Women of Shaheen Bagh

Never before in the history of Muslims, there arose a movement led by women to protect the constitutionally guaranteed secular and plural structure of a country as they rose in Shaheen Bagh, a small residential district in New Delhi.  Perhaps it would be appropriate to say that this women-led movement is unique in the history of the world.
No one would have thought that those who live on the margins of their community would motivate and galvanize millions around the world and mobilize them to be activists rather than passive spectators.
It is feminism at best. It is resistance at the peak, and it is a revolution with far-reaching consequences not only for Muslims in India but in the rest of the world as well.  It is not an exaggeration to foresee a future where every movement led by women will feel its impact.
It started as a protest against the notorious Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) that the Hindu nationalist party government passed in India's parliament on December 11. Soon, it became the movement for the protection of India's constitution, and now it is a revolution that every law-abiding, secular, and democratic Indian wants to identify.
This movement drew crowds in millions all over the country. It led several state assemblies to pass resolutions against the CAA. It brought the secularists and democrats on one platform, and it exposed the fascists who want to turn India into a Hindutva Rashtra.
Shaheen Bagh women are average Muslim women. They do not belong to any political party or identify with any religious sect or institution.  Most of them grew up in an environment that put restrictions on their movement and participation in public life. They come from various strata of the middle-income group.
Their entry into Muslim public institutions such as mosques and Islamic centers was restricted, so they had little opportunity to listen to the religious sermons of their leaders.  Even they had gone to mosques and Islamic centers, and the speeches might have told them that their place is within the four walls of their homes, or they have to serve their husbands, or they must not speak in front of men. Yet they gathered information about their world through the internet or joining WhatsApp groups of sisters or news circulated through television, etc.
They felt suppressed in a male-dominated world. But when these women saw their daughters and sons beaten mercilessly by the Delhi police on December 15 at Jamia Millia Islamia, they could not hold their anger back. They came out in the streets against police brutality. The protest evolved into a movement for the protection of the constitution, and soon India's women, in general, responded to their sisters and daughters in Shaheen Bagh.
Today, in hundreds of cities across India are women are out on the streets braving harsh winter and vulgar attacks on their integrity and character. The fascist party's leaders called them Pakistani agents, or terrorists or traitors. Some even went to the extent of calling them, whores. Yet these women in their hijab and niqab did not let their dignity leave them. They stood their grounds firmly, and even after 70 days of protest, they are as enthusiastic as they were on the first day.
The Supreme Court of India, which symbolizes the values of a male-dominant institution, could not capture the essence of the movement. It reduced its importance by declaring a dispute over road closure. The 100-meter space these women have occupied in Shaheen Bagh has become a priority of the Court, not the constitution that these women are determined to defend.
The women of Shaheen Bagh do not trust the present government of India. In their view, it consists of fascists and liars. They believe that the ruling party is using its majority to change the ethos of India. They strongly feel that religion does not determine citizenship, and people have a right to live with dignity in their own country.
These women have shown the world that despite all obstacles and impediments, people can rise and peacefully bring about changes.  They have shown discipline, responsibility, and dedication to the cause, and they have created a role model for the women of the world. Hopefully, they will inspire Muslim women around the world to defend human dignity and plural values so that no one feels excluded.

The Hereafter, Akhira

The concept of Akhira is the foundation of Islam. It's a simple concept based on logic and specific fixed laws. It is not a mystery or an enigma. In simple terms, it means that whatever we do in this world will bring us consequences, and Akhira or the Hereafter is the phase where every human being will know them and understand the nature of life that they will live in the next phase of existence. This concept proves the existence of a higher authority and the idea of life after death and asserts the supremacy of justice. Not every action we perform in this world is known or open. The Hereafter will record and reveal everything that we do in this world.

The universe we live in is not a haphazard entity. Everything that exists in it follows specific laws.  We call them. The laws of Return and they are fixed. Every action taking place in this universe creates its reaction and consequence. We notice some reactions immediately and others later. The reaction and consequence are fixed. For instance, if we do not know how to swim and we throw ourselves in Deep Ocean, according to the Law of Return, we would perish.
The Quran such consequences immutable and divinely created scales or criteria.
This has been Allah's Sunnah (practice), and there will never be a change in this  (48:33, 17:77, 35:43) : "… the scales fixed by Allah...(33:38)"

The laws are self-evident in the physical universe. In the spiritual world, sometimes, the consequences appear instantly and sometimes later. This concept of Law of Return at a later phase of existence is the foundation of the Hereafter.
Thus the concept of a hereafter is the logical culmination of the Law of Return. Akhira or Hereafter is the concluding phase of existence. Akhira is the essence of faith. It leads to the beginning of a new phase of existence that is different from the previous one. The word Akhira is used in r different meanings in the Quran.
There is a tomorrow or a future for everything present
The tomorrow of individuals emerges from their today.
There is a tomorrow for humanity
The tomorrow of humanity comes on the heels of its existence in the world
The tomorrow of humanity is different than its today
The ultimate tomorrow of individual and humanity is the ultimate Akhira that would close every chapter of today and usher in into  a new phase

The belief in the Hereafter completes one's faith in divine guidance. The Quran describes the believers  …and (in their hearts) have the assurance of the Hereafter. (2:4) See also (27:3, 31:5)
The Quran declares the belief in the Hereafter as a fixed condition for understanding divine guidance. It describes those who do not believe in this concept as Mushrik or a polytheist. Furthermore, it says that Evil forces can quickly overtake those who do not accept the Hereafter as the ultimate reality.
This concept asserts the supremacy of the Law of Return. There will be a world where everything human beings do in this world would be accounted for, and consequences will be delivered, and a new beginning of existence will come into being.
The Law assures that human beings will exist after death, and the Qiymat is the phase of the physical resurrection of human beings. This resurrection will be a huge assembly, and every action that human being indulges in the world would manifest itself before everyone
What happens after death? The common belief among Muslims is that after death humans body will receive punishment or reward. The Quran does not say so. It mentions two deaths and two lives
They will say, our Sustainer, twice have you made us without life, and twice have you given us life! (40:11)
 How can you reject the belief in Allah - seeing that you were without life, and He gave you life; then will He cause you to die, and will again bring you to life; and again to Him will you return. (2:28)
Before we came into this world, we were dead, and our birth ushered into life. Death is the end of this life. After that, God will raise us again on the Day of Judgment. What the Quran calls Barzakh is an interim period between death and resurrection.
The Day of judgment would determine the final destination of every human being.  Those who did not believe in the concept of life Hereafter and the Law of Return and indulged in actions that defied the divine guidance would live a phase of new life that would be full of pain, turmoil, destruction, and upheavals. This life will be their hell.  Those who live their lives according to the divine guidance will have a life of peace and contentment, prosperity, success, and achievement.  This will be their paradise.
The life of these two categories of people will be eternal. Thus the concept of Akhira is to help human beings to prepare for eternal life. The Law of Return, based on the nature of consequences, will determine the final phase of one's eternal existence.

The Movement for Human Dignity: The Movement of the Century

By Dr. Aslam Abdullah

The world is witnessing an unprecedented movement for dignity and self-respect in the narrow streets and crowded lanes of almost every nook and corner of India. It's a people's movement in the most real sense. The loudest voices in this earth-shaking epic struggle are of those who, in general, live on the periphery of society.  Women and Youth are not only the faces but the spirit of the people's march towards a brighter and better future.

It all began in the first week of December 2019. The government of India, under the leadership of the Hindu nationalist party, the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP), passed an amendment in India's citizenship laws that granted the right to Indian citizenship to the nationals of Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan belonging to all religious communities except Muslims. The amendment stated that those had entered India before December 2014 would qualify for this provision.  It is the first time independent India used religion as a criterion of its citizenship. It goes against Article 14 of the constitution that states that the state shall not deny to any person equality before the law or the equal protection before the law within the territory of India.

The Parliament passed the law on December 11. The same day, a handful of students from the prestigious Delhi University, Jamia Millia Islamia, organized a peaceful sit-in at the campus against the act. The next day the numbers increased, and on December 15, students from other schools and colleges also joined the sit-in. It is on this day that the Delhi police under the instructions of the Home Ministry entered the campus uninvited and brutally beat up the students in the library, mosque and classrooms. The Police arrested several students and injured many more. The same night, the students of the Jawahar Lal Nehru University (JNU) and Delhi University (DU) gave the call to assemble at Delhi Police Headquarters to demand action against the police brutalities. The Police released all arrested students. But what happened next was unanticipated.

Universities after universities rose against the Delhi police brutalities and rejected CAA. The next day, a few women from Shaheen Bagh went to the scene of police brutalities and stood in silence protesting against the state violence. The following day, more women came out on the streets, and then they marched back to Shaheen Bagh to begin what now has become the most prolonged mass sit-in by women in the history of India. 

Millions are participating in the sit-in. Millions more are organizing similar sit-ins in different parts of India. At least 100 cities have reported similar 24/7 sits-ins by women, children, and men. Among those participating are old and young, healthy and physically challenged, rich and poor, as well as women from all religious or no religious backgrounds.

The movement inspired India's artists, writers, activists, and intellectuals who came in thousands to pay tribute to the women who, until recently, were behind the four walls of their homes. Shaheen Bagh became a place of pilgrimage to every self-respecting individual in the country and every freedom seeker.

The Hindu nationalists tried every trick to defame the movement. Yet, the women showed their determination to continue protesting against the CAA and the attempts to start a registry of citizenship known as the National Citizenship Register and National Population Register.

Meanwhile, the Prime Minister of India continues to lie about the citizenship act. His home minister explained to the nation in India's Parliament the chronology of citizenship act, saying that first, he would introduce CAA then NCR.  But, the Prime Minister, in his public speech, heard all over the world, denied any intention to introduce NRC. He even said that his government never used the word NCR in the last years of its power. He also denied the existence of any mass detention centers, even though his government had acknowledged their presence.

The people's movement against CAA or NRC is not about an unjust law. Instead, it is about a political culture that India is witnessing for the last six years ever since the Hindu nationalists came to power. It's a culture that promotes hatred, divisions based on religion, caste, class, and language. It's a culture that uses the law and enforcement agencies to change the secular character of the country and change the constitution. It's a culture that praises violence and honors the murderer of Gandhi Ji, the architect of India's independence. It's a culture that marginalizes minorities, women, and people belonging to the so-called lower castes.

CAA or NRC is just a symbol of resistance. Its ultimate goal is liberation from the divisive forces of hatred and bigotry.

During the last 70 years of independence, the Hindu nationalists under the leadership of Rashtriya Swayam Sewak Sangh created a narrative of the country that described Muslims and Christians as invaders and lower castes as unworthy of living a decent life. With its extensive and well-organized cadre, the RSS infiltrated all echelons of Indian society, including law enforcement agencies, academia, and the judiciary, as well as bureaucracy. With an absolute majority in India's Parliament, it believes that it can turn India into a Hindu Rashtra on the pattern of Nazi supremacists by Hitler. The RSS founders and ideologue were in praise of Hitler, and they did not hide their intentions to reduce India's non-upper caste communities into second class citizenship.

The People's movement is against the usurpation of India by the RSS. For the soul of India, women and youth are on the streets putting their lives at stake. It is a historic moment not only for India but for the world. If India turns into a Hindu Rashtra, it will destroy not only India but also the world because the RSS version of Hindu Rashtra has no respect for science and the rights of other religions. This movement has serious implications for the world, and everyone who believes in human dignity and self-respect must take its notice.

Al-Imam uz Zina: The Fornicating Imams

By Dr. Aslam Abdullah

The title in English means the fornicating Imam. It is not a symbolic title. It refers to an emerging trend in Islamic centers and mosques, especially in North America. Imams and religious leaders take advantage of their positions in the Muslim community and indulge in what they describe as consenting fornication with vulnerable females, young and old. The news of their flirtatious behavior trickles, and the board covers it up. Still, when the more significant segment of the community becomes aware of the stories, and the females come forward with their ordeal, the management quietly removes the Imam or religious leader from its institutions. .
In the process, the victim is often advised to keep quiet and let the matter go. Some members refuse to admit the victim's complaint and quote the sharia to justify their silence with the argument that four witnesses were not present to corroborate her story. Others do not want the story to go public to save Islam from being misrepresented. Still, others ignore it as they do not regard it as a severe issue.
Often, the community becomes split on the issue. Some people take the side of the Imam and others to oppose him. Finally, the matter comes to an end when the management makes a compromise with the Imam, assuring him that it would not disclose his deviant behavior to his future employer.
It is an irony that the Imam uses Islam to fornicate, the victim sees it a divinely sanctioned act, the management believes that covering of the deviant behavior is according to Islamic Sharia. The community feels that the veil of secrecy is necessary in these cases.
The whole process gives clear evidence of the inability of the community to deal with its problems rationally and reasonably. It also speaks of their ignorance of Islamic guidance in such cases.
Islam does not want evil to prosper and grow. It provides clear guidance on issues that often lead to fornication. The Quran acknowledges the right of a victim to air wrongs done to him/her. The Quran also admonishes the believers, including religious leaders and Imams, not to go closer to evil.
The Quran demands protection of the identity of the victim.  Simultaneously, it requires preventive measures to minimize the chances of fornication by those who are in the position of power. Human beings are prone to error, and there would always be individuals who would transgress the divine limitations in their behavior. However, in institutions run on the foundation of divine guidance, one can hope to see rules to minimize the transgression if not eliminate it.
By and large, Muslim institutions in North America or elsewhere in the world have failed to develop policies and measures to prevent the occurrence of fornication or illicit sex.
There is no policy document to be found in any reputable Muslim institution in North America or elsewhere that gives details of the process of investigating such cases and taking appropriate actions if the Imams are found guilty. There is no Muslim institution that provides training to Imams on dealings with people of the opposite gender and following a religious protocol in their demeanor.
In an environment, where the Imam or religious leader is in full authority to use his position to influence the opinion of the members who approach him for consultations, the possibilities of deviant behavior are enormous unless there are checks and balances.
It is this absolute freedom that becomes the leading cause of the behavior that violates the divine guidance. This behavior is evident in many religious seminaries in almost all over the world where religious leaders, teachers, and other influential members take advantage of a vulnerable community to satisfy their lustful be4havior.
The Muslim community must not hide from facing reality. It should acknowledge that the number of fornicating Imams is rising.  It should look at the practices others follow in dealing with similar situations.  It should adopt policies backed by regular training on the issue. It should stop believing that the title Imam or religious scholar guarantees perfect behavior.

The Demise of Hinduism in India
by Aslam Abdullah

The practice of asteya in Hinduism demands that one must not steal, nor have the intent to steal another's property through action, speech, and thoughts. Asteva is one of five major vows of Hinduism and Jainism. The other four are:
Nonviolence - Ahimsa.
Truth - Satya.
Celibacy/Chastity - Brahmacharya.
Non-attachment/Non-possession - Aparigraha.
Additionally, six sins lead the soul to hell for eternity. They are 1) Anger  2) Greediness or corruption, 3) Illegal sex, 4) Fascination to the world, 5) Ego, and 6) Jealousy.
In his Deivamani Malai, the most famous Tamil poet Saint Vallalar says that seven qualities keep us from reaching God. Kama, Anger, The mean man, Laziness, ego, and  envy
 What is evident in the movement of reclaiming the Babri Masjid for building a Ram Temple is that Hinduism lost its soul. Violence was used to intimidate people. They subverted the Truth and sought worldly gains. Their leaders at the forefront were the ones implicated in rape and sexual abuse cases.   Anger was their lifestyle, and the meanness was their behavior. Egos were high, and jealousy towards Muslims was well known.
Hindus, who were claiming that they believe in Satya concocted and promoted lies. Religious leaders who vowed in the sanctity of their faith indulged in violence and used dubious means to capture the land where the Masjid stood for almost 500 years. The people swearing on their religious texts, instigated their followers to commit destruction and murder.
Every vow that Hindus make to follow their faith was broken. It is on these broken vows, Hindus would build the Temple they would dedicate to Ram, their deity, or the manifestation of Shiva.
What an irony that the Temple would now stand on the debris of Hindu values.  It is the debris piled by the people who claim to be devotees of Hinduism.
Muslims must understand that God is not their God only. He is the God of every human being. Any place that remembers him as the sole creator of the universe is sacred. The Masjid was sacred, and its destruction is the desecration of the divine sanctity. Those who plotted to defile it and changed its identity are the ones who would be held accountable. In our lifetime, we will see these people experiencing the divine wrath. It will come at the choosing of God. A Temple built on deception and violence can never be called a place to worship him. It would always remind people of the injustice, fraud, injustice, and abuse as long as that Temple remains in existence. Ram Temple would be associated with the broken vows of Hinduism.
The idea that the land allotted to Muslims instead of Babri Masjid is a symbol of injustice. Muslims are capable of building hundreds of Masajid and welfare institutions without the dole coming from those who engineered the demise of Hinduism. They should reject it and work with those Hindus who believe in the sanctity of their religion to build institutions dedicated to justice and fairness.

Hinduism in Crisis

by Dr. Aslam Abdullah

The Supreme Court verdict on Babri Masjid-Ram Temple dispute not only exposed the judicial biases against Islam and Muslims, but also highlighted the crisis Hinduism as a religion and Hindus as a nation have been going through for quite some time.

The verdict admitted a few significant findings.

1. Muslims did not demolish the Temple to build the Babri Masjid.
2. Muslims did not build the mosque on the site of the Temple, whose existence is not proven.
3. The idols of Hindu deities did not emerge miraculously in the Babri Masjid; rather, they were placed under the Masjid dome by miscreants.
4. Hindus, under the leadership of the current ruling party, religious saints, and Hindu organizations, demolished the Masjid brick by brick. It was not the first time that the Hindus harmed the Masjid. Several attempts in the past were made to demolish the Masjid.  

All these recognized facts prove one point. The Hindu religious and political leadership used fabricated facts, lies, and concocted myths to promote their claim on a piece of land they allegedly called Ram Janam Bhoomi.

It proves beyond doubt that to justify their claims, the Hindu leadership can go to any length. A religious leadership that uses deception, lies, concoction, and violence to satisfy its self-perceived ideas cannot claim to represent the faith or deities they want to serve. The leadership thrives on falsehood, violence, and lies.

 It is an internal crisis of Hindus and their faith. It is a crisis that is destructive to its core values.

Hindus always have claimed their faith to be truthful, tolerant, and peaceful. But the narrative they concocted to take control of the land of Babri Masjid was built on hatred and violence. They did it in the name of Ram and other religious deities.  

The construction of Ram temple would not save Hinduism. Anything built on falsehood does not last. Even though the Hindu leadership might have succeeded in winning a piece of land for Ram, but they have initiated the process of the destruction of their faith.

Babri Masjid 's conversion to Hindu Temple 

There is no need to lament and no need to cry foul over the Indian Supreme Court's decision to award the land of the Babri Masjid to Hindus to construct the Ram Temple. There is also no relevance to accept the five acres of land elsewhere to rebuild a new Masjid. Injustice is done, and injustice should be resisted and fought back.

We know the reality that under the present government, every state institution would serve the interest of the political elites, belonging to upper-caste Hindus who believe in a militant and resurgent interpretation of Hinduism

We know that there would be many more Muslim places of worship that would be taken away and awarded to upper-castes under the pretext that their gods and goddesses were born there.

We also know that the government institutions would be used to create a narrative of history to negate the Muslim presence in India.
We also know that the Court succumbed to the political demands of Upper-caste Hindus despite the fact that it could not prove that there was a temple on whose land the Babri Masjid was built. The Court said that there was a structure under the mosque, but it did not say that the structure was that of a temple. There is no evidence that after the demolition of a temple, a mosque was built. On the basis of what archaeological insight can court decide that after 500 years. But the fact is that the court decided to favor Hindu's claim to build a Temple on the land where the Babri Masjid once stood and destroyed by the fanatics.

We must realize the fact that the Supreme Court is not the ultimate agency of justice. There is an authority higher than every human authority that imparts justice to all those who are forced to accept injustice. That authority has yet to implement its verdict over this Court injustice. Until that happens, the believers in Him must not lose hope and work harder to make their lives meaningful.

But the resistance must go on, and we must fight back the injustice.

How to fight back the injustice is the issue?

To educate every Muslim and empower each one with an understanding of faith that leads them to make their existence relevant to society and the time they live in.

It is the only way forward. 

Mosques are symbols of Muslim's commitment and dedication to one God and the Guidance He has given to humanity. But the education and using it under the guidance of God to serve humanity are the real manifestation of our true faith.

We need to think outside the box to rejuvenate our community. We need to take steps to inspire ourselves for a future that is meaningful to us and others.

Not only in India but elsewhere, we must organize ourselves to ensure that no Muslim child remains uneducated in modern sciences. Simultaneously, we must also ensure that each Muslim child receives a basic religious education to empathize with humanity as part of a commitment to God.

To achieve, we must create educational and social funds to finance higher education as well as to create institutions such as schools, colleges, hospitals, and orphanages, etc. We must also develop a religious and social curriculum that liberates us from focusing on non-issues and empower us with the capabilities of serving all the people around us to improve their living standards.

It is possible only when our youth take the leadership role in our organizations and institutions. It is possible only when we think critically and challenges every tradition that has shackled us for centuries.

It is time to build the present and the future rather than curse the past. We have to change the reality for ourselves, and we can no longer depend on anyone else other than God and his guidance to show us the path and the path of God is the path of progress.