Tarek Fatah: Abused By Fanatics, Admired By Liberals
By
Sumit Paul, New Age Islam
25 April
2023
I may sound outright caustic, but the fact remains that a majority of Muslims across the globe have heaved a sigh of relief and said, good riddance, following the demise of Islam's trenchant and most vocal critic Tarek Fatah.
Tarek Fatah
-----
As his name
' Fatah' (triumph) suggests, Tarek triumphed over the primitive and parochial
religiosity of Islam and its palpable obscurantism that still exists even after
more than 14 centuries. Never given to mincing words, Tarek called a spade a
spade, nay a shovel and took the marauding bison of Islam by the horns.
Tarek was a
relentless crusader and an indomitable champion of human rights. He was an
indefatigable reformer who was often mistaken for an apostate (Murtad)
or atheist (Ilhadi). Unlike Salman Rushdie, Ibn Warraq, Ali Dashti or
Ayan Hirsi Ali who all left Islam and turned nonbelievers, Tarek remained in
the fold of Islam and called himself a liberal and latitudinarian Muslim who
questioned every belief or tenet he felt uncomfortable with.
Whether it
was the issue of the fundamental rights of LGBT community, punishment for Zina
(adultery) or conversion of minorities in Pakistan, Tarek always raised his
voice. He had the honesty to admit in public that the Muslims of the
subcontinent were emotionally as well as biologically closer to their Hindu
brethren than they were to the Arabs. He further added that since most of the
Muslims of the subcontinent had Hindu ancestors, they (Muslims) must never
forget their roots.
A majority
of Muslims, weaned and fed on Zakir Naik's hateful diet of Wahhabi and Salafist
Islam of Saudi Arabia, didn't like it. But there's no gainsaying the fact that
a handful of sane and sensible Muslims always tacitly agreed with his unbridled
views. A number of fatwas (edicts) couldn't dampen his courage and zeal.
Tarek
always remained unperturbed and till the end, he believed in Nietzschean dictum
of living dangerously. He was the first person to suggest that the name of
Delhi's Aurangzeb Road must immediately be changed.
A vocal
critic of Pakistan, Tarek always rued his parents' decision to migrate to
Pakistan. He left Pakistan in 1987 and settled in Canada where he breathed his
last.
I became
his fan when I read his book, " The Jew is not my Enemy: Unveiling the
myths that fuel Muslim anti-Semitism." Every Muslim must read this book to disabuse
himself/herself of the innate and implacable hatred for the Jews and Judaism. Though
the 'striker'/'knocker' (the name Tariq- Toye, Alif, Re, Qaaf, in Arabic means,
a striker/knocker/morning star) has gone, his views will continue to strike
like a blitzkrieg and he'll always remain as distinct as a morning star. Au
revoir, Tariq Saheb.
-----
A regular columnist for New Age Islam, Sumit Paul
is a researcher in comparative religions, with special reference to Islam. He
has contributed articles to the world's premier publications in several
languages including Persian.
URL: https://newageislam.com/current-affairs/tarek-fatah-fanatics-liberals/d/129642