An earnest appeal to the Muslim leaders worldwide
Our Muslim brothers and sisters in New Delhi, India are being tortured, murdered and sexually abused for holding peaceful protests against the unjust Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).
Muslims are being beaten up until their faces are bloodied beyond recognition, and forced to chant Hindu slogans while they lie on the ground, writhing in pain. Videos of the atrocities have surfaced, showing that the persecution is, in fact, state-sanctioned.
Mobs of Hindu men can be seen hurling rocks at their fellow Muslim citizens, aided by the police, and flogging them mercilessly, while shouts of ‘Jai Sri Ram!’ rent the air. The stench of violence is everywhere.
Over 20 Muslims have been murdered, with the death toll on the rise, and over 100 others injured by bullets. It is not an overstatement to call this a government-orchestrated massacre. The state is trying to destroy the decades-long harmony between the Hindus and Muslims of India, but with several unprejudiced Hindu citizens standing in solidarity with the persecuted Muslims, this plan has backfired. People of all religions and ethnicities have come together to condemn the senseless violence.
What started out as an attempt by the government to squash the anti-CAA protests has turned into a pogrom, with Muslims being persecuted and killed indiscriminately. A pregnant Muslim woman was found lying unconscious on the ground, her body caked in blood, after being beaten up by policemen while on her way to pick up her daughter from school. A mother was forced to watch while a mob burnt down her house, with her nine-month-old baby inside. Her screams of anguish will continue to echo over the charred remains of her child.
Dear Muslim leaders,
India’s atrocities have formed an ugly scar on the face of humanity. But what is far, far more horrific than India’s oppression of her Muslim minority is the deafening silence we hear from the rest of the world—our indifference, as a Muslim Ummah, to the suffering endured by our people.
The Prophet (pbuh) said, “The parable of the believers in their affection, mercy and compassion for each other is that of a body. When any limb aches, the entire body reacts with suffering and fever.”
Saheeh Al Bukhaari – Vol 8, Hadeeth 6011
He also said, “A Muslim is a brother of another Muslim. He should not oppress him, nor forsake him (while he is being oppressed).”
Saheeh Muslim – Vol 6, Hadeeth 6541
To remain silent while our brothers are being persecuted is to forsake them. To stand on the sidelines while it happens is to be a partner in crime.
Dear Muslim leaders,
With power comes responsibility. Let us not forget that each of us will be accountable to Allah for how we utilise the powers he has granted us; that each of us must do whatever is within our capabilities to defend the oppressed. Let us not forgo our principles of justice, and let us not sell our Aakhirah, for a measly price in this world.
Allah says, “Allah will certainly aid those who aid His (Cause), for verily Allah is full of strength, Exalted in Might. Those who, if We give them authority in the land, establish regular prayer, give regular charity, enjoin the right and forbid the wrong. And with Allah rests the end of all affairs.”
Al Quran 22:40-41
Dr Zakir Naik is a renowned Islamic preacher.