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A Realistic Look at Islam- A Detailed Response to Father Schall

A Realistic Look at Islam- A Detailed Response to Father Schall

Last updated on: May 3, 2016 at 11:40 pm by Muslims Writers Guild of America

A Realistic Look at Islam- A Detailed Response to Father Schall 2016-05-03T23:40:50-05:00 Muslims Writers Guild of America

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by Hassan Mahmood

Written in response to an opinion published by Father James V. Schall S.J to CatholicWorldReport.com on April 17th entitled “Realism and Islam.”

The original article can be found here:

http://www.catholicworldreport.com/Item/4731/realism_and_islam.aspx

What is realistic? Certainly, it is to assess things as they are.. It is no great leap of logic to then proclaim that to realistically judge men, they too must be judged by their actions. But what does this say about an ideal? If men fall far short of an ideal, into actions that are objectively and terrifyingly evil, can we then justifiably condemn the ideal? Even if other men who exemplify the same ideal can be called objectively and meritoriously good? St. Francis of Assisi very famously said, “All the darkness in the world cannot extinguish the light of a single candle.” Shall we then judge the ideal by the candle, or the darkness? Surely, it must be the candle. To say that the candle is wrong for being in the darkness is senseless and unjust. Rather, it is the darkness that must be reformed to be more like the candle. Only then does the world become a brighter place.

It is with these thoughts in mind that I call attention to an opinion published by Father James V. Schall S.J to CatholicWorldReport.com on April 17th entitled “Realism and Islam.” In this article, Father Schall attempts to explain why Islam is something inherently violent and evil, to the extent that “responsible power” must be used to oppose it. After studying this piece, it is unfortunate that it was found to be rife with conjecture, backhanded compliments, and fear mongering. This is alarming coming from a scholar and ordained priest of Father Schall’s stature. It would have been more beneficial to readers had Father Schall rooted his opinion in examples of specific scriptural or historical references. At least then, an academic discussion could have taken place and the readers could form an opinion. Alas as this is not the case, I will attempt to rectify Father Schall’s misconceptions about Islam with the arguments he has given.

Father Schall begins his criticism of Islam by invoking the many heinous attacks perpetrated by extremists around the world. With this fearsome and bloody backdrop, he postulates that the only reasonable analysis of these acts is that Islam is “actually and potentially violent throughout history.” It is unfortunate, though must be noted, that history would not be very kind to Christianity in this regard either. But the purpose here is not a comparison of virtues. We must, in both cases, decide whether to judge by the candle or the darkness.

After painting for us a gruesome picture of suicide bombings and beheadings, Father Schall goes on to say that the reason for this violence is in fact due to obedience to the Law of Allah. He could have replaced “Allah” with “The Boogeyman” here and achieved the same result. Putting forth no examples of the “Law of Allah” yet using it as the crux of the argument appeals to the fear wrongly evoked in people’s hearts when they hear the word “Allah.”

Let us actually review some of the “Laws of Allah.”:

“Verily, Allah enjoins justice, and the doing of good to others; and giving like kindred; and forbids indecency and manifest evil and transgression. He admonishes you that you may take heed.” Quran 16:90

“There is no compulsion in religion.” Quran 2:256

“For you your religion, and for me my religion.” Quran 109:6

“And we have not sent thee but as a mercy for all peoples.” Quran 21:107

“And if Allah had not repelled some people by means of others, cloisters and churches and synagogues and mosques, wherein the name of Allah is oft remembered, would surely have been destroyed.” Quran 22:40

This is not to say that there are not parts of the “Law of Allah” that are being misconstrued by extremists. This is certainly the case, and being realistic dictates that we acknowledge this. However, taking in the references presented, it can only be concluded that such individuals are falling far short of the ideal.

Father Schall continues to reiterate that Islam’s history is full of such examples of evil and violence, without actually giving any examples. Let us go back to the earliest history, to that perfect and undeniable example of Islam, the Holy Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him (pbuh). Upon his arrival in Medina, when he first tasted a place of power, one of his first acts was to institute a constitution between the Jews, Christians, and Polytheists of the city that they were to be “one nation to the exclusion of all others.” The amalgamation of Jews, Christians, Polytheists and Muslims under the same governmental setup is a testament to religious tolerance in Islam. There can not be any greater example of a true “Islamic State” than this.

And it was Muhammad(pbuh) himself who said:

“Beware! Whoever is cruel and hard on a non-Muslim minority, or curtails their rights, or burdens them with more than they can bear, or takes anything from them against their free will; I will complain against the person on the Day of Judgment.” (Abu Dawud)

Once again, in discussing specifically the rights of Christians he said:

“The religion, churches, lives, chastity and property of the entire Christians living in the East and the West are under the protection of Allah, His Prophet (saas) and all the believers. None of the people embracing the religion of Christianity will be forced to accept Islam. If one of the Christians suffers murder or injustice, Muslims are obliged to help him,” (Ibn Hisham, Abu Muhammad Abdu’l-Malik, (v.218/834), as-Seerat an-Nabaweeyat, Daru’t-Turasi’l-Arabiyye, Beirut, 1396/1971, IV/241-242)

This is the ideal. This is the candle in the darkness.

In addition to these words Hazarat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian, the Promised Messiah and founder of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community has said:

“The principle to which we adhere is that we have kindness at heart for the whole of mankind. If anyone sees the house of a Hindu neighbour on fire and does not come forward to help extinguish the fire, most truly I declare that he does not belong to me. If anyone of my followers, having seen someone attempting to murder a Christian does not endeavour to save him, I most truly declare that he does not belong to us.” (Siraje Muneer, p28, Ruhani Khazain Vol.12)

It is in these teachings, both at the earliest stages of Islam and in recent years, that Islam has always taught freedom of religion and the protection of the rights of others.

Father Schall goes on to claim that goal of Islam is the “conquest of the world for Allah.” He postulates again that Islam has always spread this way – by the sword – and will continue to do so if unchecked. He claims that these teachings are rooted in Quranic teachings and exegesis, but none of these claims stand the test of reason. If in fact Islam was spread by the sword and these teachings were practiced by Muhammad as well as being explicitly commanded in the Quran, Islam would have fizzled out ages ago.

Gregory A. Boyd, a well known American theologian is quoted to have said, “Laws, enforced by the sword, control behavior but cannot change hearts.” How then, could an ideology forcibly installed on subjugated peoples, produce such fervent and ardent followers of Islam throughout history? Surely they would have renounced their belief at the earliest opportunity, and Islam would have turned into nothing but sand within a century of its birth.

In fact, the Quran refers to this in Chapter 3 Verse 159:

“And it is by the great mercy of Allah that thou art kind towards

them, and if thou hadst been rough and hard-hearted, they would surely have dispersed from around thee. So pardon them and ask forgiveness for them, and consult them in matters of administration; and when thou art determined, then put thy trust in Allah. Surely, Allah loves those who put their trust in Him.”

Meaning, if Muhammad (pbuh) and his followers were aggressive and intolerant towards their followers both actual and potential, they would surely have left him stranded alone in the deserts of Arabia.

But for the sake of argument, if we ignore this logical dilemma and propose hypothetically that such teachings are hammered into the very essence of Islam from the very beginning, then there would be no stopping such a force. We would be facing 1.6 Billion Muslim soldiers in every nook and cranny of the world, a force larger than any in the history of mankind. As we do not face such a threat in the modern world, we must ask ourselves why. There are two possible answers to this question.

Firstly, one could hypothesize that those who are not fighting and killing are simply not good Muslims and have no desire to be. However, this would be negated by the earlier point of forced belief. If all Muslims actually agreed that such actions are required for piety in the Quran and in Muhammad’s history, then you would see a rapid outpouring of conversions from Islam to something different, especially in the western world where it is easier for people to do so. According to the Pew Research Center, the number of Muslims in the USA from 2007 to 2014 grew from .4% of the total population to .9%. Although this may seem like modest growth in seven years, it is unarguable growth with the number of Muslims more than doubling in that time..

The second possibility is that these teachings are misconstrued by extremists for their own purposes and the majority of fervent Muslims recognize that such actions are not enjoined by the Quran or Muhammad. As the previous possibility has been thoroughly refuted, this is the only logical option. A detailed exegetical analysis of the Holy Quran in addition to what has already been brought forth can be provided that supports this without contradiction.

Father Schall continues his scrutiny by describing the mentality of all extremists, regardless of faith. That is, that all actions to conquer the world for God, regardless of barbarity, are inherently acts of piety. He then takes this statement and uses it to paint the entirety of the Muslim population with a brush the size of Cristo Redentor. It must be understood, he says, by both current Muslims and non-Muslims that acts such as the beheading of Christians are considered virtuous in the very root of Islam. As Father Schall has given no proofs for this opinion other than the broadest references to history and scripture, we are forced to trust in his knowledge of the underlying issues as evidence for its truth. To take the testimony of a Roman Catholic Priest on Islam’s inherent violence over that of Muslim scholars who have again and again condemned attacks of terror and barbarity is a tough sell. One simply does not approach a Burger King in search of a Big Mac.

What then do the scholars of Islam say? Just this past december, 70,000 Islamic clerics and scholars issued a fatwa (declaration) condemning terrorism. In the past, the Muslim Council of Great Britian in response to ISIS said, “Violence has no place in religion.” The Islamic Society of North America has said that the actions of ISIS “Are to be denounced and are in no way representative of what Islam actually teaches.” The Council on American-Islamic relations has repeatedly condemned ISIS saying it is “Un-Islamic and morally repugnant.”

And finally, His Holiness, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, the fifth successor of the founder of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, in response to the Belgium terrorist attacks said:

“Under no circumstances does Islam permit terrorism of any kind or the murder of innocent people. In fact, the Holy Quran has said that to kill even one innocent person is akin to killing all of mankind. Therefore, those who commit such atrocities in the name of Islam can never find any justification. They are defaming Islam and destroying the peace of the world.”

And again in another interview he said that “Governments should take firm measures against extremist clerics.” These are just a few examples and to relate them all would be impossible. It is sufficient that those who themselves practice and preach Islam in it’s entirety are categorically and repeatedly denouncing such actions, and affirming that they have no basis in Islamic teaching.

Father Schall continues to pound into obliteration the idea that Islam mandates conquering of the world. While it is categorically false that Islam teaches the world should be brought to the sword, this does not mean that Muslims are not devoted to the spread of their message and ideas. When our Christian brothers and sisters protest abortion, contraception, and gay marriage, or pass out Bibles to passersby in the streets, can it be said that they are attempting to “conquer” the world and force it to submit to their will? Assuredly not, and to say so would be an insult to the sanctity of religions. They, like Muslims, believe wholeheartedly in the law that God provided to them. In a love for this law and a love for mankind, it cannot be helped that they try to spread their message to their fellow man through logic and reasoning. And as previously stated, “There is no compulsion in religion.” This is the method through which Islam also intends to gain traction, that is, to win over the hearts of people.

In conclusion, a brief look at the tenents of Islam and the words of its most ardent supporters have been laid out in an attempt to correct any misconceptions that Father Schall and his readers may have had. Saudi Arabia’s grand mufti, Abdulaziz al-Sheikh – the country’s top religious authority, said that ISIS is “The number one enemy of Islam.” No successful political ideology in the world would recommend that the enemy’s enemy should also be your enemy. To paint all of Islam in the way that Father Schall has, and to insinuate that Muslim’s are naive to say otherwise, is both incredibly offensive and ultimately dividing. If the goal of humanity is to rid itself of extremism and in particular, Islamic Extremism, then it is in the best interest of those involved that we stand hand in hand as children of God against these individuals who threaten peace and order all over the world. If the goal is to make the world a brighter place, then we must ultimately stop trying to blow out candles.

Let us not be like those Muslims and Christians who in years past have fought against each other like rabid dogs. Let us be like those Christians who sheltered the followers of Islam when it was in its infancy, when the power of Mecca sought to destroy them. Let us be like the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and his true followers who protected the rights, freedoms, and property of Christians both inside and outside of his kingdom.

In the end, our claim is that all praise belongs to God, Lord of all the worlds.

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