ASK MAULANA

ASK MAULANA Your Questions Answered Which clauses of the Quran do you think are the most misinterpreted ones in today’s world? The most misinterpreted aspect of the Quran is jihad. Jihad, in reality, is peaceful activism but it has been misinterpreted as violent activism. Jihad is a fact of life. What is called ‘effort’ or ‘struggle’ in English is called ‘jihad’ in Arabic. Jihad is not something mysterious nor is it synonymous with violence. It simply means making great efforts or striving for a particular purpose. What do Muslims have to do to remove Islamophobia from people of other faiths? I do not believe that ‘Islamophobia’ exists. The irony is that this term has not been coined by other communities—it has been so named by the Muslim community themselves. Thus, Islamophobia is simply an allegation and not a real phenomenon. In Islamic terms, this is a case of ‘calling others by offensive nicknames’ and is forbidden by the faith. Thus, first of all, Muslims must abandon using this term for others for the Quran states: Believers, let not some men among you ridicule others: it may be that the latter are better than the former; nor should some women laugh at others; it may be that the latter are better than the former; do not defame or be sarcastic to each other, or call each other by [offensive] nicknames. How bad it is to earn an evil reputation after accepting the faith! Those who do not repent are evil-doers. (49: 11) The fact is contrary to what Muslims think. Why do Muslims say that the West has Islamophobia? The reason is that Muslims give a negative interpretation to an event involving Islam and the West. However, the West does not actually mean anything negative. In this case, the responsibility goes to the Muslims, and not the West. So, in reality, if there is something, it is Muslim-o-phobia. The resentment is not towards Islam but against the un-Islamic practices of Muslims. We must contemplate and become more introspective about our actions and their effect on others. If Muslims introspect and rectify their course of action, they would no longer remain a problem-community for anyone.