by Rubina DOOBORY

In 1989, when Ayatollah Khomeini issued a fatwa against Salman Rushdie, his action shocked the entire world as a result of the support it received through out the Muslim world. The outrage resulting from the blasphemous book, Satanic Verses, resonated across continents as it humiliated Muslims in the worst despicable way, affronted and denigrated their beliefs. Muslims did not support the order to terminate the author on sight but were mortified by the contents of his book. Now his latest opus, Shalimar the clown, narrates the story of love, betrayal, and (surprise, surprise) Islamic practices. I would not like to comment on his work as, not only is he in all fairness an excellent writer but, I have not read it and can only hope that the sensitivity with which he spoke about his hiding from public life will be translated in his latest book about our religion. As Muslims we are all hurt by the false depiction of our religion, just like the Christians were affected by the film, Last Temptation of Christ or when non- monotheistic faiths are ridiculed. Religion is a way of life by which we try to attain God and when iconoclasts treat any religion with levity or scorn, it affects the whole community?s interaction.

Islam has become a much-discussed topic and is nowadays spoken in the same breath as terrorism. That analogy has been accentuated since the atrocities of 9/11 and now Muslims in the West face the jingoism and fanatical vitriol of racist imbeciles. However, be aware that this islamophobia is a virtual apartheid, which transcends race. Anyone with an aquiline Arab nose or coffee coloured skin is targeted as potential Islamist dissident. The execution of Jean-Charles De Menezes by the Metropolitan police is evidence of the outrageous hounding of people, meaning Muslims/ terrorists. Jean-Charles had eight bullets pelted in his body, as he resembled one of the Muslim terrorist suspects under surveillance. It was a case of mistaken identity, but one which raises questions about the problem of islamophobia.

The latest bombings in London in July 2005 were all carried out by ?Muslims? and have given the West more grounds for their selective bullying. No Muslim is spared in the face of this present hostility. The British government has speedily enacted laws to winnow out the fanatics from the moderates. On what basis they are based is purely a question of their discretion. As Muslims we are constantly reminded of the evil deeds perpetuated by those nominal misanthropic brothers, as their actions are by no means Islamic.

I am no Islamic scholar but my Islamic background leads me to regard those who are blowing themselves and other innocent lives up as criminals. Our religion does not preach hatred; Islam means submission and a religion of peace. Islam has always raised eyebrows because of extremists but, at the same time reverence for the purity and sanctity of those true followers, amongst well read intellectuals. The West has ceaselessly found it hard to accept our pious way of life but now, with the threat of suicide bombings, they rebuke us and talk disparagingly about our practices. It is disheartening, as uncouth criminals who are using Islam as the shield to carry out the terrorist atrocities are giving the West the ammunitions to accomplish their virtual apartheid. The Muslim community denounces violence but our voice is not heard amid the vociferous clamp down on Islam.

However, what they fail to understand is that as true Muslims, we are expected to lead a puritan life devoid of materialism, pettiness and violence and in the path of God. We are expected to be disciplined human beings, offering prayers at prescribed times, giving alms to the poor and do our duties as good citizens and be model daughters/wives/husbands etc. We do not believe in violence and in fact, accept differences as translated in these verses: ?I worship not that which ye worship, nor worship ye that which I worship. And I shall not worship that ye worship. Unto you your religion, and unto me my religion? (S109, verses 2-6). From where those suicide bombers are getting their preaching totally escapes any logic. It is in line of blasphemy as it has recently been documented that some Saudi translators are manipulating the translation of the Qur?an (the book which has hitherto been uncorrupted by men and revered by all religious figures as an important book of all times) by changing meanings of certain verses.

For decades, those terrorists subterfuge their devious modus operandi behind the plights of Muslims in Palestine, Kosovo, Bosnia, Afghanistan, Kashmir and Chechnya among others. Graphic pictures depicting Muslims being massacred and the repression of Muslim communities have been used as their justifications. It is without a shred of reservation that the afflictions of those people evoke pathos in us, and feelings of frustration and anger amongst people, not only Muslims. As Muslims, we are impassioned that those sufferings are falling on deaf ears and international pressures have not won over world leaders to interfere in a constructive way. To any humanist, it also creates trepidation about world politics. Whilst everyone is emotionally swayed by war and sufferings, that does not turn them into terrorists. Let us also remember the assassination of Yitzak Rabin who was killed because he wanted peace with the Palestinians. What about the genocide in Darfur where Arabs are annihilating other Muslim communities? Now where is the logic?

Today, Iraq is used as the convenient pretext to add on the already spiralling toll of deaths and trail of destruction. It is true that the pre-emptive actions against Iraq were unwarranted as no WMD have been founded and the troops that were supposed to garrison the country are fighting a lost cause. Daily casualties of innocent victims are perpetually rising and after all those years of peaceful co-existence, Sunnis and Shias are at each other?s throats. People are starting to wonder who has instigated those communal disputes.

There are ample unanswered questions and we are out in this world looking for a meaningful explanation to what is really going on. All these issues have given the Muslim Santa, Bin Laden, a reason to increase the death toll and rage a war on the West. Bin Laden comes out of his grotto now and again, to issue a quip about Western society, provoking more hatred and insanity. He comfortably issues orders to obliterate our fellow human beings, to show his wrath, sending young lives, completely brainwashed, to be killers and he takes a back seat and enjoy the blaze from afar, like a masochist.

Muslims are nonplussed about the damage Al-Qaeda has inflicted on our religion and the oppression he is putting us under. Muslims throughout the world condemn those bigots as these guerrilla warfare are just carried out in the name of Jihad but are ipso facto utterly condemned by Islam. As Mauritians, we should be proud that we live peacefully together even though some racist bigots try to incite confusions. Let us not by-pass the beautiful words in the Qur?an (and one of my favourite verses) about the sanctity of life when it states : ?Whosoever has spared the life of a soul, it is as though he has spared the life of all people. Whosoever has killed a soul, it is as though he has murdered all of mankind? (5:32).