Am I a Heretic?
By Anwaar Hussain
There is something wrong with me.
I see the everyday killing of Shias, Ahmadis and Christians in my fatherland and something in me recoils in horror. While the gruesome acts of these killers are met with a mute applause by most of my countrymen, why is it that these revolt me?
They tell me I am a heretic.
I tell them to please open their eyes and look around. That they will find every city, town, village and family now infested with these bigots. That these pious killers appeal to the worst passions of the human heart. That they sow the seeds of dissonance and hatred wherever they go. That sectarian hatred is only the beginning and a time is not very far when, in the name of God, they will get brother to denounce brother, wives to inform on their husbands, mothers to accuse their children and neighbors to spy on their neighbors. I tell them that given the power these extremists will punish dissent with whip, chain, and slaughter. They laugh at me and tell me scornfully that I am a heretic. They say why should mercy be shown to someone whom God will burn in eternal fire? They promise me dark dungeons as my ultimate abode where my flesh will rot in the clasp of chains and flames will devour me forever.
I tell them that the bigots are living fossils embedded in the rock of faith. That they are as stuck in time as in that rock. That mentally this species can neither advance nor recede. That after exhausting all their energies on stopping people from advancement of any kind, they are left with none to improve their own lot. That the supreme desire of their heart is to force all others to adopt their creed. And that for this very purpose they denounce free-thinking as a crime, calling this crime as heresy and people like me as heretics. They tell me that I am a heretic and exile, imprisonment, torture, and death are the only solution to rid the country and the faith of people like me.
I tell them these extremists are a people that revere gods of death, murder and vengeance. That they kill innocent human beings, including women and children, on whims, and strike terror into the hearts of an average decent human being. That for them killing is not just a business tool but also a means with which to spread fear, perpetuate chaos and preach their dark gospel. That any ideology that asks for killing in its name is to be shunned like plague. I tell them to look around and see for themselves what blood-smeared mournful land our country has become. A once beautiful land, now it is torn and tormented, plundered and ravaged, disfigured by the scars of countless wounds, tottering at the edge of a dark bottomless abyss. They reject my misgivings sneeringly and call me a heretic. They say hell is my place for thinking what I think.
When I point out to them that for thousands of years the ‘sky religions’ have exhausted every conceivable punishment, that every nerve, every tendon in the human body capable of pain has been explored and pressed upon to force all people to hold the same religious opinions yet they failed and reason survived. They tell me I am a heretic for thinking just that and that God hates people like me with a pitiless and inestimable hatred. And whilst his vice regents on earth will persecute me while I am alive, He will burn me forever when I am up there–they say.
I tell them that from times immemorial every priest has regarded himself as the viceroy of God. They tell me I am a heretic. That he equates disrespect shown to him as an insult offered to God. They tell me I am a heretic. That he asks none to think but only to obey. They tell me I am a heretic. That he considers his word to be the word of God. They tell me I am a heretic. That the world has been at the mercy of ignorant and furious priests, whose eyes feasted upon the agonies they inflicted upon rational men. They tell me I am a heretic.
I point them to the words of Ingersoll, that great man of reason, who said, “acting, as they believed, or pretended to believe, under the command of God ; stimulated by the hope of infinite reward in another world— hating heretics with every drop of their bestial blood ; savage beyond description merciless beyond conception,— these infamous priests, in a kind of frenzied joy, leaped upon the helpless victims of their rage. They crushed their bones in iron boots ; tore their quivering flesh with iron hooks and pincers ; cut off their lips and eyelids ; pulled out their nails, and into the bleeding quick thrust needles; tore out their tongues; extinguished their eyes ; stretched them upon racks ; flayed them alive ; crucified them with their heads downward ; exposed them to wild beasts ; burned them at the stake ; mocked their cries and groans ; ravished their wives ; robbed their children, and then prayed to God to finish the holy work in hell.” They tell me I am a heretic and the same is in store for me here and in the hereafter.
Am I a heretic?
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What an absolutely great article. I too am a heretic.
July 23rd, 2010 at 9:12 amI too am a Heretic,,,One cannot believe and apply religion written 1400yrs ago to 2010 Changes have to be made to adapt it to present time otherwise its a “No go” in my books…Mr Anwaar Hussain is 110% correct in all he has written I support him 110%.
July 23rd, 2010 at 10:02 amSir I could not agree more. This article is a piece of art. Please do not confine it to the limited audience that you have through “Truthspring”.
An article such as this cannot be penned down in this manner without an unimbigous belief which sprouts from within.
July 23rd, 2010 at 11:25 amAnwaar,
A thought provoking question wrapped in a beautiful piece of literature.
Your anguish, and the seething scorn lurking just below its surface, is understandable. In our worldly ways, a person who does not think or behave like us is immediately dubbed as heretic and promptly dispatched to hell.
A heretic has the courage of conviction and the ability to stand up and speak the truth in his unworldly ways. He says his word and perishes, but leaves behind a posterity that would be lot more understanding, emancipated, tolerant, considerate and civilized. A few names comes to mind : Socrates, Hypatia, Bruno and Mansoor Hallaj. These great people lit candles in the wilderness for others to have less darkness.
Anwaar, some of us are destined to become heretics due to our peculiar personalities, prevalent times and individual differences. We have to raise our voice against the infamy, against manipulation, against tyranny, against high handedness, and against bigotry.
The mighty of this beautiful land, garbed in the religious cloak, have ravaged this country and its populace. Its time that we wake up. We must know that time and tide await no one.
Regards.
July 23rd, 2010 at 11:26 amAs you have an intellect way above average and even further than that of the “Others” It is natural you should be heretical.. Welcome to the “Club”.
July 23rd, 2010 at 12:22 pmAnwaar,
Wow, you write down so beautifully what we all think. The level of hate and bigotry is always proportional to the level of blind faith in the priest and his censorship of thought.
We are all heretics to them, and we should be proud that we are not like them.
July 23rd, 2010 at 1:50 pmThe god-concept of this 7th century arabic religion is based on fear and bribery. A heretic is one who does not want a fear- or bribery-based relationship with anyone (also not with god – if he exists).
A god who rewards flattery and punishes honesty is going to end up creating a society of timid opportunists, bootlickers, liars and violence-doers. This is the real result of this arabic religion. The violence-doer is the real coward.
I am not supposed to name the religion in this forum.
July 23rd, 2010 at 3:33 pmWhere is Ataturk when you need him the most?!!
July 23rd, 2010 at 6:03 pmAnwaar,
As always, your mini “Magna Carta” style of writing prevails. smile
As a Christian, I retain a dual conscience. My faith places certain demands and constraints on my behavior. But it does not require the judgement of others. Who am I to arrogantly consider it my job to judge my neighbor? It is for the state to maintain a semblance of public order and societal restraint. They have the authority invested in them. I do not. Period.
The social conscience bows to universal creed and human dignity. This should be the stronger component of my psyche when it comes to living in communal proximity. Bitterness is the domain of religious folks who don’t mind their own business. Their bitterness extends from their lack of capability to superimpose their will on the other. They do not cherish human liberty.
The members of an incendiary clerical class have for too long been pacified by secular leadership doing the meticulous vote-counting which these clerics can deliver at the polls.
While doubting the worst offenders stirring the pot of hatred understand a word of Latin there is a phrase which comes to mind. It is “lucrosa et sanguinans eloquentia”. What fury and eloquence are combined in an oratory style used to blunt social conscience.
Tammy Swofford
July 23rd, 2010 at 6:31 pmWe all are cosmic dust with a conscious….. Carl Sagan
July 23rd, 2010 at 7:33 pmGREAT ARTICLE.YOU ARE CORRECT.IN THIS PRESENT TIME,CHANGE HAS TO BE MADE.
July 23rd, 2010 at 8:01 pmRe: Vishvas,
I concede your right to say anything you feel like. But I fail to understand how can a man think so deviously. Come rain, come sunshine, you bring in that Arabic culture without even realizing what is being discussed. Being secular, I would be the last person to take you on if you criticized religions even handedly. But your selective approach and tunneled vision would revolt any one.
Reward and punishment are the two basic ingredients around which human life is woven since eternity. No wonder that the concepts of heaven and hell sprang out from the aforementioned motivation and aversion.
The concept of heaven and hell is present in all the three major religions, and even in mythologies like Hinduism. Yes indeed this concept is based on reward and punishment. You may call it bribery and fear.
Vishvas, lets have a broader vision.
July 23rd, 2010 at 8:21 pmHi Anwaar,
Thanks for this very eloquent description of the bigotry resulting from blind-faith ideology, whether secular or so-called ‘religious.’ Bigotry leads to totalitarianism if enough people are sufficiently frightened and brainwashed. Bigots are devoid of spirituality based on a sense of the sacredness of life, which is generative and creative. This is the reason they are cowardly, as another commenter observed.
Thanks again.
July 23rd, 2010 at 11:02 pmBeing from a Muslim family, given a Muslim name doesn’t entitle one to be ‘a connoisseur’ or as an ‘expert critique’ of Islam and Muslims.
Islam is not to be blamed for the backwardness or the fanatical mentality of some people as you and your fan G. Vishvas are trying to portray. Yes, the insinuation of your article is on Islam.
When Indian brides were ‘accidentally’ burned to death or murdered after the dowries were collected or Indian husbands conveniently abandoned their wives once their immigration status to relocate to the West were approved, we don’t hear neither Hinduism nor Sikhism being put to trial.
It is when one lets ethnic culture (especially Hindu culture) to intertwine with Islam that the confusion especially in Indian/Pakistani/Afghanis/Iranian cultures. See the pattern? The cultures of countries that are interconnected with the Indian subcontinent where Shia, Sufi, Ahmadiyya, Bahai, Ismaili to name but a few, originates.
No Anwaar Hussain, you are not a heretic. You are Irshad Manji, Iman Hirsi Ali, Wafa Sultan, Ergun Caner et al subtlely rolled into one. In other words, you are not a Muslim as simple as that and who are you to put Islam into ‘trial’?
July 24th, 2010 at 5:43 amI am running out of superlatives to comment on your insight, foresight, hindsight and the most apt surgical rendering that continues to flow out of your truth spring. Yes like all truth it will sound bitter to the bigot, as it always has. I pray that your flow never stops and that more and more of the human specie gets to drink from your clear spring. Bravo Anwaar…..keep ‘em comin….
July 24th, 2010 at 6:30 amQ. What is the sign of a bigot in any religion?
A. He/she will pronounce you out of the pale of that religion if you do not agree with his/her view of it.
Q.E.D.
July 24th, 2010 at 7:31 amAs a bystander,I would tend to agree with the view point of SADIA,never the less before one goes in the merits or de-merits of the Schism’s,within our faith the point of dispute or the arguement in this article,the first ‘nuq’tah’ or the point,would be, why arose the shia schism?followed by countless schism within this discipline alone,as to the Ahmediyya Movement of the 19th century,(late),and its author and the main beliefs propounded and what has preached by its preachers the cause of unrest in the majority,that has to be analyized,the term heretic comes later,remember the ”mu’tazillite’s,of the early days,and the preachings as given in ‘khar ul bayyan’ of Bayyazid Ansari, little would most know that for decades in the 16th and 17th century the whole of present area of war, along the British created Durand line,was in grip of equally severe bloodshed,infact the very same regions from north to south.
July 24th, 2010 at 9:36 amAnwaar,
Beware(smile). Here comes the first stone from Sadia, perhaps an ordinary person like you and me. The edict is that you are not a Muslim because you discussed Islam without any authority; you have to be a cleric to do that. Further, she has asked your credentials for putting Islam on ‘trial’.
Be ready for more.
Re: Sadia
I definitely disagree with you. Every human being has a right to ask questions and record his reservations that he deems appropriate. It is his bidding to observe the path critically on which he is moving. No one has the authority to ex-communicate him for doing so.
The article is cast in the historical back ground of some Islamic countries where this culture of violence is prevalent. Its main thrust is on the side effects of all religions.
Therefore, Sadia, be of good cheer and let there be freedom. Light will surely follow (that is, if you are not afraid of the light).
July 24th, 2010 at 1:15 pmRe : Pervaiz Alam
I know sir and I am steeling myself for the body blows.
But someone has to write what I wrote. The article is not about Islam per se, or any one religion in particular, as you just pointed out. It is about the overfed priests, the touts of religion, who, for ulterior motives, shove their version of religion down the throats of innocent folks who turn to them for moral guidance and end up being poisoned by the noxious diet. And their denouncing of people like you and me who can and do catch them in their act.
Miss Sadia may be a sincere follower of her religion getting into the defense mode as a natural reaction. Her dissenting voice is welcome nonetheless. I have just one reservation regarding her comment. I really did not understand what she meant by ‘you are not a Muslim as simple as that and who are you to put Islam into ‘trial’?’. Though I didn’t put ‘Islam on trial’, who qualifies to do that should a need arise? Does one have to be a gorilla to critique a gorilla?
As far as declaring someone to be a Muslim or a non-Muslim is concerned, the very act is a non-starter as I explained before. Here it is once again;
Its right here on this website.
PS: Thank you for taking the call.
July 24th, 2010 at 1:40 pmDear Sir,
Excellent expression of frustration and silent voice of many in Pakistan. Surely, you are not a heretic. No one has the right to call anyone, anything.
I am sure “they” is a small and negligible fragment of our fatherland. They are zealous bigots and mindless animals nurtured by limited clergy, of the religion, which desist clergy.
I am sure “they” is not the representation of Pakistan or Muslims.
But surely, I want to take Vishvas’s and Sadia’s computers away:-)
July 25th, 2010 at 12:36 amOh the above quote in grey could so easily apply to the Christians except they would be reluctant, in most cases, to condemn “The Others” as being false or not Christian. rather they would skirt around every facet without actually facing the issue, in spite of the R C saying We are the “True” faith and the Anglicans declaring they were, whilst the other mob are the deviants. They will even try to excuse Muslims and Hindus as actually worshiping the same God but in their own particular way. It all gets down to the one thing….My way or no way. Well maybe the whole damned lot are going the wrong way. Well if one lot are right the rest are wrong. So who is it to be?
July 28th, 2010 at 11:51 amanwaar bhai all i can say is that there is some intermingling of truth and lies in a wrong way. still praying for u. dayam
July 28th, 2010 at 7:30 pmOf course you’re NOT a heretic! The people that are accusing you as such are stuck in their perverse and warped ideology, call it Wahhabism. Whether in the form promoted by Saudi money around the globe, or in the more openly nihilist brand embraced by terrorists, Wahhabism is a totalitarian ideology comparable to Nazism or closer still to the “state Shintoism” of imperial Japan that doomed that country during the second world war.
According to one report the Saudi “Wahhabi” scholars feed the jihadist ideology, legitimizing an “extreme intolerance” towards moderate Muslims and non-Muslims; especially the Jews, Christians and Hindus. In particular, the analysts noted that the “journey” of radicalization that produces homegrown jihadis often begins in a Wahhabi mosque.
July 29th, 2010 at 5:07 amThe term “Wahhabi” refers to the 18th century founder of this austere Islamic tradition, Muhammad bin Abdul al-Wahhab, who claimed inspiration from 14th century jurist Taqi al-Din Ahmad Ibn Taymiyyah.
Sir first of all, I do not enjoy the same vocabulary as yours so pls forgive my lousy English.
2ndly to ask, challenge or discuss a religion’s message cannot be considered a revolt or blasphemy and the person cannot be called a heretic based on the intriguing questions. The follower of any religion should be able to reasonably clarify, express or give reasons to make his or her point of view in line of his/her beliefs.
Re: Arif Khan: If I may correct it here that we need to go back to the original message [1400 years ago] rather than changing anything, as anything from God is to stay forever specially after He[GOD] has declared the finality and completion of the religion.
Re: G. Vishvas: “fear and bribery” Human beings work the best in the state of either fear or hope for reward. I do not know of any other form in which one can make people work without the presence of any of these 2 factors, Abraham Maslow also came up with his need hierarchy theory based on this fact. GOD who created the humans did know what his creation can do and most importantly how will they perform the best? and thats why you will see the “fear and Incentive” theory in all the religions if the teachings are protected from the change over the period of time.
Re: Sadia: Anwaar never put the religion on trial rather he has put the muslims as a whole on trial and that too because these are the muslims who are presenting the faith and are following the teachings of some blah blah blah instead of Islam’s then they have to be asked. Actually anybody who calls himself to be a Muslim, Christian, Hindu etc etc must ask himself or herself that is this the religion I am convinced with or am I following it because my parents followed this religion? or does the teachings make sense? can we reason majority of the teachings [Of course all teachings might not be understood by all, at all the times] or the sense is being pushed into our brains by the Priests, Mullahs or Pandits according to their own perceptions? So if after seeing the tarnishing of the image of a peace loving religion, one asks questions to poke our minds to think, as where we have gone wrong then thats the person who is doing the dirty work so the masses may cleanse themselves. So lets be patient and ask what comes to your mind and listen to others with patience and respect. As per the prophesy by the Holy Prophet “In the last days Ulemas will be the worst people on the face of Earth” so which means everyone must try to understand the teaching themselves.
Re: NAVEED TAJAMMAL: You are right, one must read others as well to understand others point of view too but the unrest amongst people is a completely different story, Actually the unrest amongst the people based on hurting of feelings or ego related issues was resolved by the Holy Prophet when” few Jews came to him and lodged a complaint that muslims are hurting our feeling when they say that you [The Holy Prophet] are higher in rank from the Moses” The Prophet said to Muslims “do not put me higher in rank on Moses” in Quran God says to the prophet that” I have sent u upon them as a messenger and not as a ruler” which means if people do not follow exactly what they have been told then do not get upset because the judgment will come upon them only by GOD himself who know it all. But here people get unrested even if you pronounce a word differently so the objective of “reading” to understand other’s point of view should be in the persuit of true knowledge and faith and not for any EGO related issues.
Sir Anwaar: In the end I would like to draw everyone’s attention on the following “A German’s point of view on Islam”
by Dr. Emanuel Tanay, Psychiatrist
A man whose family was German aristocracy prior to World War II owned a number of large industries and estates. When asked how many German people were true Nazis, the answer he gave can guide our attitude toward fanaticism.
‘Very few people were true Nazis ‘he said,’ but many enjoyed the return of German pride, and many more were too busy to care. I was one of those who just thought the Nazis were a bunch of fools. So, the majority just sat back and let it all happen. Then, before we knew it, they owned us, and we had lost control, and the end of the world had come. My family lost everything. I ended up in a concentration camp and the Allies destroyed my factories.’
We are told again and again by ‘experts’ and ‘talking heads’ that Islam is the religion of peace, and that the vast majority of Muslims just want to live in peace. Although this unqualified assertion may be true, it is entirely irrelevant. It is meaningless fluff, meant to make us feel better, and meant to somehow diminish the spectra of fanatics rampaging across the globe in the name of Islam. The fact is that the fanatics rule Islam at this moment in history.
It is the fanatics who march. It is the fanatics who wage any one of 50 shooting wars worldwide. It is the fanatics who systematically slaughter Christian or tribal groups throughout Africa and are gradually taking over the entire continent in an Islamic wave. It is the fanatics who bomb, behead, murder, or honor-kill. It is the fanatics who take over mosque after mosque. It is the fanatics who zealously spread the stoning and hanging of rape victims and homosexuals. The hard quantifiable fact is that the ‘peaceful majority’, the ‘silent majority’, is cowed and extraneous.
Communist Russia was comprised of Russians who just wanted to live in peace, yet the Russian Communists were responsible for the murder of about 20 million people. The peaceful majority were irrelevant. China’s huge population was peaceful as well, but Chinese Communists managed to kill a staggering 70 million people.
The average Japanese individual prior to World War II was not a warmongering sadist. Yet, Japan murdered and slaughtered its way across South East Asia in an orgy of killing that included the systematic murder of 12 million Chinese civilians; most killed by sword, shovel, and bayonet.
And, who can forget Rwanda, which collapsed into butchery. Could it not be said that the majority of Rwandans were ‘peace loving’?
History lessons are often incredibly simple and blunt, yet for all our powers of reason we often miss the most basic and uncomplicated of points: Peace-loving Muslims have been made irrelevant by their silence. Peace-loving Muslims will become our enemy if they don’t speak up, because like my friend from Germany, they will awaken one day and find that the fanatics own them, and the end of their world will have begun.
Peace-loving Germans, Japanese, Chinese, Russians, Rwandans, Serbs, Afghanis, Iraqis, Palestinians, Somalis, Nigerians, Algerians, and many others have died because the peaceful majority did not speak up until it was too late.
As for us who watch it all unfold, we must pay attention to the only group that counts: the fanatics who threaten our way of life.
July 29th, 2010 at 3:17 pmHeretic?
Goodness no.
A gentleman.
July 29th, 2010 at 9:48 pmDear Anwaar,
Good to chance across your site. Indeed a whiff of fresh air, imbued with the fragrance of love, compassion, sensitivity which, of course, elevates the human mind and spirit towards a rational, meaningful critique of dogmas.
Love and best wishes,
Raman
October 13th, 2010 at 12:42 pm