Taliban's and the other Islam
Pakistan faces a threat of an eventual takeover by a new Islamic extremism. Among its progenitors are two prominent scholars: Maulanas Abul Ala Maududi of India and Hasan al Banna of Egypt -- who founded Muslim Brotherhood. This Islam assumes that it provides a complete system of politics, economic and culture for Muslim societies.
There have been many Taliban uprisings in NWFP's tribal areas. In these areas, the writ of the Pakistan government runs during the day. After nightfall, it is the Taliban who rule. The movement now threatens Peshawar itself, and several other cities and towns.
Islamic literature and lore is rich in the praise of Islam's completeness and beauty, but this collectivism, covering the entire spectrum of social life, is something new. It is borrowed from the collectivist political movements of Europe: the 1917 Russian Revolution, Mussolini's Fascism, and the 1930's Nazi regime.
The main features of Taliban's Islamic state, or Caliphate, in Kabul are known. Politically, it was a dictatorship of one person, whose word was law. That it was pure totalitarianism was confirmed by what it did.
It brutally oppressed minorities; especially women. Women were not allowed to work along with men. The rule of law was absent and what counted were whims of the top man, despite claims of enforcing Shariah. Shariah has mostly been conceived in terms of penalties for crimes and rules for transfer of property to recognised relatives.
A formal constitution and courts that treated the ruler and the citizen as equals, with their verdict being binding on both, were absent. Mullah Umar's was a totalitarian dictatorship, and copy is going to be foisted on Pakistanis. The Caliph will be head of the faith and head ruler at the same time.
Traditional Islam is entirely different. It is an intensely personal and indeed secular religion. Its focus is on purifying the self through laid down duties, or Arakan-e-deen -- five times prayer, a month of fasting, Haj, zakat and jihad. As for jihad, the Ulema of various fiqah have laid down so many conditions that it is practically not in force now. Zakat is not a collective action. Namaz (prayer), despite the desirability of organised prayers in a mosque, may be said alone.
Islam is wholly individualistic; it makes no collectivist demands other than living a pure, disciplined and orderly life. Islam asks only for good work from individuals. All punishments or rewards are for an individual's actions.
The Prophet's (PBUH) last sermon lays down that God has made all of mankind, not Muslims alone, His viceroys on earth. No one has any inherent superiority over another. A person claiming to be Caliph cannot take away the status of viceroyalty from all of mankind. This is a fundamental tenet of Humanism rather than of a narrow faith. Meesaq-i-Madina can be quoted as a first constitutional document that treated Muslims and non-Muslims (mainly Jews) as Ummat-i-Wahida.
Muslims are required to reach Paradise through good works. Who else can go to heaven? Logically, there is no reason why non-Muslims cannot enter Heaven if they have done good works on earth.
The Quran is the authentic word of God. It is eternal and will always be there. Who can read it? Any non-Muslim may read it because God addresses all of humanity. There are no laid down qualifications for interpreting the Quran or Islam's teachings.
There is no reason why non-Muslims should be precluded from issuing fatwas if they understand the word of God or Prophet (PBUH). There may be risks in the freedom to interpret religion in this fashion, but Islam countenances such risks in the hope that human reason will produce universal human amity, peace and progress.
There is growing anarchy in Pakistan over what Islam has to say. This is not created by non-Muslims because these are differences among Muslims. It is for all human beings to interpret God's words and act upon them.
The conclusion is clear: anyone can enter Heaven if they have lived decent lives. They are equally free to enter Hell. An interesting point is: non-Muslims are neither specifically included nor excluded.
God makes no clear-cut recommendation on issues of politics, economics or culture. He neither recommends anything in particular, nor bars people from any political, economic or cultural experimentation.
Relying only on the sayings of the Prophet (PBUH) is risky because there are so many that they cannot all be possibly authentic, though selections are necessary and have been made by some scholars.
There is no escape from the need for Muslims and non-Muslims to consult one another to arrive at amicable conclusions in multi-faith societies. If agreements can be achieved after consultation, anything can be agreed upon in collective matters. Ideas have to be evolved through agreement or consensus.
Consensus can only be reached on the basics, not on every single detail. Consultation with one another is the democratic means of reasoning, and agreeing to accept the majority view -- especially on details. Thus democracy is a basic ingredient of Islam.
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