“The world will not be destroyed by those who do evil, but by those who watch them without doing anything” – Einstein

An essay dedicated to:

• the Passive Muslim as a wake up call,
• the Traditionalist as a challenge,
• the Extremist as a denouncement,
• the Reformer, the most rare and brave of God’s creatures, as a helping hand.

For centuries in the Indian Subcontinent, Hindu widows were obligated to leap into the funeral pyre of their late husbands. As the woman screamed in unimaginable pain, her family members and other onlookers who knew better, stood watching. They had no comment, you see. It was not until the 19th century that British conquerors relieved their subjects of the hellish tradition of suttee.

In pre-Islamic Arabia, during the Days of Ignorance, a newborn girl was considered a source of shame. Many parents would walk to the open desert and bury the poor infant alive!  Sometimes, the father would compound this grave sin by delaying the decision. It was 3-4 years later he would realize the girl was a burden he could not bear. Imagine the scene: a child of three, doll in her left hand, her father’s finger in the right, strolling to the middle of the desert, assuming an afternoon of play awaits. As he begins to dig a hole, eager to help, she too scrapes the ground with her frail fingers. Finally, she is placed in the abyss. She reaches for her father again, only to receive a mound of earth in return. This is to be her resting place. Certainly, there were many in Arabia who realized the inhumanity of it all. But, they had no comment.

In Pakistan, Asia Bibi, the lady unfortunate enough to have been born Christian in Pakistan, a land of apostasy and blasphemy laws, is due to be hung next year. Her crime? Her Muslim coworkers refused to take water from a “non-Muslim woman” and hurled insults at her.  They claim she responded by insulting the Prophet (S), a charge she explicitly denies.  Now this mother of five is fighting for her life. Is there any evidence to support blasphemy laws in the Quran and Sunnah (the Prophet’s example)? Continue reading →