THE WAY AHEAD FOR THE MUSIMS ... 1

THE WAY AHEAD FOR THE MUSIMS ... 1

The future of Muslim children must not be destroyed by sending them to madrasahs. They must be educated fair and square in the secular subjects as well for their proper flourishing. Trust not the politicians who appease the mullahs for securing your votes. They do not care for you but care only for their electoral interests. These selfish politicians will obliterate you by their evil designs. Lest they succeed, from now on take your education into your own hands and advance academically.

The first verse revealed to Prophet Muhammad was as follows : 'Read, O Prophet, in the Name of your Lord Who created.' Following this the other verses followed but the beginning had been made with this significant utterance, 'Read.'

In early Islam there was great advancement in science and technology. Fired up by their new-found Islamic inspiration and continuing in the line of the ancient traditions of Persia, Egypt and Babylon where civilisation had once reached its zenith, Muslim scholars ventured forth in the unknown world of the Nature they saw all around to make some stupendous discoveries. They borrowed ideas from the Hindus and the Greeks and built on them to flourish in scientific culture at a time when Christianity had plunged the western world into a state of theocratic decadence.

The course of scientific innovation and learning continued in the Islamic world for centuries till decadence caught up with Islamic society as well and they sank into material oblivion which they termed a going back to Islamic theocratic roots, the pure pursuit of the Sunnah (the way of the Prophet Muhammad) and the strict, literal adherence of the Qur'an and the Hadith. Since then increasing religious restrictions coupled with colonial consequences have been taking Islamic society the world over backward to medieval times and they are losing contact with modernity. This ought not to be and the trend must be reversed.

Written by Sugata Bose