Taliban's Coercion Betrays Qur'an

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Taliban's Coercion Betrays Qur'an

By Aloysious Mowe
Visiting Fellow, Woodstock Theological Center

Sufi Mohammed and the Taliban betray a studied ignorance of Islamic scripture, law, and history, in the claims that they make for the imposition of Shari'a in Pakistan. In his repudiation of Pakistan's democratic institutions, Mohammed is quoted as saying that "the Qur'an says supporting an infidel system is a great sin." He does not substantiate this because he cannot do so: the Qur'an makes no mention of an Islamic state, does not prescribe any system of government, and is silent even about the structure and nature of religious authority in Islam (hence the enduring divide between the Sunni and the Shia branches of Islam, which began with a disagreement about who should succeed the Prophet Muhammad, and how this succession should be managed). That a democratic political system that makes room for a plurality of views and beliefs is un-Islamic has yet to be demonstrated. It is because they cannot convince that the Taliban resort to violence and intimidation.

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Punishment lies not in the hands of these representatives of God. They are sent "only to warn", and every person must bear his own burden and be responsible for his own destiny. Coercion has no place in religious belief. The Qur'an says this forcefully in 2:256: "There is no compulsion in religion."

This recurring theme of personal responsibility and non-coercion is consistent with the Qur'an's attitude towards apostates. Despite the fact that some radical Muslims insist that death is the only proper penalty for those who apostatize from Islam, the fact is that the Qur'an, while bemoaning those who leave the true faith, never prescribes a penalty for apostasy in this life. In fact, it is clear from 4:137, which refers to those who leave the faith, then return to it, but then leave again, that apostates are assumed to be living peacefully and unmolested in the community of believers. How else could they have the opportunity to apostatize a second time?

The Muslim scholar, Abdullahi Ahmed An-Na'im, writes in "Islam and the Secular State: Negotiating the Future of Shari'a," that religious observance can only be genuine if it is not subject to coercion via the State's imposition of Islamic law: "In order to be a Muslim by conviction and free choice, which is the only way one can be a Muslim, I need a secular state." Compliance with God's law cannot be coerced by fear of state institutions, nor should there be a possibility that it be faked simply to appease the state's officials. "Belief in Islam," says An-Na'im, "or any other religion, logically requires the possibility of disbelief, because belief has no value if it is coerced."

http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/georgetown/2009/04/talibans_coercion_betrays_quran.html?hpid=talkbox1