Bigotry: The Dark Danger

What does the true Qur’anic Sharia bring to a country?

If there really were a country that applied the true Sharia of Islam, then it would be highly developed in terms of art and science, would have a high level of education and standard of living, would be high quality, peaceful, loving and in favor of unification with all the peoples of the world. It would be in the vanguard of peace and a model of love; it would embrace Jews, Christians and atheists, it would regard people of all ideologies as friends and would respect them all, would assume the mission of bringing tranquility and calm to the world, would think of those in need before itself and would find solutions to them. It would be loving and happy. In addition to being very high quality, the people of that country would also have an ultra modern and ultra democratic life style. All opinions could be freely expressed, but without any aggression, insults, intolerance or violence. Goods would not be piled up and accumulated. A Qur’anic life style based on protecting the poor and “putting others before oneself” would prevail. There wouldn't be any poor people. Such a system would be one in which all the people in the world could live happily and that all the countries in the world would be delighted with.

If we compare that description with countries that go by the name of “Islamic Republic,” a vast difference is immediately apparent. The system currently being applied under the name of Sharia is most definitely not the Sharia of Islam. In order for people to be able to live by the Sharia of Islam, that religion would have to be purged of all its superstition and would have to meet all the descriptions praised in the Qur’an and cited above.

In order for that to happen, it is essential for the head of state of a country governed under Islam to act in full compliance with the Qur’an, not with superstition. A Muslim leader who abides by the Qur’an will have three major characteristics: he or she will be affectionate, democratic and just. Due to those characteristics, such a leader will always be reliable. People who live under the protection of a Muslim leader who fully abides by the moral values of the Qur’an will enjoy the most perfect liberty, of a kind that has never been seen before. No Islamic obligations will be imposed on anyone. Everyone will behave in the light of his own beliefs. Everyone will enjoy the right to speak his mind. No priority will be given to anyone. Everyone will be treated equally. Justice will be administered equally for all. People will still abide by the verse, “You who believe! Be upholders of justice, bearing witness for God alone, even against yourselves or your parents and relatives” (Surat an-Nisa’, 135) even if that sometimes works against Muslims.

A Muslim leader will always strive and desire to establish love. Because the reason for the revelation of religions, the reason for human existence and the reason for the creation of paradise is love. Conflict will be meaningless in a society in which love prevails, in which nobody’s freedoms are restricted and in which everyone is treated equally in a state of plenty. Climates of conflict will also disappear when injustice, lovelessness and enmities are eradicated.

Therefore, in order to understand Sharia, we need to look to the Qur’an, not at the practices of countries who claim to be applying the Sharia of Islam. Islam came with the Qur’an. Therefore, the only Islamic Sharia is in the Qur’an, and it is very clear. It is impossible for a country that does not apply the systems of justice, democracy and liberty in the Qur’an to be a role model on the subject of Sharia. It would therefore be wrong for anyone to suggest, “But this is how it is applied in this country, so Islam will bring savagery with it.” The system that needs to be accused here is the false one applied in the name of Islam by the leaders of that country. It is not the system in the Qur’an. (Surely the Qur’an is beyond that.)

The failure to apply the true system of the Sharia in the Qur’an, which would bring with it the delights cited above, and savagery being misrepresented as the Sharia of the Qur’an is of course a very terrible thing: Blaming Islam is not the answer, however. Those who blame Islam do grave harm by trying to eliminate it as the sole answer to radicalism, violence and savagery. They are actually smoothing the radicals’ path by striving to weaken Islam. It is not their accusations or the weapons they manufacture that will eliminate radicalism and the false beliefs propagated under the name of Islam. The only way is the conception of the true Islam. There is a problem of a false belief here. And false beliefs can only be done away with by replacing them with true ones.