In the previous post, I wrote about a fictional character from a TV show that I like to watch, Doctor Who, who time travel through space & history fighting monsters and villains.
But do you know that in the real world, Muslims also like to time travel?
In fact, they are very good at it.
What is more interesting the energy and power required to time travel is not that much.
It only takes a small trigger words.
If any Muslim terrorists did any bad or evil thing in the West in the present times, Muslims will instantly time travel to 10th or 12th century Middle East during the Crusades. They will point out that the Western Crusaders were similarly, if not more, violence.
Or they will time travel several decades back or 100 to 200 years ago and point out that colonialism by the West is the cause of that terrorist act.
If any Western scientists discovered any new discoveries or provide proof for any scientific theory in the present time, this will trigger Muslims to time travel to the 8th Century Baghdad, during the so called Islamic Golden Age. They will point out that Islamic scientists had already discovered that principle or that theory, or some other related principle or theory put forth by those Islamic scientists helped the current discovery or proof.
If any Muslim societies are accused of oppressing women, Muslim will time travel to 7th century Arabia, when the Prophet gave more freedom to women compared to their counterpart in the European Dark Ages. They forget that the freedom granted by the Prophet had eroded in many places and that Western women now have more freedom than Muslim women in many Islamic countries. In fact, in some Islamic countries, women are now more oppressed than the women of the European Dark Ages.
In fact, if Muslims COULD time travel, they would time travel to those times.
So that they can bask in the glory of the past.
Well, you cannot.
We are living in the present now.
So, deal with it and start living in the present.
Yes, learn your history, but do not live in it.
If people do bad things, condemn their acts, no matter who the perpetrators are, Muslims or otherwise. Remember the Qur'anic verse; 4:135,
"...stand with justice as witnesses to God, even if against yourselves, or the parents or the relatives; even if he be rich or poor, God is more worthy of them; so do not follow desire into being unjust; and if you twist or turn away, then God is indeed aware of what you do."
-Qur'an 4:135-
Do not live in the glory of the Islamic Golden Age. Learn from it and create your own Golden Age, a new Modern Golden Age, of new scientific discoveries and technological breakthrough and a vibrant democratic society based on the principle of liberty and freedom for all. This requires a reformation in our education and a systematic push for STEM education with supports from everyone, including parents and teachers,
encouraging our children to be interested in STEM and learning critical thinking.
If any societies oppress women, it is no good going on a tangent and saying that the practices are not in the Qur'an but at the same time staying silent on those practices that you say are un-Islamic. If that societies are not practising as per the Qur'an, then condemn their practices.
Do not be a hypocrite.
If any jihadist suicide bombers kill innocent people, condemn them. Do not compare their acts to the Crusades, trying to find excuses to minimise the horror. Do not time travel to the colonial times and start blaming the deeds of current terrorists to the colonialists. They have left your country ages ago.
It is time Muslims take responsibilities for the fate and future of their societies.
"Time travel" may be addictive.
But backward time travel are destructive and regressive.
The only time travel we should do is forward, with responsibility and accountability for our own destiny.
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