What they think of Islam

by Manju Gupta Don’t Say We didn’t Warn You: Great Thinkers on Islam, Rana Pratap Roy (compiler), Progressive Writers’ Forum, pp 125, Rs 60.00 Compiled by an ex-naval officer, this book tries to convey that the Muslims have misinterpreted the Koran and to set records straight, he quotes some eminent personalities for their views on their Prophet. Quoting extracts, the compiler makes it clear that the aim of the book is not to spread hatred towards any religious group but to make people aware of the “reality and think about a peaceful solution through reasoning, justification and without unrealistic emotions.”  He writes about Rabindranath Tagore who had said, “There are two religions on Earth, which have distinct enmity against all other religions. These two are Christianity and Islam. They are not satisfied with just observing their own religions, but are determined to destroy all other religions. That is why the only way to make peace with them is to embrace their religion.”  Sri Aurbobindo said, “You can live amicably with a religion whose principle is toleration, but how is it possible to live peacefully with a religion whose principle is ‘l will not tolerate you’? How are you going to have unity with these people?”  BR Ambedkar said, “Islam is a close corporation and the distinction that it makes between Muslims and non-Muslims is a very real, very positive and a very alienating distinction. Brotherhood of Islam is not the universal brotherhood of man. It is the brotherhood of Muslims for Muslims only.”  Mahatma Gandhi had given his personal opinion when he had said, “My own experience but confirms the opinion that the Mussalman, as a rule, is a bully and the Hindu, as a rule, is a coward.”  Sister Nivedita had said, “Today the duty of the Indian Muslims is not to identify themselves with the Arabs. Their duty is to identify themselves with the Indians; unite themselves in the national mainstream of India.”  Dr Saifuddin Kitchlew, the founder of Jamia Milia Islamia had said, in Lahore in 1925, “But one thing I shall declare plainly. Listen, my dear Hindu bothers, listen very attentively! If you put obstacles in the path of our movement and do not give us our rights, we shall make common cause with Afghanistan or some other Mussalman power and establish our rule in this country.”  This booklet’s aim is to, according to the compiler, “open the yes of the Muslims and they will come forward to find a way out for peaceful co-existence with others, despite the teachings of the Koran.” It tries to substantiate its arguments by quoting personalities like Tagore, Aurobindo, Guru Nanak, Swami Vivekananda and others to show that they “were not after all communal and they just wanted to address an unsolved world problem, which ultimately can’t be ignored.” (Progressive Writers’ Forum, Mandirtala, Kamrabad, Sonarpur, Kolkata-700 150.)