There are days when I dread opening the newspaper. The report of a 20-year-old Afghani man (dare I call him boy) being sentenced to death for reading an internet article about the possibility of women's rights to multiple marriages within an Islamic framework, and distributing it to his class, is just one example of why. There is so much wrong with what happened to this young man, not just in terms of basic human and civil rights, but also in terms of blatant violations of Islamic morality and legal codes, that I don't even know where to begin.
First of all... the issue of freedom of information. The idea that reading an article and distributing it for discussion could be an affront to Islam is ludicrous. The Qur'an is filled with injunctions to study history, to learn from the successes and mistakes of others. The book itself tells stories of attempted seduction, theft, murder, arrogance and greed. If we were to read nothing but what is currently considered legal, whole portions of the Qur'an itself would have to be excluded from our library.
Couple that with the Prophet's injunction to seek knowledge even unto China (which at the time was not a hotbed of Islamic learning...) and it becomes obvious that we are to learn from whatever source we can, and that no topic is off limits for discussion.
Even if Sayed had energetically propounded the opinions expressed in the article, that is no sin.
Freedom of conscience is fundamental to Islam. From the famous verse which says, "There is no compulsion in religion" (2:256) to verse 3:20 which concludes, "...if they turn away, your duty was only to convey the message," to 10:99 which says, "And had your Lord so willed, all those who live on earth would have attained to faith - all of them - do you then think that you could compel people to believe?" to the whole chapter on disbelievers that affirms that Muslims and non-Muslims have their own sets of beliefs and concludes, "To you your way, to me mine" (109:6), freedom of religion and of conscience is enshrined over and over again in the Qur'an.
Freedom of expression too is a fundamental value of Islam. It was practiced over and over by the Prophet, who proclaimed that "Differences of opinion within the community are a blessing." Um Salamah, an early feminist and wife of the Prophet, on various occasions complained that the Qur'an had not made specific mention of women. The Prophet did not rebuke her for blasphemy, nor did he divorce her, nor order her death. (Note: she was criticizing the Qur'an itself, not just the opinion of some scholars.) Rather he continued to seek her advice and to listen to her concerns.
This tradition of freedom of expression was carried on after the Prophet's death by Abu Bakr who said, "Cooperate with me when I am right, but correct me when I commit error." And by Omar who, when challenged by a woman angry that he had ruled dowries should be limited, recognized that he had erred and the woman's interpretation was correct. Indeed, the entire formation of various schools of thought in Islam could not have been possible if freedom of thought and expression, even to think and express ideas that some might consider blasphemous were not part and parcel of the religion.
These basic Islamic values are being threatened all over the Muslim world as governments and radical groups seek to shut down dissent and opposition to their points of view. Thankfully, thousands upon thousands of incredibly brave journalists, bloggers, intellectuals, and principled men and women on the street continue to uphold these values, at great personal risk. From Syed's older brother to Nobel Peace Laureate Shirin Ebadi these individuals are shining examples of personal courage and integrity. They are the lights of Islam that inspire those of us who hold this faith dear.
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