UI – Part 270 – Common Decency

Free Speech

The title for this Blog is credited to Act for America. On Jan 17, 2013 Act for America emailed its followers a commentary pointing to a Washington Post article. The lead-in was: Free speech according to Islam Or, when free speech—isn’t .

There was reference to the Washington Post[i] – Making Islamic Sense of Free Speech. . (Read more) The author (Harris Zafar) comments, “The ultimate goal of Islam is to unite mankind under a single banner of peace.  The Koran– Islam’s Holy Scripture – says God created everyone in unity, but our own man-made differences has compromised our unity.  In order to unite mankind, Islam instructs to only use speech to be truthful, do good to others, and be fair and respectful.  It attempts to pre-empt frictions by prescribing rules of conduct which guarantee for all people not only freedom of speech but also fairness, absolute justice, and the right of disagreement.”

Unity

Unity is stressed. That unity is a body of Muslims that believe the same, think the same and live by the same laws. That may be impossible. Also it may not always be God’s Laws (at least not Biblical Laws). Please note that by God’s standards failing to meet or obey just one of the untold number of laws the dictators and autocrats of Islam have promulgated results in NO Life After Death. God, the Biblical God, allowed Free Will. You have choices.

When people are free, Individualism is stressed. Even among the Muslims an author, Irshad Manji, writes in her books a call for all Muslims, with a slant towards women, to express themselves as individuals and free themselves from the legalistic constraints imposed by Sharia Law and their culture’s leaders.

According to Act for America, “Zafar’s premise reminds us of a column written by Sheikh Ali Gomaa, the Grand Mufti of Egypt, which appeared in The Wall Street Journal on October 8, 2009. Gomaa wrote:

We have upheld the right of freedom of conscience, and the freedom of expression, within the bounds of common decency…\ We are committed to human liberty within the bounds of Islamic law. [emphasis added]

Common Decency – Islam Style

Who defines what is “common decency?” Sharia law, of course. For example, “common decency” does not include the right to criticize Islam.

Uncommon Common Decency

The rules and regulations that apply to a free Islamic society defy the standard for freedom. In a free society all disciplines of behavior, belief, and thought co-exist. Inherent in a free society is disagreement. Unity must apply to a common bond based upon a national interest, which may be life in a free society itself, safety to be free and think, as well express oneself, freely, and with tolerance towards those who disagree. Patriotism may be the common bond, a love for their Country because of the peace and freedom that prevails where they reside. Such a Country has a Constitution designed for the Common Good, not a theocratic Scripture that legislates God’s barriers to be judged and punished by man/humans. Ethical and moral values expressed in Scripture have merit when they benefit all citizens, but not when they impose restrictions on those of a belief at variance to the Scripture imposed.

A free Islamic Society is an oxymoron.   Freedom in the Ideal Islamic City does not comport to Freedom where the common good of all residents is respected. If you lived in Saudi Arabia, Iran, Syria, Afghanistan, and so on would you consider yourself free? Where there are actions taken to suppress dissent, such as imposing limits on social media networks (YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, etc.) or where Media (Newspapers, Radio and TV) are controlled, censored and/or fed what to say, freedom does not exist.

Propaganda is being used so those in power are viewed as they prefer. It is not truth. Propaganda is pabulum fed to babies, the infants are the citizens not in positions of influence. This baby food is supplied to insure the hierarchy and their cronies are protected and their status is well guarded. Then they also have armies or secret police as the guard dogs, the informers and the eyes and ears of those who prefer their truth to that of true Truth.

Many see the Quran as Muhammad’s Truth coupled with the Truth as included from the Caliph’s after Muhammad, the ulema of Islam’s interpretation of Hadiths and Sunnah, also the Reliance of the Traveller. But the latter truth is man’s truth and not God’s truth.

Common decency is ubiquitous, not exclusive.

Muslims are Not Free to Think Independently

Where ever a Muslim lives they are not free. If they are fortunate enough to live in a free country, the West as they define where there is freedom, they will find their scholars still preaching from the pulpits of their Mosques that the Great Satan, as the Little Satan, are to be hated. As long as they are in a minority the moderates can live as their mind and heart would prefer, even displaying their cultural Islamic nature, but once the fulcrum tilts towards a more dominant Muslim population they will be constrained. The borders of freedom they know will be reduced to the borders of freedom as Islam dictates.

If the moderate Muslims prefer a tolerant and pluralistic area in which to reside, they may need to change their belief to protect what they prefer and desire – not just for themselves but for their future generations. Hating infidels is no way to think if thinking freely. Thinking freely includes freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and human rights on an equal basis. Tolerance bridges differences that can be crossed at will. Enjoy what you believe while others do the same. If that is not possible then what you believe is not because you think independently or allow others to think independently.

Give to others what you most desire for yourself.   That is common decency.

Grace and Peace.

 

[i]http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/guest-voices/post/making-islamic-sense-of-free-speech/2013/01/14/95fc0b5a-5ec0-11e2-90a0-73c8343c6d61_blog.html