On Faith: Muslims Speak Out
Humera Khan
23 July 2007
The Washington Post

1. WHAT IS JIHAD? UNDER WHAT CONDITIONS DOES ISLAM SANCTION THE USE OF VIOLENCE? WHAT WOULD YOU TELL SUICIDE BOMBERS WHO INVOKE ISLAM TO JUSTIFY THEIR ACTIONS?

How disappointing that the three questions posed reflect the limited vision through which the West continues to view Islam: Jihad, apostasy and women! Surely, the world deserves to hear about Islam from a more authentic starting point? Nevertheless, here goes!

The distortion of Islamic concepts such as jihad is not new. Jihad in its Western interpretation is usually described as ‘holy war’. In other words the idea of unrepentant, religious violence being synonymous with Islam is a myth created by the West almost from the beginning of Islam itself. The power of these created images is so strong that Muslims themselves have bought into the idea of ‘holy war’ and calls for ‘jihad’ can be heard all over the planet.

Jihad simply means ‘to struggle’. The ‘struggle’ in the first instance is against ones self – our inner demons, egos and passions. This continues into our personal relationships where we are advised to act justly and in consideration of others. Then into our public spheres we are told in a saying of Prophet Muhammad: ‘Whosoever of you sees an evil action, let him change it with his hand; and if he is not able to do so, then with his tongue; and if he is not able to do so, then with his heart – and that is the weakest of faith’. All spheres of life are seen as holding challenges and therefore have elements of struggle or ‘jihad’.

In the political sphere Muslims are encouraged to seek peaceful solutions where possible. But Islam recognizes that not all conflicts can be solved peacefully and war is allowed, under strict rules, in such circumstances. Defending oneself against oppression and injustice is allowed. Jihad by definition therefore does not mean ‘holy war’ and we know from a saying of Prophet Muhammad after returning from a military encounter that fighting wars is the ‘lesser jihad’ and the ‘greater jihad’ is establishing social justice.

The conflicts within the Muslim world today are not straight forward and the politics are complicated. Ordinary Muslims are feeling disempowered, misunderstood, oppressed and left desolate to suffer the consequences of politics that they do not have a say in. The social costs are unfathomable, and if people are going crazy with despair can we blame them?

What I would say to the potential suicide bombers who invoke Islam to justify their actions would be the same as what I would say to Western governments who invoke democracy to invade Muslim countries and kill innocent civilians – neither rhetoric or action holds true to the origins of their belief systems. Since neither approach is working maybe it’s time to look for alternative solutions.

2. HOW DOES ISLAM DEFINE APOSTASY? IS IT PERMISSIBLE FOR A MUSLIM TO CONVERT TO ANOTHER FAITH? HOW CAN LAWS AGAINST APOSTASY AND BLASEPHEMY BE RECONCILED WITH THE KORANIC INJUNCTION OF "NO COMPULSION IN RELIGION"

Since I have not investigated the issue of apostasy in any great depth I feel unable to give a suitable answer to this question. But, I will make a few points.

Islam does not begin with issues connected to punishment. The core essence of Islam, as we are continuously told in the Qur'an, is about ‘establishing justice’. Discussing apostasy and punishment can only make sense if the heart of Islam is established in the first place. The heart of Islam is in the root of its name - ‘salam’ meaning ‘peace’ or ‘surrender’ to living a God-centred life. The Qur'an focuses on advising Muslims on how to establish and maintain their relationship to God through prayer as well as living harmoniously with fellow human beings. This is where the greater emphasis is and the criterion of these relationships is to be fair and just.

There is a tendency in the Muslim world today to present Islam as a set of punishments. This of course is not true.

3. WHAT ARE THE RIGHTS OF WOMEN IN ISLAM? HOW DOES ISLAM'S VIEW OF MALE-FEMALE EQUALITY DIFFER FROM THE WESTERN VIEW?

Islam doesn’t separate the issue of gender – it HARMONIZES IT. The Islamic position is that all humanity (this of course will include men and women) is created in a state of ‘fitra’ or natural condition. Both men and women have an innate God-given potential that needs to be unfolded as we are told in a saying of Prophet Muhammad ‘God is a treasure who wishes to be discovered’.

By definition therefore, men and women are created equal in front of God and equally share the responsibility of caring for our planet, society, family networks and themselves. Within this understanding the Qur'an says ‘Never will I suffer to be lost the work of any of you be you male or female’ (Qur'an Chapter 3 Verse 135). This implies that men and women are valued equally for what they do.

It is in the social sphere that roles may differ but still have equal importance. Islam is a family-centered religion where great emphasis is placed on the home as being the center of life and where our emotional batteries are re-charged – the Qur'an describes the marital relationship as being built on ‘love and compassion’ (Qur'an Chapter 30 Verse 21).

In early Islamic history women played an essential role participating in all aspects of life whether it is political, theological, military, economic or social. As Islam spread, Muslims took on some of the traditions of the cultures they came across that were not always so generous towards women. Despite this, Muslim women have continued to play a major role in Islamic communities but over the centuries their role in public life has become less obvious.

The question that continues to be asked today is about the rights of Muslim women. Chapter 4 of the Qur'an is entitled ‘An-Nisa’ or ‘The Women’. The reason for this is not to separate women from men or to give them special privileges but to emphasize the need to safeguard the ‘rights’ given to them by God.

Muslim women today who are rediscovering their identity are able to find their place in front of God very easily. To find their place with fellow Muslim men is much harder!

Where Islamic and Western views on gender differ is essentially on the emphasis on ‘equality’ as meaning ‘to be the same as’.

Western gender equality movements have tended to focus on issues to do with public life such as suffrage, employment and equal pay. There are some Muslim women who also prioritize these issues but in the main most are concerned about establishing ‘equal value’. By this I mean putting value back into the role women play in the ‘private sphere’ as nurturers and home makers and also of getting men re-connected to this arena. It is once the ‘private’ sphere is safeguarded that both men and women are able to engage in ‘public’ life in a more meaningful way.

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