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Christians and the Religion of “Mahomet”

As for ignorance, traditionally the Christians’ knowledge of Islam could have been etched on fingernails. These were the folks who asked their administrators in 19^th Century India to read Arabian Nights to learn about the culture of the native “Mohammadan” population of India after they took over that land from the Muslim Mughal emperors.

The logic of “Mahammadan” and “Mohammadanism” was disarmingly simple: Worshippers of Christ are called “Christians,” they seemed to have argued to themselves. So those people the center of whose religion was “Mohammad,” (Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam), must be called “Mohammadans.”

A fairly leaned gentleman called Gibb once even wrote a book called “Mohammadanism.“

And these are also the folks who wrote other books saying that Muslims worshipped an idol in Ka’aba at Makkah. Historically speaking, sad as it is to say, many of the Christian followers of the Pope, never seriously bothered to find out what the Muslim followers of the Prophet, Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam, really believed or stood for.

Often it took a lone dissenter like Thomas Carlyle to take his fellow-European-Christians to task on the distortion of some of their facts and the perversity of some of their thinking concerning the Prophet, Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam.

Carlyle in effect argued that a false man could not build a brick house, leave alone put together a complete religion and get a whole generation of people to believe and follow it.

Carlyle called the Prophet, Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam, “Mahomet.” And to many in Europe Islam was but “a bastard kind of Christianity.”

Ample Reason for Malice and Hate

As for malice and hate, well what do you expect a king to have in his heart when his armies are being defeated, his land is being overrun and his faith is being shown up and swept aside by a bunch of upstart “infidels”? It would be naive for anyone to expect the Emperor to have anything but malice, hate and contempt toward Islam and Muslims under those circumstances.

Unless, of course, the Emperor were a truly great man, in which case he would have lost his battle but not his honor, soul and integrity by lying or being cheap about his enemy.

Abu Sufyan was such a great man, who, at the top of the 7^th Century, resisted the temptation to lie about Prophet Muhammad, Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam, when another Roman Emperor asked him about the Prophet’s (Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam) credentials and character.

I had such a strong temptation to lie, said Abu Sufyan, or words to that effect, but I refrained from distorting Muhammad’s (Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam) record on that occasion for fear people will call me a liar.

Many of the Christian followers of the Pope labor under no such fear. Not then, not now. As for the future, may God Almighty guide us all to his truth in future, regardless what that truth may be.

Praying for Truth

Once, a couple of young ladies knocked at my door. They wanted to offer me Christianity and save my soul. I listened to them patiently and respectfully and asked a number of questions along the way.

Then they asked me if I would join them in a prayer, to which I readily consented. When they were done, I asked if they would now join me in a prayer. They hesitated and then finally nodded yes.

And I prayed:

“Oh, our God Almighty!” I prayed. “Who art in Heaven! God of Abraham and Moses! God of Noah and Jacob! God of Jesus and Joseph and of all the other prophets! Creator, maker and master of everything! Here we are, holding our hands up to you for help. Help us, guide us, show us your path. Open our hearts and minds and lead us on to truth wherever and in whatever form it may be and then give us the humility and the courage to embrace it, celebrate it and rejoice in it!”

I finished with an Amen. My young Christian visitors said nothing. When I suggested to them if we can all say Amen together, they quite firmly refused.

So, this truth thing does not come easily to everyone. All too many people in this world fear truth, like the mythical vampire Count Dracula is said to have feared daylight.

Islam Is about Truth

And truth is what Islam is all about. No matter how you cut it.

You may be a good or a bad Muslim on so many different counts, but truth is the minimum threshold that every human heart must cross before entering God’s kingdom of his Deen – Islam – in this world.

There is no place for falsehood in the heart and mind of a believer – Mu’min. Those who base their lives on lies are technically called hypocrites – Munaafiqs – in the language of Islam.

And the Qur’an says that the Munaafiqs – who are essentially liars and falsehood mongers – would end up in the darkest dungeon of Hell: the lowest level of it.

And that is why also the Prophet, Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam, says that truth is a believer’s lost property. He has a better title and claim to it regardless of where he finds it.

So, when it comes to truth, the followers of the way of the Prophet, Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam, and quite a few of the followers of the way of the Byzantine Emperor and the Pope move in somewhat different orbits.

The followers of the Pope and the Emperor have the wonderful luxury of turning to some other human beings like themselves in this world and having their sins forgiven. Followers of the Prophet, Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam, have been given no such luxury.

They must deal directly with God.

Pontification by the Pope

What is interesting, therefore, is not what the beleaguered and harried Emperor thought or said, but what the Pope thought and said and did. And his reasons and timing for saying what he said and doing what he did. Those are the questions really worth asking.

Of course, the Pope, himself a learned academic, was giving a learned discourse, in a university, on the subject of faith and reason. And he probably thought this was a good place to make the Emperor’s point about Islam and the Prophet, Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam.

There are two possibilities as to what the Pope himself believed or did not believe about Islam and Muslims. One possibility is that his views were the same as the Emperor’s. The other possibility is that they were not.

If the Pope’s views were the same as the Emperor’s, then the Pope should have said so, boldly and honestly, because, as Pope, it is both his right and his duty to do so: to speak the truth at all times. And a Pope should be able to express his views freely and openly, at the time and place of his choice, with perfect impunity.

As for Muslims, the Pope is entitled to nothing but politeness and respect from them.

But if the Pope’s views were different, then the Pope evidently missed a great opportunity to correct the error and the falsehood in the Emperor’s views. For, the greatest commitment of a religious leader, especially of the one with the Pope’s stature and role in the world, should be to truth – and not to expediency.

For, God is truth. And truth is where God is, no matter where that is.

Islam, Muslims and Violence

What ensued, unfortunately, was a bit of foolishness and naiveté on the part of the Muslims. The Muslims were reportedly upset, and they should be. They expressed shock, horror and outrage at what they thought were highly and gratuitously derogatory comments on Islam and the Prophet, Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam, by the Pope.

And it was anyone’s right to do so.

But some Muslims were also reported to have resorted to sporadic violence, which is clearly wrong. Those who engage in violence in the name of defending Islam clearly cross the line. For, Islam neither propagates, nor permits, nor condones violence as a means of discourse on Islam – or on any other subject – or as an excuse for anything else.

Many people may not know this, but the fact is, Islam and violence do not mix, even though a great deal of unresolved anger may be simmering among many Muslims. And there are a lot of reasons for that.

But Islamic teachings are not among them.

But when it comes to dealing with the People of the Book – Christians for example – Islam clearly requires Muslims to use better, superior and more civilized arguments and means of discourse.

Wa laa tujaadil ahlal kittabi illaa billatee hiya ahsan is how the Qur’an puts it.

Islam holds Muslims to a much higher standard of conduct when it comes to dealing with the Pope and his followers, which is not always easy to adhere to. But that is what God asks Muslims to do.

Confusion on the Apology Question

And then there was an “apology.” At least that is what some of the media called it. But who is to tell the media what to call what?

The Pope reportedly expressed sorrow over the “reaction” his comments caused among some Muslims, but, evidently, not over his choosing, at this rather delicate time in human history, to repeat the disgruntled Emperor’s anti-Islamic and anti-Prophet, Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam, rant.

That was not an apology by the Pope for his own rather unhelpful role in this episode. It was an expression of sorrow over the way in which the Muslims had reacted to his comments.

But what the Muslims must ask themselves is this: How do you force someone to apologize? The Pope or anyone else? For, an apology is a verbal expression of the remorse and regret a person feels in his or her heart for the wrong that person realizes he or she has done someone.

How do you force, bully or intimidate someone to feel those feelings in their hearts?

So, it was, in my view, a foolish and pointless thing for Muslims to demand an apology from the Pope, if that is what they did.

It Is the Heart that Must Apologize

An apology is a function of the heart and the mind and not just of the mouth or the pen.

Let me spell out some details of an apology a bit more clearly – so maybe Muslims can use it as a guide to deal with those who may attack or insult them in future. Because nowadays there is a great deal of talk about apologies, and somehow the Muslims seem to be associated with these situations in one way or another.

But at the same time, sadly, poor Muslims are not always the best represented when it comes to pleading their case before the court of world opinion or negotiating a deal with those supposed to be their adversaries or competitors.

While the other side usually has some of the best brains and talents and some of the most articulate voices working for it, Muslims often end up with an amalgam of leaders, spokespeople and representatives of a somewhat interesting and less competitive sort.

Thinkers? What Thinkers?

As for thinkers, many Muslims simply don’t believe in thinking as a virtue. And to some of them it may even be antithetical to what they consider to be Islam.

So, with friends like that who would want enemies?

I have wondered about this phenomenon for decades – and made some noises whenever I could. But Muslims generally demand what they call “practical” solutions to problems they often have no idea what they really are.

Islam is not about thinking, they will tell you, Islam is about “doing” things.

Poor, poor Muslims! Allah will not leave them forever in this pathetic state of helplessness. But if they chose to impose a state of ignorance on themselves, who can they blame for their problems but themselves.

Anatomy of an Apology: An Eleven-Point Formula

In any case, for an apology to be considered a proper apology, it must contain a number of important elements, or it is not an apology at all. Here are some of them:

1. First of all, an act – e.g. speech, piece of writing, conduct – must have occurred that is generally considered to be offensive, insulting or damaging to some individual or group.
2. Next, those affected must take objection to the act and express displeasure at it.
3. They must then demand some kind of a redress to the situation.
4. The source of the objectionable act – an individual or group or organization or nation or country or society or other – must realize that it has done something wrong, which it should not have done.
5. The source must also clearly see and understand why and how the other party might have been offended, insulted, hurt or aggrieved by its act.
6. The source, thereafter, must feel a sense of guilt, shame, remorse and regret at having done a wrong thing, which, it must realize, it should not have done.
7. The source must own up and acknowledge without ambiguity or prevarication the wrong it did.
8. The source must make a firm resolution never to repeat its offensive behavior in future and never to do anything else that would cause similar hurt or insult to the aggrieved party.
9. The source must come forward with ways to amend its conduct in future and to make amends and provide compensation for the harm and damage that it may have caused its victims.
10. Thereafter, the source must express all of the above – its realization of wrongdoing; its recognition of the right of the aggrieved party to feel hurt and insulted; its genuine remorse and contrition at its own objectionable conduct; its firm resolve and commitment not to repeat such objectionable behavior in future; and its eagerness to do whatever it could to make amends to the aggrieved party over the insult and hurt it suffered – to the aggrieved party in the most direct, clear and unambiguous terms.
11. The aggrieved party thereafter must believe the sincerity of the source, the clarity and adequacy of its expression of remorse and accept the apology and agree to the practical arrangements and terms the source may be willing to make by way of restitution.

This is what a genuine apology must look like. Or else it is an apology for an apology and not a real apology at all.

Poor Muslims! I wish someone will educate them in some of these issues.