ASK MAULANA

Our Vernacular Websites www.cpsmarathi.com www.cpstamil.com www.cpskannada.com www.cpsmalayalam.com principle. They should not differentiate people on the basis of religion, because this would be unacceptable to the modern mind. Should we not encourage Muslims to open communication with other communities? Yes, this is definitely required. When the Prophet went to Madinah, half of the population comprised of Jews. The direction of prayer for the Jews was not the Kabah, it was Jerusalem. The Prophet adopted the Jewish qiblah (direction of prayer) for the Muslim prayer as well. Today, education is secular and the state too is administered along secular principles. Muslims should accept this. If they do not change now, then they shall have to pay the price of being called backward. Can a Muslim be secular? Yes, first and foremost let us understand that secularism is not an antireligious idea. There is a multi-volume encyclopaedia called Religion and Ethics. It is a compendium of the writings of some great scholars, and is considered to be a very authentic and authoritative compilation. There is an article on secularism in this book which runs into twenty pages. It says that secularism is another name for the policy of noninterference. Secularism in itself is not anti–religious, but rather it is following the principle of non-interference in matters of religion. A secular person is one who practises his own religion and does not interfere with the religious practice of other people. o