves converted to Islam.’
Based on these two things, Khan Saheb argues that ‘Islam and secularism are completely compatible with each other.’
He also says that Islam also passes historian Romila Thapar’s so-called test of secularism, in which ‘the world and society run without divine intervention’.
He repeats this again and again, as if saying it a little louder each time. Here is his full statement, lest anything be left out in translation:
‘The two basic principles of governance of Islam, ‘Lakum Dinukum Walia Deen’ and Hazrat Umar’s principle of ‘Insaf’, are not in opposition to each other. Rather, the best way to run any society should be based on the principles of justice and freedom of religion (lakum deenukum walia deen). These principles, like those of secular democracies, promote equal treatment of all citizens and protection of and respect for religious beliefs and customs.’
His attempt is to bring historian Romila Thapar, who had Marxist ideology and raised questions on religion, on his side, which he may not like.
perfect way of life
In his quest to build a palace of secular Islam, Adil Khan ignores the real foundation of Islam.
It is important to remember that Islam is not a simple religion with a few rituals and a list of do’s and don’ts. It is considered a way of life as a whole – a system of strict rules that govern every aspect of your life at all times.
As Islam has spread, it has become more strict, especially with the spread of radical Wahhabi Islam from Saudi Arabia around the world, including in India.
Renowned British Muslim scholar Ed Hussain writes in his highly acclaimed book ‘The House of Islam: A Global History’ that ‘For a true Muslim, the divine principles of Islam have a profound impact on everyday life.’
And here ‘The Oxford Handbook of Secularism’ (2007) talks about its wide-ranging impact on the lives of followers of Islam.
‘From the beginning, Islam has provided a comprehensive guidance governing every aspect of life, from birth to death, including matters related to politics. From the time of the Prophet Muhammad through various regimes and caliphates to modern times, it has maintained a close relationship between the state and the religion. Most Muslims, at least in principle, do not accept the idea of separation of religion and state, especially because they have always been considered together.’
religion and its soul
Islam can be changed to some extent. Old methods can be changed to suit today’s times, and this is already happening in some countries.
But ‘secular’ Islam is an oxymoron. Simply put, Islam cannot be secularized. If an attempt is made to make it secular, its core will be destroyed.
Because secularism means keeping public life separate from religion, whereas Islam gives utmost importance to religion in public life.
In simple words, secularism means that the government should try not to interfere with religion in public life. The government should create an equal system for people of all religions, even if a religion is dominant in the country itself, like in Britain and America.
Britain is a Christian country, where the Queen has to take an oath to protect the Protestant religion throughout Britain. But public life there is completely secular. Christians receive no special privileges, and the rules of Christianity are not imposed on non-Christians, and the religion does not dominate any area of public life.
However, Islam does not consider public space separate from religion. He does not believe in the idea of secular public space. The scope of Muslim society comes from religion only. Mosque is the center of Muslim civil society.
Some scholars believe that Islam and secularism cannot go together. Scholars such as Egypt’s Yusuf al-Qaradawi say that Christianity is more comfortable with the idea of secularism because Christianity and the state have almost always been separate in history.
Stating this does not mean speaking ill of Islam. Islam was created that way, and as stated earlier, Islam never claimed to be secular. Its supporters make this claim.
After all, the truth is that no religion is completely secular, meaning they are never completely free of prejudice against other religions, no matter how well they say things. Unfortunately, Hinduism is also losing its traditional openness.
But this is a different debate. This is for some other time. For now, Happy Eid everyone!
(These are the personal views of the author)