9. FEAR

 Mohammed could convert about 150 souls to Islam in first ten years of preaching when he tried to convince by logic. Most of the initial Muslims were friends and relatives of Mohammed. But by the time of his death, Mohammed had sway over entire Arabia. He could convert entire population of Arabia with the power of sword in subsequent ten years. Thereafter, the story is repeated again and again. Islam is propagated not only by fear of death but Muslims are controlled through the same fear. Truly Islam may be termed as a religion of FEAR. It can be seen how a Muslim lives a life of fear. 

    1. The Fear of Allah.

Allah is not the loving God that we find in Hinduism or Christianity. The Quran tells the readers that they should fear Allah. Allah rules the universe with an iron hand. Allah knows everything and he punishes all who deviate. Not only Muslims fear their God but they are deathly afraid of being eternally damned by an angry Allah. Islam does not give much assurance of salvation. All the Muslim Imams or preachers continually evoke the spirit of fear.  “Fear Allah” is the theme of the religion. Allah punishes all to the hellfire. The only Muslims, who are guaranteed a place in Heaven, are those who die in a Jihad or those who die while on a pilgrimage to Mecca. All others hope they will be allowed into Heaven, but there is no certainty. This is why Islam is a "works" religion. They must do all that the Quran tells them to do if they are going to earn love from Allah. That is why Jihad is so important to a Muslim.

2. The Fear of Hell.

In Islam, Hell is described in very graphic terms in both the Quran and the Hadith. Their theology teaches that there are several levels of Hell. The first level of Hell is reserved for Muslim sinners, the second is for idolaters who were polytheists, the third level is for worshipers of fire, and the fourth level is for atheists. By the time you get to the fifth and sixth levels you find out who are the real enemies of Islam because the fifth is reserved for Jews and the sixth for the Christians. The seventh and last is for hypocrites which could also include hypocrite Muslims. All Muslims who have not pleased God will fall into first or seventh level of the hell, but by the grace of Allah, they can be brought out.  In the holy writings of Islam there are very graphic descriptions of the pain and torment that will be experienced by those in Hell. Such graphic details as skin being slowly peeled off the body only to grow back again and peeled off again and again, bloated stomachs exploding because of the liquid they drink, and other painful experiences are vividly described. Reading such descriptions only elevate the fear level in believers.

 3. The Fear of Apostasy.

One of the laws in their legal system (Sharia) is the penalty for apostasy. This word describes a person who is either a born or a converted Muslim and then leaves Islam for another belief.  Even not practicing Islam is apostasy. Penalty for apostasy is death. Apostate is given three days’ time to change his mind. Within this time of grace period apostate has to reconvert and apologise, failing which he will be killed. This means that if a Muslim ever converts to another religion or belief, he should be killed. This is carried out today in many Muslim countries that practice Sharia law. So a Muslim is advised to keep relation with Muslims only. If he keeps contact with non-believers and is swayed by their free thinking, he might leave Islam and adopt another religion or might just leave Islamic ways. Both ways he would be doing apostasy and that warrants death.

Some moderate Muslim leaders feel that it should be God that should punish the ones leaving Islam and not man. Allah can send the person to Hell, saving man the responsibility of punishing the one who turns their back on Islam. But the Quran prescribes capital punishment for leaving Islam. Quran cannot be changed. Thus the rule stands. This single rule forces all Muslims to continue and all Muslim try to prove that he is more devout Muslim than others. Fear of apostasy and fear of death in case of apostasy prevent exodus from Islam.

 4. The Fear of Democracy

"Democracy" is one of the few foreign words adopted into the Arabic language. When Muslims hear the word, they feel that it is something against their culture. The fact that today democratic principles are having some success in Islamic countries is practically a miracle. According to Sharia only God has the right to rule. Since God cannot be directly ruling, a true representative of God or Khalifa should rule in the name of God.  It has to be learned men of Islam who can rule according to the principles of Sharia and common man must only follow. Muslims cannot understand how a representative of common man can take up the power which belongs to God. Many of the more radical Muslims know that the coming of democracy will blunt Islamic ideas and thus Muslims are constantly told to be afraid of democracy and are constantly told that it is a tool of the devil.

    5. The Fear of the West.

The word for the West in Arabic is Gharb. This is their word for a place of darkness and the incomprehensible. They see western world in a negative light, thus they fear both the people of the West and their religion, Christianity. In fact a dominant teaching in Islam has the whole world divided into two camps. One is Dar al-Islam -and the other is Dar al-Harb. Either you are a Muslim and belong to the house of Islam, or you are of the house of war and to be rejected and feared. To exist outside of Islam puts you at odd with your culture, your people, your values and even your God. They fear all who live in this strange world.

6. The Fear for their close ones.

Muslims residing in non-Muslim countries are blessed. They live in peace. Since there is no Sharia, there is no fear of moral police, no fear of apostasy and no fear of judgement of other Muslims. But Muslim immigrants suffer a different kind of fear for their relatives and friends in their home countries. They constantly read of wars, terrorists' attacks, and revolutions taking place in their home country. There is continuous chaos, mayhem and anarchy in Muslim countries. An immigrant is safe but he suffers from fear for life of his relatives back home. 

  

Islam is a religion of fear. This fear can only go with education. Once the fear is gone then a new Islamic thought will take birth. People will be encouraged to challenge religious tenets. Ir-reversibility of Quran can be challenged. Quran will be just another religious book written by Mohammed, trying to organize Arab tribes into a cohesive force. Today’s world does not require 6^th century Islam.

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