By Rasha
Almaqaleh
A short time ago, one of my
Italian friends sent me a voice message saying : “ I’m following a Facebook
page called ‘Islam Italia’. And in one of their posts they mentioned a verse from
the Quran and they said it orders Muslims not to be friends with non-Muslims.
They also said that Muslims should not love non-Muslims because this means
getting away from religion." Then, my friend laughed while saying:" I don’t
think it’s true because you are my friend! But could you please explain to me
why they said so. I find it very strange!"
Now honestly speaking, I
don’t know how to answer my friend’s question!
Should I say:" I also find
it so strange and I need someone to explain this to me,too?"
How can I explain to her,
and also to myself, that there are Islamic clerics who dare to assert that
befriending non-Muslims is wrong and prohibited by Quran?!
And with the promotion of
such a horrible notion, would I be able to tell my friend, and other people,
that Islam is the religion of peace and mercy?!
How can I tell her that
Muslims are allowed by Quran to marry Jewish and Christian women but they
aren’t allowed by those Muslim clerics to befriend them? Wouldn’t that be
stark nonsense?!
Could anyone explain to me
and to my friend, how a Muslim could marry a non-Muslim woman and start a
family with her without any trace of cordiality and intimacy? And how should he
feel about his non-Muslim in-laws? Let’s not forget that they would be his
children’s family! Such an intercultural mess!
With the mere argument of no befriending and no loving others, how can the followers of Islam claim that
their message is 'universal'?! Regrettably, there are tens
of 'fatwas' in many Islamic books, websites, TV programs, etc. that ask Muslims
not to hold any affection towards non-Muslims and never be friends with them. Is it a rational request in the first place? Because as far as I’m concerned,
affection is not a controllable thing and you cannot simply press a button
to stop loving someone! What kind of religion that orders its followers not to
love the non-followers? Wouldn’t that lead us to confrontation and violence
instead of coexistence?
According to those contradictory clerics,
Muslims could only be friends with non-Muslims on one condition; they must try
hard and take advantage of every possible opportunity to persuade their
non-Muslim friends to convert to Islam. Obviously, those clerics don’t care if
their teaching contrasts entirely with the Quranic approaches. Here
are some examples of Quran verses:
“Yet it may be, if they believe not in this statement, that thou (Muhammad) wilt torment thy soul with grief over their footsteps.” 18:6
“You cannot guide whom you love. But it is God
who guides whom He wills; and He is fully aware of those who receive the
guidance.” 28:56
“Their guidance is not upon you, but Allah
guides whomever He decides.” 2:272
While browsing one of the
Islamic websites, I came across some stupid fatwa; A Muslim girl asked the
following question: "I have a Christian friend whom I love so much. We care about each other and we get along
very well. I tried many times to speak to her about Islam hoping that she will
convert but she was adamant in her position. One day, she got mad at me and
told me that we weren’t supposed to speak about religions and that she loved me
as a human despite anything else. What should I do? Can I continue being
friends with her or not?" The answer was unbelievable!
They told her that she should end her friendship with the Christian girl and she
must stop seeing her! Well, I’m persuaded that this
fatwa is completely inconsistent with the Quran that I read and believe; “O mankind! We created you from a single
(pair) of a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that ye
may know each other (not that ye may despise (each other). Verily the most
honoured of you in the sight of Allah is (he who is) the most righteous of you.
And Allah has full knowledge and is well acquainted (with all things).” 49:13
So where does this sense of
superiority that some Islamic scholars have come from? Obviously, many of those preachers express their personal interpretation not only of Quran but of life in
general! When I read Quran I come to realize that no one should have any sense
of superiority, not even Muslims. And this makes perfect sense as it is the
only road to coexistence.In my opinion, such Fatwas
are somehow responsible for brainwashing many young Muslims. And it’s time to
admit that promoting those repugnant notions paves the way to violence and
extremism.
As a human being first and a
Muslim girl second, I am not responsible for those hideous interpretations which are nothing but cultural rubbish. Still, I find myself compelled to sweep them away! And I’m tired of doing so. Therefore, the only answer I have to my friend's question is my sincere love and friendship which I hope they will last
forever.
