kashifmd.com: Let us start with how a typical conversation with a new atheist goes on who a true Muslim is.
ISIS: “Peaceful Muslims (eg Malala, or the majority of Muslims, including all Ahmadis) are not true Muslims.”
New Atheists: “Yes!! Ahmadis are non-Muslim heretics/bad Muslims/”nominal” Muslims. Malala is also a “nominal” Muslim.” (yes some new atheists go as far as considering me a non-Muslim heretic).
Me: “ISIS, your acts are against the teachings of Islam.”
New Atheists: “How dare you discredit ISIS!! They are the truest Muslims ever! You are a bigot for not admitting this simple fact! And please call them how they identify themselves i.e. as the “Islamic State.” Don’t be such a narrow-minded idiot, you liar!!”
So why are new atheists so offended when I speak against their extremist narrative? Why would they be so desperate to defend ISIS’s narrative as the only legitimate version? Why would they attack moderates for their peaceful Islam? The answer is simple. They are evangelical anti-theists. ISIS fits their imagined vision of religion. It is easier to disrepute religion when ISIS is advertised as its poster-child. Not so easy when the Ahmadi Muslims, who preach peace, love, humanity, equal rights, secular governance etc, are at the forefront of the Islamic faith. As such, extremists who despise moderate Muslims and new atheists who despise religion share the common interest in pushing forth ISIS’s narrative as legitimate and condemning any other narrative as false, “nominal” or just plainly unIslamic.
So, how do the new atheists try to convince others that ISIS are true Muslims and the vast majority of peaceful Muslims are not? They preach that Muslims like me are not adherent to the Koran while ISIS are LITERALISTS who follow the Koran to the letter.
Read this sample conversation to see what I mean.
Let us examine how true this claim is. Faisal and Ali are two new atheists who regularly engage me on social media and push their passionate agenda of ISIS being true Muslims. How true is their claim that ISIS are LITERALIST Muslims while moderates like me follow INTERPRETATIONS.
1) Apostasy Laws: Faisal Saeed: “ISIS are right. Apostasy laws are Islamic. They are mentioned in Koran. ISIS are LITERALISTS who just follow Koran as it is written.”
Koran: “There is no compulsion in religion.” “Let him who will believe and let him who will disbelieve.”
Me: “Faisal, don’t you agree that these verses call for Freedom of Conscience LITERALLY in clear irrefutable terms?”
Faisal reluctantly agreed. And when asked what verse in the Koran calls for death of apostates, he replied: “There is a verse which can be INTERPRETED to mean that.” In essence, he agreed I was the literalist when it came to ensuring and fighting for universal freedom of conscience, while ISIS rejected the literal words of the Koran, in favor of their own INTERPRETATIONS, which Faisal endorses as true Islam.
Categories: Accepting Islam, Ahmadiyyat: True Islam, Americas