Freedom of Expression or Blatant Hatred against Islam?

News:

On the 27th of January, Hizb ut Tahrir / Malaysia organized a rally where memoranda of protest were handed to the embassies of Sweden and The Netherlands in Kuala Lumpur. The event was covered by social and mainstream media the very same day. The memoranda of protest were in response to the heinous acts of desecrating the Holy Quran perpetrated by extreme far right politicians in Sweden and The Netherlands. On the 21st of January 2023, Rasmus Paludan, leader of the Danish far-right party Stram Kurs, burnt a copy of Islam’s holy book the Quran under the protection of the Swedish police. In a hypocritical message, the Swedish Prime Minister criticised the burning but at the same time supported the ‘right’ for Rasmus to carry out this heinous act in the name of ‘freedom of expression’. A day after that, Edwin Wagensveld carried out the same atrocious act in The Netherlands, again under the protection of the Dutch police, under the guise of freedom of expression.

Comment:

This is not the first time that the Swedish government have condoned such sacrilege. Rasmus Paludan was allowed to carry out the same profane act which resulted in a severe social unrest. In 2020, the same individual was also allowed to carry out such spiteful act. In fact, it is not surprising that such Islamophobic acts are becoming a common place all over Europe. It is very clear, despite hypocritical criticisms by the Swedish and Dutch governments on the perpetrators, that these countries continuously act as a platform in the name of ‘freedom of expression’ to attack and undermine Islam. In fact, hypocritical Western governments pick and choose when to decide and what should or should not be labelled as freedom of expression. Sweden, for example, as a nation that aspires to become a part of NATO, did not choose to specifically antagonise Turkiye; instead it deliberately chose to insult almost 2 billion Muslims by allowing Rasmus to carry out the despicable act. Clearly, the Swedish and the Dutch governments, which exemplify the Western attitude towards Islam, wave the banner of freedom of expression only when Muslims and Islam are insulted but deemed criticisms on the Holocaust of the Jews, for example, as ‘insensitive and inappropriate’. Such hypocrisy!!

The West have to be made to realize that the sanctity of Islam and Muslims will be taken seriously by the Ummah of Islam. Despite the current relentless attacks by the enemies of Islam and the betrayal of the current rulers of the Muslims, the Ummah will never remain quiet towards any insult or belittling of Allah (swt) and His Prophet (saw). And in the Hereafter, Allah (swt) has prepared for the attackers of Islam a humiliating torment in the Hereafter. He, the Almighty, said:

(إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يُؤْذُونَ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ لَعَنَهُمُ اللَّهُ فِي الدُّنْيَا وَالْآخِرَةِ وَأَعَدَّ لَهُمْ عَذَاباً مُّهِيناً)

“Indeed, those who abuse Allah and His Messenger - Allah has cursed them in this world and the Hereafter and prepared for them a humiliating punishment” [TMQ Al-Ahzab: 57].

The West must be reminded that this Ummah is continuously putting effort to regain its real authority by working to remove its oppressive rulers and re-establish the Caliphate and to return the glory of Islam. As Muslims, we are one nation. Muslims will always stand up to defend the honour of Islam. And no matter how imprudent the attacks and wishes are to degrade the sanctities of this Deen, Allah’s promise of victory is just a matter of time. Allah (swt) says:

(يُرِيدُونَ أَن يُطْفِئُوا نُورَ اللَّهِ بِأَفْوَاهِهِمْ وَيَأْبَى اللَّهُ إِلَّا أَن يُتِمَّ نُورَهُ وَلَوْ كَرِهَ الْكَافِرُونَ * هُوَ الَّذِي أَرْسَلَ رَسُولَه بِالْهُدَى وَدِينِ الْحَقِّ لِيُظْهِرَهُ عَلَى الدِّينِ كُلِّهِ وَلَوْ كَرِهَ الْمُشْرِكُونَ)

“They want to extinguish the light of Allah with their mouths, but Allah refuses except to perfect His light, although the disbelievers dislike it. It is He who has sent His Messenger with guidance and the religion of truth to manifest it over all religion, although they who associate others with Allah dislike it” [TMQ At-Tawbah: 32-33].

Written for the Central Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir by
Dr. Mohammad – Malaysia