Reply to Aziz Ul Huq

By Jahed Ahmed

"It is a farce to call any being virtuous whose virtues do not result from the exercise of its own reason"---Mary Wollstonecraft

Sorry for my delayed reply! Although your response on my comment "WHY I DISLIKE RELIGION:…." was forwarded to me by my friend Mr. Avijit quite sometime back but I was tied up with personal affair.

Here is my reply on your opinion.

1. My original comment: "NO RELIGION ENCOURAGES FREE THINKING"

Your response: "….It is the very free will (according to Islamic value
system) which necessitates that they exercise their own judgement and come to God, none can and must force them to God…"

My reply: This is your personal opinion I suppose, as according to Quran & Hadeeth, punishment for apostasy is death sentence. If one exercises his own judgment, that may or may not result in belief in God. BUT Islam totally becomes intolerant of apostates.
Just think of apostates like Taslima Nasrin, Ibn Warrak, Anwar Shaikh. Why are they abused by Muslims? Why have Muslims gone so crazy on them? What's their offence? Did they kill anybody? Stole someone's property?
No!! just because they spoke their mind. Thus I believe, a GOD who doesn't allow any question about his rulings can't be termed as generous!!

2. My original comment: "RELIGION IS THE GREATEST FACTOR RESPONSIBLE IN THE WORLD HISTORY THAT LED TO DEATH OF MILLIONS OF PEOPLE IN SO-CALLED HOLY WARS."

Your response: "Do you know that more people died as a result of wars based on ethnicity, tribalism and nationalism than all wars of all time combined. Look at the statistics of the 2 great world wars."

My reply: Even though ethnic & nationalistic conflict has resulted in great number of killings in the world history, I don't think, the number is more than those killed in religious holy war since the beginning of human history.

It's thought that the number of people killed in religious conflicts through the centuries exceeds 100 million (in early civilization various religious killing were in epidemic proportion all over the world), but an exact number would be impossible for any historian to learn. Nevertheless, within whatever has been recorded in the history, some examples are as follows: 

Nonislamic religious war:

• The Taiping Rebellion was launched in China in the 1850s by a Christian convert who said God appeared to him in a vision, told him he was a younger brother of Jesus, and told him to "kill demons." He raised a religious army and waged a horrendous war that killed as many as 20 million people, most encyclopedia say. The uprising finally was quelled by defense forces such as one led by the Englishman "Chinese" Gordon - who later went to the Nile Valley to resist a Muslim holy war, and was killed when the fanatics overran Khartoum.

 

• The Thirty Years War between Protestants and Catholics in the 1600s killed an estimated one-third of Germany's population and left the region devastated.

 

• A half-dozen religious wars between France's Catholics and Protestant Huguenots killed hundreds of thousands. This was part of the Reformation and Counter-Reformation, which caused bloodshed all over Europe.

 

• The half-dozen Christian Crusades into the Holy Land butchered an untold number of people - and then popes began waging "internal crusades" against deviant Christians around Europe. The Hussite Wars were part of this nightmare. So was the Catholic war against Cathari Christians, which killed an estimated 20,000 people at the French city of Beziers.

 

• Christian pogroms and massacres of Jews recurred for centuries, fueling the anti-Semitism that culminated in Hitler's Holocaust. Many theologians say the Holocaust was a natural outgrowth of Christian hatred for Jews.

 

• A Buddhist-Hindu civil war is killing great numbers on the island of Sri Lanka(formerlyCeylon).

 

• Don't forget Ulster, where Catholics and Protestants murder each other
  

 

Islamic war: 

• In ancient Arab, people were very very less in number. But
  still 10,000 Muslims were killed by Muslims themselves by civil war of Jamal. Another 70,000 were killed in siffen war between Hazrat Ali and Hazrat Muaiba. One would get horrified by calculating the ratio between the number of people killed and the the number of people living at that time.

 

• Muslim holy wars spread Islam westward across North Africa and up through Spain - and eastward into India - and northward through the Balkans into Austria. God only knows how many died in all those centuries of fighting.
  The recent horror in the Balkans (between Catholic Croatians, Orthodox Serbs and Muslim Bosnians and Kosovars) is historic fallout from the ancient Muslim conquest.

 

• Around 1 million Hindus and Muslims were killed in rioting when India and Pakistan split in the late 1940s - and murder among Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs has continued sporadically ever since.

 

• The Muslim-Christian civil war in Sudan has been recurring since the 1960s, and has killed about 2 million. Civil war between religious militias devastated Lebanon during the 1980s.

 

• Second world war though was not a holy war BUT no body can deny the fact
  that it caused millions of death in the name of removing all Jews from the
  face of earth.

 

• Also in 1971, Pakistan created one of the cruelest genocides in world
  history by killing 3 million Bangalees in then East Pakistan (present
  Bangladesh) in the name of protecting religion.

Even today we do see that most of the killings directly or indirectly are
related to religion. Here is a very latest sample:

• "Twenty worshippers killed in gun attack on Khartoum mosque (AFP)
  (Khartoum, December 9)

TWENTY MUSLIM worshippers were shot and killed on Friday night in a bloody attack by a fundamentalist gunman on a mosque in the outskirts of Omdurman, a suburb of Khartoum, Sudan's police chief said on state television.

Witnesses said around 30 people were wounded when the Muslim extremist, who was arrested by security forces, opened fire with an automatic rifle through a window of the mosque of the pacifist Muslim sect Ansar al-Sunna. "There was blood all over the place. People were terrified," said one of the worshippers at the mosque which was packed with people attending evening Muslim prayers. Police and ambulance sirens wailed as the wounded were rushed to hospital and security forces were still surrounding the area in the outskirts of Omdurman well into the night.

Some witnesses said there were three assailants and that one of them had been killed by police, while others said there was only one.Police chief Hujo al-Kanzi said the lone assailant was a member of the fundamentalist Muslim group Takfir wal-Hijra (atonement and self-denial) which has religious differences with Ansar al-Sunna.".

3.My original comment: "RELIGION DISCRIMINATES BETWEEN MALE & FEMALE IN TERMS OF PROVIDING EQUAL RIGHTS:".

Your response: "Islam recognizes the nature of differences between male and female."

My reply: Sorry! This is too superficial to be accepted. Hadeeths & Quran treat woman like slave. Just few examples:

Two hadeeths from famous Ghazali:

1. "Marriage is a form of slavery. The woman is man's slave and her duty therefore is absolute obedience to the husband in all that he asks of her person. A woman, who at the moment of death enjoys the full approval of her husband ,will find her place in paradise" ("Ihya-uloum ed-din" by Ghazali, Dar al Kutob al-Elmeayh,Beirut,Vol-II,Kitab Adab al-nikah, p.64)

 

2. "If a woman offered one of her breasts to be cooked and the other to be roasted, she still will fall short of fulfilling her obligations to her husband. And besides that if she disobeys her husband even for a
   twinkling of an eye, she would be thrown in the lowest part of hell, except she repents and turns back."
   ( Ghazali's Ihya Ulum al Deen,first edition-1985,by
   Mohammad Tuffaha, Ahmed Zaky,Al-Mar'ah Wal Islam,Dar al-Kitab al- Lubnai,Beirut,p.176. This is also quoted in Al-Musanaf by Abu Bakr Ahmed Ibn Abd Allah Ibn Mousa Al-Kanadi who lived 557H;Vol.I part-2,p.255)
   
   

Also a verse from Quran:  -- "Your wives are a tilth for you(to cultivate).So go to your tilth as ye will..." (Sura Bakara:223)

What an honor for a Muslim woman!! They're to be cultivated by man???

Also few historical facts about Muhammad on treating woman:

1. Married Ayesa when she was just 6 (an act of child abuse!).
2. Bibi Khadija died when Muhammed was 49 yrs. Between the ages of 49 & 63,he married at least 11 times. DON'T GET HURT!!! THIS IS THE HISTORY!!
3. Married Zainab, wife (later divorced) of his
   adopted-son Zaid. What a great father-in-law!!

4. My original comment: "RELIGION HAS KEPT MANKIND SEPARATED FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS RELIGION CREATES BIGOTS & FANATICS & PROVOKES THEM TO HATE FELLOW HUMANS BELONGING TO OTHER RELIGION. AND THIS IS A MAJOR OBSTACLE TOWARDS ESTABLISHING UNIVERSAL ATTITUDE IN RELIGIOUS INDIVIDUALS (AT LEAST FOR THOSE WHO PRACTICE RELIGION SERIOUSLY)."

Your response: "Islam stands for universal brotherhood. The Quran informs us that we all are the children of Adam and Eve. It is ethnic superiority complex, tribalism and nationalism which has keeps us apart."

My reply: Islam encourages Muslim brotherhood NOT universal brotherhood!!!

Remember the Quranic verse:

"Never (any among you) accept Jews or Christian as your friend. If you do, you also become one among them & will suffer".( I can't remember the name of the specific sura at this very moment, however if you've doubt, please let me know. I'm sure you're aware of it)



5.My original comment: "RELIGION TAKES ADVANTAGE OF HUMAN PSYCHOLOGY NAKEDLY BY SCARING PEOPLE IN >TERMS OF DREADFUL PUNISHMENTS IN AFTERLIFE(?).THUS IT CONVERTS PEOPLE INTO FEAR PSYCHOTIC PATIENTS WHICH IS REALLY INHUMAN."

Your response: "The life after death is real, so is the punishment for the deeds of this life. The fear of God's punishment (knowingly or unknowingly) keeps decency in society. Could the most efficient police force maintain decency in society if people did not have some regard for God's laws?"

My reply: Like many Mullahs you too are mistaken in the belief that one can't be moral without belief in GOD! I'm tempted to quote Einstein:

"I can't imagine a God who rewards and punishes the objects of his creation, whose purposes are modeled after our own-a God, in short, who is but a reflection of human frailty. Neither can I believe that the individual survives the death of his body, although feeble souls harbor such thoughts through fear or ridiculous egotism".

Thus keeping human away from committing sin through fear psychosis has proved fruitless (Why so many crime among Muslims??).

6.My original comment: "IN RELIGION,PEOPLE ARE LED BY BLIND BELIEF RATHER THAN RATIONALE & >CONSCIENCE"

Your response: "The Quran repeatedly appeals to mankind to exercise reason, logic and asks man to reflect. The concept of "Bhaktitey Hari male, Torkey bohudur" is alien (not part of) to Islam."

My reply: If I'm to exercise logic , reason, I see whole Quran full of inconsistency.

For example: When I read following , it exposes that Quran is never something of divine status. It's been composed by an ordinary human & therefore full of ancient beliefs & errors.

Creation of Man: Few Quranic verses

1. 32:7 He began the creation of man from a clay
2. 35:11 Allah did create you from dust
3. 21:30 We made you from water
4. 24:45 And God has created every animals from wate
5. 30:19 It is He who brings out the living from the dead
6. 39:6 He created you from a single person
7. 4:1 Your guardian lord, created you from a single person
8. 16:4 He has created man from a semen (sperm) drop
9. 86:6-7 "He is created from a drop emitted - proceeding from between the backbone and the ribs"

Tell me :What should I conclude from above verses ??

7)My original comment: "IN MODERN WORLD, RELIGION HAS COMPLETELY FAILED TO CREATE A PEACEFUL &>CIVILIZED NATION."

Your response: "The Muslim nation (Ummah) is a nation comprised of people of all colors, languages, features, economic conditions, ethnicity, diverse by all imaginable characteristics and unbounded by geographical borders yet bound by a common goal.
A goal to achieve success in the Hereafter by doing what God wants us to do. Muslim nation is not perfect by any definition. But have you seen any other group of individuals bound by "love and fear of One and Only One True God". The Muslim nation (Ummah) is not bound by any geographical boundary."

My reply: You're right! Muslim nation can't be bound by any geographical boundary as this is a vague concept because Muslims are the most undisciplined nation.
Look at 1971 episode in Bangladesh. What they (Pakistani) & their collaborators (gaddars Born in Bangladesh) did to protect the interest of ummah! And all your Muslim brothers (Saudi for example) supported it! It's not any Muslim country, rather, hindu India & Communist Russia who helped us during the time of crisis.

Interestingly, your present statement clearly contradicts what you mentioned initially "Islam stands for universal brotherhood. The Quran informs us that we all are the children of Adam and Eve. It is ethnic superiority complex, tribalism and nationalism which has keeps us apart."

8) My original comment:"IN WORLD HISTORY, RELIGION HARDLY, IF EVER, ENCOURAGED PROGRESS OF SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY, RATHER MOSTLY IT HINDERED."

Your response: "Islam is not against any scientific investigation. As a matter of fact the Quran always asks mankind to look around, travel through the earth, investigate and question the superstitious beliefs of ones forefathers."

My reply: Quran can't withstand any scientific investigation! Because of belief in myths, we hardly see any great Muslim scientist (except few in ancient period, again among them many were apostate. e.g. Ar-razi). Probably Muslims think science is something beyond the understanding of human or may be they think they may loose 'iman' if they seriously practice science.

9)My original comment:"RELIGION RESTRICTS PERSONAL FREEDOM TO A LARGE EXTENT"

Your response: "You are right to some extent. This is the month of
Ramadan, I am fasting. I had to sacrifice my personal freedom to eat. Islam also controls what we do, how we do and what is our intention. Some times personal freedom is sacrificed for the greater good of society. But again, do we really have unrestricted freedom in any society. I do not know where you live. I live in America. Do I have unrestricted freedom to do what ever I want to. The nature of restriction is only different."

 

My reply: wow! What a big sacrifice!! With my own experience, I've been watching muslims fasting, praying hajjs all around right from my childhood BUT there's no change in terms of characters!! Thus to make a peaceful society, rituals like fasting, doing haaj won't help(not so far) rather it's freedom of expression, rational thinking & concept of common benefit that are needed. Not a dictatorship like Islam !!

 

10)My original comment: "LAST, SPEAKING ABOUT PERSONAL EXPERIENCE, IF I WERE TO FOLLOW MY OWN RELIGION (ISLAM) STRICTLY, I'D CERTAINLY DEPRIVE MYSELF OF FOLLOWING:"

Your response: "I look around and I see over indulgence. There is too much fun, too much to eat, too much reason to be arrogant, greedy, competitive and mean. Yet time is so limited. I have friends from all ethnicity, nationality, age, language, economic background and faith. It is restraint and not over indulgence that makes one happy.
When I was in Bangladesh, I saw poverty all around. I also saw over indulgence. But it is the warmth, friendship, sincerity, and ever smiling God fearing common people of Bangladesh that I miss. I grew up in a family where there was care, love, warmth and above all fear of God and immense struggle to follow God's law in life in a society which is gradually drifting towards dishonesty, chaos, confusion and above all Godlessness."

My reply: Again I'd like you to read again what Einstein said. Here what I meant by deprivation is more philosophical than physical. It's not over
indulgence. As I mentioned earlier that it's an erroneous concept to think that without religion people would be immoral or over indulgent.

Lastly: were you not born in a Muslim family, do you think you'd be a Muslim?

SO WHY DEFEND SOMETHING JUST BECAUSE YOU'VE INHERITED IT? FOR THAT MATTER YOU MIGHT HAVE INHERITED A FATAL GENE (SAY FOR "Ashma", "Heart Disease"..etc),THEN would you have just carried it without going to doctor?

Thanks for patience.
Good wishes,

Jahed Ahmed