Modesty makes Akbar Bhai superior to me. I have shunned it long ago, though sometimes use it as a cloak. The Pope wanted Luther's head indeed. Luther was protected by the German princes. Religious wars followed. Catholics were defeated and their church properties were confiscated by the princes without any compensation.
"Sangha manei sanghatic" wrote Sib Ram Chakravorty. Religion glues people having faith in it's dictum, but Dharma does not. All religions are based on the Geocentric concept of the Universe, and the world of blind faith should have collapsed like a house of cards after the telescope was invented. However, blind faith has survived for a craze in heaven and the associated economics.
Thanks for asking these questions but I am not a pundit on any subject. I profess what I personally believe. Many among us really do not understand what really Dharma is. For the sake of generalization we randomly use the word Dharma as religion. There is no doubt that the literal meaning of Dharma is religion but not in the way we stamp religion as Hinduism, Christianity or Islam etc. In the real Sanskrit terminology dharma means nature and in this discussion we are taking it as spiritual nature. So the basic meaning of Dharma here is ones commitment to virtues. The crude way of believing in a certain faith creates a vicious barrier between faith and freedom of thinking. The problem with Islamic faith starts with its very rigid conditions. If I don't surrender my freedom to certain blind conditions I am not a Muslim. This question of renouncing Islam by a Muslim is a glaring example of Islam's aims to regiment a follower's life. Martin Luther revolted against the Roman church and for that disobedience he was excommunicated but the Pope did not ask for his head.
Thousands Hindus were converted to Islam and Christianity any Hindu gave a fatwa for their beheading? No. As a matter of fact the original Islam of 7th century had a clear agenda for the pagan Arabs of Mecca. But some overzealous mullahs starting from the Middle Ages have taken over this faith and made it a draconian cult. The aim of a faith is to discipline not to dictate its followers. It's wrong to think that if a person renounces Islam he is renouncing his commitment to virtues. This commitment is a purely personal domain which is not dependent on any specific faith.
In the philosophical sense the synthesis of all traditional religions comes to rest in secularism. Islam does not recognize secular views. A Muslim must follow the strict edicts of Islam; therefore secular views are not entertained by Islam. The idea of peace is a great but peace must be based on freedom and forbearance. The predominant notion of an 'infidel" is a repulsive state of the mind which creates hatred.
Akbar Hussain
From: avijit_dev@yahoo.co.in
Date: Sat, 11 Jul 2009 22:57:26 +0000
Subject: [mukto-mona] Re: Moslims renouncing Islam
I have asked these questions just to see what exactly are being said by using the word "faith" and the meaning of the word "faith" that are being renounce. How the two states mind be realized?<brg
Can you explain what is faith and the meaning the faith and what is being renounced here?
What is Islamic faith? is there any difference between Islam and non-Islamic faith? By the way what is a secular faith if any?
__._,_.___
