Desecration of Quran and Muslim Response
By Mushtaq Ul Haq Ahmad Sikander, New Age Islam
14 July 2023
Quran as a holy revealed book is revered by all Muslims.
They uphold it as a book of salvation. The verses of Quran were revealed over a
period of twenty-three years on Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). His personality too is
deeply revered by Muslims all over the world. Any blasphemy against his
personality is enough to provoke Muslims, make them run amuck, hit the streets
and commit acts of violence. The enemies of Islam are aware of this provocative
nature of Muslims that renders them blind to see the bigger game plan of the
enemies of Islam. Even if some false accusation is alleged against a person of
blaspheming against Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) or desecration of Quran, Muslims
are ready to kill and get killed.
In some Muslim countries many such laws against blasphemy
and desecration are present that certainly are un-Islamic in nature, but are
stringent enough to land the accused ones behind bars for years or even on
death row. During the medieval era, the Christians used to openly desecrate and
commit blasphemy against the personality of Prophet (pbuh), to provoke Muslim
masses and kings to execute them. It helped the Christians to reinforce the
Islamophobia and anti-Muslim sentiment, that in return helped the Crusade wars.
The times have changed and with the advent of Universal
Declaration of Human Rights Charter (1948), the freedom to practice one’s
religious beliefs, freedom of speech and expression along with other rights
have been accepted as Universal. Criticizing any religious belief and text
comes under the purview of these Universal rights. But do these rights entitle
anyone to commit blasphemy and desecration? It is debatable because many
nations believe in the absolute freedom of speech without restrictions, when it
comes to religion. But for other issues like constitution, executive, monarchs
and judiciary, they provide them impunity from desecration or criticism. If any
citizen intends to commit it, he/she is liable for punishment.
As secularism evolved in response to the religious
persecution and exploitation of scientists, rationalists and free thinkers by
curbing their progress and discoveries. The Renaissance helped rationality,
science and secularism prevail, so religion in Europe is allowed to exist at
margins. Although, the scenario is changing now and right wing parties are on
rise all over Europe, but they do not use religion per se overtly. For them
issues like Muslim migration, terrorism, population explosion, growth of
mosques all constitute the issues that need to be addressed by the government.
Any politician which uses anti Muslim and migration issue, is being patronized
by the right-wing political parties. However, even these right-wing parties
have superficial relationship with religion. Jesus Christ, Bible, Moses, Old
Testament and Psalms all can be criticized, blasphemed against and desecrated.
The masses in Europe except the Muslims have grown so immune to these incidents
that they do not matter. It is because for them any Prophet is like a common human
being like us and revealed books do not hold any reverence as they are as good
as any creative writing or work of fiction. Once this reverence is gone from
the minds, then any desecration will not create any type of provocation among
masses. However, the case is altogether different, when it comes to Muslims.
Muslims do not consider Prophets synonymous with the common humans. But they are a chosen group of people, who
are quite perfect as they are guided by God and their exemplary life is to be
followed by humans.
This is the basic reason why Muslims get provoked against
every act of desecration and blasphemy. But is such provocation religiously
valid? Does Islam allow the killing of blasphemer or who desecrates Quran?
These questions were once again raised as Salwa Momika, 37 an Iraqi national
now living in Sweden committed desecration of Quran on Eid ul Azha, 28 June,
2023 outside the biggest mosque in Stockholm. He had chosen the timing of Eid
prayers, as Muslims were gathering in huge numbers for it. He had sought the
permission from the local authorities and desecration of the Quran was done by
placing a piece of bacon (deeply abhorred by Muslims) in it and then stomping
over it. Later he also burnt few pages of the Quran too. He justified his actions
as part of the freedom of expression and liberal values. Salwan has been
described as an ex-fighter for Hashd al Shabi, a Shia terrorist militia (with
Christian members) which tortured and killed Sunnis in Syria and Iraq. He was
also full of praise for Muqtada al Sadr as appears from his social media feeds,
Now, he seems to have changed his stance and renegaded from his previous belief
system. He calls himself a liberal atheist and thus seems to have renounced
Islam turning an Apostate.
It is ok to renounce Islam, and there are numerous Muslims
who are born as legal Muslims but are not happy with it. Hence, we have a
growing number of born Muslims leaving Islam. But unlike people who accept
Islam, those who leave it make it a point to undertake tasks like burning Quran
to depict themselves out of box and portray Islam as barbaric. Non Muslims who
convert to Islam, do not undertake acts of burning religious scriptures,
blasphemy and desecration of the religion they exited. It maybe the penchant of
Islam that even after renouncing it they attach the tag of ex Muslims to their
names. As if it is not enough to leave Islam only, they want to depict before
the world that Islam is horrible.
This negative publicity and Islamophobia help others to know
more about Islam. It is similar to what happened during the early days of
Islam. During the days of Annual Hajj, when the members of different tribes
would travel for the pilgrimage to Makkah, the infidels would reach out to
these pilgrims advising them not to listen to the false Prophet whose words
mesmerize as he was a magician. This negative campaign aroused the curiosity of
the pilgrims, hence it indirectly helped to spread the message of Islam. The
recent desecration of Salwa should be witnessed in the light of this very
experience.
Muslims as usual again have fallen in the trap of enemy
plan. They know how to provoke Muslims. Muslims are so gullible that they
cannot understand the nefarious designs of their enemies. Previous experiences
have met with same reaction from Muslims, who are not wise enough to dissect
the nefarious designs of their enemies. Muslims certainly do not follow the
teachings of Islam as Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) says, “A pious Muslim cannot be
stung from the same hole twice.” But here Muslims have been stung scores of
times from the same hole, but they think they are implementing injunctions of
Islam as they are protesting, destroying public property and depicting their
love for Islam.
The greatest example that all Muslims are ordered to follow
is to emulate the life and actions of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). How did he react
against his own desecration and blasphemy? His life certainly is exemplary and
he was opposed, attempts made to assassinate him, he was blasphemed against by
calling him a mesmerizing magician, liar, black magician, concoctor of verses,
untrustworthy. He was attacked, his daughters divorced, because of his message
and then forced to migrate. All these acts constitute what we today know as
Blasphemy. What was his reaction to all these acts of Sacrilege?
Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was never violent towards his
blasphemers, in fact he forgave them or just ignored them. The stance should be
similar for us too. We should ignore and forgive those who are indulging in
blasphemy. It is what the Prophetic example teaches us. The violent protests do
not harm the enemies but they are self-inflicting and hurt us as in return. The
more hype we give to Salwa, the more fame he will get and we can have a new
Rushdie or Taslima Nasreen in making. Muslim scholars should once for all
declare that they need to ignore such attempts aimed at provoking them.
Instead, they should try to make people understand that Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)
is not a cult figure who belongs to Muslims only. But he is Mercy to all
Mankind and a Messenger to all humanity.
Similarly, Quran has message of salvation for all not just
for Muslims only. Hence, they need to be embraced instead of abhorred. Muslims
have a duty of presenting Quran and Prophet (pbuh) as Universal figures who are
meant for all humanity. Only then such incidents can contribute towards
informing a positive image of Islam. We should in future be ready to be trained
enough to react positively to any such blasphemous or desecration incidents
whose only motive is to provoke Muslims under variegated garbs and ultimately
defame Islam.
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M.H.A. Sikander is Writer-Activist based in Srinagar,
Kashmir
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-society/desecration-quran-muslim-response/d/130208