Islam, Jihad and Barack Hussein Obamaاسلام ،جہاد اور براک حسین اوبامہ

An Editorial in the Akhbar-e-Mashrique

(Translated from Urdu by New Age Islam Edit Desk)

The American President Barack Hussein Obama who is currently on a visit to India is the son of a Kenyan (African) Muslim father and American Christian mother. The middle name Hussein in his name tells us this truth though by faith he is Christian and goes to the church regularly. Nonetheless the blood of a Muslim runs through his veins and just as blood runs throught the whole body, Muslimhood also runs through his existence and every now and then uncounsciously he becomes an exponent and preacher of Islam.

On the first day of his visit to India when he was meeting the students of St Xavier's College In Mumbai, answering their queries, a girl student asked him the meaning of jihad in Islam. The question stirred up the Muslim in Obama and he delivered an eloquent lecture on the truth and greatness of Islam. He recognised the fact that Islam was the best  religion in the world and the followers of Islam were peace-loving. In the same vein he explained the meaning of jihad and said that it had very wide meaning. He clarified that today jihad was being explained in many ways and a few people were promoting violence giving Islam a bad name.

Rejecting this theory about Islam Obama said that people having such a mentality should be isolated from Islam. President Obama not only recognises the greatness of Islam but also has a soft corner for the Islamic world. Shortly after taking over as the President of the US, he had addressed the Muslims of the world from Egypt and had expressed his resolve to solve their issues. No other President of the US ever showed any interest in the Islamic world or in solving their issues. On the contrary his predecessor George Bush inflicted irreparable damages on the Islamic world by attacking Iraq and Afghanistan. While showering praises on Islam and the Muslims in Mumbai he did not even bother about the fact that a strong anti-Islamic lobby was always active in the form of the RSS in the country.

It is a matter of relief that some religious leaders and intellectuals of Delhi have welcomed Obama’s views on Jihad. He clearly stated that those victimising innocent people in the name of jihad were ignorant of the true meaning of jihad and shed human blood due to their cynicism.

Muslim Personal Law Board member Kamal Farooquee, Rajya Sabha MP Mahmood Madani and MP Rashid Alwi appreciated Obama’s statement on jihad and said that unleashing violence on innoncent people was not jihad and those involved in such acts were actually tarnishing the image of Islam. Rashid Alwi stated clearly that Islam could not be seen through the prism of terrorist organisations like Al Qaida and Lashkar-e-Taiba. In its public meetings, Jamiat-e-Ulema Hind has declared the violent definition of Jihad un-Islamic and has actually passed resolutions on this subject. Al Qaida founder Osama bin Laden and his deputy Aiman Al Zawahiri keep issuing fatwas of violent Islam and jihad through their audio and visual media and incite people to unleash terror and violence but their appeals hold no attraction for common people now. Osama is not a hero of the Muslims and nobody pays any heed to him. However, confusion still exists in the minds of people about  jihad which needs to be cleared by ulema.

Source: Akhbare-Mashrique, New Delhi

URL: https://newageislam.com/urdu-section/islam,-jihad-barack-hussein-obama/d/3673