They Wish to Blow out the Light

“THEY WISH TO BLOW OUT THE LIGHT”

Shamsul Huda Qasmi
Editor: The Light (Magazine)
hudaqasmi@gmail.com

TODAY the entire world may cry out to have reached the peak of human civilization and claim to have attained the glory of grand success in its life style, but the practices of people world over seem to be contrary to their proclamations. The more the world is advancing to science and technology, the more fanatical the modern world is becoming. People are feeling less secure today because of incessant increase in fanaticism and discrimination across the globe for various reasons and the irony is that the governments are allocating huge
funds for buying high-tech weaponry to make them safe and secure. People have not forgotten yet the merciless bloodbath of innocent children, men and women in Iraq and Afghanistan in the name of
so-called peace and stability in the region. Our eyes are still filled with tears over the deadliest attack of its kind on the army school in Pakistan taking many precious lives of innocent students. The
blasphemous attitude of the French magazine, Charlie Hebdo, towards Islam under the guise of press freedom and the consequent attack on the magazine's office killing the staff clearly shows the hypocrisy of the world and a huge vacuum of tolerance to be filled in the
self-styled civilized world.

India, known for its multicultural and religious diversity, is no exception in rising intolerance and extremism as the people here are burnt alive in communal violence erupts for nothing or over a trifle.
The communities are heading to fight for their supremacy and control over the nation and becoming radicals and intolerants towards others. Minority communities are feeling restless over various issues since the new government was formed in the centre. Many saffron
organisations and their offshoots emerged liked mushrooms and launched
scathing attacks on the rival communities with full intent to
implement their well-planned agendas. An absurd theory of 'Love Jihad', 'Homecoming' (Conversion) and 'Bring Daughters-in-law and Save Daughters' (Marry Muslim Girls) have become the catchphrases of the right-wing activists spoiling the centuries of the religious diversity in the country. Their treacherous plan to forcefully convert poor Muslims and Christians is not only poisoning the peaceful atmosphere of the societies but also posing a challenge to its multi-faith
constitutional commitment, since every individual enjoys the freedom of religion and faith as a fundamental right guaranteed by Indian constitution article 25. Freedom to faith is a principle that supports the free will of an individual or community to manifest belief, practice, worship and observance recognised by the Article 18 of Universal Declaration of Human Rights too. Islam has acknowledged it in the Qur'an, saying, "There is no compulsion in faith. The correct way has become distinct from the erroneous." In another verse, a similar message is given, "And had your Lord willed, those on earth would have believed, all of them together. So, will you (O Muhammad) then compel mankind, until they become believers?"

Such issues in the world of intolerance have become matters of great concern for Muslim scholars. It is high time for Muslim organisations setting aside their differences to counter cohesively the Hindutva plan and widen the Islamic awakening among the masses as Islam with no doubt is a universal light to guide the whole humanity. The eternal battle between truth and falsehood started since the beginning of this world and will continue to the last day. But Allah says in the glorious Qur'an, "They wish to blow out the Light of Allah with their mouths, and Allah rejects everything short of making His light perfect, no matter how the disbelievers may hate it."

(THE LIGHT JAN FEB MAR 2015)