Nusrat Jahan, MP from West Bengal and actor, has been making headlines for being pregnant (supposedly six months) even though she is separated from her husband for a long time. No doubt the whole situation is bit messy, but if you have a clear thought process the situation is not so dire as it has been made out particularly by the Muslim community. She and her husband has made it clear that they are not involved with each other anymore. It’s true they should have divorced or should have at least commenced the proceedings for divorce, but they both are been emotionally separated each other, so it was a matter of time either of them starts a new relationship without the baggage, especially of morality.
Along with this news of pregnancy, what is also making headlines is the statements made by the muslim community. The people belonging to muslim community has been wishing death upon her for abandonment of Islam as well as wearing short clothes and moreover for having a child outside marriage. They have commented on social media with lines like Allah usse utha le, you should die and many others.
Seeing this, I am directly asking Muslim of India, is this what Islam represents now: cruelty and violence? Now, I may be asked- Why I asking Muslim community only? The answer is- the muslims of India has been particularly nasty on wishing death to whom they have a huge disagreement with or even hated. True, other communities also do the same, but as of now it has been more of a retaliatory discourse adopted to counter the death wish initiated by any person following Islam.
It is quite surprising that Muslims who supposedly suffer atrocities in the world for their religion always fail to show empathy, sympathy, mercy, forgiveness and patience towards others. When start questioning the act of theirs, they simply give one answer- this is not what Islam represents. Let’s say this is not what Islam preaches: then why most Muslims fail to follow their religious sermons more than other religion?
In Nusrat Jahan case, before wishing death on her, are these Muslims so inhuman that they could not think of the unborn child? In an attempt to discipline Nusrat or whatever their attempt was by writing such cruel words, they have wished that an innocent child should suffer indirectly. So again what Islam or rather these Muslims stand for?
What surprises me the most is that the death wish has to be on the religious grounds too- ” Nusrat left Islam, so she should die”, Nusrat wears small clothes which Islam does not permit, so she should die”. Really? I want to know how does these Muslims decided that Nusrat left her religion. Secondly, if deviance from religious principles derives death wishes, then how many will be executed everyday atleast mentally?
Everyday either on television, newspaper, social media or books, you can listen or read these words in one form or the other- the action of this supposed Muslim does not represent Islam. Someone, on American television on the issue of Isis brides even said Iraq and Syria does not represent Islam. Now an entire country who is vocal about Islam to the point of violence does not represent Islam. So, Nusrat Jahan does not represent Islam and if I assume that Islam does not allow for death wishes for any reason, then when will the identity of not being representative of Islam be labelled on these obnoxious creatures who even small unpleasant situations uses death wishes as defence.
There are violent people among all the religions, without exception. In current scenario, any lapses of human behaviour is judged on legality rather than religion which allows room for reforms according individual circumstances. For Muslims everything is religious. Rather discussing matters based on how humans behave instinctively, from eating food to producing children, everything is a tight box religious matter. In a matter of discussion with Muslims, even small issues can be construed as offensive to religious sentiments. Muslims have now come to a state that even uttering the word “woman” by non Muslims in front of Muslim man is offense to Islam and hurting religious sentiments.
Still, wishing death on someone without taking into account for an innocent life, a person has to be on some big psychological disorder. With the current practice of labelling that this does not represent Islam, one can feel that a huge number of Muslims fail to follow Islam big time.
Again, does failing to follow religious values warrants death penalty or death wishes as in case of Nusrat Jahan? So, what about Islamic religious organisations like taliban who openly propagate the philosophy that women are the source of evil for man and has severely restricted the fundamental rights of women? Taliban gets support from Pakistan and Turkey unconditionally. So how does Nusrat Jahan deserves death and Taliban is a great follower of Islam?
Lastly, Muslims keeps reiterating that certain followings are not the correct interpretation of Islam teachings. In almost all unpleasant circumstances, this proposition of Muslims failing to correctly interpret Islam teachings are getting out of hand. It’s time Muslims come together and have one or more plausible interpretations of Islamic teachings so that people or rather Muslims find it easy to understand and follow them without big mistakes of violence. People understand other religion on the basis of action take by people to implement religious values. No one in real life has the time nor inclination to read and understand other person’s religious beliefs. It’s time Muslims finally start following the Islam in whatever the teachings actually mean unequivocally, rather too many contrast ranging from empathy to extreme violence on a regular basis.