WHISK

Over the many conspiracy theories and hotly-debated views on various blogs and forums regarding Lal Masjid (LM), few have reacted to the notion that one Muslim has the power to doubt another Muslim’s faith. The common theme among many Pro-Lal Masjid bloggers seems to be that a) the Ghazi Brother’s intentions were pure, so their actions were justified and b) anyone who disagrees with their interpretation of the Quran will surely burn in hell.

I, personally, find it extremely offensive to have another Muslim, no matter how well-read, sit in judgement on me and how I conduct myself as a muslim. I don’t pretend to be a scholar, and I understand the frustration of seeing one’s lifelong teachings casually put aside in favor of ‘modernism’ – in a more blatant form, this is the same frustration that exists between generations, as the older clings to what they know, and the younger reaches out to the new and exciting. The generation gap eventually resolves itself as the age difference narrows, and with some it even brings them closer. The gap between the Liberal and the Conservative (or the ‘Liberal’ Muslims and Fundamentalist Muslims), however, has no room to change. There is no expectation that with time, one will come to accept the other – there is only the widening chasm, as Conservatives shout louder, and Liberals react defensively by becoming even more liberal.

This isn’t a Muslim phenomena, however. It exists among Christians (more in USA, where the Christian Right is taking over Republican values to an extreme), and among Jews (with their Zionist factions). In both Christianity and Judaism, we have seen a massive shift away from religion as hard-liners become more and more extreme. This is exactly what happened with Muslims, particularly in Pakistan, where 11 years of oppressive dictatorship under Zia led to a floodgate of hedonism as soon as he was gone. With Muslims, unfortunately, the raving minorities are two extremes of Liberal and Conservative, slowly strangling a large moderate majority caught in between. Neither of the extremists have the right to judge the other, and the only thing that sets the Liberals a little higher in the respect scale is their desire to Live and Let Live.

What most LM supporters and Fundamentalists don’t see is the uselessness of their actions and, blinded by zeal and years of self-denial, they turn into the very thing they claim to hate. For every act of the Liberal that they denounce, their representatives have done worse. For every tenet of Islam that the Conservatives claim the Liberals have violated, the Conservatives have violated twofold.

Here’s a comparison of what LM claim they to wanted to eradicate from Pakistan, and what they wrought themselves:

1. Liberals: Prostitution or Adultery
   Conservatives: Kidnapping and Terrorizing
2. Liberals: Distribution and Profit on Pornography
   Conservatives: Destruction of Property, Vandalism and Sabotage
3. Liberals: Shamelessness (women not wearing veils – a tenet that has grown out of cultural norms and man’s need to dominate women. The veil has nothing to do with Islam. Islam directs all Muslims, men and women alike, to be decent in their dress, and not to attract attention to one’s body by the clothes one wears)
   Conservatives: Compulsion (forcing Muslims to follow your rules), Assault and Harming another Human Being
4. Liberals: Allowing women to work outside the house, and to mingle among ‘na-mahram’ men (which is a ridiculous theory, again based on cultural values rather than Islam. Muslim women have always been independent, and active members of society – a right the Prophet took great pains to establish)
   Conservatives: Denying Women their Right as a Muslim to be a viable member of the Community
   Using Women and Children as Human Shields and Hostages, Involving them in Acts of War (while women took active part in strategic planning and in nursing and rescuing fallen Muslims on the battlefield, no woman was ever asked to take up a weapon if the Prophet ever went to war)
5. Liberals: Drinking and Gambling…
   Conservatives: Using Weapons of Mass Destruction (Any weapon that has the potential to cause ‘collateral damage’, like suicide bombs, molotov cocktails, etc. which cause indiscriminate damage on innocent and guilty alike, is classified in Islam as a Weapon of Mass Destruction, and is strictly forbidden)
   Committing Suicide (also strictly forbidden – while they may not have committed these attacks, the threats alone establish their belief in suicide)
   Attacking Other Muslims
   Being the Aggressor (where war is only meant for Defensive purposes)
   
6. Liberals: Inviting Others towards Decadence
   Conservatives: Inviting Others to be Intolerant, Unjust, and inciting hatred
   Theft (stealing land that doesn’t belong to them – they didn’t need it, so should we cut off their hands?)
   Violating the Law of the Land (where Muslims are told to follow the Laws of the Country they live in. Setting up their own courts does not follow that directive)

By this list, on what moral ground do the LM Brigade stand? They are violators of far more of Islam’s tenets than anyone else. Their crimes are far more serious, because they harm others, while the crimes of the Liberals harm only themselves. By all accounts, each of us will face God for the crimes we committed, but those who harm others will also face their victims on the Day of Judgement.

This will be the moment when your victims will turn to you and say, ‘Cast Ye Doubt On MY Faith? Complain not then, when I cast doubt on yours.’