Muslim Students Outraged By New University Opinion Editorial

About a week ago an article entitled “Islam is not a Peaceful Religion” was published in the New University (UCI’s official newspaper).

I was not surprised at the outrage directed against the author of the article. I was also not surprised that some individuals who responded, whether by writing an article in response or a letter-to-the-editor, called for censorship and accused the author of hate speech.

Considering that students with the Muslim Student Union abuse their rights of free speech all year round by bringing rabid anti-Semitic and anti-Israel speakers, their desire for censorship is ludicrous. No one tries to restrict the MSU’s right to free speech. Many, myself included, have criticized the group. However, we recognize that calling for the group to be censored or restricted is not the solution.

My point is that if one enjoys rights to free speech, they cannot suggest that another individual is not entitled to those same rights. I don’t e-mail the New University editors when a Muslim student writes anti-Israel diatribe and demand retractions or apologies. Instead, I will request to respond to the article in a diplomatic fashion without criticizing the school paper for guaranteeing First Amendment rights.

I’ve included the articles and the letters-to the-editors for your convenience.

A couple quick points I'd like to make regarding the following articles/letters…

Islam is the fastest growing religion because more people practice it than any other religion. Logically it makes sense to assume that people already practicing the religion will procreate and that their children will grow up practicing Islam. Muslims generally have more than one child so there isn’t an issue of population decline. People do convert to Islam. However, I doubt that this is the largest contributing factor in the increase in practicing Muslims.

I understand that many Muslims feel hurt that their religion is associated with terrorism. Nevertheless, one only has to look at the Middle East to see why this association is made. Even if Israel didn’t exist, Islamic terrorism would still be prevalent.

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Islam Is a Just Religion, Not a Violent Religion
Commentary

By Muneeb Baig

Jesse Nickles’ article, “Islam Is Not a Peaceful Religion,” April 16, was typical of the daily rants against Islam promulgated through the media—ignorant and arrogant.

Nickles claims authority to attack an entire religion based on the English translation of one verse and the mention of one relatively recent incident. His article shows what wonders scant knowledge combined with plenty of arrogance can produce.

Interestingly, Nickles simultaneously claims to love Muslims. Thanks, but no thanks. Someone saying that “I love Christians, but Jesus taught evil” could not be more hypocritical.

Nickles centers his argument on the concept of “nashk” (properly spelled “naskh”), the superseding of certain verses in the Qur’an or sayings of the Prophet, Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam (May Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him), with later verses or sayings.

Unfortunately, he is entirely misinformed about even the basics of Islam. Contrary to Nickles’ assertion that Muslims have done this throughout history, naskh is in fact the sole prerogative of God who revealed new verses or instructed his prophet with new injunctions. Only God can command or nullify a command.

The verse Nickles did not read was this: “This day have I perfected for you your religion and completed My favor on you and chosen for you Islam as a religion.” (Al-Maidah, 5:3) This verse clearly established the completion of the religion and a confirmation from the Divine that this law is to stay until the end of time. Naskh ended 1400 years ago.

Thus, the rights that Islam granted non-Muslims and minorities are permanent—immune to abrogation. So are the rules of conduct in war and peace. The Quran has survived miraculously intact in its original language for more than 14 centuries, despite the efforts of many opponents. Contrary to the experience of other religions in which laws have been modified repeatedly by followers, Islam does not experience mood swings.

The Quran commands Muslims to deal justly with non-Muslims: “O you who believe! Stand out firmly for Allah, as witnesses to fair dealing, and let not the hatred of others to you make you swerve to wrong and depart from justice. Be just: that is next to piety: and fear Allah. For Allah is well-acquainted with all that you do.” (5:8)

Consider a few examples from history: The conquest of Makkah occurred two years before the Prophet’s death, upon the enemies’ violation of a treaty with the Muslims. The Prophet, Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam, entered the city with more than 10,000 followers. This was the same city whose residents had persecuted him and his followers for 13 years in Makkah and did not leave them in peace when they migrated to Madinah. For years they had attacked, vilified and tortured his companions. The time was ripe for revenge, the entire city at his mercy. Yet the Prophet, Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam, issued a general amnesty to the entire population.

Another example: When Umar ibn Al-Khattab, the second Caliph (successor to the Prophet), entered Jerusalem, he granted the inhabitants total security of their lives, possessions and places of worship. For the first time, Jerusalem was captured without mass slaughter. In addition, Jews, who had been banned under the Christians, were allowed to return to the city.

Umar was simply following what he learned from the Prophet Muhammad himself: that the protection of life, property and religious freedom of minorities is the religious duty of the Islamic state; that there is no compulsion in religion and that Muslims must be just to friends and foe alike.

The result of these teachings was a Muslim rule that set the gold standard for religious tolerance in a world that was not used to the idea. Not only are inquisitions, persecutions, witch hunts and holocausts that tarnish histories of other civilizations remarkably absent from Islamic history, but Muslims have protected minorities from persecution by others as well. As Marmaduke Pickthall noted: “It was not until the Western nations broke away from their religious law that they became more tolerant, and it was only when the Muslims fell away from their religious law that they declined in tolerance.” In Spain under the Umayyads and in Baghdad under the Abbasids, Christians and Jews enjoyed a freedom of religion that they did not allow each other or anyone else.

This exemplary tolerance stemmed only from Islamic teachings. The entire message of Islam is that this life is a test and we have the option of choosing the path to hell or to heaven. Prophets were sent to inform about the choices and to warn about the consequences. They were not sent to forcibly put the people on the right path. Similarly, Muslims must deliver the message of Islam to humanity as they have received it. They can neither change it, nor force others to accept it. After all, actions stem from faith. And faith is an affair of the heart. It simply cannot be imposed.

Thus, the term “Islamic terrorists” is an oxymoron. Terrorism is alien to Islam. However, the media has defined it in the exact opposite manner; only Muslims can be terrorists. Consider the recent shooting at Virginia Tech. The killer matched the definition of a terrorist. In addition, he left behind this message: “I die like Jesus Christ, to inspire generations of the weak.” (Could he be considered a Christian terrorist?) Yet he did not fit the media profile of a “terrorist,” so the extensive media coverage of the crime never mentioned terrorism.

Islamophobes thrive on spreading lies and fear. Unfortunately, Nickles is no different. His goal is to whip up frenzy for a war on Islam. He accuses Islam of allegedly expecting submission “from both Muslims and non-Muslims” and then cries, “It is now the fastest-growing religion in the world.”

But one really ought to question, why is Islam growing? If Islam were truly as violent and demanding of subjugation as described, why would anyone outside the Muslim world want to convert? Why, despite the material weakness of Muslims and the endless media and military onslaught on Islam and Muslims, are increasing numbers of people in the Western world finding the truth in Islam? I leave it to the reader to find out. Get a copy of the Quran and read it yourself. You’ll be glad you did.

Muneeb Baig is a third-year computer science major and a member of the Muslim Student Union.

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Letters to the Editor

New U Irresponsible for Publishing Anti-Islam Piece

By Readers

I’m a second-year medical student at UC Irvine, and I picked up an issue of the campus newspaper this morning to find an article titled “Islam Is Not a Peaceful Religion.” In the article, the author actually argues that the fundamentals of Islam are based on violence, and goes on to say that any Muslim who practices the full extent of the teachings of Islam is a terrorist (see last paragraph). Wow! I am shocked and appalled that such an article is allowed in the paper, opinion or not. This is simply hate speech masked under an “opinion” given with the disclaimer that “I personally love Muslim people, but their religion is a violent one.”

All of these conclusions are based on mis-citations of historical events. The author argues that all instances of aggression under other religions (in this case Hitler and Christianity) are a perversion of the religion, while the use of Islam by aggressors is representative of the religion. Without getting into how insanely wrong this individual is in his claim, I will get to the point of my letter.

I am writing because this is simply hate speech, and it was published by the campus paper. How can you possibly allow an article like this into the paper? I personally have no religious views, but I am appalled that any of this language got into the campus paper. The claims made in the article are unfounded and the last paragraph implies that the practice of Islam should be banned in the United States (yet the KKK can still legally hold rallies?) How can you let such misguided and hateful ideas be propagated through a campus newspaper? An opinion is one thing, but hate speech is another. Not only will I never pick up another issue of your newspaper (if it is so poorly run as to allow such trash to be published), but demand that you issue a formal apology and a retraction of this article. If you are training to be a journalist, you should make sure there is a valid basis for an article and that it is based on facts rather than misguided opinion and false accusations

Pooya Javidan
Second-year
UCI School of Medicine

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I am writing regarding an article published in the UC Irvine student paper, titled “Islam Is Not a Peaceful Religion.” I have to say, the article opened my eyes to a whole new aspect of my religion. I thought that I was a practicing Muslim, but apparently I am not since I have never been involved in any of the killing sprees that have occurred in this country or anywhere else for that matter. I guess, being a non-Westerner, I lacked the proper mental ability to figure that out for myself, and I am not the only one, since there are millions of Muslims in the U.S. not committing murders as they are supposed to.

Now that we agree on how evil Islam and Muslims are, we should concentrate on what to do to them. Jesse Nickles suggests making Islam illegal, like communism. I completely agree with this, but I hope he is suggesting this only as a first step. Given the history of this country and other Western countries, much more can be done. The Germans concentrated people they didn’t like in camps, Christian Americans placed Natives in reservations and deprived Africans of their freedom, white Australians almost completely wiped out the Aborigenes and Jewish Israelis cleared most Palestinians out of their land. And that’s not even mentioning what Western countries did to people they colonized all throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. Like I said, Judeo-Christian history is full of examples of dealing with nonpeaceful people, and I think stopping at just making Islam illegal would be doing the future of America and its past injustice.

I am glad that Nickles pointed out that Thomas Jefferson actually fought Islamic injustice; I was under the impression his accomplishments were limited to taking land from the natives, enslaving Africans and sleeping with at least one of his slaves. Apparently, there is much more to Jefferson. I am glad that we can still follow his example when dealing with people who are different in the 21st century.

Finally, I would like to thank all the New University newspaper staff and editors for taking this first step to combating Muslims and Islam in America. Although publishing articles like this is only a small step, it’s a very important step in the right direction. History would show us that combating minorities in the West, whoever they were, Jews, Africans or Native Americans, starts off with vilification through the media. When tougher actions are taken against Muslims you can all be proud of yourselves.

Abulrahman Al-Kahtaly
fourth-year biology major
University of Southern California

Posted in: Abulrahman Al-Kahtaly,Muneeb Baig,New University,Pooya Javidan