Kamal Ata Turk eliminated the “Islamic State” in 1924. From the coffin of history it explosively resurrected in Iraq/Syria. This will probably die out soon but the global “Islamic State” is invisible, indestructible and has been functioning since decades. If controlling people by applying Sharia law makes Islamic State then it is one; its main organ is “Internet Sharia Courts” or “Space-Courts”, hundreds of them.
Hundreds of “Judges” of dozens of “Space-Courts” receive millions of questions through Internet from anxious Muslims for Islamic solutions of their problems. The “judges” hardly find the solution from Quran and Prophet on present context. They are quick to open many thousands of pages of hundreds of books written by hundreds of past “scholars” who “explained” Islam mostly in terms of politics and war. They had no idea of our challenges. The Sharia books contain scores of brute anti-women laws; many of those upfront violate the Quran and Prophet such as the divorce law of Sharia. Almost always the “decrees” of the “Space-Courts” go against women; Muslim women. Proof is in thousands of Fatwas in the archives of organizations such “Space-Courts”. Muslims around the world apply or force the verdicts on their lives and women. Often their verdicts violate local law (such as conducting polygamous marriages). Nothing a state can do if its citizens are destroyed by “Space-Courts”. There is no study of the number this “Space-Courts” and their victims.
They are very generous, their service is totally free. But there is wisdom in the saying- “Nothing Is Free”. In this case a huge hidden cost is involved; we Muslims paid heavily for chasing the mirage of Islamic State. Its goal is not to share our planet with others but to control the world and women. No wonder the “Space-Courts” are “Men’s Favorite”.
State is responsible to protect its citizens even if the oppression takes place in the name of God.
It is high time our law-makers look into it.
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In Europe many “Islamic” organizations such as EAD (Europe-Arab Dialogue) used many millions of Gov’t Euros and succeeded to established Arab culture as Islamic through “Mutual Understanding”, “Interfaith Dialogue” etc. Politicians suffered knee-jerk for Muslim votes, Corporates for Muslim-wallet. In France and Germany about five thousand Islamic lobby groups worked hard and got some Sharia elements (Polygamy, Mahr, Instant Divorce etc), albeit partially, accepted in State-law.
The world was already divided on faith-lines. Pol-Islam took its advantage and added a dollar-angle to it. It knows very well that any pack that contains the word “Islam” is bound to loosen up Muslim-wallets.
While Islamic scholars are still debating its Islamic validity and many are reported to fund killers-criminals, the “Islamic” banks are flourishing exponentially. Western Corporates were quick to respond. Many major banks opened their “Islamic” wings, KFC put signboards of “Halal Meat” and Pizza Hut proposed “Islamic” head-covers. Big organizations like PetroGulf are working in the oil sector according to Sharia-rules. The latest hero of this drama is “Mecca Cola” that became a super hit in the national and international market. Who before 1400 years could imagine that Mecca’s name would be successfully used in business for easy profit?
Recently pol-Islamists came up with another triumph. They invaded global financial market to compete the Corporates with the same tool the Corporates developed. It started huge chain of “Islamic Financial Products” including Sharia-Credit Cards, Sharia compliant Hotel-chain, Sharia Capital Protected Notes, Sharia compliant equities, Sharia Mutual Funds etc. The competition is becoming fiercer with each passing day so much so that a dramatic development took place. Western Corporates are desperately looking for “Islamists” to employ to develop their own “Islamic” wings. As Financial Times reports:-
“A talent war for financially-literate Islamic scholars has erupted as Western investment bankers rush to sell their services to devout Muslims. Leading banks are scrambling to find Islamic experts who can issue religious edicts (fatwas) approving new financial products, such as "Islamic" bonds, hedge funds or loans. At present, devout Muslims will only buy such instruments if a recognised sharia scholar, such as a mullah, has issued a fatwa to approve it”.
This is only the beginning. In coming years we will certainly see more and more “Islamic” products like “Mecca Cola” and so-called “Sharia-Credit Cards” compete brand names. Backed by huge amount of Petro-dollars few of the major players are Bahrain, Johannesburg, South Africa, Dubai Islamic Bank, The Supreme Council for Shari'a in Nigeria (SCSN) etc.
Few powerful Political clergies recently unveiled a plan of a sequential Pyramid-network of Sharia Courts from villages to Unions to Sub Districts (Upojilas) to District headquarters to Divisional headquarters to its “Supreme Sharia Court” Baitul Mukarram. They will probably name it “Sharia-Advice Centers” or “Sharia Mediation Board” etc to bypass legal complexities. They will force and blackmail people big time in the same way the recently uprooted Canadian Sharia Court did. Their brochure stated that Muslims would be apostates if they went to secular court instead of theirs. Lest we forget Bangladesh is already swamped with thousands of Islami institutions, organizations, Islami Banks and Islamic Charities etc. With their strong backing the Sharia SuperCourt has no serious opponent in its dream to establish an invisible Islamic State in Bangladesh.
The same thing is happening in international arena in a much larger scale.
We want to see Muslims prosper in world market but not to sell Islam. It would be really Islamic if Islam’s name is not abused to make money as it is rampantly done in BD. In many places the Quran warned against it (Bakara 41, 79 etc.).
Instead of Hedaya - spiritual guidance Islam became a business for profit that actually worships not God but dollar. No other religion was ever engaged in institutional money-making like this.
It is not the Islam our Prophet brought.
Hasan Mahmud, August 20, 2014.