Dear Ruzan Shah,
Thank you for your response.
1. You say you cannot judge a religion from its followers. But how else can a religion be judged except by its effect on at least the best of its followers, that is, the most ardent of its followers? It is, unfortunately, a general phenomenon that the most ardent of Muslims are the folks who gang up to create a Taliban, Hizabolah, the Wahaibi movement, the Jamait-e-Islami and suchlike institutions, who tolerate no divergence of views.
2. You also say that you cannot judge a religion by the policies of a Muslim. You are missing the point. Creation of a universal Islamic State is very important in the scheme of things of Islam. If not, why was Mohammad trying to create a state? Or what about the Caliphate? Most of all, what about the concept of Umma in Islam?
3. Further, you say that you can’t understand Allah’s words in translation. Does it mean that Allah’s words are not universal but meant solely for the Arabic speaking folks?
4. About the non-translatability of the Quran, does it mean that many Muslims, not knowing Arabic, are not able to understand the real meaning of Quranic verses? Could it also be the reason why the leadership of Islam is generally seen to be with the Arabs?
5. You say that the words of the Quran should not be changed. This I agree because this is logical. If you create anything new, it would be different from the old. We cannot have something else and pass it off as Islam. But my question is, even with an unchanged Quran, why the difference between Sunnis and Shias?
6. I did say "over a period of time all systems get corrupted”. Remember, I said systems. The Hindus would identify as systems all that is born of ‘smriti’, that is, laws like Manusmriti etc., or like our Indian constitution, which has been amended many times. That which is eternal is called ‘shruti’, which is the basic vision or spirit, like the Vedas and Upanishads, not merely the words. In the case of the Muslims, I would say that the Quran is ‘shruti’ whereas that which goes by the term Shariat is smriti. But Muslims do not differentiate this and mistake the letter for the spirit, which is why Muslims say that the Shariat is also inviolable.
7. The Quran says, "La kum di nakum wal ya din" - for you your religion and for others theirs, do yours and let them do theirs. Isn’t this, you ask, equality and even respect for all? I say it would have been equality if the Quran had accepted all religions as true. The Bhagawad Geeta does so, with Krishna saying that whichever way we choose it leads to Him.
8. You say Sufism is not Islam and it has nothing to do with Islam. By saying so, you are proving that you are also an ardent Muslim, like those I mentioned above and therefore you are also likely to be intolerant. (I say this as a principle, not to attack you personally.)
9. You say Islam is the only religion which talks again and again about Logic. But I must say that Quran itself is being illogical in saying that Islam is the only way to God. If it was so, the Quran would have been there since the beginning of history. But it came into being only after Mohammad. If you say that it was there even before Mohammad, then why did it perish? Would this Quran also in the course of time perish?
10. You ask if someone can convert to be a Brahmin. But Brahmin is not a religion so how can you convert to it? In any case because you are a Muslim, Allah has prohibited you any conversion.
11. Of course, as Islam says, you are superior by good virtues. But the point is, if you are of real good virtue, you would not consider yourself any superior to anyone else. All are equal to you.
12. Some Caliphs were considered out of sync with Islam. Were they not the reasons for many wars between Muslims?
13. As an Indian you don’t have to accept my culture but to accept your own culture, which is Hindu, just as mine. As Muslims of India, you did not come from abroad. Once your forefathers were Hindus. Therefore by culture you are a Hindu, which you cannot change, like you cannot change your father.
14. Hindu does not denote any religion but the culture of this land. And it is the culture of this land that made so many religions flourish, unlike Arabia after Mohammad, which became a wasteland as far as religious plurality was concerned.
15. Vedanta is just one of the many ways of understanding and taking to the spiritual path that India has produced. This culture of India, which we today call Hindu, was always known as Sanaatana Dharma.
Regards
Venu
11:07:54 PM
Posted By VenuGopal Comment (2) Politics
Thank you for your response.
1. You say you cannot judge a religion from its followers. But how else can a religion be judged except by its effect on at least the best of its followers, that is, the most ardent of its followers? It is, unfortunately, a general phenomenon that the most ardent of Muslims are the folks who gang up to create a Taliban, Hizabolah, the Wahaibi movement, the Jamait-e-Islami and suchlike institutions, who tolerate no divergence of views.
2. You also say that you cannot judge a religion by the policies of a Muslim. You are missing the point. Creation of a universal Islamic State is very important in the scheme of things of Islam. If not, why was Mohammad trying to create a state? Or what about the Caliphate? Most of all, what about the concept of Umma in Islam?
3. Further, you say that you can’t understand Allah’s words in translation. Does it mean that Allah’s words are not universal but meant solely for the Arabic speaking folks?
4. About the non-translatability of the Quran, does it mean that many Muslims, not knowing Arabic, are not able to understand the real meaning of Quranic verses? Could it also be the reason why the leadership of Islam is generally seen to be with the Arabs?
5. You say that the words of the Quran should not be changed. This I agree because this is logical. If you create anything new, it would be different from the old. We cannot have something else and pass it off as Islam. But my question is, even with an unchanged Quran, why the difference between Sunnis and Shias?
6. I did say "over a period of time all systems get corrupted”. Remember, I said systems. The Hindus would identify as systems all that is born of ‘smriti’, that is, laws like Manusmriti etc., or like our Indian constitution, which has been amended many times. That which is eternal is called ‘shruti’, which is the basic vision or spirit, like the Vedas and Upanishads, not merely the words. In the case of the Muslims, I would say that the Quran is ‘shruti’ whereas that which goes by the term Shariat is smriti. But Muslims do not differentiate this and mistake the letter for the spirit, which is why Muslims say that the Shariat is also inviolable.
7. The Quran says, "La kum di nakum wal ya din" - for you your religion and for others theirs, do yours and let them do theirs. Isn’t this, you ask, equality and even respect for all? I say it would have been equality if the Quran had accepted all religions as true. The Bhagawad Geeta does so, with Krishna saying that whichever way we choose it leads to Him.
8. You say Sufism is not Islam and it has nothing to do with Islam. By saying so, you are proving that you are also an ardent Muslim, like those I mentioned above and therefore you are also likely to be intolerant. (I say this as a principle, not to attack you personally.)
9. You say Islam is the only religion which talks again and again about Logic. But I must say that Quran itself is being illogical in saying that Islam is the only way to God. If it was so, the Quran would have been there since the beginning of history. But it came into being only after Mohammad. If you say that it was there even before Mohammad, then why did it perish? Would this Quran also in the course of time perish?
10. You ask if someone can convert to be a Brahmin. But Brahmin is not a religion so how can you convert to it? In any case because you are a Muslim, Allah has prohibited you any conversion.
11. Of course, as Islam says, you are superior by good virtues. But the point is, if you are of real good virtue, you would not consider yourself any superior to anyone else. All are equal to you.
12. Some Caliphs were considered out of sync with Islam. Were they not the reasons for many wars between Muslims?
13. As an Indian you don’t have to accept my culture but to accept your own culture, which is Hindu, just as mine. As Muslims of India, you did not come from abroad. Once your forefathers were Hindus. Therefore by culture you are a Hindu, which you cannot change, like you cannot change your father.
14. Hindu does not denote any religion but the culture of this land. And it is the culture of this land that made so many religions flourish, unlike Arabia after Mohammad, which became a wasteland as far as religious plurality was concerned.
15. Vedanta is just one of the many ways of understanding and taking to the spiritual path that India has produced. This culture of India, which we today call Hindu, was always known as Sanaatana Dharma.
Regards
Venu
11:07:54 PM
Posted By VenuGopal Comment (2) Politics
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