Published on Nov 13 2009 by Kavi Rehan, Walsall

Dear Sir,

 

I would like to respond to R Saunders’ letter, (November 10^th) as I believe he has unjustifiably attributed selected cultural malpractice and the actions of some oppressive dictatorships to a whole religion and its followers.

 

In a previous letter last year I have brought to the attention of Mr Saunders that forced marriages have nothing to do with Islam; they are even refuted by the Holy Prophet of Islam. It is rather a problem rooted in certain cultures; unfortunately some Clerics do try to convince the illiterate and the ignorant that it is justified by the Islamic scriptures, which it is not.

 

Mr Saunders’ other allegations regarding punishment of adultery, preaching of hatred and bloodshed are equally unfounded. I could quote verses from the Quran and cite various traditions from the life of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him), however I have benefited from an ironic convenience.   

 

As I was formulating this letter, I chanced upon a channel 4 dispatches programme: ‘Return to Africa’s Witch Children’. Suffice to say this was a deeply distressing documentary, which showed children as young as 2 in Africa’s Niger Delta, that were being denounced by so called Christian pastors as witches and then tortured, abandoned or killed by their own families in the name of Jesus.

 

It is crystal clear that these are not the teachings of love and compassion that Jesus (peace be upon him) brought.  Similarly are the Christians of today still blamed for the 16^th Century Crusades where over 100,000 were murdered in one day?  1.5 billion Muslims cannot be represented by minority extremists, although Muslims do need to do more to address the problem internally.

 

That is why the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community is striving to communicate its message of “Love for All, Hatred for None” worldwide.

 

www.alislam.org