My Personal Experience on Newageislam.Com Website, A Multilingual Website To Counter Terrorism And Extremism
By Ghulam Ghaus
Siddiqi, New Age Islam
17 February
2022
newageislam.com, A Website That Collects Islamic World
News, Women News, Most Importantly, Anti-Terror Narratives and Welcomes Your
Dissenting Views, Expecting the Noble Communication
Main Points
1.
Newageislam.com purposely aims at
refuting and countering the extremist and radical narratives in addition to
discussing the points where the followers of different religions can practice
human ethos and values.
2.
Newageislam.com is a good platform
for you to put your arguments in favour of humanity, provided you are able to
do so.
3.
Newageislam.com does not entirely
reject any commentators simply because they have a different way of thinking.
4.
Newageislam.com also welcomes your
dissenting opinions, expecting the noble way of your communication.
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Being a
Madrasa graduate and a member of a family confronted with numerous worldly
tests and phenomenal life troubles, the only option that I had was to pursue
modern education in order to become a typical Indian jobholder in order to
serve the family livelihood. I studied it in the central universities of India,
self-managing my fees, bus fares, and dinner costs in university campus canteens
while spending the rest of my time teaching my siblings what I could, and
English language books from the C.B.S.E. based syllabus were the only subject I
could tutor them in.
So I kept
doing it until I was able to gain acceptance during interview sessions with
several corporate companies as an English-Arabic translator, sometimes as an
Urdu-English translator, sometimes just as an English speaker who knew how to
pronounce English words in US or UK accents, more like a Qaari Sahib of the
holy Quran [a Muslim reciter of the Quran who recites the verses of the Quran
in an accurate Arabic accent], and once as an Arabic interpreter at a medical
hospital to assist Arab patients who travel to India for treatment. After
experiencing these fields, I came across newageislam.com and started commenting on articles published on the website. Now after
going through many areas of studies and articles provided on this website, I
would like to share with you my personal experience with newageislam.com,
a multilingual website run by its founding editor and thinker Mr. Sultan Shahin in order to counter terrorism and extremism.
When I
first began commenting and writing on newageislam.com, I noticed a global community interested in the
whys and hows of some radicals’ growth, as well as how they may be
ideologically refuted. I wondered about learning all of this because I had no
prior knowledge of terms like extremism, radicalism, fanaticism, Islamism, or
even terror or counter-terror narratives.
During
Aalimiyat and Fazilat, I learned some basic principles and rules for
understanding the Quran, Sunnah, and different interpretations of one subject
among different sects, as well as techniques for scrutinising the authenticity
of Hadith, principles of interpreting the Quran, and how they were interpreted
differently by different classical scholars in order to determine which
interpretation could be applied correctly to one context.
I didn't
know much about these subjects because most Madrasa graduates [Aalimiyat and
Fazilat holders] in Indian Madrasas only learn the essentials and aren't
necessarily mature enough to assume the position of a judge for Islamic
subjects. They are merely ordered by their teachers and lecturers to pursue
higher education after receiving their Madrasa degrees. They are unskilled
until now. However, the majority of them cease studying, while others choose to
continue. They become able to speak anything confidently after continuing to
ponder, rethink, and achieve some expertise; previously, they would simply
quote what they read anywhere, depending on their choice of opinions. The point
is that I read on newageislam.com
that I should
research and monitor terror narratives and propose counter-terror narratives if
I can for the purpose of a truly peaceful society and environment. Prior to
writing for newageislam.com, I had only heard on the radio about the
terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, but not about their context.
My personal
opinions are frequently in disagreement with, and occasionally in agreement
with, the regular commentators and writers who write for newageislam.com. I consider some issues in a different light
to see how humanity has successfully progressed from the age of hand-to-hand
combat and the age of sword-fighting to the present age of nuclear weapons, and
how some issues have become more destructive and detrimental to humanity than
they were in the seventh-century era when our holy Prophet [Muhammad, peace and
blessings of Allah be upon him] came to approach and make humanity aware of the
sense of relationship to God Almighty.
I came
across terror narratives and Islamophobic materials widely circulated on the
internet, as well as studying, thinking, and re-thinking Islamic sources of
studies, such as the Quran, Sunnah, and secondary classical sources, which
could tell us how one religious fatwa was given in one context and how the same
changed in another. There were mind-blowing experiences learning how the
followers of the two different religions, the Muslim and non-Muslim empires,
used to consult their respected religious clerics and outline their necessary
plan, whether to walk on the path of peaceful coexistence in peacetime or the
path of warriors in wartime.
The most
fascinating experience was learning how Muslim rulers used to consult renowned
religious personalities and clerics, who then advised them on how to manage
crises according to the standards. At this time, I became aware of how wrongly
radical ideologues all over the world are transferring fatwas from a specific
age and setting to a twenty-first-century audience living in a different
environment in accordance with the human relation norms and values recommended
by the UN Charters. I don't deny that numerous clerics have produced
anti-terror fatwas and publications in Arabic, English, and other languages in
order to represent the global Muslim majority. They've issued fatwas in various
forms, but one thing is certain: they've openly rejected terrorism and
radicalism. They must, however, provide point-by-point refutations of terror
narratives in a more focused and detailed manner.
A common
sense understanding can easily grasp the reality that a fatwa connected to one
context cannot be applied to a different context to the point where there is no
way to compromise between the two. This was the key point to study and share on
the website newageislam.com under various articles and topics. I noted that
this website is dedicated to debunking and combating extreme and radical
narratives, as well as discussing areas where people of various faiths can
practise human ethos and values.
This
website does not entirely reject any commentators simply because they have a
different way of thinking. Today, Muslims are referred to as ‘liberals’,
‘seculars’, ‘traditionalists’, ‘conservatives’, ‘fundamentalists’, ‘radicals’,
‘moderates’, ‘progressives’, ‘moderns’ and ‘clergy-labelled Islamic scholars’
or ‘non-clergy labelled Islamic scholars’, as they were already divided into
several sects, such as Sunnis, Shias, Rafizis, Deobandis, Wahhabis, Mutazalites
and non-Mutazalites etc. Many readers want to know what the distinctions are
and what they should believe is the correct version of Islam.
The rising
separation of the Muslim community into sects and sub-sects is a bitter
reality. This harsh fact was foreseen by the Holy Prophet [peace be upon him]
about 1400 years ago when he predicted that His Ummah would cause a tremendous
division. It is impossible to believe that the Holy Prophet was delighted when
he predicted the division of the Muslim community into sects. This was a
prophetic prophecy that foresaw the future circumstances of his Ummah, and it
came true, as we can see now. Many non-Muslim readers have been perplexed by
all of this division existing inside the Muslim community.
newageislam.com has
published a number of topics on which one reader can express one opinion while
another expresses a different one. However, I believe that the website expects
people to express their opinions in a dignified manner, demonstrating a decent
conversation culture. For example, you can see a variety of viewpoints on a
single Islamic topic. For example, multiple perspectives on the Hijab
controversy can be seen in articles and comments recently published on newageislam.com,
I mean that you can learn about, write about, and comment on how the
traditional version of Islam approaches the subject of Hijab, and how the
non-traditional interpretation of Islam advances the discussion, just as it did
with the war-related passages that aren't applicable in the current situation.
All of this continues on this website, along with its active sections, which
provide you with Islamic World News, Women and Feminism News, which are
collected from many sources and websites throughout the world.
newageislam.com encourages
a diversity of viewpoints and expects noble behaviour of communication. If you
have arguments to support your position, you must remark on them and allow others
to offer their perspectives. On newageislam.com, you can actually foster a noble communication
culture by sharing your ideas and proofs. Now it is up to the reader to
determine if he is distributing his views and comments for the purpose of
discovering the truths of God Almighty, actually reforming the wrongdoings of a
society, or merely denouncing the wrongdoings to the point of degrading a
certain class or religion and demonstrating supremacism. No one can accurately
assess the intent.
newageislam.com not
only provides you with writings on a variety of topics and points of view from
various schools of theology and jurisprudence but also encourages you to think
about and rethink the Islamic sources in order to become a part of a peaceful
culture and make it their goal for the rest of their lives. If you have a
dissenting opinion, you must present to settle the subject and become relaxed
about your position on a controversy in order to avoid following in the
footsteps of hardliners.
I regularly
study the Quranic verses, Ahadith, and other Islamic literature. I believe the
Holy Quran is a miracle. The holy Quran miraculously addresses a variety of
difficulties rising in various contexts, eras, and political alliances. It is
truly a wonder that the divine speech of God Almighty, known as the holy Quran,
can solve difficulties of various kinds and needs. During the Makki period,
when Muslims began to face religious persecutions and hardships as a result of
accepting the path of Islam to salvation from the fires of Hell, they were able
to bear all of these difficulties with patience, perseverance, and tolerance
for about 15 years, until they were pursued to Medina, where they mustered
their strength and divine permission to fight back in a life-or-death
situation. When Muslims signed peace treaties with their adversaries, the holy
Quran instructed them to follow the treaty rules and never to break the commitment
[Ahad-O-Paymaan] made during the
treaty. It's indeed a miracle that the holy Quran creates the impression that a
war-related command cannot be applied to a peaceful context.
Finally, in
accordance with the website newageislam.com,
I wish that Muslim scholars and readers express their opinions in form of
articles or comments that can benefit humanity through the noble act of
communication. Indeed, if you are able to do so, this website is a fantastic
venue for you to present your arguments in favour of mankind; alternatively, it
welcomes your contrasting viewpoints.
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A regular Columnist with NewAgeIslam.com,
Ghulam Ghaus Siddiqi Dehlvi is an Alim and Fazil (Classical Islamic scholar)
with a Sufi background and English-Arabic-Urdu Translator.
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islam-media/multilingual-website-counter-terrorism-extremism/d/126389