The Enigmatic Silence of the Majority of Muslims on Blasphemy
By
Sumit Paul, New Age Islam
12 May 2023
Dr Martin
Luther King once said in his speech, “In the end, we'll remember not the
words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends."
Representative Photo
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Following
the execution of two men in Iran for relinquishing Islam and spreading atheism,
a US-based ex-Muslim scholar wrote that though the whole world is condemning
the theocratic Iranian regime and criticising Islam for its idea of blasphemy,
majority of Muslims across the world have kept mum on this issue.
Agreed, for
a Muslim, broaching this subject of blasphemy is tantamount to walking on
eggshells, this measured silence on their part is also undesirable.
I'm not
criticising but the truth is before you to see. Dr Anburaj, Messrs Chari and
Bajaj (all non-Muslims) chose to comment on blasphemy, but no Muslim said
anything about it.
Silence is
often a tacit consent. At least, it's construed as a consent and complicity in
an insidious crime.
Public
memory is very short and it often lacks tenacity. So, let me remind you of yet
another execution for blasphemy that too happened in Iran, an execution-happy
country.
The
Norway-based group, Iran Human Rights (IHR) reported that an Iranian was executed
in 2013 for questioning the Koran's narrative on the life of the prophet Jonah
in the belly of a whale!
The western
world condemned. Salman Rushdie, Anthony Grayling and others slammed Iran. But
Muslim intelligentsia chose to remain silent. Why? Because, Muslims, even the
'educated' ones, believe that whatever nonsense is enshrined in 6, 234 verses
of the Quran is infallibly and unquestionably true.
The same
episode of the prophet in the fish-belly is there in the Bible. But only the
morons among them believe in it. Most of the Christians laugh and scoff at
this. But, Muslims will not call it a fib because the Quran states it! Ergo, no
Muslim will openly condemn executions for questioning the Koran, Muhammad and
Allah.
Muslims
across the world must raise their voice in unison against blasphemy, stand in
solidarity with those persecuted by Islam and other faiths and demand that the
Quran be edited immediately to get rid of the bunkum it's rife with. Not just
Islam but any religion, which is anti-humanity and an antithesis to reason and
basic human intelligence, must be extirpated along with its paraphernalia.
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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/islam-politics/silence-majority-muslims-blasphemy/d/129760
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