Author: Mawlana Abdul Rahman Mu'tasimi
The Phenomenon of Atheism and Ways to Combat It (Part 17)
Before Europeans sought markets to sell their industrial products and acquire the raw materials needed for their industries from other countries, they lacked material power and did not use machinery. However, these countries were eager to obtain what they wanted at the lowest price or even for free. This created a need for resources and raw materials, compelling them to use military power to achieve their goals. The Islamic world was severely backward, poor, and weak in military and political terms, and it could not withstand the onslaught of European colonialism for long. The defeat that Muslims suffered against the European invasion had a profound impact on the destabilization of Islamic beliefs and their retreat in the face of the wave of atheism that European colonizers brought with them.
Islamic nations, by imitating European colonizers and adopting their morals and customs, entered into atheistic beliefs under the assumption that Europeans could only attain power by denying religion. This new mistake was another reason that contributed to the growth of the global phenomenon of atheism.
During the period of independence of Islamic countries, the Westernized class and so-called intellectuals took charge and, by attempting to distance Islam from the lives of Muslims, promoted Western culture, introduced secularism, and secularized all sectors of society. Prominent examples of this trend include Mustafa Kemal Atatürk in Turkey, Reza Shah Pahlavi in Iran, Amanullah Khan in Afghanistan, as well as the leaders of the communist government supported by the former Soviet Union in Afghanistan, the secular government leaders supported by Western occupiers in Afghanistan in the recent past, and the leaders of Central Asian, South Asian, Pakistani, and most Arab countries from the past to the present.
After the fall of the Ottoman Empire, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk (1881 – 1938) sought to create a secular state and integrate Turkey into European society. He closed all Islamic schools and enforced a ban on the use of turbans or religious symbols. In Iran, Reza Khan, who ruled from 1925 to 1941, was influenced by Atatürk’s initiatives, banned the hijab, forced clergy to shave their beards, and prohibited mourning processions on Ashura.
These efforts, although sudden and contrary to Islam, which had expanded for over a thousand years, achieved their goal of preventing religious symbols in the public sphere and reconstructing Islamic society based on secularism while marginalizing religious elements within it. Although the secularism that spread in Europe was against the interference of the Catholic Church in politics and science, this phenomenon was generalized and applied to the Islamic world by some European politicians such as Atatürk, the Shah, and others. The principles of secularism, such as the separation of religion from the state, were not only suitable for Catholic countries but could also be applied to all religious communities. Therefore, secularism does not represent a European historical phenomenon that is unrelated to the Islamic world; rather, it has become a global phenomenon, and the secular and non-religious state has begun to play a central role in Islamic modernity.
The use of force to impose secular ideas in Iran and Turkey led to undesirable outcomes and created the core of movements opposing this phenomenon.
Afghanistan has also experienced a situation similar to that of Turkey and Iran, as Amanullah Khan was profoundly influenced by Western civilization and culture, becoming enamored and captivated by it. He had no commitment to religion or religious values and did not consider religious sciences important or necessary. He wanted to implement all the values and symbols of Western culture and civilization in Afghan society overnight, and to achieve this, he took hasty, risky, and erroneous steps. In pursuing these goals, Amanullah Khan faced severe opposition from the Muslims of Afghanistan, particularly religious scholars, to the extent that many religious scholars and elders were forced to emigrate and leave their homeland, including Noor al-Mashaikh Fazl Omar Majdadi. This situation led the people to rise against him and wage jihad, ultimately overthrowing him from power. The good news is that despite the existence of colonialism and occupation during one period and the dominance of secular and communist governments in another, the enemies of Islam did not achieve their goals as they had planned. Instead, nearly all Muslims remained committed to their faith in terms of belief and conviction, considering it the greatest asset of their lives and the highest source of pride and honor. Furthermore, they have been ready for any kind of sacrifice to defend and support it.
Continues…
By admin2