From: aabdalla@pollux.usc.edu (Ahmed Abd-Allah)
Newsgroups: talk.religion.misc
Subject: Re: Seeing The Light in Bosnia
Date: 4 Sep 1992 11:22:48 -0700
Organization: University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
NNTP-Posting-Host: pollux.usc.edu


Tom Albrecht writes:

[stuff deleted]

>Oh, I agree that Christians ought to speak out and do everything we can to
>fix the problems in the former Yuroslavia.  Our Christian faith compels us
>to speak for the underdog in an unjust situation.  But I guess Muslims have no
 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

First mistake: Your Christian faith compels you to speak for the 'righteous'
side, whether they be underdogs or not.  But of course you meant no harm.

>similar obligation.  That must be the difference between the religion of
>Christ and the religion of Mohammad.

Second mistake: Justice is alive and well in Islam, I assure you.  It might be
easy to get angry at you to make such an inflammatory accusation as you've
made above...  but it really isn't your fault since you suffer from the same
overwhelming ignorance regarding Islam like most people in the West (and not a
few Muslims, I might add).  I suppose you meant no harm here, either.

As to showing the error of your statements:

Perhaps I need to rephrase your argument first to refute it.  I believe you
are essentially asking whether Muslims are obligated to act against injustice
no matter who the victim is.  The answer is, in a word or three, MOST DEFINITELY
YES.  As you know, Islam has two sources: the (higher-priority) Qur'an and the
(lower-priority) sayings/actions of the Prophet Muhammad.  Here is what these
two sources say on this question.

Qur'an:

	[2:190-193]
	Fight in the cause of Allah those who fight you, but do not
	transgress limits; for Allah does not love the transgressors.
	And slay them wherever you catch them and turn them out from 
	where they have turned you out, for tumult and oppression are
	worse than slaughter; but fight them not at the sacred masjid
	unless they (first) fight you there, but if they fight you,
	then slay them.  Such is the reward of those who suppress 
	faith.
	But if they cease, Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.
	And fight them on until there is no tumult or oppression and there
	prevail justice and faith in Allah; but if they cease let there be
	no hostility except to those who practice oppression.

Four notable points at least:
1. The war described here is to remove oppression,
2. The war described here is a defensive one,
3. God offers forgiveness even to the perpetuators of the violence,
4. The wording is strong: Muslims OUGHT to do this (fight for
   justice).

	[4:58]
	...and when you judge between man and man, judge with justice.

Note the absence of any qualifier here: "man and man".

	[4:135]
	O you who believe!  Stand out firmly for justice as witnesses to
	Allah even against yourselves or your parents or your kin and
	whether it be (against) rich or poor: for Allah can best protect
	both.  Do not follow the lusts (of your hearts) lest you swerve,
	and if you distort (justice) or decline to do justice verily
	Allah is well-acquainted with all that you do.

This is a very clear verse on the 'blindness' of justice.  Perhaps it 
answers the charges against the governments of the Middle East countries:
are they obeying this verse (and the ones above it)?  The answer is 
obviously no.

But whatever gave anyone the idea that these governments are Muslim
governments?  :-)  A rhetorical and sarcastic question: it is too easy for
people in the West to assume that the liars in power in the Middle East are
representatives of Islam.  They are most assuredly NOT.  This is the
source of your mistake.  However, the Qur'an is absolutely clear, and it
condemns these governments in the harshest of terms:

	[5:47]
	...If anyone fails to judge by what Allah has revealed, they
	are no better than the rejecters of faith.

There are too many Qur'anic verses on justice to post (especially since 
justice covers such a broad field - between individuals, family, business,
etc).

Finally, here are two remarks of the Prophet.  One will usually find the
Qur'an describing some subject in very broad, sweeping, timeless words.
The Prophet's comments, though, are more limited and specific usually.

	"If one of you sees something evil, he should change it
	with his hand.  If he cannot, he should speak out against
	it, and if he cannot do even that he should at least
	detest it in his heart, this being the weakest form of faith."
		- Muhammad, from the compilations of the scholar Muslim

	"Someone asked the Prophet, 'What is the highest form of
	striving in Allah's cause?'  He replied, 'Speaking the
	truth to a tyrant.' "
		- from the compilations of the scholar Nasa'i

Suffice it to say that all the governments in the Middle East are tyrannical
to some extent or another.

>Tom Albrecht

Ahmed A. Abd-Allah
Newsgroups: talk.religion.misc,sci.skeptic