Secularism is Incompatible with Islam

With the recent surge in Islamic-terrorist activities in Pakistan (my place of birth), I have been discussing the difficulties of secularism in the Muslim world quite frequently. I recently attended the Center for Inquiry’s World Congress, during this conference, there was a very interesting panel discussion on Secularism and Islam. The discussion itself was a total failure on the basis of my expectations, as only the first speaker, Ibn Warraq was even remotely interesting. Two of the other speakers, Pervez Hoodbhoy, a professor of Physics, Quaid-e-Azam University (Pakistan) and Tarek Fatah a secular Muslim and Canadian political activist seemed to be advocating for Western encouragement of “Liberal/Secular Muslims.” Such a label begs the question, is it possible for a “Secular Muslim” to even exist? As you can tell from the title of this article, my response is, absolutely not.

The quick and easy solution to this question is to search Islam (mainly the Qur’an) for a justification for secularism, or the opposite, theocracy. That quest is a rather short one as Islam not only advocates for an Islamic state but even has provisions on how to tax the non-believing elements (Jews and Christians, not Atheists) of society. Islam is very clear on this matter, it states in no uncertain terms, that the day will come when the entire world will face Mecca and pray. Mecca will be the center of the world, much like it is the center of Islam. There is absolutely no justification within the Qur’an or any other Islamic tradition for anything but theocracy. In fact, the very notion of the word secularism is unheard of in the language of Arabic. The direct translation of secularism translates into a word that is inherently thought of as “against-Islam” rather than the common connotations of the English word.  So the question is no longer if one can promote secularism on a Islamic platform, but rather, how does one do it without seeming directly antagonistic to Islam?

That question has puzzled secularists throughout the Muslim world for at least a hundred years if not more. Pakistan, a nation established primarily to ensure protection for a large minority was not intended to be an Islamic state. Rather, the goal was for a nation for Muslims. There is a very big difference between those two, as the former is a theocracy and the latter can potentially become a secular nation. As we see today, Pakistan is losing the battle to religious extremists and at this point unless something totally unexpected happens (which is possible given the instability) it is likely that Pakistan will become more of an Islamic state rather than a secular state. The issue for the Pakistani government (which is of course extremely corrupt) is how to combat religious extremists without bringing religion into the debate. If they bring religion into national discourse, it is impossible for them to win, even if they have a better argument. So how does one go about battling extremists who are fueled by religion without cutting off their fuel supply? The only good tactic that actually works is to expose the religious extremists as unsophisticated individuals who would be the much worse of two evils when compared to the secular and already established government. As we see in Gaza Strip, Hamas and other such terrorist groups are not very popular amongst the people, but they are the only choice that the people have. Unfortunately in the case of Pakistan, the government is so corrupt and has been that way for so many years that it is questionable if they are better than those religious extremists.

The Muslim leaders of the future really do have an unsustainable conflict and contradiction within their society. If they really want to accept modernity, it begins by removing Islam from the public domain and placing it within the private domain. How to go about that task (if its even possible at this point) begins with education and the proper treatment of women (equal rights). But of course, that is only the starting point and as of right now, not a single Muslim country is even close.

Diary of an ex-Muslimah

As an ex-Muslim myself, I love to read articles from fellow ex-Muslims. One of the main reasons that I maintain this blog is to provide those within the Muslim faith (particularly women) with some food for thought. Personally, I can understand why a male would follow a misogynistic faith, but there is no possible excuse for a woman to do the same.

So, to cut to the chase, check out this blog from a fellow ex-Muslim. Its quite well written and very original.

Dairy of an ex-Muslimah

Islamic Feminism, The Ultimate Contradiction

A few weeks ago, I was discussing the Hindu practice of sati with a fellow classmate in school. I was beginning steer the talk into the direction of the relationship of certain religions and the lack of women rights. The minute I mentioned Islam, someone who had been sitting around apparently eavesdropping on the conversation interjected with the common phrase of “its the culture not religion.” As the discussion was now between three people, I learned she was a self-described “Afghani Muslim Feminist.” Immediately, perhaps rudely, I interjected that a “Islamic Feminism” is a contradiction in terms. It seems she was not ready for such a retort and she looked dumb founded for a moment, gave me dirty look, and got up and left. Though, it is notable that she did not wear the Qur’an-mandated hijab, and so to me it was obvious that she probably was one of those who cherry-picked verses out of the Qur’an. Unfortunately, this ability to simply brush off criticism and act if it never happened is extremely common with religious folk, and even more so the case with Muslims.

I have already gone through and discussed specific passages of the Qur’an. So, I will not do that again, but just to summarize, in one chapter alone (the fourth), the Qur’an states that women are inferior to men, are worth half as much with regards to property, and creates the justification for the subjugation of women. Men are allowed to beat their wives and lock them away until they submit to them. In the following chapters it reinforces this imaginary inequality by forcing them to wear veils and references fairy tales that would be despicable to any person of reasonable morals. From what I have experienced, there are only two ways that Muslims attempt to get around it. The first is the assertion that I am taking passages out of context, this of course can mean two things. Either historical context or literary context. In the case of historical context, the argument is completely void as the Qur’an is the final revelation, and what ever was true for then, is true for eternity (or until judgement day). In the case of literary context, it is a bit more tricky, but nowhere near a convincing argument as, the overwhelming theme of the Qur’an establishes a separation between man and woman, even if it is not for purposes of superiority/inferiority, it is always clearly stated that men and women are not equal, and it goes on to say that women are inferior. So, it is not the case that I am taking the passages out of context, and thus the first objection is done with. The second objection is an odd one, but it is very common. It is usually coupled with criticism of Arabs. It happens to be the case that the Islam not only creates the inequality between men and women, but Arabs and Non-Arabs as well. So the argument goes, this female suppression is due to Arab-culture influence. This is often espoused by those liberal Muslims who are attempting to go against the grain and secularize Muslim countries (notably not the Arab countries). I do not think I need to insult the intelligence of those who read this by criticizing that point.

I hear this argument of “its the culture not the religion…” or “its the people, not the religion…” so often I feel I should address it again. To make sure I do not run into the same criticism again, I will concede (far more than I need to), that perhaps pure Islam does not contain the most vile sexist nonsense, and that it is indeed entirely a construct of local culture. Now, to be clear, I do not in anyway hold that position, and I am conceding it merely for the sake of argument. Now, the argument would go “don’t criticize the religion, but rather the culture/people.”  The minute one attempts to criticize the person who engaged in say, the forced marriage of a 6 year old girl to a 40 year old man, they automatically turn to the life of Muhammed as justification. There are only two ways to counter that, either to say, Islam is wrong or, it doesn’t really say that. In either case, it is impossible to avoid Islam in the conversation. It happens to be the case that, Islam does create the justification for a man to marry a young girl, and for me that leaves only one response. Islam is wrong.

Islam is not a religion of peace and it does not give respect to women, for respect is not something that can just be “given.” Islam does the exact opposite of giving respect to women, it belittles their intellect and treats them as the property of men. It was originally intended to favor the interests of the illiterate and disgusting men who created it. While it may be convenient for a male such as myself to support something so clearly in my favor, it just would not be intellectually honest. Karl Marx once said… “Anyone who knows anything of history knows that great social changes are impossible without feminine upheaval. Social Progress can be measured exactly by the social position of the fair sex…” These words were true then, and remain true to this day. If we atheists and rationalists are serious about changing society, working to support the global feminist cause is absolutely crucial to success.

Muslim TV Network Owner Beheads Wife

NEW YORK A prominent Buffalo area businessman who founded the BridgesTV network to improve the image of Muslims in the U.S. has been arrested and charged with murdering his estranged wife – by beheading her at his company’s office in Orchard Park, N.Y., on Thursday.

Police have charged the husband, Muzzammil Hassan, 44, with second-degree murder in the death of Aasiya Z. Hassan, 37.

Source

How hard is it to resist the urge to behead your wife? I mean, really, what could have she really done to deserve that? Ah, these Muslim folk just make it to easy…

We Give Women Respect…

That is a statement that is heard around the world, and spoken mostly by Muslim men, though sometimes even Muslim women. As if respect is something granted by the oppressor to the oppressed. My reply to that ridiculous statement always has been, “sure you do, just like the slave owners gave freedom to their slaves.” Even if the religion does (which it does not), the religious certainly do not. In fact, they do just the opposite, instead of respect they belittle the mental faculties of women.

In a recent case of this hypocrisy (there are quite a few), a Saudi Court has denied a divorce to an EIGHT year old child. The child apparently does not know she has already been married to a FIFTY-EIGHT year old man. Apparently the father, a despicable excuse for a human being, sold his daughter for roughly $7350. The father is in debt and recieved the money ahead of time, essentially selling the right to rape his child to fix his financial situation. By the time the marriage is consumated, the girl will be 18, and her “husband” will be 68.

Click Here for the Source

People would like to say this is merely something based upon the culture of the Middle East, and nothing more. Well, considering the precedent for such things was established by the Islamic Prophet Mohammed and his marriage to a 6 year old child, it is no surprise that his followers would continue the tradition. It seems that it is impossible to fight such a precedent, as fighting the precedent is tantamount to fighting Islam itself. I guess if that is the case, it is a good thing that my goal is dethrone god and fight all kinds religious belief.