From: jakhan@IASTATE.EDU (Javed Ahmed Khan)
Subject: Re: What is and isn't Hindutva (Was Re: Dr. Jayaraman's article)
Reply-To: jakhan@IASTATE.EDU (Javed Ahmed Khan)
Organization: Iowa State University
Date: Mon, 25 Jan 1993 02:20:49 GMT


 bhatnagr@ucunix.san.uc.edu (Raj Bhatnagar) writes:

==============================================================================
A description of the ideological State as sought by Islam is quoted 
here from the book  "Rights of Non-Muslims in an Islamic State" written
by Dr. Samuel Shahid.


" " Concept of Islamic State
" "
" " "An Islamic state is essentially an ideological state, and is 
" " thus radically different from a national state."
" " This statement made by Mawdudi lays the foundation for the political,
" " economic, social and religious system of Islamic countries. This
" " system intentionally discriminates between people according to their
" " religious afflliations.  Mawdudi, a prominent Pakistani Muslim scholar,
" " summarized the basic differences between Islamic and secular
" " states as follows:
" "
" "     l) An Islamic state is ideological. People in it are
" "         divided into Muslims, who believe in its ideology
" "         and non-Muslims, who do not believe.
" "     2) Responsibility for policy and administration of
" "         such a state "should rest primarily with those who
" "         believe in the lslamic ideology." Non-Muslims,
" "         therefore, cannot be asked to undertake or be
" "         entrusted with the responsibility of policy-making.
" "     3) An Islamic state is bound to distinguish
" "         (i.e. discriminate) between Muslims and
" "         non-Muslims. However, Islamic law "Shari'a,"
" "         guarantees to non-Muslims "certain specifically
" "         stated rights beyond which they are not permitted
" "         to meddle in the affairs of the state because they do
" "         not subscribe to its ideology." Once they embrace
" "         Islam, they "become equal participants in all
" "         matters concerning the state and the government."

Therefore, a Muslim is not just one who worships in a specific way,
but also one who must strive to adopt the above political structure
for the society he/she lives in. 

And herein lies the main conflict in the nature of political 
States desired by the adherents of the Hindutva principle and 
Muslims holding the above views. On one side the political State
must be grounded in the cultural entity *Indian Nation* and on
the other it must be an ideological Islamic State in the above described
sense. 
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An interesting point to note is that there seems to be no mention in the Quran
of any necessity to create a nation-state called an "Islamic state". 
The idea of an "Islamic state" appears to be a wholly human creation which
took flight after the formation of the caliphates. I've not seen any injunction
in the Quran which specifically calls upon muslims to create a political state
based on Islam. In fact the Sharia or the so-called "Islamic law" appears to be
vaguely defined consisting in the most part of laws which are at best an
interpretation of some groups of people or individuals which over a period of
time came to be touted as some immutable and almost *divine* set of rules/laws.

There is nothing sacred about the Sharia inasmuch as they are not any literal
part of the Quran.


--Javed.

 
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