No need for Force, Violence

By: Farzana Hassan    


In the last couple of weeks, Oakland California witnessed two counts of vandalism perpetrated by Islamists—members of a self-proclaimed morality police patrolling the Muslim community.  Twelve men armed with metal pipes swarmed two liquor stores owned by Yemeni immigrant Muslims, destroying property and smashing several bottles of wine and cheap alcohol.  Their objective was not to steal, but to make a strong statement against the proprietors for selling liquor, particularly to other Muslims.

Such rifts, although common among the various ethnic communities among Muslims, appear to be most pronounced between the Arab immigrants and Black Muslims, who have displayed a growing predilection towards Islamism in recent months.

Apart from an acknowledgement of the ethnic rivalry generated by the continued friction, the right of Islamists to dictate their particular value system to other Muslims must of necessity come into question surrounding the incidents.

For one, morality must be cultivated intrinsically based on an inherent desire towards piety rather than being imposed from without.

Moreover piety is subjective.  Islamists must refrain from viewing their own mores as the only standard by which to judge others.

The larger issue surrounding the debate however revolves around the important Islamic precept which upholds individual responsibility in God’s sight.

Islamists justify their actions based on the exhortation for all Muslims to call others to righteousness while forbidding evil.  Amr Bil Maruf, Nahy Anil Munkar , the Arabic phraseology for this exhortation however sanctions only gentle persuasion, not the use of force in order to influence the conduct of others.

If such were the case, the question of individual accountability in God’s sight would necessarily get sidelined, as actions would now be the result of force.  Islam therefore clearly holds each person responsible for his or her actions.  The right to choose good over evil or vice versa belongs exclusively to each individual Muslim.  And while the Muslim community must collectively strive towards piety and moral rectitude, lines must not be crossed between individual freedoms and state-imposed regulations or harassment by a morality police.  Islamists are not responsible for the actions of Muslims who may be driven by economic necessity and hardship towards adopting a certain course of action.

They must also not forget that the freedom of choice guaranteed by their own faith is consistent with the freedoms Western liberal democracies bestow on their citizens.  Moreover, they must recognize that it is only God’s prerogative to judge Muslims for their major or minor transgressions.

(Farzana Hassan is a member of the Muslim Canadian Congress and Progressive Muslims Union.)