Living in a foreign country, the urge to integrate is quite strong. For some, it is the only way out of constantly justifying your religion and not understanding it yourself
IN the absence of proper guidance, Muslims living in small cities in the United States, at times, find themselves in a dilemma in matters of practising Islamic injunctions. The dilemma has become all the more baffling after 9/11 and the war against terrorism, related mostly to Muslims. Although it is common knowledge that Islam stands for peace and amity, and the message of the Holy Quran is worship of the one, true God and love for all His creatures, a vast majority of the people refuse to believe it because they find a wide gap in what Muslims preach and what they practice.
A case in point is the question of travelling for Umrah or Haj with a mehram. Why is it so important for a Muslim woman to travel to Saudi Arabia with a mehram if she desires to perform Umrah? How about the ones who do not have sons, husbands or any mehram for that matter, but can readily afford to travel? Is it written in the Holy Quran or Sunnah? Is it the word of God? Because if that’s what it is, then obviously the matter is not open to debate. Anything written in the Holy Quran is the law and we have to implement and follow it without question. If this mehram law came about later in history after the compilation of the Holy Quran, then it is yet another way the men in our religion have tried to subjugate women.
Understandably, “there is a basic difference between the Holy Quran and any other book. In the case of other books, one can, when in disagreement with the sentiments or thoughts expressed therein, believe them to be the errors of a fallible mortal. But in the case of the Holy Quran, no such recourse is possible. The most that one can do is to blame oneself for misunderstanding the meaning, to re-examine one’s own thought process which has erroneously drawn a conclusion from the word of God that is inconsistent with one’s conception of a merciful, beneficent and just, all powerful and all knowing Creator.”
All said and done, questions like mehram law and the requirement of reading the Holy Quran in the Arabic language are perplexing. Why is it so important to read the Holy Quran in Arabic? We do not even know what we are reading. If you try to read Islamic literature and come to such phrases where it is permitted to cut hands, stone and kill in the name of God, how do you explain such things to your children? Granted that such primitive punishments would have been practical 1,500 years ago in the age of jahilia, when the Arabs were a bunch of wild barbarians. But why are we following the same rules?
Times have changed. With the current shameful situation of Muslims and Islam in the world, we should be modernizing with the world. We should wholeheartedly embrace religious tolerance, and a full-fledged religious reformation should be in order. Unfortunately, instead of moving forward we are drifting back in time to the darkness of jahilia that the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him) fought so hard to erase. These are the times when we need a messiah, a prophet who would lead us into the light. If we are so hell-bent on sticking to the past, then why not? Isn’t it how it was done hundreds of years ago? Allah would send a messenger to lead the corrupt to the path of righteousness.
But since the Holy Prophet was the last messenger, that avenue is closed shut. The doors of ijtihad (interpretation) and ijma (consensus) are, however, open. At least these now-dormant institutions should be revived without further loss of time for the good of the Muslim nation and to bring the teachings of Islam in line with the requirements of modern time. And talking about the right path, what is the right path? Is fundamentalism the answer? Are the liberals doomed souls, destined to burn in the fires of hell for all eternity? Where do we go from here?
Living in America, I’m always justifying my religion, explaining the strict doctrines of the Holy Quran. Other religions were no less primitive, but the difference is that they have reformed. Some have outrightly abolished religious laws regarding women, marriage, people of different faiths, crime and punishment, and basically every minor aspect of life, while others have the sense to at least have proper, educated spokespersons at the forefront who know how to successfully handle a blow to their religion by calmly speaking in fluent English in a civilized manner.
What have we done for ourselves? Nothing. We have preachers to speak for the whole Muslim community. There is not much sense in their sermons and they are unable to relate Islamic laws to the requirements of present times. Their understanding of the English language is poor and, therefore, they cannot put across their message properly and forcefully in a convincing manner. A better grasp of English language is what is required of them. It is a sorry state of affairs. I cannot just stick my head in the ground and imagine all is well. It’s not. I feel ashamed for my brothers in faith. I worry about my children. What will happen to them?
Living in a foreign country, the urge to integrate is quite strong. For some, it is the only way out of constantly justifying your religion and not understanding it yourself — it sure is a daunting task. I have found some books here that have compiled some verses of the Holy Quran on peace and tolerance. They basically tell you the outstanding virtues of Muslims, basic and fundamental aspects of Islam, acknowledgments that Jews, Christians and Muslims are all children of Abraham, and that they all reach Allah in their own ways.
These books are good in the sense that I can read them to my children and they can understand. Not just kids, sometimes even adults need simple and easily understandable literature to renew their faith in religion. Anyway, these were some thoughts that I wanted to share with men of letters, specially Islamic scholars, with the sole purpose of seeking guidance.
Living in a foreign country, the urge to integrate is quite strong. For some, it is the only way out of constantly justifying your religion and not understanding it yourself 
