THE Quran upholds the sanctity of life by stating, “The killing of a person for reasons other than legal retaliation or for stopping corruption in the land is as great a sin as murdering all of humankind. However, to save a life would be as great a virtue as to save all of humankind.” (5:32). Moreover, 113 of the 114 chapters in the Quran begin with, “In the name of God, the most compassionate, the most merciful.”
Justice and compassion are the cornerstone of Islam much to the dismay of two groups. First, those who justify their violence by perverting Islam. Second, those who feel good about blaming Islam as the root cause of such violence. Respect for the Quran as a Holy Scripture, as in other Religions, is an important element of religious faith in Islam; Muslims always treat the printed book with reverence and perform ablution, or ritual washing, before touching the work. Terrorism cannot be used to achieve any Islamic goal. No terrorist can be a Muslim, and no true Muslim can be a terrorist. Islam orders peace, and the Quran demands from each true Muslim that he or she be a symbol of peace and support the maintenance of basic human rights.
Philip Jenkins, professor at Penn State University and author of “Jesus Wars,” said, “Much to my surprise, the Islamic scriptures in the Quran were actually far less bloody and less violent than those in the Bible. “… By the standards of the time … the laws of war that are laid down by the Quran are actually reasonably humane. … Then we turn to the Bible … there is a specific kind of warfare laid down in the Bible which we can only call genocide.” Today the Lord’s Resistance Army uses violence aiming to establish a Christian theocratic state in Uganda. Jewish settlers have conducted decades-long violence against Palestinians. Violence is also committed in the name of other faiths. Buddhist monks have been inciting violence against Muslims in Myanmar. Hindu nationalists in India have killed Muslims and Christians. And yet only Islam is repeatedly put on trial.
Cherry-picking verses from the Quran is a common thread among those attempting to put Islam on trial. Take for example Verse 151 from Chapter 3 of the Quran, which is often selectively quoted as, “We shall cast terror into the hearts of those who disbelieve.” But this is an incomplete quote devoid of historical context. The entire verse reads as follows, “We (God) shall cause terror to enter the hearts of the faithless for their considering things equal to God without authoritative evidence. Their abode will be fire, a terrible dwelling for the unjust.” This verse refers to the Battle of Badr in 624 A.D. where the Prophet Muhammad had to fight off an attack by pagan Arabs. The revelation from God was to assure the vastly outnumbered army of Muslims that God will help them against the pagan aggressors. Quranic verses such as 3:151 along with a few others such as 2:191 and 9:5 often refer to seventh-century battles that took place when pagan Arabs attacked innocent Muslims. These verses cannot be generalized to Christians or Jews. Theologically they cannot be used as justification for present-day terrorism in the name of Islam.
Pope Francis said “It was wrong for anyone to react to terrorism by being “enraged” against Islam. People of conscience should shun those voices that promote a clash of civilizations. They should heed the advice of Pope Francis and develop lasting solutions that can tackle the root causes of violence, religious or otherwise. Existing laws regarding offenses relating to defiling the Holy Quran. “Whoever willfully defiles، damages or desecrates a copy of the Holy Quran or of an extract therefrom or uses it in any derogatory manner or for any unlawful purpose shall be punished with imprisonment for life,” said the letter citing chapter XV Section 295B of Pakistan Penal Code. Intentionally desecrating a copy of the Quran is punishable by imprisonment in some countries and could lead to a death sentence in Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia and Somalia, or up to life imprisonment in Pakistan, according to Article 295-B of the Penal Code.
According to CNN and Reuters, On June 28, 2023, Salwan Momika, an Iraqi immigrant living in Sweden, burned a copy of the Quran, outside Stockholm’s central mosque. The Swedish police had granted a permit for the demonstration, after a Swedish court ruling that allowed it on the grounds of freedom of expression. Since 2001, September 30 incidents are reported of deliberate desecration of the Quran around the Globe which tells the story of intolerance, disrespect and fanatic attitude of some individuals and groups against Islam. It is not difficult to find that the Holy Quran is for all humanity and the subject of the Holy Quran is human-beings. It is also a fact that Muslims cannot be true believers if they do not believe in previous Holy Scripts and Prophets.
Faith in Messengers and Holy Books is an essential part of faith in Islam. The world must understand that these incidents are the main cause of instigations for extremist mindsets to retaliate which is also a threat to mutual peace and coexistence. When we talk about the commandments of the Holy Quran, we find a huge number of verses regarding peace, tolerance, equality and justice which are the true essence of Islam. Concluding the case it is the need of the hour to protect the sanctity of the Holy Quran and other religion’s scriptures by taking necessary measures on the fronts of the World Religions Forum and OIC. Academic dialogue should be started to avoid such painful incidents across the globe.
—The writer is a PhD in Islamic thought & culture from NUML Islamabad and author of five books & thirty-five research publications.
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