The Post

Accusing people of Islamophobia stifles debate

IN HIS letter, “We cannot be free if Palestine is not” (the POST, June 9-13), Saber Ahmed Jazbhay accused me of being an Islamophobe. This was done without facts to back up his venomous accusations, and despite me not saying a thing about Islam.

The word appeared once in my letter – when I quoted Imam Tawhidi in the phrase “before the birth of Islam”. Does quoting him make one an Islamophobe?

Accusing people of Islamophobia is a useful ruse to stifle criticism, debate, discussion or any expression of a counterview despite his hollow claims of appreciating diverse views. To give a little twist to the Bard’s words in Hamlet, “The man doth protest too much, methinks.”

Anyone with a rational mind would have comprehended that, in my letter, I did not wade into the Palestine-Israel conflict in general, but restricted myself to Bilal Kuchay’s claim in Al Jazeera that “there is growing support for Israel by some Hindu nationalists”.

I merely gave examples to substantiate my rejection of his claims that only Hindu nationalists in India support Israel, and why Indians, in general, regardless of faith, support Israel.

Many countries such as the Emirates, Morocco and Sudan have started forming closer ties with Israel. But only India and Hindus have been singled out.

In a free, open society, those who want to support Palestine are free to do so. Those who want to support Israel should also have the freedom to do so. Apparently, not in South Africa, though. But why do people such as these think that everyone should support them?

They also feel entitled to bully people and abuse those who do not share their views. Why? Do they feel threatened by an opposing viewpoint? Are they aware that South Africa is a multiracial, multicultural, multireligious nation? Consequently, people have different viewpoints and the Constitution guarantees them that right. And the media, too, should reflect this diversity by giving divergent views.

But when that happens, people like Jazbhay come out with Dadagiri tactics (bullying and coercive tactics). I certainly am not prepared to be silenced by such bullying. Even Nelson Mandela said that some people were inclined to “think their enemies should be our enemies”.

Unfortunately, I do not regard Jews as enemies. Furthermore, their scriptures do not single out Hindus and their culture for destruction. We have no intention of endorsing our own demise, as we would do if we supported Hamas. Incidentally, members of the Jewish community do not bully and abuse people who do not support them.

In its charter, Hamas is explicit in its exclusivity, hate and desire for violence and control.

The following quotations should suffice to verify this: “Israel will rise and will remain erect until Islam eliminates it … our struggle against the Jews is extremely wide-ranging and grave, so much so that it will need all the loyal efforts we can wield, to be followed by further steps and reinforced by successive battalions from the multifarious Arab and Islamic world, until the enemies are defeated and Allah’s victory prevails …

“Its (Hamas’s) ultimate goal is Islam, the Prophet its model, the Qur’an its constitution … Its special dimension extends wherever on Earth there are Muslims who adopt Islam as their way of life … Only under the shadow of Islam could the members of all regions coexist in safety and security for their lives, properties and rights.

“In the absence of Islam, conflict arises, oppression reigns, corruption is rampant and struggles and wars prevail … Jihad its path and death for the cause of Allah its most sublime belief … The Prophet, prayer and peace be upon him, said: The time will not come until Muslims will fight the Jews (and kill them); until the Jews hide behind rocks and trees, which will cry, O Muslim! there is a Jew hiding behind me, come on and kill him!”

Hamas is very clear in its rejection of the support of non-Muslims, like me, despite the bleating and bullying of the likes of Jazbhay. When Islam appears, all the forces of unbelief unite to confront it, because the community of unbelief is one.

“Oh ye who believe! Take not for intimates others than your own folk, who would spare no pain to ruin you. Hatred is revealed by (the utterance of) their mouth, but that which their breasts hide is greater.”

SANU SINGH Reservoir Hills

OPINION

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2021-06-23T07:00:00.0000000Z

2021-06-23T07:00:00.0000000Z

https://thepostza.pressreader.com/article/281732682448772

African News Agency