Osama Bin Laden's Religion?

Just after 5 years of the terrorist attack of 9/11 on America, again a debate has started on terrorism prevalent in the world. In the last 5 years, Al Qaeda & its leader Osama Bin Laden captured the attention of the media, whereas after this attack, American President George Bush left no stone unturned to change the scenario of the world politics by his 'War against Terrorism.' Before & after the incident of September 11, 2001, the news through Laden, the Al Qaeda chief, were open in which there was Fatwa (Religious Instruction) that it was the duty of every Muslim to attack American people & harm American interests in the world. First of all in 1998, Laden ordered all the Muslims of the world to attack military camps of America & its allies. He said that these attacks were to remain in force till they call back their each & every soldier from all the Muslim countries of the world.' Obviously this fatwa or the religious instruction issued by Laden given to the Muslims brings a question in the forefront that what right Laden has to give directions to the Muslims of the world? What right he has to issue this type of Non-Islamic Fatwas? When & on what basis was Laden authorized by the Muslims of the world to organize Al Qaeda & spread terrorism for killing the innocents of the world? Last but not the least question arises if Osama Bin Laden according to Islamic law is a Muslim or not? To know these questions, it is important to know the personal & family background of Laden.

The name of this terrorist chief is Osama Bin Mohammad Ben Avad Bin Laden & he was born on 10 th of the March 1957 in Riyadh City of Saudi Arabia. He was born in a rich & respected family of Saudi Arabia. His father Mohammad Bin Laden was the owner of a famous company 'Bin Laden Company' & was quite near to the royal family of Saudi Arabia. Mohammad Bin Laden made 22 marriages in his life. From these wives he got 55 issues, Osama Bin Laden was first son of 10th wife & was 17th in order. Osama's mother Hamida Al Attas was born in Syria. After sometime of Osama's birth his father divorced his mother. After that, his mother made her second marriage to an officer working in Bin Laden Company & his name was Mohammad Al Attas. Osama's mother gave birth to three sons & a daughter from his second husband. In this way Osama was brought up among his step father & four step brothers & sisters.

Astonishingly the family background of Osama Bin Laden not a surprise in a so called Islam country as Saudi Arabia because it is a common matter in the Arab world to make many marriages under the pretext of Islamic religious law which allows for four marriages only. But when a dreaded man as Osama Bin Laden becomes the chief of terrorists & empowers himself to direct the Muslims of all the world, then it becomes pertinent to see that according to Islam's religious law whether he himself is a Muslim or not? And to what extent he & his father have given regards to Islamic religious laws & how far he has acted upon these laws. As is said by the Islam prophets that to disobey & ignore the tenets written in Islamic religious laws, is Non-Islamic. So a man who is involved in Non-Islamic activities & doesn't obey the directives of the Islamic religious laws and defines it just according to his own convenience, how can such a person call himself a real Muslim?

Mohammad Bin Laden openly ignored the directive of making four marriages as given in Islamic religious laws & made 22 marriages. Obviously the 18 marriages made after the four as allowed by the Islamic religious laws are illegal, accordingly. As Osama Bin Laden is from the tenth wife of his father & Islamic religious law doesn't allow for more than four marriages, so this marriage of his father & his mother can't be said legal according to Islamic religious laws. Obviously when the marriage is not according to Islamic religious laws the son too is not according to Islamic religious laws. Now the question is that after this type of marriage which is not according to Islamic religious laws, how can the son Osama be called a Muslim? How can he be accepted a hero of the Mohammedans of the entire world? Now a matter under perusal can be, where keepers of the Islam everywhere quote the Islamic religious laws & make the peaceful religious issues as controversial, by bringing these under the context of Islamic religious laws, is it not a subject to think that if Osama Bin Laden has a right to call himself a Mohammedan or not?

The anti-Islam movements & activities of Osama Bin Laden & the harm being made by these to the Muslims of the world arises a question in the minds of the Muslims of the world if the activities of Laden & instructions issued by him are not a part of an inconvincible conspiracy? All the world is very well aware of the fact that Osama Bin Laden & Al Qaeda are the product of America & were prepared by American intelligence agency, CIA, to be active in Afghanistan & to struggle against Soviet Union. At that time, by the dethronement of Najib government in Afghanistan, return of Soviet armies from Afghanistan & organization of Taliban, all these were helpful to American interests & were harmful to international Soviet interests. It is not mistaken that even today, the religious instructions of Osama Bin Laden seem to be against America but in reality, his all steps are anti-Muslim & seems to be fulfilling the American desires.

After the terrorizing incident in America on September 11, 2001, George Bush declared a war against terrorism & there was a planned movement to harm the Muslim countries & to massacre the Mohammedans on the name of terrorism. Laden, undoubtedly devastated the two big towers in New York, which were known as World Trade Centre, by its Anti-Islamic & anti-humanitarian orders, but is it not true that as a result of this dreaded incident these two multi-storied buildings took sacrifice of two countries- Afghanistan & Iraq? Who can speak in favour of kidnapping of innocents, kidnapping of scribes & news reporters & beheading them? Which Islam & which Islamic religious laws allow this hateful action? What benefit are these, hateful & inhuman acts are providing to the Mohammedans of the world? If the Mohammedans of the world carefully look at the works of Osama Bin Laden, they will find that the killing of one American citizen by Laden's people has been reciprocated by one thousand lives of the Mohammedans. Today, because of inhuman & anti-Muslim activities of Laden, the valuable natural oil resources of Iraq, which were its pride, are now under the control of America.

Do the above facts not compel to think that Laden's calling himself a Mohammedan & to take charge of Islamic flag in his hand is not a result of any secret design? At the same time, Osama Bin Laden a Mohammedan or not, keeping in view his inhuman activities & Islamic religious laws.

BY
TANVEER JAFRI
(Tanveer Jafri is a popular columnist and member of the Haryana Sahitya Akademi and Haryana Urdu Academy. He lives in Ambala. He can be contacted at tanveerjafri58@yahoo.co.in)

Live & Let Live

The heroes of the independence struggle of India had accepted ‘Vande Mataram’, published in a novel ‘Anand Math’ (1884) written by a famous Bengali poet Late Bankim Chandra Chatopadhyay, as their song of bravery. In 1896, the Congress session in Calcutta was also started by this song. In the last few days, this song has attracted not only the attention of Indian media but drew a good attention of international media also. Obviously, being a watchful citizen & a columnist with having preferences for human aspects I couldn’t remain away from this controversy. My articles on this subject were published in hundreds of newspapers & on websites in India & abroad. Like many other articles too, I got reactions from many readers’ well wishers & critiques. Here the commendable was that the number of reactions of readers on this subject was far more than on any other article published. The persons who expressed their reactions were not only from India but from Pakistan, Central Asia, Gulf countries, America, Canada, Australia, Germany & many other countries also even from all religions & communities.

As in the last article, I have expressed my ideas in favour of singing Vande Mataram by all Indians, so it is natural that the Hindu community with Indian origination in the all world strongly encouraged me & showed their acceptance of my views. Undoubtedly my so many Muslim readers too agreed to my ideas. As was expected while writing this article Vande Mataram, I had to face some critiques & their traditional arguments. First of all, I can ignore the criticism & suggestions of the Muslim citizens of Pakistan, Central Asia & other countries saying that Indian Muslims should sing or not, Vande Mataram & what can be tenets of Islamic Laws regarding this song must not be interfered by the Muslim citizens of other countries of the world. Indian Muslims have faced very big problems since 1947 & have succeeded in solving them without any foreign interference. A former colonel from a neighbour country of India, while criticizing my article has wanted to know if the Indian Hindus can read hymn for the Muslim Saints. Undoubtedly this critic doesn’t have knowledge of common culture of India. India is a country where often a singer artist, may be of any religion, starts his programme with a hymn. India is a country where the Hindus organize feasts of Roza iftar for the Muslims. Some Hindu leaders can be seen saying the Muslim prayer (Namaz). It is a common feat in this great India where there are Hindu caretakers of thousands of the Muslim shrines & the tombs of the Muslim friars, situated in India. To lead the Moharram Processions, to do Taziadari & to keep fast in those days by many Hindus, is possible only in a country that is India. At present, the Hindu students are getting education in Madarsas & presenting rare examples of communal harmony. The Non-Muslim community of India can be seen praying, without any partiality by raising their both hands & saying ‘Aamin’ in the Muslim religious functions. Now I want to put a question of a Hindu gentleman that I received from Hyderabad with reference to the article Vande Mataram, before this former colonel in which he wanted to know that as A P J Abdul Kalam is worshipped at many places in South India as a saint. Can the Muslim community worship the great saints like Kalam?

A reader from a Gulf country has accused me of assimilating ‘the other’ ‘God’ (Shirk) & also alleged that I was encouraging such persons by this article. Very politely, I would like to request the persons who define such Islamic language & Islamic religious laws & use the words such as Shirk, Kufr, Jehad, Mushrik, Munafiq, hijaab, Haram, Halal, Jaez, najaez, Sawab, Azab, Aaqbat & Aakhrat just according to their own convenience & inconvenience & in different forms at different times & that due to these persons & their narrow mindedness & traditional ideas, the Islam is being given the other name, ‘terrorism’. I have written many times in my previous articles, it may be the Islamic, the Hindutva or the Christianity, No ideology can be thrusted upon the other community. Whereas the question of declaration of the song Vande Mataram as Non-Islamic, is concerned. Undoubtedly this is the song that was sung by the braves of India who were ready to sacrifice their lives for freedom. The Hindus, The Muslims, the Sikhs & the Christians, all the Indians sang it. I am not interested in the Islamic religious laws of the Arab or any other Islamic country but if there is any contribution of Islamic religious beliefs in distributing the unity of my country or it is being defined in a wrong way, then not only me every man of this country may be of any religion or community will raise its fingers, as a watchful guardian, against any such ill-attempt.

Surprisingly, when a Hindu prays to a Muslim saint, the orthodox Muslims are overjoyed. But when a Muslim sings a song, having a status of the national song, Vande Mataram, it is considered against the Islamic religious beliefs. If a Hindu girl marries a Muslim boy then that is taken as a good work for the Islam but if a Muslim girl marries a Non-Muslim boy that is understood as undesirable by these narrow-minded people. The prayer of Non-Muslim in the Muslim shrines is seen as greatness of these saints or helplessness of the Non-Muslims by the narrow-minded people whereas going of the Muslims in the Hindu temples is seen as undesirable. Is it a Justice?

Although some Muslim brothers in their letters, have suggested me to get Islamic knowledge, but I thank those well-wishers with the words to not to get such knowledge that spreads hatred against one another in the society. I am proud of being an Indian at the same time I feel proud of being a true Muslim. I request all the Muslim brothers in India & abroad not to indulge in baseless issues that spread hatred & not to count the beads of controversial matters but to spread those parts & teachings of Islamic heritage that are helpful for peace & welfare of the humanity. The religious tenets that spread ill will must be immediately thrown out of religious books & religious laws of all the communities. Not only in India but the all world needs such light & direction that may be helpful in leading the world on the path of truth, peace, harmony, love, brotherhood & progress. The sermons should not preach polluted communal thoughts that ill attempt to divide the society & spread ill-will.
As a poet says:-
The lamps that smell out the smoke of partiality!
The dousing of those lamps will spread light!!

BY
TANVEER JAFRI
(Tanveer Jafri is a popular columnist and member of the Haryana Sahitya Akademi and Haryana Urdu Academy. He lives in Ambala. He can be contacted at tanveerjafri58@yahoo.co.in)

Indian Muslim children should feel proud to sing 'Vande Mataram'

When master artist Bismillah Khan fell ill, all over India many Hindus performed 'havan' and 'yagna' for his speedy recovery. Similarly, a seven-year-old Muslim girl from Agra, Praveen, was on fast for seven days to appease Hindu god Indra - so as to get rains.

We often hear about Muslims taking care of Hindu temples and Hindus managing tombs of Muslim saints. At many places, Muslims make effigies of Ravana and also help organize Ganesh festivals.

Our President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam pays obeisance in temples and gurudwaras. The hymns sung in praise of Hindu gods and goddesses by the legendary Mohammad Rafi have left remarkable impressions in our minds.

All this is due to the common culture and civilization of India, a country of Kabir and Rahim. It is not astonishing if a Muslims sings Hindu religious songs and a Hindu pays homage to Muslim saint. But if we view all this through narrow prism, then we may be violating so-called Islamic law or even Hindu culture.

"Vande Mataram" is a song that in status equals the national anthem. It is a prayer to Mother India, in Sanskrit. Some so-called custodians of Islam in India are claiming that the song violates Islamic law.

Perhaps, these custodians are not aware of the Ganga-Yamuna culture, the culture that unites. These few custodians put out meaningless statements that isolate Indian Muslims. Hundreds of thousands of Muslim children get education in English medium schools run by Christian missionaries where the prayer taught is inspired by Christianity. How many Muslim children refuse to learn it?

"Jana Gana Mana..." and "Vande Mataram" pay homage to our motherland. These are not songs of any religion or community but are inspirational songs that give us pride. Every Indian is proud of them and will remain so.

It is the fundamentalists and religionists who pollute the pleasant atmosphere by their controversial, useless and baseless statements. These few people have no right to stop Muslim children from learning or singing "Vande Mataram". By doing so they affront Indian Muslims and give more fuel to Muslim bashers.

It is said that some parts of "Vande Mataram" are against Islamic law. But Islamic law needs to be seen in the context of Indian civilization and culture. Our Indian culture has a peculiar place in the world. India is the only country where Hindu caretakers can be seen at tombs of Muslim saints and Muslims sing in praise of Hindu gods. It would be a great misfortune for Muslims and India if our laws do not take such circumstances into consideration.

The so-called custodians of Islamic law must learn a lesson from Indian Hindus, who worship Muslim saints just like their own gods and goddesses. Islamic law in India cannot work as it has been adopted in Arab countries. It may be that those who obey Islamic law in Arab countries prefer Islam to patriotism. But that can never be said of India. Hindus don't place the religion above their country.

If we agree with these so-called custodians of religious law, then emperor Akbar was against these laws. President Kalam's going to temples and gurudwaras is also against Islamic law. Dilip Kumar, Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan and Aamir Khan are also against these laws. So are the music of Naushad and the poems of Shakeel Badayuni and Janisar Akhtar. The art of Meena Kumari and Waheeda Rehman will be pitted against Islamic law. If the fundamentalists are to be obeyed, A.R. Rahman committed a great sin by giving a new and attractive tune to "Vande Mataram"!

Indian Muslims have separate recognition in the world and are proud of Indian civilization and culture. They were proud of it and will remain proud of it. It was in India that the All India Muslim Women Personal Law Board gave full support to the singing of "Vande Mataram". It will be better if the opponents of "Vande Mataram", instead of advising Muslim children not to sing it, inspire their own kids to read and render the national songs.

Such children, when they grow up, will not need certificates of patriotism from any Hindu group. Nobody will dare to see such children through suspicious eyes. People of all religions and communities in India must learn "Vande Mataram".

Vande Mataram!

By Tanveer Jafri

(Tanveer Jafri is a popular columnist and member of the Haryana Sahitya Akademi and Haryana Urdu Academy. He lives in Ambala. He can be contacted at tanveerjafri58@yahoo.co.in)