By Quran Schooling | 19 June 2020
Racism is not born, it is taught. In spite of being a despised act, it is unfortunately very common in every society. Throughout the world, we come across countless cases of racism. Some cases grab the attention of our eye while others go unattended. Some issues become so popular that they become a center of attention of the whole world while some are willfully ignored and people cover their eyes. No matter what the case is, the majority of people hate being racist and the person spreading racism.
People throughout the world consider Islam an extremist religion. They think that Islam preaches hate there is a lot of discrimination and prejudice among Muslims. Is it really the case? Does Islam really preach racism or is there another side of the picture that has not been shown to the world. Are also among those who think that Islam has racism or you are just curious to know the Islamic point of view on racism. No matter what group you fall in, this article is surely for you. Here, you will be revealed about the teachings of Islam on racism and the place of racists in Islam. So without making you impatient, let us get started.
In order to know about the Islamic point of view on racism, you should first know about the true meaning of racism.
Racism is a brief that a particular group of people or race is superior to other people due to their physical appearance. It is a belief that one race has the supremacy to the other race due to their color of skin. It also takes into account the prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism of one group of people for another due to their skin color. Most commonly blacks become the victim of racism and they are discriminated against due to their dark complexion.
Though a lot of countries have passed strict laws to stop racism yet the incidents showing racist behavior of people is still common. Every fresh morning, we come across some brutal incidents of racial discrimination which put the so-called civilized world to shame.
One of the recent incidents of racial discrimination has been observed in the most advanced and civilized country of the world, USA. It all started on May 25, 2020, when a 46-year-old black man, George Floyd, died in police custody. Thanks to advanced technology, everyone has mobile phones. People captured the brutal and ruthless behavior of the Minneapolis police on their camera. It was observed that an unarmed, handcuffed black man was asphyxiated to death by a white police officer. The white officer knelt on his neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds and George Floyd died due to asphyxiation.
Islam is not just confined to one locality. It has spread throughout the world. The areas where Islam is dominating contain people from different nationalities, races, and backgrounds. Though the Muslim community is so diverse, there is no place for prejudice, discrimination, and racial discrimination in Islam. The teachings of Islam have always focused on tolerance. Here are some most teachings of Islam related to peace. These teachings totally wipe-out the concept of discrimination in Islam.
No one is superior to any other person from an Islamic perspective. All people are equal in Islam regardless of their religion, race, or cast. The Quran mentions in Surah Hujurat verse 13 that Allah has created you from males and females. Then divided you into tribes so that you can know one another. But the noblest in the sight of Allah is the one who is most righteous and Allah knows all. It means that the tribes are just for the recognition of people and not a standard of supremacy.
No matter whether you are a Mulsim or not, it is your right to get justice. The standards of justice do not vary in Islam based on a person’s religion. Allah advises in Search Results Surah Al-Ma'idah verse 8 to stand become a witness in providing justice. The verse also says that do not let hatred people hold you back from being just. Fear Allah because Allah knows everything.
The Holy Quran mentions in Surah Al-Baqarah, Verse 256 that there is no compulsion in acceptance of any religion. It implies you are free to choose your religion and you cannot be discriminated against on the basis of your religious beliefs.
There is no doubt that people take Islam as an extremist religion due to Islamophobia. This belief is not just a prejudice about Islam. It has two main reasons. One is that there are some Muslims who either do not know the religious teachings or they do not follow them. Due to their extremism, people generalize it for all the Muslim community and think that Islam preaches hate against other religions and races.
The simple solution to this problem is that Muslims should learn the Holy Quran. With the advanced technology, you can learn Quran online. It is much easier and safer to learn Quran online as you do not have to step out of your home.
The other reason is that people who believe that Muslims are extremists have never read about the teachings of Islam. It is not necessary that everything done by Muslims is taught by Islam. The true teachings of Islam have been mentioned above which implies that there is no concept of racism in Islam.
As you have familiarized yourself with the concept of racism and the Islamic perspective on this issue, it is time for the solution. How can we eradicate the problem in our society? The main problem or cause of racism is the lack of knowledge. We do not know the teachings of the Quran. No, I am not talking about going to a madrasa. Our guide on learning Quran online tells you how you can learn the Quran with the comfort of sitting in your home. There are a lot of hassles you save yourself when you learn Quran online. The problem of racism will reduce significantly if correctly followed the teachings of Islam.