umm Abdillah, Radio Islam Programming | 2015.06.08 | 20 Sha’ban 1436 H
This is part of a Radio Islam series taking apart oft-mentioned contestations of ISIS propagandists. Those who aim ISIS rhetoric at unwitting South African audiences create confusion, mayhem and aim to weaken public faith in the guidance of our Ulama.
Part 6 of our series is answered by Moulana Yusuf Patel of Middelburg, UUCSA Secretary General.
Question:
a) Why is it important to ensure consistent engagement and participation with our government? E.g. From the sunnah.
b) What is the way forward for those taken by ISIS propaganda in SA, and how do we avoid further alienating them?
Summary of transcript:
It seems apt to begin a hadith of Rasulullah (S) when he gave advice to the sahaba (ra) before his demise. Imam Muslim ra has recorded in his Sahih one of these pieces of advice being:
“And show courtesy and politeness to the emissaries and delegations just as I used to do.”
This advice and hospitality was extended toward non-Muslim delegations when Muslims were in power. So, imagine the level of courtesy we are meant to extend to non-Muslims when they are in power to ensure their cooperation regarding our matters?
In (60:8) of the Quran: “Allah does not stop you from being kind and acting justly toward those who do not fight you, nor expel you from your homes because of religion. Indeed, Allah loves those who act justly.”
So, in our minority situation it is important to engage and enact with our Government. One such example of the benefits was when the SA government intended to enact the Anti-Terror Bill, which was initially a very draconian piece of legislation. In the course of 4-6 weeks, alhumdulillah, through of interaction and engagement with various organs of government this country was spared draconian and oppressive anti-terror legislation found in many countries around the world. This is just one example of UUCSA’s substantial input, which proves the important need to engage and cooperate.
Saying Allah, and not the Government, is the Protector of our Islam is an oversimplified argument. Why then do we go our to earn a living daily when Allah is our Raaziq? They are not mutually exclusive.
Avoiding the dangers of ISIS, going forward? Ulama especially should answer our young people academically on issues like Jihad, Hijra, slaves etc., not flippantly. They need to guard against an emotional binge and vague references to conspiracy theories. Knowledge is our weapon. Our young people want to know the ‘why’, not just the ‘what’ to do. Further, good parenting, which seems like common sense, is a sufficient guard. Dealing with awkward and difficult questions are the norm these days. Khidr told Musa (AS) “There are things beyond your comprehension” – so we need our kids to comprehend the war in general in the ME, and particularly in Syria and Iraq. If we don’t give them clear context and understanding, how do we expect them to understand our values and approach? For parents to deal adequately with these matters they need to to know and interact with their children’s’ friends too.
0 Comments