“Radicalism Free Village” is a grass root movement taken up by Muslims Facing Tomorrow, Canada against radical Islam in Bangladesh. It is basically educating common Muslims about the Sharia laws about women on specific issues written in Sharia books and practically applied.
Most of the common Muslims (peasants, fishermen, shop keepers, cab drivers, petty businessmen or job holders etc) are made to believe in Sharia as Allah’s law without knowing the actual laws but trusting political Islamists. They do not watch documentaries or read books but love to watch romantic movies.
That is why three docu-movies are made in the format of romantic love story. In those movies a particular situation is created and specific sharia laws are applied. The laws are shown with references from Sharia books, the Quran and Hadis (Prophet’s Examples). The application of the laws creates disaster because those are obviously anti-women. Once people know the book and laws, they realize that those are not misapplication of ignorant clergies (as is touted by political Islamists; those are real Sharia laws. At the end of the movies references from the Quran and Prophet are cited proving why those laws are anti-Islamic.
It produced results.
Teams of the movement showed the movies to people in different places. Slowly public awareness grew about how they were befooled in the name of Islam by political Islamists. In four different places people posted handmade signboards and banners – “Radical Free Area/Village”;. The news is reported with picture of the banner by International Business Times, UK.
This was a test case to evaluate if the process works. It did, big time. Now the teams are spreading 2 movies along with the Bangla book – “What Sharia Says, What We Do”; the name of its English translation is - “How Sharia Hijacked Islam”.
It is just the beginning. This movement is not a luxury item; it is an essential theo-social process to defeat a force of darkness peacefully. It has enormous potential around the world especially in Muslim countries. Radical interpretation of Islam is a disaster to Human and Women Rights. Our research shows that it is against the Quran and Prophet as well. We world Muslims cannot carry on with “Wife-Beating” and “Captive-Raping” interpretation of Islam anymore. For the sustainable progress of all mankind we need a gender-friendly and secular interpretation of the same sources, the Quran and Prophet.
We indeed have that.