In his post-46 Dr.Tahir Qazi asked me some pointed questions and his questions were not very palatable. Dr.Qazi being a scholar himself and who maintains a diametrically opposite views than me, especially on faith, any dialogue with him will be a wastage of time. Anyway to show respect to him I have decided to write a few lines about my views on religion. To him logic and enlightenment was also an issue in relation to Islam. Let me make it very clear that in the realm of intellectual business blind faith is not an acceptable commodity. Prophet Muhammad is being insulted by those so called mumins by not considering his magnanimity in accepting diversity and progress. Things he did in 1500 years before were very pragmatic to discipline the pagans of his times. He used fear as a very effective weapon to bring them into the path of reason and civility. Now at this time can we use fear to run a religion? This primal fear has been used and still being used by the vested interests in Islam to keep the Muslims in a static state. Now when a university going young Muslim boy questions the validity of angel Gabriel, Muhammad’s journey to the heavens, his open heart surgery by the angel, authenticity of the Koran as words of God, the killing of Jesus and his eventual journey to the heavens, the reality of God or the validity of the jannat and jahannum and the fables about of hurs and zinnies, what I am supposed to say? Should I say SHUT UP or if you ask these questions you are not a Muslim? By asking these questionable questions no body relinquishes his faith nor he is being brain washed by the so called infidels. There is no doubt that faith is definitely a personal matter and I do not allow any faith to regiment my life.


To me religion is a thought process like any other discipline as history, philosophy, logic, literature or aesthetics. If they can be questioned, discussed, challenged, modified or revised why not religion, especially Islam? It’s sheer ignorance for us to keep Islam a prisoner of the past. Islam is a thought process nothing else. The reprehensible behaviour of the Islamic extremists by killing and maiming or trying to subjugate a mind in the name of Islam is not accepted by many Muslims. If we abhor political, social, economic or any other form subjugation than why a faith should be allowed to make me a slave? When my very existence depends on my freedom why should I submit to a specific faith? This would not have happened if we allowed Islam to seat in the chariot of the changing times. The rigidity we experience in Islam had its own valid reasons 1500 years before, but not now. This historical fear which is stamped in some Muslims mind set is not serving the cause of Islam. It’s rather jeopardizing the future of this faith. There should not be any reservations to say that all the institutionalised religion is going through an essential transformation and an epoch is fast approaching when religion in the traditional meaning will face extinction. An essence will come out in the form of a synthesis. Let’s forget about the era of coming out with a nanga talwar to kill some one who dared to call the Koran just a book or one who drew a sketch of Muhammad. I am not ready to trade my freedom to embrace ignorance. To me ignorance is not bliss, its curse.

Akbar Hussain