Liberating Bangladeshi Muslim youths from “intolerant Islam”:

Islam, as a religion, was propagated by Muhammad to achieve authority over his people. It was only a means, a motivating force to achieve that objective. There is nothing heavenly about it. Islam, after Muhammad, became a full flagged political doctrine for imperialistic expansion which possibly Muhammad also could not foresee. The early Muslim rulers and scholars very skilfully covered this political doctrine within the wrapper of the religion of Islam (as a cementing force among divergent population groups of followers).

Where is Allah? Where are heaven and hell? These are false. These are beliefs only. If there is an Allah then who created ‘him’ (interestingly it is not ‘her’) and from where has he come? Islam is like a lullaby. It shuts the Muslims’ eyes from reasoning. Science is based on reasoning and objectivity. But religion is based on beliefs and subjectivity. Islam is no exception.

The verses of Qur’an were told by Muhammad to justify his wars, plunders, animosity, friendship, sex life, social and political activities, conspiracies and deceits with doses of Old and New Testaments and Zoroastrianism, sometimes in vagus and repetitive manner, as heavenly revelations. The idea of numerous miracles, attributed to Muhammad, was imitated from Christian faith by him and his ‘Chamchas’. Actually he was a war lord first and last.

All religions are bogus. So is Islam. But leaving Islam is unthinkable to most of the Muslims. It can not be achieved easily and straight away. There is Islamic directive to kill the apostates. So first Islam has to be transformed from a religion to a philosophy.

If Islam has to survive as a philosophy (and not religion), scholarly and dispassionate criticism of its genesis, development, spread, practices and Prophet’s life history are to be made public. Islam can not hide behind the iron wall of blasphemy laws. It has to be released from the grip of its contractors and vested interests.

As a way of life, many present day Muslims are not following the much-publicised five pillars: Iman, Namaz, Zakat, Roza and Haj. Barring Iman (which is internal and cannot be seen), rest four obligations are followed variably by Muslims today. Namaz (Muhammad did it three times a day like thrice daily prayers of the idolaters of Mecca) is more of a daily habit to many of those who do it and Roza is a month long family-oriented ritual (taken from Jewish tradition) culminating into annual community based celebration of Id. Very few people care about Zakat (also adopted from Jewish tradition). Haj (a pre-Islamic annual custom) is for rich people today to boast about their status. Qibla was originally in the direction of Jerusalem. When Muhammad’s relation with Jews of Yathrib became bad, he changed it towards Mecca.

Islam has to come out of the stereotype of beard, skull cap, bodna, burqa and lungi (last one an influence from Burma and has nothing to do with Islam)  etc.. Circumcision was adopted by Islam from Jews of Yathrib. There is no record to tell that Muhammad was circumcised. However, Mohammad claimed that he was borned circumcised. This is as false as the claim of revelations. Islam, as a philosophy, can survive without these Sunnah. Very few Muslims will publicly support these changes because of repression from Islamic fanatics.

Fictitious and imaginary teachings of Islam to glorify it and the Prophet should be stopped. The history of Islam is full of these biases which are universal for histories of all religions. The history of Islam which is taught in Madaris is more like the baseless and false Hindu mythologies.

Islam should come out of the clutches of Ulema to general Muslim population. A Muslim should be allowed to be a Muslim even if he is loosely attached to the five pillars of Islam. The void thus created can be replaced by a benevolent Islam (Jihad is to be thrown out) with humanity. Each student of Madrasha should be taught to be a good and knowledgeable human being of Muslim philosophy rather than staunch and irrational Muslim with hatred for non-Muslims, love for Jihad and aspiration to go to imaginary paradise hereafter.

Islam needs to be revisited. Don’t allow your politicians and Ulema to play with Islam to serve their interests.