THOUGHT CRIME

and a “thought crime”. In accordance with the teachings of Islam, stiff punishments have been laid down for social crimes. But in Islam, thought crimes are actions that do not deserve punishment at all. Thought crimes are, in essence, a misuse of the freedom that God has blessed human beings with. If such misuse of freedom by a person is not physically harmful to someone, then the person will not be held punishable for his thoughts or beliefs. As is mentioned in the Quran: “This is the truth from your Lord. Let him who will, believe in it, and him who will, deny it.” (18: 29) The fact of the matter is that in the later period of Islam, the notion of dawah, of calling people to God, disappeared. Muslims began thinking that a person who does something wrong—whether in word or deed— must be given stern punishment. But this concept is completely alien to the Quran and Hadith. According to the Quran and Hadith, there is punishment for social crimes, but for one who expresses his difference through words, Muslims’ response should be in the form of exhortation and counselling, and not punishment. The notion of stern punishment emerged in the later period of Islam, when Muslims had established their political empires. In the initial period of Islam, the response to such a situation was different— it was a peaceful, dawah-based response. But in the later period of Islam, Muslims came to think that because they now exercised political power, they had to reply to such a situation with force. This concept was against the Quran. The Quran is completely based on the concept of peaceful dawah, not on the principle of violent punishment. In this matter, this verse of the Quran enjoys the status of a guiding principle: “So, [O Prophet] exhort them: your task is only to exhort, you are not their warden.” (88: 21-22) This verse of the Quran employs the word musaytir, which means a warden, that it is to say someone who forcibly enforces something. In this Quranic verse it is ordained, in absolute terms, that the Prophet’s and believers’ responsibility is only to share wisdom with people in a peaceful manner. Thus, the responsibility is not to enforce their ideas or beliefs on others through coercion. They should not imagine that they are warders over people. The above Quranic verse makes it eternally binding that in matters of thought they have absolutely no right to use force against others. Their responsibility is only to exhort people in a spirit of genuine well-wishing. The result is totally the domain of God. o