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SOME PERILOUS MISCONCEPTIONS

By T.H Shah

Subsequent to inhumane attacks in 09/11 in USA and 07/07 in

London Islam is being misunderstood among many western
communities. This misconstruction is further supplemented by
current waves of suicidal attacks by fanatic Muslim like Taliban
in tribal areas of Pakistan. This distorted thinking of the
majority of West poses major challenge to the followers of
Islam that how to put the actual friendly image of Islam before
the world?

At the hands of unawareness and widespread illiteracy in our

society, there is extreme hatred for Americans, British, and
Israelites and same is continuously preached by Muslim
religious leaders in various religious sermons. Same is the
response of religious political parties in Pakistan. Since I
crossed the stage of adolescence, I never ever heard in my life
any Imams presenting those lessons showing the areas of
commonalities between Islam and Christianity or Bible and
Quran. The continuous hatred-oriented sermons by ordinary
and not well-educated religious leaders of the Muslims have
given credence to the emergence of extremist elements and
causing an atmosphere of hatred towards Western culture and
people.

The Saudi version of Islam is most popular among Muslim

which is actually Wahabi-esque. Under strict political control,
the publications, sermons and religious preaching of other
sects or the activities of missionaries are prohibited. Any
religious party propagating Wahabi-esque Islam is recipient of
major Saudi financial aid like Jammate Islami, a religious
political party considered to be on the forefront of anti
American or anti Britain campaigns, but never bother to say
that the current political system in Saudi Arabia is entirely anti-
Islamic as there is no concept of monarchy in Islam.

Even the western society is not free of such misconstructions

about Islam. Once during a discussion on religion with a British
lady, she was surprised to know that belief in Jesus Christ is
part of Islamic faith without which one cannot claim to be the
true Muslim. To her utter surprise, along with Hazrat
Muhammad (P.B.U.H) we Muslim also believe in all the
prophets.
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In United Kingdom, the role of the most of the Imams (minister
of religions) is not praiseworthy. It is common observation that
majority of such Imams have their education base from
Madressas (Informal system of religious education in Pakistan)
where the concept of the study of modern subjects like civic
education, sociology, political science, comparative religious
studies and many other is entirely absent. Teaching of English
is totally ignored. Their mode of teachings and sermons, in
most cases, is tinge of teaching style adopted in Pakistan. Half
an hour sermons usually compose of recitation of some verses
of the Holy Quran and historical Islamic stories. As per my
analysis of these ministers of religion, only two out of hundred
will be able to pass the IELTS if they sit in the examination. So
how they can convey the enlightened and liberal teaching of
Islam to the British Muslims generation? We can’t observe any
serious and concrete attempts aiming at creation of interfaith
harmony and social cohesion of other religious groups in
English society. It is not the cooperation among different
communities but the strict rule of law keeping the society
united and intact. At the hands of some misperceptions, the
cooperation amongst various religious communities is limited.
For justification, some common examples are religious festivals
of Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs, Christians, Buddhists and many
other in which intermixing is very scant. Being a Muslim, I first
time openly celebrated the festivals like Xmas and Happy New
Year in United Kingdom, because I was told about these to be
an anti-Islamic activities and that the negatively implemented
social pattern I was nurtured in; prevented me from an open
participation in Pakistan. The celebration of Valentine Day,
Bassant Festival (a social gathering in which people fly kites
together on the happy arrival of spring), and Happy New Year
are considered to be the religious taboos by many religious
parties especially the Taliban-esque. There is a group of
fanatics by the name of Shabab-e-Milli Party who hinder and
beat the people celebrating or try to celebrate these days.

This whole mess is, unsuspectedly, the result of the lack of

interfaith cooperation and impervious response of the
communities, to put it precisely, of religious leaders towards
the teaching of each other religions. In Pakistan, I have
personally seen Imams and parents forbidding their children
not to study Bible or any other missionary literature lest they
religiously corrupt. On the basis of such socialisation, the gulf
between different religious communities widens and widens;
and in consequence; arise the incidents like 09/11, 07/07,
Gujrat and Ahmad Abad in India, Shia Sunni riots and current
waves of suicidal attacks in Pakistan and Afghanistan by
religious zealots.
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As per my observation, even in religious teaching of different

communities; there are many areas of common belief on
account of which interfaith harmony and mutual cooperation
can be brought about.

Concerning end of this world, the verse of Bible in Luke 21:34,

36 and verses (36) 48-50 in the Holy Quran testify the same
facts in different expressionw.

Both Quran and Bible logically testify the existence of God.

Verse (Psalm 19:14) in Bible and (3) 190 in the Holy Quran give
concept of the existence of God.

It is worth mentioning that both Holy Quran and Bible give

belief of the second arrival of Jesus Christ. In verse (3) 55 of
Holy Quran and Verse 25-28 of the Bible, same
prognostications have been made.

There are so many other verses both in Quran and Bible

showing common lessons but with in different expressions
having the same aim, but the need is to reason on the facts
beyond ethnocentrism. Here comes the duty of religious
scholars working at local communities particularly in Pakistan,
Saudi Arabia, Gulf States and United Kingdom as well to make
people aware of such common lessons of Quran and Bible. By
doing so, we can mover forward towards achieving the goal of
interfaith harmony.

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