Mystified Justice

It is indeed awfully strange how everything is so simple yet so complex at the same time. How ideologies are twisted for mere reasons of clearance. However if clearance in vision is what one seeks, it can very well be obtained by a non-biased approach rather then concluding preferential conspiracies. The prey for the conspiracy theorist of this time and the past has most favourably been the history and spread of Islam. The most common and convenient among these is the concept that Islam was spread by the sword. Never the less appealing and almost widely acceptable this theory is by far the most bizarre form of distortions of historical facts. The manipulations the verses of Quran face is yet another mayhem. Moreover, a noetic appraisal of the prominence of Islam and the history associated to it can be an easier way for rationalization of various so-called analyses of the historical events. For one to talk concerning an issue or a subject for that matter, it is very important that there is a crisp understanding on the definition of the respective subject. In the respective case, we have Islam at our hands; the biggest and most common misconception about Islam is viewing it as an individual religion, in fact viewing it as only a religion at all. A more insight reading and comprehending of the Quran will help make the conceptual facts about Islam more understandable. Islam is not a religion for Arabs; it was brought as a way of life for everyone before and after its time. This concept can very well be explained by reference to the presence of Quotations and references taken directly from the bible and gospel itself. Nowhere in the Quran does it suggest that Islam is a new religion or a new belief for that matter, it quite interestingly suggests that it is a completion of the messages sent before the time of revelation of the Quran .If this basic understanding is reached it will be easier to refute the allegations Islam has to face,because if the teachings of the Quran is the cause of violence, the teachings of Christianity are on stake as well!.Dr.Zakir Naik (president of I.R.F) in a conference quite interestingly said Each human being in this world is not in favour of maintaining peace and harmony. There are many, who would disrupt it for their own vested interests. Sometimes force has to be used to maintain peace. It is precisely for this reason that we have the police who use force against criminals and anti-social elements to maintain peace in the country. Islam promotes peace. At the same time, Islam exhorts it followers to fight where there is oppression. The fight against oppression may, at times, require the use of force. In Islam, force can only be used to promote peace and justice. While most people conveniently overlook a lot of facts one must not loose the ability to rationalize certain things. The spread of Islam and its teachings was the sole purpose of the life of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), he completed the message he was sent with and spread it as much as he could. After the death of the Prophet, Islam as a religion had reached completion. It was the expansion of the Islamic state, which took place after his demise. Even under the Muslim rule, non-Muslims countries were requested to aid with Muslims, not to form allies with their enemies, and to sign various peace treaties. Nevertheless, the eye sees only what the mind is prepared to comprehend. However, unfortunate yet true that the source of our knowledge about current affair is limited to what the media feeds it to be. There is plenty of evidence if pondered upon which clearly contradicts the posed theory. It is therefore essential that the parent for attaining a better understanding would be to separate the spread of Islam from the expansion of the state itself. In exposing the myth that Islam was “spread by the sword”, the (non-Muslim) historian De Lacy O’ Leary wrote:’History makes it clear however, that the legend of fanatical Muslims sweeping through the world and forcing Islam at the point of the sword upon conquered races is one of the most fantastically absurd myth that historians have ever repeated. (Islam at the Crossroads, London, 1923, p. 8.).

It should also be kept in mind that Muslims ruled Spain for around 800 years. During the era ant up until the time they were driven out, non-Muslims were not only present but also were alive and prospering. There should be no doubt in it that if Islam was really spread by the sword there wouldn’t be a single non-Muslim remaining owing to the fact that the Muslim rule expanded over 800 years. Additionally, Christian and Jewish minorities have survived in the Muslim lands of the Middle East for centuries. Countries such as Egypt, Morocco, Palestine, Lebanon, Syria and Jordan all have Christian and/or Jewish populations. If Islam taught that all people are supposed to be killed or forced to become Muslims, how did all of these non-Muslims survive for so long in the middle of the Islamic Empire? Moreover, if one considers the small number of Muslims who initially spread Islam from Spain and Morocco in the West to India and China in the East, one would realize that they were far too few to force people to be members of a religion against their will. The great empire and civilization established by the Muslims had Mesmerising strength. if we see the spread of Islam in contrast to the actions of the followers of Christianity, who since the time of the Emperor Constantine have made liberal use of the sword – also often basing their conduct on Biblical verses, a new approach is apparent. This was especially true of the colonization of South America and Africa, where native peoples were systematically wiped-out or forced to convert. But we never use and nor blame such people as Christian terrorist and don’t see anyone tagging the spread of Christianity as forceful. Interesting historical evidence is that when the Mongols invaded and conquered large portions of the Islamic Empire, instead of destroying the religion, they adopted it. This is indeed a unique occurrence in history – the conquerors adopting the religion of the conquered! Since they were the victors, there cant been any forceful conversion in this matter! If today you ask any of the over one billion Muslims alive in the world today whether they were forced? You might witness the opposite side of the story. Muslims were the lords of Arabia for 1400 years. . Yet today, there are 14 million Arabs who are Coptic Christians i.e. Christians since generations. If the Muslims had used the sword there would not have been a single Arab who would have remained a Christian.
The largest Muslim country in the world today is Indonesia and there were never any battles fought there! .hSo where was the sword? How could someone be forced to adhere to a spiritually rewarding and demanding religion like Islam? The only sword that is in relevance of Islam is the sword of peace, which will be used for self-defence, struggle and a breakthrough from constant vigilance. As the desire to resist oppression is implanted in the nature of man. Human beings are so made that the ones who do the crushing feel nothing; it is the person crushed who feels what is happening. Unless one has placed oneself on the side of the oppressed, to feel with them, until then one cannot understand.