Quick, what do you find offensive in this pic?
Thats a nice picture of a father and son playing chess.
Both are smiling. Both seem to enjoy themselves here.
But many people did. And worst is they can lecture morality
to a public figure just because he happens to be their co religionist.
What do you find offensive in this pic?
A mother and father celebrating their daughter’s second
birthday. And they are looking happy.
Oh, I get it. Celebrating birthday is unislamic. And how
dare the wife not wear a veil? Our
enthusiastic faithful did their duty well:-
The first time Mohammad Shami was trolled was when he
had posted this picture of himself and his wife together. Hmm, it means that
Mrs Shami has committed the crime of not appearing in a veil twice. How
horrible.
No wonder, the good, god fearing, custodians of deen
were flabbergasted.
Mohammad Kaif and Irfan Pathan are fortunately public
icons. So is Irfan Pathan (who was trolled for the crime of posting his wife
without a burkha with , horrors, nailpaint). These people are celebrities, and
away from the harm which comes from moral policing and fanaticism.
But what about common people, who somehow , manage to
‘offend? They face much worse consequences. Two latest examples:-
In 2014, Benazir Suraiyya, a PETA activist was
campaigning in Bhopal for a bloodless Bakri Eid. Within no time, she faced mob
fury (which included women, calling for her head), and was saved only by the
intervention of police. Please remember that she had not made any derogatory
remark on any holy figure and is a Muslim herself.
In 2010, a professor teaching Malayalam language had
his hand chopped off because he had included an excerpt in his question paper
which was interpreted to be about Prophet Mohammad in a derogatory manner.
Prof Joseph’s hand was able to be reattached, but his
college fired him for “hurting religious sentiments” and his wife later killed
herself, not being able to withstand the torture her husband faced. On the
other hand, MF Hussain painted all Hindu goddesses nude and continued till his
life’s end as a great painter. If this is what secular values mean, we need to
throw them in the nearest gutter.
Now, chess being prohibited in Islam is attributed to
this quote supposedly from Sahih Muslim:
"Buraida reported on the authority of his father that Allaah's Prophet
(sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) said: He who played chess is like one who
dyed his hand with the flesh and blood of swine."
Shaytaan (Satan) wants only to excite enmity and hatred between you with intoxicants (alcoholic drinks) and gambling, and hinder you from the remembrance of Allaah and from As-Salaah (the prayer). So, will you not then abstain?”
[al-Maa’idah 5:90-91]
It is therefore still debatable, if chess itself was banned or gambling in the name of games like dice or chess is. The closest that can be ascertained is that chess pieces are representation of animal and human figures, and therefore, not favourable to Islamic thought. But then, there have been numerous chess players of repute from Islamic countries (which in turn, also organize numerous chess tournaments).
The question here is not about what is haram and what
is halal. This is about selective outrage. And hypocrisy. And shamelessness
about having some kind of moral superiority of dictating how another man’s wife
must dress or what a man should bring up his children like. We never see these
custodians of Islam calling for the head of Shahrukh Khan or Salman Khan for
their birthday celebrations. (Is it that they consider these two Khans somewhat of a royalty beyond their reach and Shami, Irfan and Kaif easy targets because they come from middle and working class? ) Nor screaming how the excesses of the Royal
families of the Gulf states are unislamic as well. Or how they are hand in
glove with “shaitan” America.
We never see these custodians of Islam getting livid on
how Muslim terrorists are killing and blowing themselves up in Allah’s name. We
never see such anger on honour killings. Or cross border terrorism aimed at
India. Or when pilgrims are gunned down in Amarnath. Or when Yazidi women are
made sex slaves. Or when rape victims are stoned for not proving their
innocence by producing three male witnesses. Or on beheadings or mutilations. Or
on pedophilia.
Is a woman appearing without a veil more offensive than
gunning down unarmed people? Is a birthday celebration more blasphemous than
the sexual abuse of minor girls? Is wearing
nail paint more offensive than throwing acid on a woman’s face who
turned you down for marriage?
Get a life. And some psychiatric treatment.
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