தஸ்லிமா நஸ்றீனின் நீண்ட பதிவிலிருந்து…

• செல்வ நாயகம்

தஸ்லிமா நஸ்றீனின் நீண்ட பதிவிலிருந்து: “முஸ்லிம் சமூகத்தில் சீர்திருத்தம் தேவை. அது இல்லாமல், முஸ்லிம் உலகம் மட்டுமல்ல, முழு மனிதகுலத்தின் எதிர்காலமும் இருளில் மூழ்கும் – பயங்கரத்தால் நிறைந்த இருள்.”

1, முஸ்லிம்கள் முகமதுவையும் அல்லாஹ்வையும் தங்கள் இதயங்களின் தனிப்பட்ட கருவறைக்குள் வைத்துக் கொள்க – வேறு எங்கும் (பொதுவெளியில்) அல்ல.

2, தூதுவரின் வாழ்க்கை மற்றும் புனித நூல் ஆகியவை விவாதத்துக்கும் – விமர்சனத்துக்கும் உட்படுத்தப்பட வேண்டும்.

3, “ஷரியா மூலம் அரசாள வேண்டும்” என்ற கருத்தை முற்றிலுமாக கைவிட வேண்டும்.

4, மதரசா கவ்லியை விட்டு, மதச்சார்பற்ற பள்ளிப்படிப்புக்குத் திரும்புங்கள்.

5, கலாச்சாரத்திற்கு உரிய இடம் வழங்கப்பட வேண்டும்.

6, புர்கா, ஹிஜாப் இத்யாதிகள் நிராகரிக்கப்பட வேண்டும்.

7, மாற்று மதங்களுக்கு மரியாதை வழங்கப்பட வேண்டும்.

8, தன் நாட்டுக்கும் அதன் கலாச்சாரத்திற்கும் விசுவாசம் காட்டப்பட வேண்டும்.

9, குடும்பக் கட்டுப்பாடு, பெண்களுக்கு சம உரிமைகள் ஏற்றுக்கொள்ளப்பட வேண்டும்.

‘From the very birth of Islam, violence has been given such sanctity that breaking free from it has become almost impossible. Among the Prophet Muhammad and the caliphs who followed him, there was hardly any room for non-violence. After the Prophet, except for Abu Bakr, all—Uthman, Umar, Ali, Imam Hasan—met with gruesome deaths. The way jihad has been glorified in the Islamic scriptures makes it extremely difficult for Muslims to cultivate a spirit of non-violence.

Sometimes people can overcome violence through the pursuit of art and culture. But in Islam even that is forbidden. The religion is openly hostile to the fine arts. Islam, in essence, is a faith largely bereft of culture. Dance, music, instruments, singing, painting, sculpture—all are declared haram. Many individual Muslims have, of course, excelled in various branches of culture, but only by transcending the boundaries of religion. They achieved greatness because they could rise above dogma.

Today, in almost every Muslim-majority country, we witness the eruption of violence—democracy is absent, non-Muslim minorities face extinction. How do we escape this nightmare? Terrorism and Islam are increasingly seen as synonymous in the public mind. This is not a baseless accusation, nor can it be dismissed as a conspiracy of the RSS or BJP. The same picture of violence is visible across the entire world.

Labeling this reality as “Islamophobia” cannot save us. We must face the truth. That is why I say: not jihad, but non-violence must be nurtured within Muslim society. What is needed is reform. The educated and enlightened Muslims must realize that blaming others is futile—the solution lies in self-reflection and self-correction.

Today, arguing over a tangible God versus a formless Allah is meaningless. Both are products of imagination. No one has ever been able to prove the existence of Allah, nor will anyone ever be able to. It will remain a matter of belief, not evidence. Hence the belief that anyone who questions or criticizes Islam or the Prophet must be eliminated is not only destructive for Muslim society—it is disastrous for all humanity.

A large section of Muslims remain preoccupied with prayer, fasting, burqa, and hijab. They may become doctors or engineers, yet refuse to examine religion through the lens of reason. I have visited several Islamic missions where students are trained rigorously to become doctors—but alongside this, blind dogmatism is also cultivated. Thus, a doctor emerges with both medical skill and a deep-rooted bigotry. Within such a milieu, even the educated find it hard to renounce the path of jihad.

What, then, is the way forward?

Muslims must keep Muhammad and Allah within the private sanctum of their hearts—nowhere else. A modern society must be cultured and founded on gender equality. Violence has no place there.

The life of the Prophet and the Qur’an must be open to both discussion and criticism.

The idea of ruling a state by Sharia law must be abandoned completely.

Muslims must return from madrasa education to secular schooling.

Culture must be given its rightful place in individual and collective life.

The burqa, hijab, and puritanical dress codes should be discarded.

Respect must be extended to people of other faiths—and to atheists.

Loyalty must be shown to one’s land and its culture.

Family planning must be accepted.

Women’s equal rights must be embraced from the heart.

In short, Muslim society needs a profound reformation. Without it, not only the Muslim world but the future of all humankind will sink into darkness—a darkness filled with terror. ‘

–Osman Mallick