Everything wrong about Trump's proposal to ban Muslims from US
In the aftermath of the Paris massacre and the recent San Bernardino attacks, Republican Donald Trump's comment on barring the entry of Muslims into America plummeted his popularity to unprecedented depths, exposing an estimated 38 per cent of the Republican voters who constitute 25 per cent of all those who endorse his plan. Even otherwise, the influx of refugees into Europe, intense hostility against the Muslims following the Paris attacks, emergence of the ultra-right Marine Le Pen's party in the recent elections in France all are clear signs of a world gripped by anxiety.
Political experts like Noam Chomsky in a recent assessment surmised that the Republican Party is the midst of "a radical insurgency" and has become "too extreme to be still considered a legitimate American political party".
Boycotting Trump - the candidate for the American presidential polls erupted from around the world after the maverick billionaire remained unrepentant about his remarks. Even Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu distanced himself from Trump saying that "The state of Israel respects all religions and strictly guarantees the rights of all its citizens" while Israelis and British urged their governments to debar Trump from entering their countries.
And while the Asian religious community condemned Trump's inflammatory remarks on Muslims warning that he was helping the ISIS (Islamic State) cause and diminishing America's global stature, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) stated "The supreme council expressed its deep concern at the increase of hostile, racist remarks and inhumane rhetoric against refugees in general and Muslims in particular... The Gulf states also called on Thursday for an international reconstruction conference for Yemen after any deal to end its civil war, which has killed 6,000 people and caused widespread damage to the country's economy and infrastructure..."
But it was Muhammad Ali, a three time world heavyweight champion, now in his twilight years and suffering from Parkinsons, who punched the entire political pantheon in which almost every Republican candidate has demonised Muslims. "Speaking as someone who has never been accused of political correctness, I believe that our political leaders should use their position to bring understanding about the religion of Islam and clarify that these misguided murderers have perverted people's views on what Islam really is," Ali said.
He added, "I am a Muslim and there is nothing Islamic about killing innocent people in Paris, San Bernardino or anywhere else in the world. True Muslims know that the ruthless violence of so-called jihadis goes against every tenet of our religion.
Undoubtedly, utilisation of terrorism as a technique of combat finds no endorsement or validity in the Islamic religious tradition, and the fact that religious terminology has constantly been used by fundamentalists, media and political opportunists to justify its stand for avenging political injustice, has grounded itself in the world's imagination. Whether Muslims at large declare such acts as condemnable, deplorable or unwarranted seems to have become irrelevant in the media today.
On the contrary, a peaceful world based on universalism, inclusiveness, peaceful co-existence and free of violence are central to the world view of Islam. The religion encompasses the worth and esteem of all human beings, irrespective of distinctions between religion, colour, culture, ethnicity, race or language. "We have honoured the children of Adam; provided them with transport on land and sea; given them for sustenance things good and pure; and conferred on them special favours, above a great part of our creation." (Quran, verse 17: 70) Its cherished values spell plurality and abundance for all.
Muslims, except for the fringe elements, have unequivocally called the ISIS an outrage. The ISIS, by its monstrosities, has violated every norm of Islam. The religion condemns all inhuman acts carried out by the ISIS on innocents as it rejects violence and criminal assaults. Criminals cannot be acceptable or trusted sources of interpretation for the Quran that speaks of mercy and peace. The ISIS' merciless beheading of journalists, brutal attacks on minorities, whether they are Christians, Kurds, Druze or Shia, its attempt to legitimise ferocious sexual attacks on women under the guise of slavery, are crimes in Islam punishable by death. They are deplorable, indefensible and unpardonable.
Yet critics state that it is time for the Muslim world to ask some tough questions about how extremist ideologies take root in their midst. The question is certainly pertinent but is it confined to the Muslim world alone? World leaders need to ask themselves some tough questions on what led to the flowering of the ISIS. Can the bombing of innocents by tens and thousands in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria and other oil-rich countries be justifiable?
Noted journalist Robert Fisk contends, "And all the while, we forget the 'big' truth. That this is an attempt to crush the Syrian dictatorship, not because of our love for Syrians or our hatred of our former friend Bashar al-Assad, or because of our outrage at Russia, whose place in the pantheon of hypocrites is clear when we watch its reaction to all the little Stalingrads across Syria. No, this is all about Iran and our desire to crush the Islamic Republic and its infernal nuclear plans - if they exist - and has nothing to do with human rights or the right to life or the death of Syrian babies. Quelle horreur!"
The first casualty of misconceived perception is the truth, and coming to grips with the truth is a perilous task. It needs navigation through tricky quagmires and questioning patterned modern day politics, economic considerations, warfare and the lust for power.
In the heels of the terrorist attacks in Paris, Prime Minister Narendra Modi issued a strong message on terror during his visit to Malaysia, first at the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) summit and then reinforcing it during his address to the Indian diaspora. "Terrorism knows no boundaries. It uses the name of religion to draw people to its cause but kills people of all faiths,'' Modi said.
"We have to delink religion from terror. The only distinction is between those who believe in humanity and those who do not. We also have to work within the society, specially the youth," Modi said. Pitching for a united global fight against terrorism, the prime minister said it must be ensured that "no country promotes terrorism, there is no sanctuary..."
The world at large generally needs to mark a clear shift from unstudied notions of Islam to factual, reliable and genuine one.
A sane, safe world is not achievable if every country or community desires to avenge events of the past. The interchanging of the positions of victims and exploiters cannot be ignored.
The challenge before the world is to realise that we live on an interdependent world. The West's foreign policies need review. Each country must have the autonomy to take its own decisions and decide its future. Peace is too fundamentally vital to be left hostage to shrill Republican voices or jihadi forces. Institutional checks and balances for equity, social justice and human development cannot be supplanted. This concern is not simply polemical or philosophical in nature and content. It depends on whether we want engagement or estrangement.