It is now a familiar sight in the media seeing Muslims riot in the world for one thing or another. It is undeniable that Muslims can get emotional, although the proportion of Muslims who do take to the streets are minuscule compared to the number of Muslims there actually are, the focus of the media makes it look as if the whole of the Muslim world are semi-professional rioters, ready to march, shout, burn effigies and embassies at the drop of the hat.
I believe that there are issues which should emote the Muslims, because they are people who believe in the Quran and the Quran denounces certain things most strongly. Funnily enough, these issues do not include things like drawing the Prophet’s pictures in an insulting manner. In the Quran, for anyone who insults or mocks the Prophet or Muslims the right response is to simply ignore them, walk past them, give them greetings of peace or to tell them that the Muslims would continue working for a better world.
Here are some issues which should find Muslims take to the streets to peacefully protest (as well as to strive against)…but don’t :
1. Poverty. Poverty is such a problem in the world that 3 billion people subsist on the less than 2USD daily! The Quran actually equates a person’s generosity to the orphans and the poor to his truthfulness to Islam and so it’s a vital thing for Muslims to be against poverty in any shape or form. Yet we do not see Muslims protesting against this sorry state in the world.
2. Honour Killings – a problem in Pakistan and Bangladesh, two countries with an almost 100% Muslim populace. Yet we do not see Muslims take the streets protesting strongly against this blatant disregard for Allah’s command. Muslims are told in the Quran that if they saved a life, it would as if saving a life of the entire human race.
3. Child labour – a problem again all over the world world. Children are being trafficked by nefarious individuals, forcing them to move across borders to work. Muslims are told in the Quran that children are a gift from God and so must feel strongly about the exploitation of children but once again, we do not see Muslims protesting.
4. Suppression of Cultures – in the UK, political correctness has pushed native English culture into the underground, even saying that the public display of the St Georges Flag to be offensive to the ethnic minorities. The Quran posits recognition of all lineages and cultures and so, Muslims should protest against the suppression of any one culture.
5. Death Fatwas by Religious Authorities. When religious authorities declare death sentences against anyone, Muslims should protest because the Quran only permits the taking of life in case of actual fighting or as a retaliation for murder yet they are silent on the matter.
7. Terrorism : This is the major issue burning in people’s minds at present with the ‘war on terror’. Muslims have shown their disapproval of terrorism but has that been enough? For what the terrorists are said to have done, the intensity of protest should be loud and clear and terrorists should be clearly expelled and dissociated from Muslim communities. Yet for this ‘make or break’ issue, once again Muslims have failed to show a voice loud enough to make it clear.
It is not too late to get Muslim values straight. The source is ready to be looked into, the Quran. All a person has to do is engage with it and acquire its values and his priorities will be straight once again.
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