Religion and The Taliban

How misguided are the Taliban?

Spokesman Azam Tariq said the Taliban claimed responsibility for the bombing of a United Nations relief agency because it was not in "the interest of the Muslims." Tariq further stated he would not hinder Muslim relief efforts but has disdain for the "foreign" element giving humanitarian aid.

Pakistani religious scholar Mufti Muneebur Rehman disputes the claim that international aid work was against Islam.

*"Helping somebody in need is one of the best traits of Islam," Rehman said. "A good Muslim would be the first to help any non-Muslim in trouble."

Study religious dogma around the globe and there's always - in one form or another - that basic, decent, human element in providing help. The Taliban only seeks to hurt others, not help - except their closed-minded selves.

It is distressing that in so many cultures Islam is not fully understood by those not of the faith. Demonizing another person's belief is pervasive: Christianity in all its forms condemns paganism/Wicca craft; Judaism with Gypsy folk; Islam with Zoroastrianism in Ancient Iran as well as today's Christianity.

The faith of Muslims lies in 'Mohammedanism.' That sems to imply that Mohammed is worshipped much like the Christian worships the Christ Jesus but no. Mohammed was a Prophet of the god of Islam, not a Messiah. Islam is to God alone; a community, an inner attitude of humble recognition of the human obligation to fulfill the purpose of an all-powerful Creator.

It began with Mohammed's vision of an angel commanding him to "recite" in the name of God. This angel seized him by the throat and shook him violently, again repeating the command. As Mohammed was being choked to death by the angel, he was compelled to do as he was told. Thus began a series of revelatory experiences known as the Koran.

Preacher, reformer, prophet, Mohammed worked publicly in Mecca for more than ten years. Ignored largely by the Meccans, Mohammed gained followers from the lower classes (mostly slaves) and the group was constantly ridiculed and threatened. Belief in prophecy is one of the very fundamentals of the Islamic religious system and people of his time weren't very pleased with that aspect.

I shall not go into maligning people's faiths but the Taliban have a distorted and pessimistic view of the world and the people who live on it. The Koran has an opening prayer before any of its chapters, or surahs. Every surah but one has an opening prayer: 'bismillah al-rahman al-rahim' - In the name of God the Compassionate, the Merciful. Where is the Taliban's compassion and mercy? You can be certain it lies in their misguided and extremist interpretation of the Koran.

The most important word in the entire religious vocabulary of Muslims is guidance. It is all what the Muslim expects from religion, a series of specific directions to conduct their own lives in a correct and right way. A moral code, if you will.

How moral is it to kill innocent lives such as a United Nations relief agency and still proclaim a holy lifestyle? It doesn't make any sense. It makes one hypocritical. Many modern Muslims do not like extremist beliefs taken too far - it's counter-spiritual. But many young and confused men still join the ranks of the Taliban to their spiritual deceit and conceit. It draws one away from God, not to him.

What should we learn about the Taliban's beliefs? That it's misplaced and misguided from the standpoint of the divine pattern. All actions in the Koran fall into one of five categories: obligatory (fard); meritorius or recommended (mandub); permitted, neutral (muhah); reprehended, not subject to punishment (makruh); and forbidden under pain of punishment (haram). This brings all of life into a moral code in individual and social aspects.

So, to the members of the Taliban who might be able to read and understand this I only ask one question of you: What is your moral code?

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*Pakistan Braces For More Bombings, Ravi Nessman, Google News, Oct. 2009.