“Ninaamini kwamba usekulari wa kiwingi, kwa muda mrefu, ni sumu yenye kuua zaidi kuliko mateso ya wazi” -- Francis Schaeffer Waziri wa zamani wa Mambo ya Nje wa Uingereza, Jack Straw, tena alizua mabishano alipopendekeza kwamba wanawake wa Kiislamu waondoe hijabu. Hapo awali, Straw alisababisha kelele kubwa miongoni mwa Waislamu na wasio Waislamu, alipoidhinisha vita dhidi ya Iraq, na alikanusha kuwepo kwa uhusiano wowote kati ya sera ya nje ya Uingereza na ugaidi wa ndani. Lakini Straw si waziri pekee anayedharau tabia ya Kiislamu ya jamii ya Waislamu nchini Uingereza. Ruth Kelly, Katibu wa Masuala ya Jamii, alitoa wito wa "mjadala mpya na wa kweli" kuhusu uzuri wa tamaduni nyingi (multiculturalism).

“I believe that pluralistic secularism, in the long run, is a more deadly poison than straightforward persecution” -- Francis Schaeffer ormer British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw again courted controversy by suggesting that Muslim women should remove the veil. Previously, Straw caused immense hue and cry amongst Muslims and non-Muslims alike, when he authorised the war against Iraq, and denied any link between Britain's foreign policy and home grown terror. But Straw is not the only minister who is denigrating the Islamic character of the Muslim community in Britain. Ruth Kelly, the Communities Secretary, called for a "new and honest debate" ion the merits of multiculturalism.

Waziri wa Mambo ya Ndani, John Reid, alisema kwamba wazazi Waislamu wanapaswa kuwapeleleza watoto wao. Ni dhahiri kwamba serikali ya Uingereza imeanzisha vita vya kidini dhidi ya kanuni zake inazozipenda za wingi wa dini na uhuru wa kidini, katika jaribio la mwisho la kuihifadhi Uingereza ya kisekula.

Home Secretary John Reid said that Muslims parents should spy on their children. It is obvious that the British government has embarked on a crusade to trounce its cherished principles of pluralism, and freedom of religion in a last ditch attempt to preserve secular Britain.

Tangu tarehe 11 Septemba, chini ya kisingizio cha vita dhidi ya ugaidi, Magharibi imechukua hatua nyingi zinazolenga hasa Waislamu wanaoishi Magharibi. Hatua hizi ni pamoja na kukamatwa kiholela, mateso ya kimwili, kufungwa bila kesi, kufuatiliwa kwa misikiti, kunyamazishwa kwa maimamu, na vifo wakiwa chini ya ulinzi wa polisi. Baadhi yao wamelazimishwa hata kuwa majasusi. Waislamu pia wameshuhudia kashfa zisizokoma dhidi ya Uislamu kutoka kwenye vyombo vya habari vya Magharibi.

Since September 11, under the pretext of the war on terror, the West has undertaken a host of measures specifically aimed at Muslims living in the West. These measures include arbitrary arrests, physical torture, imprisonment without trial, surveillance of mosques, muzzling of Imams, and deaths in police custody. Some have even been forced to become spies. Muslims have also witnessed the endless vilification of Islam by the western media.

Yote haya yameacha athari isiyofutika katika akili za Waislamu kwamba demokrasia za kidunia za Magharibi hazina uwezo wa kuwahakikishia Waislamu amani na usalama wa kutekeleza dini yao.

All this has left an indelible impression on Muslim minds that secular democracies in the West are incapable of guaranteeing Muslims the peace and security to practice their religion.

Hali ya Waislamu wanaoishi chini ya tawala za kidikteta za kidunia zinazoungwa mkono na Magharibi ni mbaya zaidi. Katika nchi kama Uzbekistan, Waislamu wanaume hukamatwa mara kwa mara kwa sababu ya kuwa na ndevu au kwa kuhudhuria Misikiti mara nyingi mno. Nchini Uturuki, Waislamu wanawake wanaochagua kupata elimu ya chuo kikuu hulazimishwa kuacha hijabu yao.

The plight of Muslims living under secular dictatorships supported by the West is much worse. In countries like Uzbekistan, Muslim males are routinely arrested for having a beard or visiting the Mosques too often. In Turkey, Muslim women who opt for university education are forced to abandon their hijab.

Lakini adhabu kali zaidi imehifadhiwa kwa wale wanaotafuta kukosoa tawala hizi za kidhalimu; kifungo, mateso na mauaji ya nje ya mfumo wa sheria ni mambo yanayoonekana mara kwa mara katika nchi kama hizo. Kwa hiyo tunawaona pia Waislamu wanaoishi katika ulimwengu wa Kiislamu wakiwa na imani kwamba usekula una kasoro na hauufai kuwatawala.

But the fiercest punishment is reserved for those who seek to criticize these tyrannical regimes; imprisonment, torture and extra-judicial killings can routinely be found in such countries. So we also find Muslims living in the Muslim world convinced that secularism is flawed and unfit to govern them.

Hata wasio Waislamu wanaoishi chini ya usekula wanahisi kwamba dini yao iko hatarini. Wakristo wengi Magharibi wanaona mambo kama maaskofu mashoga, makasisi wanawake, watoto wasio halali, na kibiashara cha Krismasi kuwa ni njama mbaya za wale wanaoitwa wana-msimamo-mkali wa kisekula kuzipindua thamani za Kikristo, na kuzibadilisha kwa thamani za kisekula.

Even non-Muslims living under secularism feel that their religion is vulnerable. Many Christians in the West view gay bishops, women priests, illegitimate children, and the commercialization of Christmas as malicious attempts by secular fundamentalist to subvert Christian values, replacing them with secular ones.

Vivyo hivyo hivyo, usekula umeshindwa kulinda madhehebu ya Kikristo huko Ireland Kaskazini na kulinda maisha ya watu wa Kiyahudi, Kikristo na Kiislamu wanaoishi Palestina. India, taifa kubwa zaidi la kisekula duniani, linakabiliwa na vurugu za kidini ambapo Wahindu, Wakristo, Waislamu na Masikh wote ni wahanga wa usekula. Kwa hiyo, kama Waislamu, wasio Waislamu pia wanatafuta mfumo mbadala unaoweza kuwapa fursa ya kutekeleza dini yao kwa amani.

Likewise, secularism has failed to protect the Christian sects in Northern Ireland and safeguard the lives of Jewish, Christian and Muslim people living in Palestine. India, the largest secular state in the world, is prone to religious violence where Hindus, Christians, Muslims and Sikhs are all victims of secularism. So, just like Muslims, non-Muslims are also looking for an alternative system that can provide them with an opportunity to practice their religion in peace.

Uislamu ndiyo itikadi pekee duniani ambapo watu wa imani tofauti wanaweza kuabudu na kutekeleza wajibu wao wa kidini bila kukumbwa na visasi au ukosefu wa usalama. Kwa vitendo, hili linahakikishwa na dola ya Khilafah. Zamani Khalifa alilinda haki za wasio Waislamu na za Waislamu kwa pamoja, bila kuwabagua kati yao. Chukua mfano wa Palestina: chini ya utawala wa Khilafah, Waislamu, Mayahudi na Wakristo waliishi kwa upatano, jambo ambalo halina mfano katika historia ya binadamu.

Islam is the sole ideology in the world where people of different faiths can worship and perform their religious duties without experiencing reprisals or insecurity. In practice this is secured by the Caliphate state. In the past the Caliph safeguarded the rights of non-Muslims and Muslims alike, without discriminating between them. Take the case of Palestine: under the rule of the Caliphate, Muslims, Jews and Christians lived in harmony, a feat unrivalled in the history of mankind.

Kwa kuendelea kulazimisha kuwafanya Waislamu, Wakristo na Wayahudi wawe wa kidunia, serikali za Magharibi zinahatarisha kuwatenga. Badala yake, Magharibi inapaswa kupitia upya sera yake ya kuwalazimisha kuingizwa katika jamii kwa nguvu, na kujadili kwa kina swali kubwa la wakati wetu: je, usekula kweli unaweza kuhakikisha haki za watu wa imani tofauti?

By pressing ahead with the forced secularization of Muslims, Christian and Jews, western governments run the risk of alienating them. Instead, the West should re-evaluate its policy of coercive assimilation and critically address the broader question of our time - as to whether secularism can really guarantee the rights of people belonging to different faiths.

Oktoba 7, 2006

October 7, 2006