Wednesday, June 08, 2005

Of Quran and Islam

I usually do not post religious topics or discuss such subject cos of its sensitivity, but since recently the Quran has been in the news for unfortunate reasons, here are my rantings.

The reports of the desecration of the Quran by the US interrogators and Zarqawi claiming the Quran sanctifies the killing of innocent people for the cause of ’jihad’ has been a reason for distress for most Muslims. The word jihad is often erroneously translated as holy war while its actual meaning is ‘struggle’ in the purest forms for the defense of Islamic principles. While Muslims do believe that martyrs go to heaven, they also believe that killing of innocent people is like killing of all humanity. Ali, the Prophet’s nephew said ‘the ink of a scholar’s pen is more scared than the blood of a martyr'.

It’s a shame that in today’s Muslim world the Quran is being abused by autocratic government and extremists who are power thirsty. These so-called Muslim governments have abused the Quran, the media and extremists have misrepresented Islam causing mis-information about the religion that considers it a divine source.

I was reading an article yesterday that Thomas Jefferson studied the Quran in detail and would extract the moral codes and law from the holy book during his quest for an ideal form of government. The holy book contains core democratic principles such as representative government and freedom from oppression. The teachings of Islam are a part of the foundation of the American spirit of universal equality and rights. John Espisito, professor of Islamic studies at Georgetown stated very simply ‘The Quran is to Muslim what Jesus is to Christianity’. He also compared the feelings of Muslims when the Quran is desecrated to what Americans feel when the flag is burned.

I think, Americans must attempt to understand this fast growing religion and the words that inspire its believers. We must realize that the hatred toward innocent people is irrational and the Constitution and the Quran both share common goals of life, liberty and humble act of happiness
Posted by Dewdrop :: 10:12 AM :: 9 Scribbles!

Scribble your mind!

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